Abstract: Complex declarative programming capabilities are provided through an underlying procedural programming code by functionally providing the selection algorithm of known declarative processing arrangements in explicit conditional constructs in procedural language embodying a rule or rule function statement. This approach simultaneously provides declarative processes easily and simply in a relatively few lines of procedural code while isolating the processing to the rules and objects, themselves, thereby providing reduction in hardware overhead requirements and performance enhancements which will be more fully discussed below. Further, by providing for updating of attributes and relationships of objects together with time tags associated with the update and removal of objects from list for evaluation, imprecise evaluation and heuristic reasoning may be readily developed while providing further performance enhancements to known Lazy Evaluation procedures.

Abstract: A computer-based system and method for building a Rete based network. The computer-based system comprises a first module for inputting rules into the computer-based system, wherein each of the rules may have arbitrary specified tests therein. The computer-based system further comprises a second module responsive to the first module for generating a data structure indicative of each of the inputted rules. The computer-based system further comprises a third module, responsive to the second module, for storing each of the inputted rules and a fourth module responsive to said third means for constructing a Rete network for the rules. Further disclosed is system and method for allowing an expert system developer to enter rules that are formatted in conjunctive, disjunctive and or negated form.

Abstract: An architecture and method for permitting knowledge-based systems to operate in an asynchronous manner is disclosed. A reasoning module includes a set of environment interface procedures which are customized for a specific complex system environment. This environment interface is compiled together with an inference engine and knowledge base to create an embeddable reasoning module.

Abstract: A computer-based system and method for building a Rete based network. The computer-based system comprises a first module for inputting rules into the computer-based system, wherein each of the rules may have arbitrary specified tests therein. The computer-based system further comprises a second module responsive to the first module for generating a data structure indicative of each of the inputted rules. The computer-based system further comprises a third module, responsive to the second module for storing each of the inputted rules and a fourth module responsive to the third module for constructing a Rete network for the rules. Further disclosed is system and method for allowing an expert system developer to enter rules that are formatted in conjunctive, disjunctive and or negated form.

Abstract: An inference engine device adapted for use in a computer-controlled expert system, the computer-controlled expert system having a computer and a knowledge base of objects and rules, the objects having known values and unknown values, the rules having at least one test against an object or objects and configured in a Rete based network. The inference engine is comprised of a first module with a function of storing instructions for the computer; a second module, associated with the first module, that is comprised of a function for instructing the computer to perform forward reasoning with the objects having known values and another function for generating a conflict set; a third module, associated with the first module, that has a function of instructing the computer to perform backward reasoning about the objects having unknown values; and a fourth module, associated with the first module, that determines whether the first or second module is being executed by the computer.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for converting both a knowledge base and an inferencing technique into compilable program code forming a knowledge based system. The method is based on determining what actions an interpretitive inference engine would take with the specific knowledge base and generating only the program code needed to perform these actions. These method eliminates the overhead of interpreting a representation of the knowledge base and significantly improves performance of the system. The method is applicable to both forward and backward chaining reasoning strategies and does not modify or restrict the functional capabilities of the knowledge based system.