Abstract: A system and method for quickly determining whether a requested object is an ancestor of a particular object where both objects are contained in a single inheritance type hierarchy. The system encodes each object in memory with a binary pattern that indicates the ancestry of the object and a mask which indicates which bits of the binary pattern are significant for determining ancestry. This allows a system, upon receiving a request for an object, to determine in only two steps whether any particular object in memory can satisfy the request as a sub-type of the requested object.

Abstract: The present invention includes an approach to improving run-time performance of rule-based systems. A series of testing element nodes making up a testing element is adapted to a match discrimination network utilized in an expert system to permit scanning of incoming data prior to traversing large segments of the nodes in the match discrimination network. By placing a series of testing element nodes into a traditional match discrimination network, interaction among data objects and nodes of the match discrimination network are minimized.

Abstract: A recticular discrimination network utilized in an expert system that permit read procedural attachments on working memory element slots using a gamma memory. The gamma memory is associated with one- or two- input nodes and stores references to the attached WME slot, use of which minimizes computation and interaction among data elements in a RETE-net.

Abstract: A method and system for beta-token partitioning a target expert system program. The target expert system program is first compiled to form a RETE network for execution on a single processor, the compilation including directives for collecting selected processing statistics. The target expert system program is then executed on a single processor, generating during execution processing statistics in connection with each node of the RETE network. The processing statistics are then applied to a programmed neural network to identify nodes in the RETE network for beta-token partitioning, and the target expert system program is then recompiled to form a RETE network for execution on multiple processors, the RETE network being beta-token partitioned at nodes identified by the neural network.