US 7,430,548 B2
	Rule processing system
David L. Huelsman, Reynoldsburg, Ohio (US); Sharon E. Love, Blacklick, Ohio (US); and Douglas M. Mair, Westerville, Ohio (US)
Assigned to Verde Sabor Assets, L.L.C., Wilmington, Del. (US)
Filed on Feb. 27, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/710,972.
Application 11/710972 is a continuation of application No. 10/101154, filed on Mar. 20, 2002, granted, now 7,188,091.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/278655, filed on Mar. 21, 2001.
Prior Publication US 2007/0150429 A1, Jun. 28, 2007
Int. Cl. G06F 17/00 (2006.01); G06N 5/02 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 706—47  [706/46; 706/14]

16 Claims

1. A rule model for use in a rule processing system, said rule model comprising a digital representation of a zero-suppressed binary decision diagram (ZDD) formed by manipulatively combining an Include ZDD rule component that indicates inclusive constraints of said rule model, an Exclude ZDD rule component that indicates exclusive constraints of said rule model, and an Attribute Relations ZDD constructed from said Include and Exclude rule components that indicates interrelations between attributes of said Include and Exclude ZDD rule components; and a memory that stores said rule model for subsequent access during rule processing, said rule model being operative with a digital processor to provide a user with a result in response to user inputs characterizing desired constraints of said rule model.