Method, system, and program product for dispatching an event to a rule using key-value pair

• US 7,788,201 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dobner, Edward J., Pate, Brian D., Gajda, Kimberly L., Darney, Adam B., Phelps, Mack E., Feridun, Metin, Moser, Michael, Gschwind, Thomas, Biazetti, Ana C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sparks; Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Lut
• Application Number:
  US11/536,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20080154830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 706/47
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation

Abstract

The invention provides a method, system, and program product for dispatching an event to a rule. In one embodiment, the invention includes generating a table from a rule set, wherein the table includes an indication of whether each rule in the rule set corresponds to at least one event type; receiving an event; in the case that a plurality of rules in the rule set correspond to an event type of the event, dispatching the event to the plurality of rules; determining that the event should not be processed by at least one of the plurality of rules; and terminating the dispatching of the event.

Claims

1. A method for dispatching an event to a rule, the method comprising:

employing at least one computing device for;

generating a table from a rule set, wherein the table includes a key-value pair associating at least one event type with an array of rules applicable to the at least one event type;

receiving an event; and

dispatching the event to at least one applicable rule;

wherein the rule set includes at least one rule block having at least one rule, and in the case that a rule of the rule block indicates that the event should not be dispatched to any other rule of the rule block, the method further comprises;

dispatching the event to at least one of the following;

a rule outside the rule block; and

an additional rule block outside the rule block.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the case that the event is dispatched to a plurality of rules in the rule set, the method further comprises:

determining that the event should not be processed by at least one of the plurality of rules; and

terminating the dispatching of the event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the table is a hash table.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the hash table includes:

a plurality of rules associated with an event type; and

at least one rule block boundary for the plurality of rules.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the received event should be dispatched to at least one rule within the rule block boundary.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

dispatching the event to a rule outside the rule block boundary, in the case that it is determined that the event should not be dispatched to at least one rule within the rule block boundary.

7. A system for dispatching an event to a rule, the system comprising:

at least one computing device including;

a system for generating a table from a rule set, wherein the table includes a key-value pair associating at least one event type with an array of rules applicable to the at least one event type;

a system for receiving an event; and

a system for dispatching the event to the at least one applicable rule;

wherein the rule set includes at least one rule block having at least one rule, and the computing device further includes;

a system for dispatching the event to at least one of the following;

a rule outside the rule block; and

an additional rule block outside the rule block.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a system for determining whether the event should not be processed by at least one of a plurality of rules to which the event has been dispatched; and

a system for terminating the dispatching of the event.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the table is a hash table.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the hash table includes:

a plurality of rules associated with an event type; and

at least one rule block boundary for the plurality of rules.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a system for determining whether the received event should be dispatched to at least one rule within the rule block boundary; and

a system for dispatching the event to a rule outside the rule block boundary.

12. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program product, which when executed, dispatches an event to a rule, the program product comprising:

program code for generating a table from a rule set, wherein the table includes a key-value pair associating at least one event type with an array of rules applicable to the at least one event type;

program code for receiving an event;

program code for dispatching the event to the at least one applicable rule, wherein the rule set includes at least one rule block having at least one rule; and

program code for dispatching the event to at least one of the following;

a rule outside the rule block; and

an additional rule block outside the rule block.

13. The program product of claim 12, further comprising:

program code for determining whether the event should not be processed by at least one of a plurality of rules to which the event has been dispatched; and

program code for terminating the dispatching of the event.

14. The program product of claim 12, wherein the table comprises a hash table including:

a plurality of rules associated with an event type; and

at least one rule block boundary for the plurality of rules,

and wherein the program product further comprises;

program code for determining whether the received event should be dispatched to at least one rule within the rule block boundary; and

program code for dispatching the event to a rule outside the rule block boundary.