Information processing system

Claim 2

An information processing system including a computer connected to a memory and a display, for processing information, said computer comprising: first memory means for storing information representing goals; second memory means for storing information representing strategies for attaining said goals, (a) each strategy being a data block whose data items explicitly define properties of said strategy in order to structuralize a plurality of various kinds of knowledge for use of said data items, said properties of said strategy including a name of said strategy and a link to an upper level goal for which said strategy is applicable, (b) said strategies including a first kind of strategy and a second kind of strategy, both specified by said properties of the strategy, (b-1) said first kind of strategy including at least one property for defining a sequence of lower level goals, namely, subgoals of said upper level goal for which said first kind of strategy is applicable, (b-2) said second kind of strategy including at least one property for defining a name of a function to directly execute undecomposed lowest level subgoals for which said second kind of strategy is applicable; means for processing information to achieve a given goal, based on the information stored in said first and second memory means, by repetitively decomposing said goal into its lower level subgoals until said goal is decomposed into undecomposed lowest level subgoals, interpreting said properties in said first kind of strategy, said properties being a name, a link and a sequence of subgoals, directly executing said undecomposed lowest level subgoals interpreting said properties in said second kind of strategy such as a name of a function where said function is realized by a computer program including rules and outputting or displaying a result of the execution.

Claim 3

An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said second memory means comprises means for storing said strategies as objects each of which comprises data items called slots and data handling procedures, and said data items explicitly define properties for controlling the use of strategies, and said means for processing decomposes, executes and coordinates said goals to solve a problem using said objects.

Claim 4

An information processing system according to claim 2, wherein said first memory means comprises means for storing said goals as objects whose data items represent properties for effective or man-machine interactive control such as explanation and interactive modification of goals.

Claim 5

An information processing system according to claim 3 wherein said object comprises a package of data.

Claim 6

An information processing system according to claim 2, said computer further comprising: memory means for storing data representing a property of said strategy specifying a name of an object responsible for achieving said goal or subgoals, cooperatively by exchanging requests among a personified object to let the another personified object invoke procedures specified in its procedure body, by using message passing means of said objects.

Claim 7

An information processing system according to claim 5, said computer further comprising: memory means for storing data representing a property of said strategy for specifying the name of said personified object and for specifying a procedure name of said procedure body in the other personified object.

Claim 8

An information processing system according to claim 5, wherein said object is structured data known as a frame which is also hierarchically structured data.

Claim 9

An information processing system according to claim 1, said means for processing comprising: means for selecting or altering said first and second kinds of strategy during execution.

Claim 10

An information processing system according to claim 8, said computer further comprising: (a) memory means for storing data representing a property in a strategy for specifying a strategy use condition and strategy alteration operator, and (b) memory means for storing data representing rules or procedural programs for strategy selection or alteration wherein, each rule is structured data, comprising a condition part composed of at least one condition item and an action part composed of at least one action item such as a production rule.

Claim 11

An information processing system according to claim 8, said computer further comprising: memory means for storing data representing a property of a strategy for specifying a man-machine interfacing function for selecting or altering said first and second kinds of strategies, and means for selecting or altering said strategies interactively with a user by use of said man-machine interfacing function.

Claim 12

An information processing system according to claim 1, said computer further comprising: memory means for storing data representing a property of said first kind of strategy for specifying a name of a function for permitting said display to display said subgoals to request a user to select one of said subgoals for execution.

Claim 13

An information processing system according to claim 1, said computer further comprising: memory means for storing data representing a property of said strategy for specifying names of functions for adjusting execution results of said subgoals.

Claim 14

An information processing system according to claim 1 said computer further comprising: memory means for storing a name corresponding to at least a procedure or a rule group and for storing strategy type information for deciding if a procedure or a rule group is said at least one property of said second kind of strategy, and means for directly executing said undecomposed lowest level subgoals by invoking said procedure or said rule group.

Claim 15

An information processing system according to claim 1, said computer further comprising: memory means for storing data representing a property of said strategy for specifying names of functions for checking and estimating if said goals or subgoals is satisfactory achieved.

Claim 16

An information processing system according to claim 1, said computer further comprising: memory means for storing data representing a property of said strategy, said property specifying a name of a personified program responsible for attaining said goal or said subgoal by said first and second kinds of strategies, and means for executing the specified responsible personified program to achieve said goal or subgoal.

