Method and apparatus for providing a search engine for optimizing a decentralized or emergent model on a computer network

• US 7,039,920 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2001
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Ocls Applications LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Oculus Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Wall, Matthew B., Wall, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Andy
• Application Number:
  US09/898,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 719/316, 707/103.R, 707/103.Y, 707/103.X, 707/103.Z
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24565 Triggers; Constraints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/04 Constraint-based CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A search engine is provided for searching, evaluating and/or optimizing an emergent model on a computer network. The emergent model is created by independently generating, publishing references to, and subscribing to data objects and/or function objects in a manner free of a globally predefined data object and/or function object definition. Messages are sent to referencing data objects and/or function objects when referenced data objects and/or function objects change. Functions within the function objects are solved when the messages are received. The data objects and/or the function objects are stored in a distributed manner across multiple computing devices on a computer network. At least one of the data objects is defined as an input data object and at least one of the data objects is defined as an output data object to a search engine, the search engine generating changes to the input data object until the output data object satisfies a predefined criteria.

Claims

1. A method of providing an engine for searching and/or optimizing an emergent model on a computer network, the emergent model including one or more models having computer instructions and data that describe behavior of a system and/or evaluate the system, comprising the steps of:

generating data objects and/or function objects, at least some of the data objects and/or function objects being model inputs and/or model outputs, at least some of the function objects defining interdependencies within a model by providing solvable expressions that relate data objects and/or function objects;

publishing identifiers for the data objects and/or the function objects;

subscribing to the data objects and/or the function objects by creating relationships between the data objects and/or the function objects by referencing the data objects and/or the function objects within the function objects, thereby linking the data objects and/or the function objects, wherein networks of linked data objects and/or function objects emerge;

sending messages to referencing data objects and/or function objects when referenced data objects and/or referenced function objects change;

invoking methods on data objects and/or function objects when data objects and/or function objects require information;

solving the expressions within the function objects when the messages are received;

storing the data objects and/or the function objects in a central location on a single computing device or in a distributed manner across multiple computing devices on a computer network; and

defining at least one of the data objects and/or function objects as an input object and defining at least one of the data objects and/or function objects as an output object to a search engine, the search engine generating changes to the input object until the output object satisfies a predefined criteria; and

wherein the emergent networks of linked data objects and/or function objects are independently published to, and subscribed to, in a manner free of a globally predefined network of data objects and/or function objects, thereby generating the emergent model.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a part of the configuration of the networks of linked data objects and/or function objects is predefined and used to determine which data objects and/or function objects are generated on which of the computing devices in the computer network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a user interface is defined that displays the data objects and/or function objects on a computing device on the computer network using a client process that communicates with a server process wherein the data objects and/or function objects can be viewed on any computing device connected to the computer network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data objects and/or function objects are stored in logical groups.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the references to the data objects and/or function objects are published using electronic media, print media or human conversation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating the data objects and/or function objects provides an interface mapping for data objects and/or function objects stored in application programs, databases or computer code libraries.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the function objects are implemented by computer code that is complied, dynamically linked and evaluated at runtime.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the function objects are implemented by computer code that is interpreted and evaluated at runtime.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending or receiving of messages can be enabled or disabled based on predefined criteria.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the criteria is based upon message source, message destination or message contents.

11. A method of providing an engine for optimizing a decentralized model on a computer network, the decentralized model including one or more models having computer instructions and data that describe behavior of a system and/or evaluate the system, comprising the steps of:

generating data objects and/or function objects, at least same of the data objects and/or function objects being model inputs and/or model outputs, at least some of the function objects defining interdependencies within a model by providing solvable expressions that relate data objects and/or function objects;

publishing identifiers for the data objects and/or the function objects;

subscribing to the data objects and/or the function objects by creating relationships between the data objects and/or the function objects by referencing the data objects and/or the function objects within the function objects, thereby linking the data objects and/or the function objects, wherein networks of linked data objects and/or function objects emerge;

sending messages to referencing data objects and/or function objects when referenced data objects and/or referenced function objects change;

invoking methods on data objects and/or function objects when data objects and/or function objects require information;

solving the expressions within the function objects when the messages are received;

storing the data objects and/or the function objects in a central location on a single computing device or in a distributed manner across multiple computing devices on a computer network;

defining at least one of the data objects as an input data object and defining at least one of data objects as an output data object to a search engine, the search engine generating changes to the input data object until the output data object satisfies a predefined criteria; and

wherein the relationships between the data objects and/or function objects are created without using a single coordinating computing device, or are created using multiple coordinating computing devices on the computer network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein at least a part of the configuration of the networks of linked data objects and/or function objects is predefined and used to determine which data objects and/or function objects are generated on which of the computing devices in the computer network.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein a user interface is defined that displays the data objects and/or function objects on a computing device on the computer network using a client process that communicates with a server process wherein the data objects and/or function objects can be viewed on any computing device connected to the computer network.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the data objects and/or function objects are stored in logical groups.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the references to the data objects and/or function objects are published using electronic media, print media or human conversation.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of generating the data objects and/or function objects provides an interface mapping for data objects and/or function objects stored in application programs, databases or computer code libraries.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the function objects are implemented by computer code that is complied, dynamically linked and evaluated at runtime.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the function objects are implemented by computer code that is interpreted and evaluated at runtime.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the sending or receiving of messages can be enabled or disabled based on predefined criteria.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the criteria is based upon message source, message destination or message contents.

21. The method of claim 11 wherein the method provides a search engine for performing any one or combination of searching, evaluating and optimizing a decentralized model.