Rule engine system controlling devices of disparate types and protocols

• US 8,434,056 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pico Labs LLC
• Original Assignee: Phillip J. Windley, Samuel Curren
• Inventors: Windley, Phillip J., Curren, Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, Ben C
• Application Number:
  US12/818,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/40 Transformation of program code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

A rule engine system works with physical systems monitored by Internet-enabled endpoints on one hand and developer custom applications on the other. Endpoints operate in both the domain specific language of the rule engine, and communicate with participating applications in the native protocols thereof. Whether new or legacy, whether hardware, software, or firmware, whether having much, little, or no digital processing or communication capacity, the participating application may be monitored and controlled by an endpoint that communicates over the Internet with the rule engine. Individual developers prepare rule language files, containing data and instructions for the rule engine to implement through the end point. Any apparatus, whether exclusively mechanical, electrical, electronic, highly sophisticated electronic, or some combination may be monitored and controlled. Any participating application, from a mechanical lawn sprinkler to an Internet commerce server may be implemented thus.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a participating application based on facts corresponding to an entity using the participating application, the method comprising:

providing an endpoint module, executing on a first processor operably connected to the Internet;

providing a data system receiving general data;

providing a rule engine executing on a second processor and comprising an interpreter effective to process a language;

providing the language, domain specific to the rule engine, executable exclusively by the rule engine, and defining a set of rules by which the rule engine evaluates requests received thereby;

identifying a participating application, characterized by a type and comprising operations, characterized by functionality thereof, and a participating protocol, native thereto and supporting communication therewith;

operably connecting the endpoint module to the participating application;

operably connecting the rule engine to the endpoint module;

communicating by the endpoint with the participating application in accordance with the participating protocol;

receiving from a developer of a rule language file in the language, salient events corresponding to activity of the participating application;

defining conditions relating to control of the participating application and based on facts corresponding to the entity controlling the participating application;

identifying, by the rule engine from the rule language file, the salient events;

communicating, by the rule engine, to the end point, the salient events;

detecting, by the end point, the occurrence, in the participating application, of at least one of the salient events;

reporting, by the end point to the rule engine the occurrence;

receiving, by the rule engine, the reporting from the endpoint module containing data reflecting the at least one salient event, selected data, selected out of the general data by the data system in accordance with instructions from the rule engine and based on the content of the rule language file, and evaluation instructions from the rule language file controlling operation of the rule engine;

receiving, by the rule engine, from the data system, selected data from the general data;

evaluating, by the rule engine, a set of conditions reflecting the selected data, information representing at least one of a state of the participating application and values of parameters recognizable by the rule engine as relating to control of the participating application;

generating, by the rule engine, based on the occurrence, directives corresponding to actions to be executed by the participating application;

instructing, by the rule engine, the endpoint module to invoke the functionality of the participating application by sending the directives to the end point module;

controlling, by the end point module, in the native protocol, the participating application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the facts corresponding to the entity are selected from data accessible to a developer and identified thereby with the entity in the rule language file.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the rule engine, callback data from the endpoint, the callback data corresponding to secondary events, the secondary events being defined by the developer in the rule language file and corresponding to actions taken by the entity, detected by the endpoint, and reported to the rule engine by the endpoint.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an identifier from the rule language file identifying the salient events corresponding to operation of the participating application.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving from a developer, independent from the rule engine and from the end point, a rule language file comprising executable instructions and operational data effective to control operation of the rule engine in directing the end point to do at least one of controlling and monitoring the participating application.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising extracting from the rule language file at least two of an evaluation of the syntax thereof with respect to the rule language, salience data for an endpoint and corresponding to the participating application, and an individual rule based on event criteria defined for the participating application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the individual rule comprises a prelude block containing executable code from the developer to be implemented by the rule engine in accordance with the individual rule.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the rule language file further comprises conditions to be evaluated by the rule engine to determine whether a required action is to be taken.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the rule file comprises a dispatch block defining at least one salient event corresponding to the participating application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the salient event is selected from a web page view identification, a location on a web page, a condition of the participating application, the state of a computing device being on;

the state of a telephonic device being on;

