RULES BASE SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH CIRCUMSTANCE TRANSLATION

• US 20100088266A1
• Filed: 11/16/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pegasystems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pegasystems Incorporated
• Inventors: Trefler, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data

Abstract

The invention provides, in one aspect, a method of finding a rule in a rules base that includes a plurality of rule entries, each having a rule and an associated objective and one or more associated circumstances. A rule finder accesses the rules base in response to a request, with a specified objective and with specified circumstances, by searching the rules base for a matching entry. Where the search fails, the rule finder searches one or more translation tables for entries having first circumstances matching those specified in the request that resulted in the failure. If found, the rule finder repeats the search of the rules base with the specified objective and with a second (or “map-to”) circumstances from matching entries in the translation tables. The rule finder can return, e.g., to an application program that issued the request, a rule found during that repeat search of the rules base.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A method of finding a rule for a specified plurality of values, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) responding to a request having a plurality of specified values by searching a rules base for a rule entry having a plurality of associated values matching the plurality of specified values,

(B) responding to a failed search in step (A) by searching a translation table for a translation entry having a first set of one or more values matching one or more of the specified values, where the translation table comprises a plurality of translation entries, each translation entry having associated therewith a first set of one or more values and a second set of one or more values,

(C) responding to a successful search in step (B) by searching the rules base for a rule entry having a first set of one or more values matching one or more of the specified values and having a second set of one or more values matching the second set of one or more values associated with the translation entry found by the successful search in step (B), and

(D) returning a result of a successful search in step (C).

20. The method of claim 19, wherein step (D) comprises responding to a successful search of the rules base performed in step (C) by returning at least one of

i) a rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by the search of the rules base performed in step (C),

ii) a value associated with the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by the search of the rules base performed in step (C),

iii) a location of the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by the search of the rules base performed in step (C), and

iv) an indication of the success of that search of the rules base performed in step (C).

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of responding to a successful search of the rules base performed in step (A) by returning at least one of

i) a rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by that search of the rules base performed in step (A),

ii) a value associated with the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by that search of the rules base performed in step (A),

iii) a location of the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by that search of the rules base performed in step (A), or

iv) an indication of the success of that search of the rules base performed in step (A).

22. The method of claim 19, wherein step (B) includes evaluating an expression specified in a translation table entry.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein step (B) includes evaluating a function specified as a value of a translation table entry.

24. A method of finding a rule for a specified plurality of values, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) responding to a request having a plurality of specified values by searching a rules base for a rule entry having a plurality of associated values matching the plurality of specified values,

(B) responding to a failed search in step (A) by searching a first translation table for a translation entry having a first set of one or more values matching one or more of the specified values, where the first translation table comprises a plurality of translation entries, one or more of which translation entries have associated therewith a first set of one or more values and a second set of one or more further translation table identifiers,

(C) responding to a successful search in step (B) by searching one or more further translation tables identified by the successful search in step (B) for a translation entry having a first set of one or more values matching one or more of the specified values, where the one or more further translation tables each comprise a plurality of translation entries, one or more of which translation entries have associated therewith a first set of one or more values and a second set of one or more values,

(D) responding to a successful search in step (C) by searching the rules base for a rule entry having a first set of one or more values matching one or more of the specified values and having a second set of one or more values matching the second set of one or more values associated with the translation entry found by the successful search in step (C), and

(E) returning a result of a successful search in step (D).

25. The method of claim 24, wherein step (E) comprises responding to a successful search of the rules base performed in step (D) by returning at least one of

i) a rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by the search of the rules base performed in step (D),

ii) a value associated with the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by the search of the rules base performed in step (D),

iii) a location of the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by the search of the rules base performed in step (D), and

iv) an indication of the success of that search of the rules base performed in step (D).

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of responding to a successful search of the rules base performed in step (A) by returning at least one of

i) a rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by that search of the rules base performed in step (A),

ii) a value associated with the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by that search of the rules base performed in step (A),

iii) a location of the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by that search of the rules base performed in step (A), or

iv) an indication of the success of that search of the rules base performed in step (A).

27. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of steps (B) and (C) include evaluating an expression specified in a translation table entry.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of steps (B) and (C) include evaluating a function specified as a value of a translation table entry.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of steps (B) and (C) include executing an expression specified in a translation table entry, which expression specifies any of backward chaining and/or evaluation of rules from the rules base for accessing of new data.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the first translation table comprises, in addition to one or more translation entries having associated therewith a first set of one or more values and a second set of one or more further translation table identifiers, one or more translation entries having associated therewith a first set of one or more values and a second set of one or more values.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the step (C) includes responding to a successful search of the first translation table performed in step (B) by searching the rules base for a rule entry having a first set of one or more values matching one or more of the specified values and having a second set of one or more values matching the second set of one or more values associated with the translation entry found by the successful search in step (B).

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of responding to a successful search of the rules base performed in step (C) by returning at least one of

i) a rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by the search of the rules base performed in step (C),

ii) a value associated with the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by the search of the rules base performed in step (C),

iii) a location of the rule from the rules base associated with the rule entry found by the search of the rules base performed in step (C), and

iv) an indication of the success of that search of the rules base performed in step (C).