SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SCENARIO GENERATION AND MONITORING

• US 20140109113A1
• Filed: 05/09/2012
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptima Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aptima Inc.
• Inventors: Stacy, E. Webb, Sullivan, Kevin, Picciano, Paul, Keskin, Can
• Granted Patent: US 10,179,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/08 for teaching control of aircraft, e.g. Link trainer

Abstract

Processor based systems and methods of defining a scenario event comprising the steps of identifying an event having an event attribute and generalizing the event attribute to define a generalized event whereby the generalized event is the scenario event. In some embodiments, the steps further comprise identifying a first and second event, generalizing a first and second event attribute to define a first and second generalized event and connecting the first and second generalized event in a continuous envelope to create a scenario envelope. Also disclosed are processor based systems and methods of monitoring an activity comprising the steps of monitoring an activity having an activity attribute and comparing the activity attribute to an event envelope to determine a status of the activity relative to the event envelope.

Claims

1. A processor based method of defining at least one scenario event, said method comprising:

identifying at least one event having at least one event attribute; and

generalizing the at least one event attribute to define a generalized event whereby the generalized event is the at least one scenario event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

The at least one event attribute comprises at least one decision point.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the step of identifying at least one event having at least one event attribute comprises identifying a first event associated with at least one first event attribute and a second event associated with at least one second event attribute;

the step of generalizing the at least one event attribute to define a generalized event comprises generalizing the at least one first event attribute to define a first generalized event and generalizing the at least one second event attribute to define a second generalized event; and

connecting the first generalized event and the second generalized event in at least one continuous envelope to create at least one scenario envelope.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein:

the at least one first event attribute comprises a first decision point; and

the at least one second event attribute comprises a second decision point.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one first event and the at least one second event represents an actual event.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of identifying a first event associated with at least one first event attribute and a second event associated with at least one second event attribute comprises manually selecting the first event and the second event form a partially ordered sequence of events.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of identifying a first event associated with at least one first event attribute and a second event associated with at least one second event attribute comprises automatically selecting the first event and the second event form a partially ordered sequence of events.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of generalizing the at least one event attribute to define a generalized event comprises converting the at least one event attribute to at least one range that includes at least one decision point.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the at least one event attribute comprises a plurality of event attributes;

the at least one range comprises a plurality of ranges; and

the at least one scenario envelope comprises a plurality of scenario envelopes.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of generalizing the at least one event attribute to define a generalized event comprises converting defining the at least one event attribute as at least one numerical constraint.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:

the at least one event attribute comprises a plurality of event attributes;

the at least one numerical constraint comprises a plurality of numerical constraints; and

the at least one scenario envelope comprises a plurality of scenario envelopes.

12. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of connecting the first generalized event and the second generalized event in a continuous envelope to create a scenario envelope comprises defining a set of possible scenario event attributes between and including the first generalized event and the second generalized event.

13. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of connecting the first generalized event and the second generalized event in a continuous envelope to create a scenario envelope comprises:

defining a first shape of the first generalized event in an attribute space;

defining a second shape of the second generalized event in the attribute space; and

connecting the first shape and second shape linearly in the attribute space.

14. A processor based method of monitoring an activity, said method comprising:

monitoring an activity having an activity attribute; and

comparing the activity attribute to an event envelope to determine a status of the activity relative to the event envelope.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the event envelope is defined by a generalized event attribute.

16. The processor based method of claim 14 wherein:

the step of comparing the activity attribute to determine a status of the activity relative to the event envelope comprises comparing the activity attribute to a scenario envelope to determine a status of the activity relative to the scenario envelope; and

the scenario envelope defined by a first generalized event and a second generalized event connected in a continuous envelope.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the continuous envelope is defined by defining a first shape of the first generalized event in an attribute space, defining a second shape of the second generalized event in the attribute space and connecting the first shape and second shape linearly in the attribute space.

18. A processor based system comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a communications interface;

an system bus coupling the memory, the processor and the communications interface; and

the memory encoded with a scenario generation process that when executed on the processor is capable of defining at least one scenario event on a processor based system by performing;

a. identifying at least one event having at least one event attribute, and

b. generalizing the at least one event attribute to define a generalized event whereby the generalized event is the at least one scenario event.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein:

the step of identifying at least one event having at least one event attribute comprises identifying a first event associated with at least one first event attribute and a second event associated with at least one second event attribute;

the step of generalizing the at least one event attribute to define a generalized event comprises generalizing the at least one first event attribute to define a first generalized event and generalizing the at least one second event attribute to define a second generalized event; and

further comprising the step of connecting the first generalized event and the second generalized event in at least one continuous envelope to create at least one scenario envelope.