Method and system for associating events

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 , wherein each pair of sequentially ordered association rules of the plurality of association rules consists of a first association rule and a second association rule, and wherein the first association rule and the second association rule are independent of each other.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 , wherein the association rules from which a first sequence of the plurality of sequences has been generated include a pair of consecutively ordered first and second association rules which are not independent of each other.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 , wherein the N time intervals are contiguously sequenced.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 , wherein the N time intervals are not contiguously sequenced.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 , wherein each sequence of the plurality of sequences is of the form E 1 →E 2 →E 3 → . . . E 1−1 →E 1 in relation to sequentially ordered association rules E 1 E 2 , E 3 , . . . , E I−1 E I of the plurality of association rules, and wherein I≧3.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 , wherein said each association rule satisfies a condition of α≦P KL <1, wherein P KL is the probability that E K and E L respectively occur in the two successive time intervals, and wherein α is a predetermined positive real number satisfying α<1.

Claim 9

The method of claim 7 , wherein α is within a range selected from the group consisting of a first range of 0.50≦α<1, a second range of 0.60≦α<1, a third range of 0.70≦α<1, a fourth range of 0.80≦α<1, a fifth range of 0.90≦α<1, and a sixth range of 0.95≦α<1.

Claim 10

The method of claim 7 , wherein each sequence of the plurality of sequences has a probability of occurrence no less than β, and wherein β is a predetermined positive real number satisfying β<α.

Claim 11

The method of claim 9 , wherein β is within a range selected from the group consisting of a first range of 0.20≦β<α, a second range of 0.30≦β<α, a third range of 0.40≦β<α, a fourth range of 0.50≦β<α, a fifth range of 0.60β≦α, and a sixth range of 0.70≦β<α.

Claim 14

The system of claim 11 , wherein each pair of sequentially ordered association rules of the plurality of association rules consists of a first association rule and a second association rule, and wherein the first association rule and the second association rule are independent of each other.

Claim 15

The system of claim 11 , wherein the association rules from which a first sequence of the plurality of sequences is generated by said means for generating include a pair of consecutively ordered first and second association rules which are not independent of each other.

Claim 16

The system of claim 11 , wherein the N time intervals are contiguously sequenced.

Claim 17

The system of claim 11 , wherein the N time intervals are not contiguously sequenced.

Claim 18

The system of claim 11 , wherein each sequence of the plurality of sequences is of the form E 1 →E 2 →E 3 → . . . E I−1 →E 1 in relation to sequentially ordered association rules E 1 E 2 , E 2 E 3 , . . . , E I−1 E 1 of the plurality of association rules, and wherein I≧3.

Claim 19

The system of claim 11 , wherein said each association rule satisfies a condition of α≦P KL <1, wherein P KL is the probability that E K and E L respectively occur in the two successive time intervals, and wherein α is a predetermined positive real number satisfying α<1.

Claim 20

The system of claim 17 , wherein α is within a range selected from the group consisting of a first range of 0.50≦α<1, a second range of 0.60≦α<1, a third range of 0.70≦α<1, a fourth range of 0.80≦α<1, a fifth range of 0.90≦α<1, and a sixth range of 0.95≦α<1.

Claim 21

The system of claim 17 , wherein each sequence of the plurality of sequences has a probability of occurrence no less than β, and wherein β is a predetermined positive real number satisfying β<α.

Claim 22

The system of claim 19 , wherein β is within a range selected from the group consisting of a first range of 0.20≦β<α, a second range of 0.30≦β<α, a third range of 0.40≦β<α, a fourth range of 0.50≦β<α, a fifth range of 0.60β≦α, and a sixth range of 0.70≦β<α.

