System and GUI for specifying composite predicates and dynamic systems

• US 20100050132A1
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daniel Shia
• Original Assignee: Daniel Shia
• Inventors: Shia, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/207,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20100050132A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

System for specifying the behavior of a composite predicate and a composite dynamic system, and procedures about their operations are provided in the present invention. While a composite predicate is provided to check for a complex condition when a decision is made in a computing system, a composite dynamic system is provided for specifying the behavior of the entire computing system. In addition, a graphical language is provided for showing composite predicates and dynamic systems in graphical diagrams. Some existing graphical languages, such as BPMN and UML Activity Diagrams, are extended with similar capabilities.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising instructions to direct at least one processor to evaluate at least one composite-predicate for checking whether at least one complex condition is met or not and evaluating to either a positive value or a non-positive value respectively, wherein each said composite-predicate comprising:

at least one indirect-exit-point, a result, and at least one sequence, wherein;

a) each said indirect-exit-point comprises an exit-value and an exit-condition, wherein;

said exit-value whose value is one of a positive value and a non-positive value; and

said exit-condition specifies a termination situation under which evaluation of said composite-predicate exits;

b) said result is an attribute to store said exit-value when said composite-predicate exits at said indirect-exit-point; and

c) each said sequence is evaluated when said composite-predicate is evaluated, and each said sequence comprising at least one subordinate predicate, wherein each said subordinate predicate comprises one of a lower level composite-predicate and a simple-predicate, wherein said simple-predicate specifies a simple condition to check, and if said simple condition is met, said simple-predicate evaluates to a positive value and if said simple condition is not met, said simple-predicate evaluates to a non-positive value.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said indirect-exit-point further comprising an Exit-name that specifies a name for identifying said indirect-exit-point.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sequence further comprising at least one transition,

wherein each said transition comprises a source, a target, and a transition-condition, wherein:

a) said source specifies a first said subordinate predicate;

b) said target specifies a second said subordinate predicate; and

c) said transition-condition specifies a situation, wherein if said situation is met, said target is evaluated after said source is evaluated.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein at least one of said sequence further comprising at least one direct-exit-point as the target of one of said transition, wherein each said direct-exit-point comprises one of said exit-value, when said direct-exit-point is evaluated, said composite-predicate terminates and evaluates to said exit-value associated with said direct-exit-point.

5. The computer system of claim 3, wherein at least one of said sequence further comprising a user defined end-point pointed to by at least one of said transition, wherein when said user defined end-point is evaluated, said at least one of said sequence terminates at said user defined end-point and evaluates to a positive value.

6. The computer system of claim 3, wherein at least one of said sequence further comprising an implicit-end-point, wherein when one of said source has been evaluated and none of said transition-condition of the source is met, said at least one of said sequence terminates at said implicit-end-point and evaluates to a non-positive value.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said composite-predicate further comprising an implicit-exit-point, wherein when each said sequence has exited without reaching any one of said indirect-exit-point and said direct-exit-point, said at least one of said composite-predicate exits at said implicit-exit-point and evaluates to a non-positive value.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said exit-condition in at least one of said indirect-exit-point specifies how many said sequence should have evaluated to positive value in order for said composite-predicate to exit and evaluate to the exit-value of said at least one of said indirect-exit-point.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein said exit-condition in at least one of said indirect-exit-point specifies a logical OR condition stating that when at least one of said sequence has evaluated to a positive value, said composite-predicate exits and evaluates to the exit-value of said at least one of said indirect-exit-point.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein said exit-condition in at least one of said indirect-exit-point specifies a logical AND condition stating that when each of said sequence has evaluated to a positive value, said composite-predicate exits and evaluates to the exit-value of said at least one of said indirect-exit-point.

11. A computer system comprising instructions to direct at least one processor to evaluate at least one composite-predicate for checking whether at least one complex condition is met or not and evaluating to either a positive value or a non-positive value respectively, wherein each said composite-predicate comprising:

at least one sequence and a result, wherein;

each said sequence is evaluated when said composite-predicate is evaluated, and each said sequence comprises at least one subordinate predicate, at least one transition and at least one direct-exit-point, wherein;

a) each said subordinate predicate comprises one of a low level composite-predicate and a simple-predicate, wherein said simple-predicate specifies a simple condition to check, and if said simple condition is met, said simple-predicate evaluates to a first positive value and if said simple condition is not met, said simple-predicate evaluates to a first non-positive value;

b) each said transition comprises a source, a target, and a transition-condition, wherein;

said source specifies a first subordinate predicate;

said target specifies either a second subordinate predicate or one of said direct-exit-point; and

said transition-condition specifies a situation, wherein if said situation is met, said target is evaluated after said source is evaluated; and

c) each said direct-exit-point comprises an exit-value whose value is either a second positive value or a second non-positive value, and

when said each said direct-exit-point is evaluated, evaluation of said composite-predicate exits and evaluates to the exit-value associated with the direct-exit-point; and

said result is an attribute to store said exit-value associated with the direct-exit-point at which said composite-predicate exits.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein at least one of said direct-exit-point further comprising an Exit-name that specifies a name for identifying said direct-exit-point.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein at least one of said composite-predicate further comprising at least one indirect-exit-point, wherein each said indirect-exit-point comprises an exit-value, and an exit-condition, wherein:

a) said exit-value whose value is one of a positive value and a non-positive value; and

b) said exit-condition specifies a termination situation under which evaluation of said composite-predicate exits and evaluates to said exit-value.

