Patent · US Expired

Optimization of information bases

US5259067A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
2References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 27, 1991
Grant dateNov 2, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 27, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F16/24564
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A technique for increasing the efficiency of a system such as an artificial intelligence system or a data base system in which a query is applied to a set of formulas. The technique creates an approximation of the set of formulas which is computationally more tractable than the original set. The original set is used to answer the query only if the approximation fails to provide the answer. The approximation is made by a compilation process which provides a series of ever-closer approximations. A given query is answered using the currently-closest approximation. The approximation may consist of a first set of formulas which is an upper bound (i.e. implied by) of the original set, and a second set which is a lower bound (i.e. implies) of the original set. In this case, the compilation process produces a series of increasing lower bounds and decreasing upper bounds until a greatest lower bound and a least upper bound are reached. Example applications of the technique are given for propositional languages, first order languages, languages based on definite clauses, and frame languages.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.