Delta model processing logic representation and execution system

• US 6,985,900 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2002
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Edgar F. Codd, Sharon B. Codd
• Original Assignee: Edgar F. Codd, Sharon B. Codd
• Inventors: Codd, Sharon B., Codd, Edgar F.
• Primary Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US10/146,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20020174263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 702 1-208, 712/114, 717114-144, 709100-108, 709313-318, 706 45- 58, 707 1- 10, 707/200, 707100-102, 707 3- 6, 719313-318, 718100-108
• US Class Current: 706/56
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The invention presents novel method, apparatus, and data structures for storing, maintaining, and executing processing logic on a computer system. Processing logic is encoded into its distinct, constituent elements that are flexibly linked, facilitating reuse and reconfiguration. Executable responses are selected for an input signal by identifying a correspondence between the input signal and an expression, evaluating the expression to a resulting value, and identifying a correspondence between the expression and its resulting value, and an executable response.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture for use in condition to action processing in a computer system, the apparatus comprising a computer readable medium with computer readable program code embodied therein for directing a computer system, the computer readable code in the article of manufacture comprising:

an event data store that can store at least one event identifier and at least one corresponding expression that indicates a corresponding predicate logic expression of condition that corresponds to an event identified by the at least one event identifier;

a task data store that can store at least one task identifier and corresponding response information that indicates a group of one or more command statements that corresponds to the at least one task;

a correspondence data store that can store at least one correspondence between the at least one event identifier and the at least one task identifier;

a notice data store that can store respective event data that corresponds to the at least one event identifier;

computer readable program code causing the computer to evaluate the indicated predicate logic expression using the event data so as to produce an evaluation result corresponding to the at least one identified event; and

computer readable program code causing the computer to execute the at least one or more command statements only if the produced evaluation result has a prescribed value.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein the computer readable program code causing the computer to execute further includes:

computer readable program code to determine whether the evaluation result has a prescribed value;

computer readable program code causing the computer to identify in the correspondence data store a correspondence between the respective at least one event identifier and the at least one task identifier;

computer readable program code causing the computer to identify from the task data store the respective group of one or more command statements that correspond to the at least one identified task identifier; and

computer readable program code causing the computer to execute the one or more command statements that correspond to the identified task identifier.

3. A method of creating condition-to-action associations in computer readable program code embodied in a computer readable medium comprising:

providing an event data store tat can store at least one event identifier and at least one corresponding expression that indicates a corresponding predicate logic expression of condition that corresponds to an event identified byte at least one event identifier;

providing a task data store that can store at least one task identifier and corresponding response information that indicates a group of one or more command statements that corresponds to the at least one task;

providing a correspondence data store that can store at least one correspondence between the at least one event identifier and the at least one task identifier;

providing a notice data store that can store respective event data that corresponds to the at least one event identifier;

evaluating the indicated predicate logic expression using the event data so as to produce an evaluation result corresponding to the at least one identified event; and

executing the at least one or more command statements only if the produced evaluation result has a prescribed value.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein executing the at least one or more command statements only if the produced evaluation result has a prescribed value includes:

determining whether the evaluation result has a prescribed value;

identifying in the correspondence data store a correspondence between a respective at least one event identifier and the at least one task identifier;

identifying from the task data store the respective group of one or more command statements that correspond to the at least one identified task identifier; and

executing the one or more command statements that correspond to the identified task identifier.

5. An article of manufacture for use in condition to action processing in a computer system, the apparatus comprising a computer readable medium with computer readable program code embodied therein for directing a computer system, the computer readable code in the article of manufacture comprising:

an event data store that can store a plurality of respective event identifiers and respective corresponding expression that indicate respective corresponding predicate logic expressions of condition that respectively correspond to respective events identified by respective corresponding event identifiers;

a task data store that can store a plurality of respective task identifiers and respective corresponding response information that indicates groups of one or more command statements that respectively correspond to respective tasks;

a correspondence data store that can store a plurality of correspondences between respective event identifiers and respective one or more task identifiers;

a notice data store that can store respective event data that corresponds to respective event identifiers;

computer readable program code causing the computer to evaluate a respective predicate logic expression of condition corresponding to a respective event identifier corresponding to respective event data stored in, the native data store; and

computer readable program code to determine whether the evaluation result has a prescribed value;

computer readable program code causing the computer to execute the at least one or more command statements only if the produced evaluation result has a prescribed value;

computer readable program code causing the computer to identify in the correspondence data store a correspondence between the respective event identifier and a respective task identifier;

computer readable program code causing the computer to identify from the task data store a respective group of one or more command statements that correspond to the identified task identifier; and

computer readable program code causing the computer to execute the one or more command statements that correspond to the identified task identifier.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein the computer readable program code causing the computer to execute the at least one or more command statements only if the produced evaluation result has a prescribed value invokes the computer readable program code causing the computer to identify in the correspondence data store a correspondence between the respective event identifier and a respective task identifier only if the produced evaluation result has a prescribed value and otherwise terminates condition to action processing.