Apparatus and method for generating a knowledge base
First Claim
1. A system including a computer and a display means for constructing a logical tree having at least one non-disjunctive branch and displaying a graphical representation of said logical tree for use in automatically generating a knowledge base in a computer comprising:
- a) node generation means for generating a node in said tree wherein a graphical representation of said node is displayed on said display means;
b) type definition means for defining the type of said node wherein permissible node types include a test node type and a solution node type;
c) test definition means for defining a test associated with said test node type node;
d) solution definition means for defining a solution associated with said solution node type node;
e) leg definition means for defining a leg associated with two nodes wherein a graphical representation of said leg may be displayed on said display means; and
f) formula definition means for defining a formula associated with said leg.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically generating a knowledge base for use in an expert system. More specifically, the present invention discloses a method and system for automatically generating a knowledge base using a graphical programming environment to create a logical tree from which such a knowledge base may be generated. This enables a user of the present invention to author a knowledge base without knowledge of artificial intelligence specific languages and constructs. This is accomplished by permitting the user to construct a graphical picture that represents the problem solving knowledge about a given subject known as a decision tree, or logical tree. The arrangement of the graphical objects in the logical tree, along with the logical attachments associated with these objects, is used by the system employing the present invention to generate a knowledge base.
111 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system including a computer and a display means for constructing a logical tree having at least one non-disjunctive branch and displaying a graphical representation of said logical tree for use in automatically generating a knowledge base in a computer comprising:
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a) node generation means for generating a node in said tree wherein a graphical representation of said node is displayed on said display means; b) type definition means for defining the type of said node wherein permissible node types include a test node type and a solution node type; c) test definition means for defining a test associated with said test node type node; d) solution definition means for defining a solution associated with said solution node type node; e) leg definition means for defining a leg associated with two nodes wherein a graphical representation of said leg may be displayed on said display means; and f) formula definition means for defining a formula associated with said leg. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method for automatically generating a knowledge base in a computer from a graphical representation of a logical tree having at least one non-disjunctive branch, comprising the steps of:
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a) verifying the organization of said logical tree; b) verifying the content of said logical tree; c) generating a plurality of global attributes; d) creating a plurality of classes; and e) creating a plurality of rules as defined by said tree using said plurality of global attributes and said plurality of classes, wherein said rules are executable by an inference engine in a backward chaining mode; wherein said step of verifying the content of said tree comprises the steps of; b1) verifying that a valid formula is associated with each said leg; b2) verifying that a valid test is associated with each said test node; b3) verifying that a valid solution is associated with each solution node; and b4) verifying that each link node in said logical tree is linked to either a procedure or to a domain. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 22)
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15. A method for automatically generating a knowledge base in a computer from a graphical representation of a logical tree having at least one non-disjunctive branch, comprising the steps of:
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a) verifying the organization of said logical tree; b) verifying the content of said logical tree; c) generating a plurality of global attributes; d) creating a plurality of classes; and e) creating a plurality of rules as defined by said tree using said plurality of global attributes and said plurality of classes, wherein said rules are executable by an inference engine in a backward chaining mode; wherein said step of creating a plurality of rules comprises the steps of; e1) starting with a first node of an ordered node list, identifying a left-most path leg leading into said first node; e2) identifying the node from which the left-most path leg identified in step e1 originates; e3) if the first node is a solution node, formatting a rule consequent by adding this node to a global solution attribute list; e4) if the first node is a domain link node, formatting the rule consequent by adding this node to the global solution attribute list; e5) if the first node is a procedure link node, formatting the rule consequent by asserting a global truth attribute associated with the root node of the linked procedure to true; e6) if the first node is a test node, formatting the rule consequent by asserting the global truth attribute associated with this node to true; e7) formatting a Boolean expression in the knowledge base language based on a formula found at the current path leg, wherein this expression is made a part of a rule antecedent; e8) determining if the node from which this path originates is the root node and, if not, formatting a Boolean expression to test the global truth attribute associated with the originating node, wherein this expression is made a part of the rule antecedent, and concatenating the node and path Boolean expressions with a logical AND; e9) repeating steps e1 through e8 for each path leading into the first node and, each time a path is processed, concatenating the resulting expression to the rule antecedent with a logical OR; and e10) generating a knowledge base language rule using the formatted rule antecedent and the rule consequent. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24)
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Specification