Data processing: artificial intelligence – Knowledge processing system – Knowledge representation and reasoning technique
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-16
2001-04-10
Hafiz, Tarig R. (Department: 2762)
Data processing: artificial intelligence
Knowledge processing system
Knowledge representation and reasoning technique
C706S046000, C706S047000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216120
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an agent (or a software module with a knowledge or rule base and a capability of operating to meet a user's request on the basis of a decision which has been made by itself on how to meet the request) and, more particularly, to an agent-user interface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
User interfaces with agents and applications are generally classified into physical extrovert interfaces such as GUIs (or graphical user interfaces) and logical internal interfaces such as APIs (or application programming interfaces).
There are some examples for internal interfaces each capable of adapting the agent operation to the user by using the agent internal status, reference data used by the agent, etc.
For example, Japanese patent unexamined publication No. Hei6-68063 (1994) discloses a virtual life system which simulates a living thing by using knowledge stored in a knowledge base and internal and extrovert condition information of and environment information stored in a condition information storage means. However, this system does not have a capability of changing the operation thereof by using parameters associated with characteristics of the system itself or characteristics of the user.
Japanese patent unexamined publication No. Hei7-6142 (1995) discloses a multiagent cooperation system in which objective data of each user and data dependent on preference of the user are stored in a user defined data storage for the user, and either passed to an agent group associated with the user in response to a request from the agent group or used for a conversion of a request from the user which is to be passed to an agent of the agent group in response to a request from the agent. However, the data stored in the user defined data storage only include data associated with neither characteristics of the system itself nor characteristics of the user, which prevents agents from having characteristics and operation of the agents from being adapted to characteristics of the agents or characteristics of the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an agent system whose parameters used in operation can be set for values associated with type of agent characteristics type set to the agent system.
It is another object of the invention to provide an agent capable of adapting the agent characteristic type to a user's characteristic type, thereby adapting the operation of the agent to the user's characteristics.
It is another object of the invention to provide an agent capable of communicating a parameter, an agent characteristic type, etc. with another agent and, if having received such data, setting the data as own data.
According to a first illustrative embodiment of the invention, the user can set a characteristic (an agent characteristic type) to an agent in a computer-based system thereby causing the agent to operate according to the type of agent characteristic. This is achieved by setting parameters used in operation of the agent for values associated with the type of agent characteristic type. A menu language input program permits the user to input a message such that the message is acceptable to the agent.
To implement various features of the invention, there may be provided a software module which operates to meet a message from a user; and which comprises: means for permitting the user to input the message such that the message is acceptable in the module; means for converting the message into an input script in a predetermined form; a plurality of operation descriptions, each comprising a conditional statement concerning the input script and at least one instruction which may be written by using at least one parameter and functions in various ways associated with possible values of each of the parameter(s); setting means for setting parameters which are to be used by one of the operation descriptions whose conditional statement is satisfied by the input script for values associated with a selected one of characteristic types prepared for the module; means activated after said setting for executing the at least one instruction of one of the operation descriptions whose conditional statement is satisfied by the input script; sending means responsive to a passed data for sending the passed data to another agent; and receiving means responsive to a received data from another agent for passing the received data to the means for executing the at least one instruction.
In such an arrangement, the plurality of operation descriptions include: an operation description which is used for a parameter sending command and which passes an ID and a value of a parameter specified by the user and a destination agent address to the sending means; and an operation description which is used for a parameter receiving command and which sets a parameter of an ID contained in the received data for a value contained in the received data.
According to a second illustrative embodiment of the invention, there may be provided a software module which operates to meet a message from a user; and which comprises: means for permitting the user to input the message such that the message is acceptable in the module; means for converting the message into an input script in a predetermined form; a plurality of operation descriptions, each comprising a conditional statement concerning the input script and at least one instruction which may be written by using at least one parameter and functions in various ways associated with possible values of each of the parameter(s); setting means for setting parameters which are to be used by one of the operation descriptions whose conditional statement is satisfied by the input script for values associated with a selected one of characteristic types prepared for the module; means activated after said setting for executing the at least one instruction of one of the operation descriptions whose conditional statement is satisfied by the input script; sending means responsive to a passed data for sending the passed data to another agent; and receiving means responsive to a received data from another agent for passing the received data to the means for executing the at least one instruction.
In such an arrangement, the plurality of operation descriptions include: an operation description which is used for a characteristic script sending command and which passes a characteristic script to the sending means; and an operation description which is used for a characteristic script receiving command and which sets, as the selected characteristic type, a characteristic script contained in the received data.
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Slocum et al, Transportability to other languages
Ishikawa Masato
Ueno Tsuyoshi
Yasukawa Hideki
Gopstein Israel
Hafiz Tarig R.
Khatri Anil
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
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