Approach for generating rules

• US 6,965,889 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2001
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brokat Technologies, Inc., Fair Isaac Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fair Isaac Corporation
• Inventors: Lerman, Marc, Werner, Chris W., Mellor, David J., Marce, Jean-Luc, Serrano-Morales, Carlos A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B.
• Application Number:
  US09/852,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 706/47, 706/45, 706/925, 706/60, 705/3, 705/27
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/046 Forward inferencing; Production systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A novel approach for generating and updating rules allows non-technical users to create and modify rules. A rules generation system includes a rules engineer interface, user interfaces and a rules generator. The rules engineer interface is an interface through which a rules engineer, such as rules engineer, may generate templates. Templates contain data that define rule “templates” that in turn specify a rule structure, rule elements that may be chosen by a user, and rule elements that may not be chosen by user. Templates may also define a set of choices, for example values, that user may choose for those rule elements. Templates may also be used to generate user interfaces. The user interfaces guide a user to create or edit rules.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a rule, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a template that defines;

a rule structure with one or more rule elements and an editable rule element;

a editable rule element type, and

a set of choices that a user may choose for the editable rule element;

generating rule element data that defines a set of choices that a user may choose for a rule element;

receiving user choice data that specifies one or more choices made by the user for the rule element; and

generating the rule based upon the user choice data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps further include presenting said set of choices to said user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises generating a user interface based on said rule element data; and

wherein the step of receiving user choice data includes receiving user choice data from a user interacting with the user interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises receiving user input specifying a set of values defining said set of choices; and

wherein the step of generating said rule element data includes generating rule element data that defines said set of values as said set of choices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said rule element is a value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said rule element data specifies a source of data that defines the set of choices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said source of data is a database system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said rule element is a condition.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the rule.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said rule element data further defines how the user may select said set of choices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the rule based upon the user choice data includes generating the rule based upon the user choice data and other rule data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the other rule data defines another version of the rule; and

said user choice data specifies modification to said version.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the other rule data specifies an attribute of the rule not defined by the rule element data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of choices is a set of data types.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of choices is a set of data values.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of choices is a set of operators.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of choices is a set of constraints.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of choices is a set of business logic.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule is a business rule.

20. A computer-implemented method for generating a rule, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a template that defines;

a rule structure with one or more rule elements and an editable rule element;

a editable rule element type, and

a set of choices that a user may choose for the editable rule element;

generating rule element data that defines a set of values that a user may choose for a rule element;

receiving user choice data that specifies one or more values chosen by the user for the rule element; and

generating the rule based upon the user choice data.

21. A computer-implemented method for generating a rule that may be executed by a rules engine, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a template that defines;

a rule structure with one or more rule elements and an editable rule element;

a editable rule element type, and

a set of choices that a user may choose for the editable rule element;

receiving user choice data that specifies one or more choices chosen by the user for the rule element;

generating the rule based upon the user choice data; and

updating a rules repository to reflect the rule.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

generating a user interface based on said template; and

presenting said set of choices to said user using said user interface.

23. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for generating a rule, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

generating a template that defines;

a rule structure with one or more rule elements and an editable rule element;

a editable rule element type, and

a set of choices that a user may choose for the editable rule element;

generating rule element data that defines a set of choices that a user may choose for a rule element;

receiving user choice data that specifies one or more choices made by the user for the rule element; and

generating the rule based upon the user choice data.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the steps further include presenting said set of choices to said user.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein:

the computer-readable medium further comprises generating a user interface based on said rule element data; and

wherein the step of receiving user choice data includes receiving user choice data from a user interacting with the user interface.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein:

the computer-readable medium further comprises one or more instructions for receiving user input specifying a set of values defining said set of choices; and

wherein the step of generating said rule element data includes generating rule element data that defines said set of values as said set of choices.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein said rule element is a value.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein said rule element data specifies a source of data that defines the set of choices.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein said source of data is a database system.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein said rule element is a condition.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising one or more instructions for processing the rule.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein said rule element data further defines how the user may select said set of choices.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the step of generating the rule based upon the user choice data includes generating the rule based upon the user choice data and other rule data.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein:

the other rule data defines another version of the rule; and

said user choice data specifies modification to said version.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the other rule data specifies an attribute of the rule not defined by the rule element data.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the set of choices is a set of data types.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the set of choices is a set of data values.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the set of choices is a set of operators.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the set of choices is a set of constraints.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the set of choices is a set of business logic.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the rule is a business rule.

42. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for generating a rule, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

generating a template that defines;

a rule structure with one or more rule elements and an editable rule element;

a editable rule element type, and

a set of choices that a user may choose for the editable rule element;

generating rule element data that defines a set of values that a user may choose for a rule element;

receiving user choice data that specifies one or more values chosen by the user for the rule element; and

generating the rule based upon the user choice data.

43. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for generating a rule, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

generating a template that defines;

a rule structure with one or more rule elements and an editable rule element;

a editable rule element type, and

a set of choices that a user may choose for the editable rule element;

receiving user choice data that specifies one or more choices chosen by the user for the rule element;

generating the rule based upon the user choice data; and

updating a rules repository to reflect the rule.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, further comprising one or more instructions for:

generating a user interface based on said template; and

presenting said set of choices to said user using said user interface.