Claim 17

An information processing system according to claim 1 further comprising: means for checking, during execution of a strategy, for user intervention and for occurrence of a failure in goal execution; means for, upon occurrence of intervention or a failure, addressing an inquiry to a user and for inputting the user's directive; means for executing processing in accordance with the directive; and means for thereafter resuming strategy execution by said information processor.

Claim 18

An information processing system according to claim 1, said computer further comprising: means for checking for user intervention or an occurrence of a failure in goal execution; means for addressing an inquiry to the user by said display; means for inquiring of a user and computer interaction; and means for attaining a goal in a computer in accordance with interaction between a user and said computer.

Claim 19

An information processing system according to claims 16 or 11, said computer further comprising: means for altering a strategy in accordance with a user input which is inputted in response to an inquiry; and means for returning to a goal already executed and advancing to a next goal.

Claim 20

An information processing system according to claim 18, said computer further comprising: means for monitoring a change in a slot value of an actor; and means for automatically performing processing corresponding to the change.

Claim 21

An information processing system according to claim 16, said computer further comprising: means for monitoring a change in a slot value of an actor; and means for automatically performing processing corresponding to the change.

Claim 22

An information processing system according to claim 20, wherein said rule is represented as a computer program including conditional statements.

Claim 23

An information processing system according to claim 21, wherein said rule is represented as a computer program including conditional statements.

Claim 24

An information processing system according to claim 16, wherein said rule is represented as a computer program including conditional statements.

Claim 25

An information processing system including a computer connected to a memory and a display, for processing information, said computer comprising: first memory means for storing information representing goals; second memory means for storing information representing strategies for attaining said goals, (a) each strategy being a data block whose data items explicitly define properties of a strategy in order to structuralize a plurality of various kinds of knowledge for use of said knowledge, said properties of said strategy including a name of said strategy and a link to an upper level goal for which said strategy is applicable, (b) said strategies including a first kind of strategy and a second kind of strategy, both specified by said properties of a corresponding strategy, (b-1) said first kind of strategy including at least one property for defining a sequence of lower level goals, namely, subgoals of said upper level goal for which said first kind of strategy is applicable, (b-2) said second kind of strategy including at least one property for defining a name of a function to directly execute undecomposed lowest level subgoals for which said second kind of strategy is applicable; and third memory means called a goal-stack for storing goals including subgoals to be achieved; procedure means for fetching goals including subgoals; means for pushing goals including subgoals; and means for processing information to achieve a given goal by fetching said information representing a goal, selecting information representing a strategy whose property representing a link to an upper level goal indicates said fetched information, repetitively decomposing said goal into its lower level subgoals until said goal is decomposed into undecomposed lowest level subgoals, pushing said sequence of subgoals defined as said properties of said first kind of strategy above selected, and directly executing said undecomposed lowest level subgoals and outputting or displaying the result, through invoking a function represented as said property of said second kind of strategy, where said function is realized by a computer program including rules.

Claim 26

An information processing system including a computer connected to a memory and a display, for processing information, said computer comprising: first memory means for storing information representing goals; second memory means for storing information representing strategies for attaining said goals, (a) each strategy being a data block whose data items explicitly define properties of a strategy in order to structuralize a plurality of various kinds of knowledge for use of said knowledge, said properties of said strategy including a name of said strategy and a link to an upper level goal for which said strategy is applicable, (b) said strategies including a first kind of strategy and a second kind of strategy, both specified by said properties of a corresponding strategy, (b-1) said first kind of strategy including at least one property for defining a sequence of lower level goals, namely, subgoals of said upper level goal for which said first kind of strategy is applicable, (b-2) said second kind of strategy including at least one property for defining a name of a function to directly execute undecomposed lowest level subgoals for which said second kind of strategy is applicable; and third memory means called a goal-stack for storing goals including subgoals to be achieved; procedure means for fetching goals including subgoals; means for pushing goals including subgoals; and means for processing information to achieve a given goal by fetching said information representing a goal, selecting information representing a strategy whose property representing a link to an upper level goal indicates said fetched information, repetitively decomposing said goal into its lower level subgoals until said goal is decomposed into undecomposed lowest level subgoals, pushing said sequence of subgoals defined as said properties of said first kind of strategy above selected, and directly executing said undecomposed lowest level subgoals and outputting or displaying the result, through invoking a function represented as said property of said second kind of strategy, where said function is realized by a computer program including rules.

