System and method for automatically executing decisional rules

• US 6,192,356 B1
• Filed: 12/11/1998
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Incorporated
• Inventors: Eyles, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, GEORGE B
• Application Number:
  US09/209,360
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 706/53, 706/58, 706/47, 706/46
• US Class Current: 706/58
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/046 Forward inferencing; Production systems

Abstract

A system and method for automatically evaluating a decisional rule containing a task and a condition which must be fulfilled before the task can be performed and for automatically performing the task when or whenever the condition is fulfilled in which a decisional rule is entered into a computer, parsed, and then processed such that automatic and continuing iterative evaluations of whether the condition is fulfilled are provided until the condition is fulfilled and then the task associated with the decisional rule is automatically performed and whereby further processing is resumed only after the condition is fulfilled.

Claims

1. A method for automatically evaluating a decisional rule containing a task and a condition which must be fulfilled before the task can be performed and for automatically performing the task when the condition is fulfilled comprising:

entering said decisional rule into a computer;

compiling said decisional rule to parse said condition;

providing automatic and continuing iterative evaluations of whether said condition is fulfilled until said condition is fulfilled;

automatically performing said task when said condition is fulfilled; and

resuming further processing only after said condition is fulfilled.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the task is performed whenever the condition is fulfilled.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the task is performed when the condition is fulfilled once.

4. Computer executable software code stored on a computer readable medium, the code for automatically evaluating a decisional rule containing a task and a condition which must be fulfilled before the task can be performed and for automatically performing the task when the condition is fulfilled, the code comprising code responsive to the entry of said decisional rule into a computer:

a. to compile said decisional rule to parse said condition;

b. to evaluate iteratively, automatically and continuously whether said condition is fulfilled until said condition is fulfilled;

c. to perform automatically said task when said condition is fulfilled; and

d. to resume further processing only after said condition is fulfilled once.

5. The executable software code of claim 4 wherein the task is performed whenever the condition is fulfilled.

6. The executable software code of claim 4 wherein the task is performed when the condition is fulfilled once.

7. A computer readable medium having computer executable software code stored thereon, the code for automatically evaluating a decisional rule containing a task and a condition which must be fulfilled before the task can be performed and for automatically performing the task when the condition is fulfilled, the code responsive to the entry of said decisional rule into a computer:

a. to compile said decisional rule to parse said condition;

b. to evaluate iteratively, automatically and continuously whether said condition is fulfilled until said condition is fulfilled;

c. to perform automatically said task when said condition is fulfilled; and

d. to resume further processing only after said condition is fulfilled.

8. The executable software code of claim 7 wherein the task is performed whenever the condition is fulfilled.

9. The executable software code of claim 7 wherein the task is performed when the condition is fulfilled once.

10. A method for programming a computer to process a decisional rule containing a task, a condition and a modifying condition, both of which must be fulfilled before the task can be performed, and to evaluate automatically, continuously and iteratively whether said condition and modifying condition are fulfilled until said condition and modifying condition have been fulfilled once, independent of whether data affecting said conditions changes, comprising:

a. determining whether the decisional rule is being encountered for the first time;

b. if the decisional rule is being encountered for the first time, incrementing a number representing a nesting depth and setting a status variable to a value representing that the decisional rule has been encountered for the first time;

c. if the decisional rule is not being encountered for the first time, or after incrementing the nesting depth and setting the status variable, determining whether there is a modifying condition following the decisional rule;

d. if there is a modifying condition following the decisional rule, determining whether the modifying condition is true;

e. if the modifying condition is true, setting the status variable to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule has concluded, and setting a statement pointer to the location of an “

otherwise”

or “

end”

statement, if any;

f. if the modifying condition is not true or there is no modifying condition following the decisional rule, determining whether the status variable is set to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule has concluded;

g. if the status variable is not set to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule has concluded, evaluating the condition;

h. if the condition is true, setting the status variable to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule has concluded and the condition was satisfied, and setting the statement pointer to a next statement of the modifying condition, if any;

i. if the status variable is set to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule has concluded or the condition is not true, determining whether the status variable is set to a value representing that the decisional rule has been encountered for the first time;

j. if the status variable is set to a value representing that the decisional rule has been encountered for the first time, setting the status variable to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule is pending;

k. if the status variable is not set to a value representing that the decisional rule has been encountered for the first time or the status variable has been set to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule is pending from a value representing that the decisional rule has been encountered for the first time, determining whether the status variable is set to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule is pending;

l. if the status variable is set to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule is pending, processing a next sequence in a bundle; and

m. if the status variable is not set to a value representing that the evaluation of the decisional rule is pending, proceeding to the next statement pointer.