Claim 23

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program embodied therein, said computer readable program adapted to access an event dataset that includes a plurality of events occurring in each of N successive time intervals, said event dataset being stored on a computer readable medium, said N≧3, said computer readable program further adapted execute a method for associating events, said method comprising the steps of: deducing from the event dataset a plurality of association rules, each association rule E K E L of the plurality of association rules expressing an association between events E K and E L respectively occurring in two successive time intervals of the N time intervals, said events E K and E L being in the event dataset; generating a plurality of sequences of events, each sequence of the plurality of sequences being generated from at least two sequentially ordered association rules of the plurality of association rules; forming a plurality of clusters from the plurality of sequences in accordance with a clustering algorithm, each cluster of the plurality of clusters including at least two sequences of the plurality of sequences; creating S C sequences of clusters from the plurality of clusters, said S C ≧1, each sequence of the S C sequences including at least two clusters of the plurality of clusters; and after the creating step, at least one of: identifying at least one event occurring in a first time interval of the N time intervals as being a probable cause of at least one event occurring in a later-occurring time interval of the N time intervals; and predicting an occurrence of at least one event in a time interval occurring after the N time intervals, wherein the at least one event had occurred within the N time intervals.

Claim 24

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program embodied therein, said computer readable program adapted to access an event dataset that includes a plurality of events occurring in each of N successive time intervals, said event dataset being stored on a computer readable medium, said N≧3, said computer readable program further adapted execute a method for associating events, said method comprising the steps of: deducing from the event dataset a plurality of association rules, each association rule E K E L of the plurality of association rules expressing an association between events E K and E L respectively occurring in two successive time intervals of the N time intervals, said events E K and E L being in the event dataset; generating a plurality of sequences of events, each sequence of the plurality of sequences being generated from at least two sequentially ordered association rules of the plurality of association rules; forming a plurality of clusters from the plurality of sequences in accordance with a clustering algorithm, each cluster of the plurality of clusters including at least two sequences of the plurality of sequences; creating S C sequences of clusters from the plurality of clusters, said S C ≧1, each sequence of the S C sequences including at least two clusters of the plurality of clusters; and after the creating step, at least one of: identifying at least one event occurring in a first time interval of the N time intervals as being a probable cause of at least one event occurring in a later-occurring time interval of the N time intervals; and predicting an occurrence of at least one event in a time interval occurring after the N time intervals, wherein the at least one event had occurred within the N time intervals.

Claim 25

The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein each pair of sequentially ordered association rules of the plurality of association rules consists of a first association rule and a second association rule, and wherein the first association rule and the second association rule are independent of each other.

Claim 26

The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the association rules from which a first sequence of the plurality of sequences has been generated include a pair of consecutively ordered first and second association rules which are not independent of each other.

Claim 27

The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the N time intervals are contiguously sequenced.

Claim 28

The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the N time intervals are not contiguously sequenced.

Claim 29

The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein each sequence of the plurality of sequences is of the form E 1 →E 2 →E 3 → . . . . E I−1 →E 1 in relation to sequentially ordered association rules E 1 E 2 , E 2 E 3 , . . . , E I−1 E 1 of the plurality of association rules, and wherein I≧3.

Claim 30

The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein said each association rule satisfies a condition of α≦P KL <1, wherein P KL is the probability that E K and E L respectively occur in the two successive time intervals, and wherein α is a predetermined positive real number satisfying α<1.

Claim 31

The computer program product of claim 27 , wherein α is within a range selected from the group consisting of a first range of 0.50≦α<1, a second range of 0.60≦α<1, a third range of 0.70≦α<1, a fourth range of 0.80≦α<1, a fifth range of 0.90≦α<1, and a sixth range of 0.95 ≦α<1.

Claim 32

The computer program product of claim 27 , wherein each sequence of the plurality of sequences has a probability of occurrence no less than β, and wherein β is a predetermined positive real number satisfying β<α.

Claim 33

The computer program product of claim 29 , wherein β is within a range selected from the group consisting of a first range of 0.20≦β<α, a second range of 0.30≦β<α, a third range of 0.40≦β<α, a fourth range of 0.50≦β<α, a fifth range of 0.60β≦α, and a sixth range of 0.70≦β<α.