Claim 27

An information processing system according to claim 24, wherein said first memory comprises means for storing said goals in said goal-stack including a fetching and pushing procedure as objects each of which comprises data items called slots and data handling procedures, and said data items explicitly define properties for controlling the use of strategies, and said computer comprises means for decomposing executing and coordinating goals to solve a problem, using said objects.

Claim 28

An information processing system according to claim 25, wherein said memory comprises means for storing said goals as objects whose data items represent properties for effective or man-machine interactive control such as explanation and interactive modification of goals.

Claim 29

An information processing system including a computer connected to a memory and a display, for processing information said computer comprising: first memory means for storing a first kind of data blocks called goals; second memory means for storing a second kind of data blocks called strategies; (a) each of said second kind of data blocks, including data for identifying said second kind of data including a name of said second kind of data block and data pointing to at least one of said first kind of data blocks, said second kind of data block being called applicable goal representing an upper level goal to which this strategy, is applicable, (b) said second kind of data blocks further including two types of data blocks, one of which being called a first type of strategy and the other being called a second type of strategy, (b-1) said first type of said second kind of data block further including date which points to a sequence of each of a first kind of data blocks, said sequence being called a sequences of subgoals, or lower level goals, (b-2) the second type of said second kind of data blocks further including data which indicates a function including a program module directly executable by said computer; and means for processing said data blocks, including: (a) third memory means for storing, as a stack, the sequence of pointers, of some of said first kind of data blocks, said third memory means being called a goal stack for storing goals including subgoals to be achieved, each of said sequence of pointers representing a goal including a subgoal which should be achieved, (b) means for fetching, including popping and setting or getting, a pointer at the top of said goal stack, said means for fetching being called a goal manager, (c) means for selecting one of a second hind of data blocks whose data called an applicable goal is equal in value to said pointer fetched by said goal manager, said means for selecting being called a strategy selector, (d) means for pushing, in said stack, said sequence of pointers to each data block of a first kind which is pointed to by data of said data block of said second kind selected by said strategy selector, if the first type of data block is selected, said means for pushing being called decomposition manager, (e) means for invoking a function pointed to by data of said data block of second kind selected by said strategy selector, if the second type of selected data block is selected, and outputting or displaying the result, said means for invoking being called goal executer.

Claim 30

An information processing system including a computer connected to a memory and a display, for processing information said computer comprising: first memory means for storing a first kind of data blocks called goals; second memory means for storing a second kind of data blocks called strategies; (a) each of said second kind of data blocks, including data for identifying said second kind of data including a name of said second kind of data block and data pointing to at least one of said first kind of data blocks, said second kind of data block being called applicable goal representing an upper level goal to which this strategy, is applicable, (b) said second kind of data blocks further including two types of data blocks, one of which being called a first type of strategy and the other being called a second type of strategy, (b-1) said first type of said second kind of data block further including date which points to a sequence of each of a first kind of data blocks, said sequence being called a sequences of subgoals, or lower level goals, (b-2) the second type of said second kind of data blocks further including data which indicates a function including a program module directly executable by said computer; and means for processing said data blocks, including: (a) third memory means for storing, as a stack, the sequence of pointers, of some of said first kind of data blocks, said third memory means being called a goal stack for storing goals including subgoals to be achieved, each of said sequence of pointers representing a goal including a subgoal which should be achieved, (b) means for fetching, including popping and setting or getting, a pointer at the top of said goal stack, said means for fetching being called a goal manager, (c) means for selecting one of a second hind of data blocks whose data called an applicable goal is equal in value to said pointer fetched by said goal manager, said means for selecting being called a strategy selector, (d) means for pushing, in said stack, said sequence of pointers to each data block of a first kind which is pointed to by data of said data block of said second kind selected by said strategy selector, if the first type of data block is selected, said means for pushing being called decomposition manager, (e) means for invoking a function pointed to by data of said data block of second kind selected by said strategy selector, if the second type of selected data block is selected, and outputting or displaying the result, said means for invoking being called goal executer.