Rule-based engine for transformation of class hierarchy of an object-oriented program
US5983020A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 2, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 9, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 2, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/4492
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A mechanism is provided that transforms a class hierarchy of an object-oriented program to a new class hierarchy based upon a set of rules. The new class hierarchy is constructed by transforming a class hierarchy based upon a set of transformation rules which perform one of the following operations: i) merging of two classes; ii) removing a virtual inheritance relation; and iii) replacing a virtual inheritance relation with a non-virtual inheritance relation. The transformation is preferably generated on either a specialized class hierarchy or a class hierarchy obtained by class hierarchy slicing. Thus, the new class hierarchy is a simplification of the inheritance structure, which may result in a reduction in the number of compiler-generated fields in objects, and hence in a reduction of object size of the program.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.