Rule-based filtering and alerting

• US 8,217,756 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Anush, Sriram, Balasubramanian, Goteti, Janaki Ram, Venkatesh, Ramachandran, Ahmed, Mohamed Fakrudeen Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US11/192,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20060047789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,538 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.92, 340/572.4, 706/47
• US Class Current: 340/5.92
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates utilizing rule-based technology with radio frequency identification (RFID) network. An interface can receive real-time RFID data from a process comprising at least one device collection in the RFID network, wherein a rules engine (RE) component can employ a declarative event policy associated with the RFID network as rules. The RE allows dynamic updates of business logic associated with applications in real-time without the re-start and/or stop the applications. The system and/or method further comprises a vocabulary component that provides terms that defines at least one of the rule, rule condition, and action based at least in part upon an industry specific nomenclature.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method that facilitates utilizing rule-based technology with a radio frequency identification (RFID) network, comprising:

receiving a dynamic update in real time of a declarative event policy, the declarative event policy comprising one or more logical rules that are grouped together to perform in memory filtering, alerting, deduction and inferences based upon events and data associated with RFID events;

creating a logical source associated with the RFID network, the logical source providing tag data comprising an identification (ID), a type, a source, a time, and a device name, the logical source comprising each of a device collection, a filter policy, an alert policy, and an event handler, the filter policy comprising removal of duplicate reads and allowing at least one combination of items, the alert policy comprising raising an alert when an RFID tag in a given range is collected, raising an alert when a first given RFID tag is collected in a first given time period, and raising an alert when a second given RFID tag is read repeatedly in a second given time period, the alert policy also comprising raising an alert when a first device within the RFID network is down, raising an alert when a second device within the RFID network comes up, raising an alert when a new device within the RFID network is discovered, wherein each alert raised comprises the ID, type, source, time, data, and device name associated with the particular RFID tag or device;

receiving RFID information from the logical source associated with the RFID network;

asserting at least a portion of the tag data to be used in the filter policy into a rules engine (RE), the RE utilizing a rule component that applies rules that are contained within rule sets that adhere to a fixed format comprising event, condition, and action rules, the RE supporting predicates and conditions, wherein the rules are expressed at least in part using a domain specific nomenclature and wherein the rules are interpreted at least in part by a vocabulary component which maps one or more domain specific terms in the domain specific nomenclature to one or more underlying implementing technologies;

the RE inferring states and generating a probability distribution over the states based upon a captured set of RFID observations, the inferred states identifying a specific context and action;

the RE accepting and deploying an updated rule set in real-time, wherein deploying the updated rule set is accomplished without a restart of the RE;

executing the filter policy based at least in part upon the tag data provided by the logical source; and

executing the alert policy based at least in part upon the tag data provided by the logical source, wherein a set of alert actions associated with the alert policy comprises one or more of sending email, sending SMS, sending a page, and creating a log.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining at least one second event policy;

defining an RFID process;

deploying each of the RFID process, and the second event policy; and

dynamically updating at least one second event policy in real-time without restarting the rules engine.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least one of a business policy related to a new application and a business logic related to an existing application;

defining a rule with a rule set that represents the business logic;

attaching tag data to at least one of a condition and an action related to the rule;

testing the rule; and

publishing the business policy in a store to deploy.

4. A computer program product comprising physical memory having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed upon one or more computer processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method of claim 1.