the condition of a user computer being logged on to the Internet, a mobile device corresponding to a user being located within a pre-determined distance of a location, and a value of data corresponding to a user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, by the end point, salience data from the rule engine identifying salient events corresponding to the participating application.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising evaluating, by the rule engine, upon detection of the occurrence of the salience data, condition data reflecting a plurality of conditions, each condition thereof being selected from a value of a parameter reflecting at least one of scientific data, geographic data, commercial data, a distance, a proximity, a detectable state of a device corresponding to the participating application, demographic data, industrial data, and process data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising selecting, by the rule engine, select statements corresponding to the salient events, prior to the evaluating the condition data, and based on the pertinence thereof as reflected in the salience data, the select statements corresponding to the endpoints communicating with the participating application.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising installing, with the end point a sensor monitoring the participating application, and installing an actuator, connected to actuate the participating application and controlled by the end point, in accordance with the rule file.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the condition data reflects data not known to the participating application nor determinable therefrom.

16. An apparatus controlling a participating application based on facts corresponding to an entity corresponding thereto, the apparatus comprising:

an endpoint comprising an endpoint processor operably connected to the Internet and executing an endpoint module;

a memory device operably connected to the endpoint processor to receive general data;

a rule processor executing a rule engine comprising an interpreter effective to process a domain specific language corresponding thereto exclusively, and defining a set of rules by which the rule engine evaluates requests received thereby;

the rule processor, further programmed to identify a participating application, characterized by a type and comprising operations, characterized by functionality thereof, and a participating protocol, native thereto and supporting communication therewith;

the endpoint, operably connected to the participating application and the rule engine, the endpoint communicating with the participating application exclusively in accordance with the participating protocol;

the rule processor, further programmed to define conditions relating to control of the participating application and based on facts corresponding to the entity controlling the participating application, identify from the rule language file, salient events, communicate to the end point, the salient events,

receive from the endpoint, report data reflecting the at least one salient event, selected data in accordance with instructions from the rule engine and based on the content of the rule language file, and evaluate instructions from the rule language file;

the endpoint processor, further programmed to detect the occurrence, in the participating application, of at least one of the salient events, reporting to the rule engine the occurrence; and

the rule processor, further programmed to evaluate a set of conditions reflecting the selected data, information representing at least one of a state of the participating application and values of parameters recognizable by the rule engine as relating to control of the participating application,

generate, based on the occurrence, directives corresponding to actions to be executed by the participating application,

instruct the endpoint module to invoke the functionality of the participating application by sending the directives to the end point processor, and

control in the native protocol thereof, the participating application.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a non- transitory computer readable medium storing executable and non-executable data structures, the data structures comprising:

an endpoint module, connected to the Internet and effecting communication between a rule engine and a participating application;

the rule engine, receiving requests from the endpoint module;

the rule engine, wherein the requests each contain data reflecting occurrence of a salient event corresponding to the participating application;

the rule engine, characterized by a domain specific language defining a set of rules by which the rule engine evaluates the requests;

the participating application, characterized by a type and a functionality;

the participating application, further having a participating protocol, native thereto, and configured to communicate exclusively in accordance with the participating protocol;

the endpoint module, further configured to communicate with the participating application in accordance with the participating protocol;

the rule engine, further programmed to generate directives and send the directives to the end point module;

the rule engine, wherein the generation of the directives is in accordance with the evaluation of the requests, to instruct the endpoint module to invoke the functionality of the participating application; and

the rule engine, further comprising an interpreter effective to process a rule language file in a domain specific language, unique to the rule engine, identifying from the rule language file, the salient events, detecting the occurrence, in the participating application, of at least one of the salient events, and reporting data reflecting the at least one salient event, selected in accordance with instructions from the rule engine and based on the content of the rule language file.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein:

the participating application is not Internet enabled;

the type is selected from a network proxy server, a browser, an email server, an email client, a mobile platform effective to process executable instructions, a telephony platform, and a special-function Internet-connected processor; and

the endpoint is configured to communicate substantially exclusively with a specific type, selected from a plurality of types available for the participating application.

19. The article of claim 17, wherein the salient event corresponds to data detectable from the participating application.

20. The article of claim 17, wherein:

the endpoint module is further programmed to request of the rule engine an identification of the salient events corresponding to the participating application; and

the participating protocol is selected from a hardware configuration, a digital communication protocol, a software compatibility requirement, and a combination thereof.