Method and apparatus for processing knowledge

Claim 1

A knowledge processing apparatus comprising: inference means having means for dividing a knowledge base which includes a plurality of knowledge expressions into at least two knowledge portions in accordance with contents of the knowledge portions and objects to be processed; constituting means coupled to said inference means for constituting a network of a rule file for condition verification of a rule execution for each divided portion independently of one another; a knowledge base storing means for storing the knowledge base, the knowledge base storing means being coupled with the inference means and the constituting means; a selecting means for selecting one of the at least two knowledge portions, corresponding to characteristics of knowledge at a time of a knowledge utilization process; means for dynamically adding or deleting, during knowledge utilization, processed portions used for a knowledge verification processing among processed portions provided on a memory according to contents described in the knowledge base as knowledge; means for controlling to determine, during knowledge utilization, whether a change in a knowledge element belonging to a divided knowledge portion caused by utilizing the knowledge element is to be verified with other knowledge portions or such verification with other knowledge portions is deferred and another knowledge element is to be utilized; modified knowledge holding means for holding a latest update time and a latest update contents when a knowledge element belonging to a divided knowledge portion is updated while the other knowledge element is being utilized; preserving means for preserving contents of the change in knowledge caused by utilizing the knowledge element in the knowledge portion until a different knowledge element in a different knowledge portion is later utilized.