14. A computer system comprising a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for displaying on a display device at least one composite-predicate-item that visually represents a composite-predicate for checking whether at least one complex condition is met or not and evaluating to either a first positive value or a first non-positive value respectively,

wherein each said composite-predicate-item comprising:

at least one indirect-exit-point-item and at least one sequence-item, wherein;

a) each said indirect-exit-point-item comprises an exit-point-item, an exit-condition-item and an exit-value, wherein;

said exit-point-item visually represents a point where said composite-predicate is capable of exiting, and

said exit-condition-item visually represents a termination situation under which evaluation of said composite-predicate-item exits and evaluates to said exit-value associated with said indirect-exit-point-item; and

b) each said sequence-item is evaluated when said composite-predicate-item is evaluated, and each said sequence-item comprises at least one subordinate predicate-item, wherein each said subordinate predicate-item visually represents one of a lower level composite-predicate and a simple-predicate, wherein said simple-predicate specifies a simple condition to check, and if said simple condition is met, said simple-predicate evaluates to a second positive value and if said simple condition is not met, said simple-predicate-item evaluates to a second non-positive value.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said indirect-exit-point-item further comprising an Exit-name that visually specifies a name for identifying said indirect-exit-point-item.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein at least one of a group consisting of said composite-predicate-item, said indirect-exit-point-item, said sequence-item, and said simple-predicate-item is visually represented by an exiting graphical element of a graphical language.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said sequence-item further comprising at least one transition-item,

wherein each said transition-item visually connects a source to a target and comprises a transition-condition-item, wherein:

said source specifies a first said subordinate predicate-item;

said target specifies a second said subordinate predicate-item; and

said transition-condition-item visually represents a transition-condition that specifies a situation, wherein if said situation is met, said target is evaluated after said source is evaluated.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein at least one of said transition-item is visually represented by an exiting graphical element of a graphical language.

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein at least one of said sequence-item further comprising at least one direct-exit-point-item as the target of one of said transition-item, wherein when said direct-exit-point is evaluated, said composite-predicate exits and evaluates to either a positive value or a non-positive value.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein at least one of said direct-exit-point-item is visually represented by an exiting graphical element of a graphical language.

21. The computer system of claim 17, wherein at least one of said sequence-item further comprising a user defined end-point-item pointed to by at least one of said transition-item, wherein when said user defined end-point-item is evaluated, said at least one of said sequence-item terminates and evaluates to a positive value.

22. The computer system of claim 21, wherein said user defined end-point-item is visually represented by an exiting graphical element of a graphical language.

23. A computer system comprising a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for displaying on a display device at least one composite-predicate-item that visually represents a composite-predicate for checking whether at least one complex condition is met or not and evaluating to either a first positive value or a first non-positive value respectively,

wherein each said composite-predicate-item comprising at least one sequence-item, wherein each said sequence-item is evaluated when said composite-predicate-item is evaluated, and each said sequence-item comprises at least one subordinate predicate-item, at least one transition-item, and at least one direct-exit-point-item, wherein:

a) each said subordinate predicate-item comprises one of a lower level composite-predicate-item and a simple-predicate-item, wherein said simple-predicate-item visually represents a simple condition to check, and if said simple condition is met, said simple-predicate-item evaluates to a second positive value and if said simple condition is not met, said simple-predicate-item evaluates to a second non-positive value;

b) each said transition-item visually connects a source to a target and comprises a transition-condition-item, wherein;

said source specifies a first subordinate predicate-item;

said target specifies either one of said subordinate predicate-item or one of said direct-exit-point-item; and

said transition-condition-item visually represents a situation, wherein if said situation is met, said target is evaluated after said source is evaluated; and

c) each said direct-exit-point-item is connected by one of said transition-item as the target, wherein when said direct-exit-point-item is evaluated, said composite-predicate-item exits and evaluates to one of said first positive value and said first non-positive value.

24. The computer system of claim 23, wherein at least one of said direct-exit-point-item further comprising an Exit-name that visually specifies a name for identifying said direct-exit-point-item.

25. The computer system of claim 23, wherein at least one of a group consisting of said composite-predicate-item, said sequence-item, said simple-predicate-item, said direct-exit-point-item, and said transition-item is visually represented by an exiting graphical element of a graphical language.

26. The computer system of claim 23, wherein at least one of said composite-predicate-item further comprising at least one indirect-exit-point-item, wherein each said indirect-exit-point-item comprises an exit-point-item, and an exit-condition-item, wherein:

said exit-point-item visually represents a point where said at least one composite-predicate is capable of exiting, and

said exit-condition-item visually represents a termination situation under which evaluation of said composite-predicate-item exits and evaluates to one of a positive value and a non-positive value.

27. The computer system of claim 26, wherein at least one of said indirect-exit-point-item is visually represented by an exiting graphical element of a graphical language.