Synthesizing constraint expressions
Communications of the ACM
The Architecture of Coherent Information System: A General Problem Solving System
IEEE Transactions on Computers
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The problem addressed in this paper is that of determining whether the conditions expressed in the definition of a concept are satisfied by a set of assertions (a task of attempting to match the assertions to the definition). The approach presented here is to precede the matching activity proper with a one-time preprocessing phase, during which the definition is automatically transformed from a rather complex form in which it is originally expressed into a simpler form which appears to be more suitable to the matching task at hand. Use of this transformation process permits the functions of recognition and interpretation to be separated, thereby improving the efficiency of the matching process. This separation is performed by distinguishing those components of the definition which must be found to be true from those whose truth may subsequently be inferred and those whose truth is irrelevant to the matching process. The transformation is performed by means of a process of symbolic instantiation of the definition- the translation of the definition from a set of criteria for satisfying the definition into an exemplary instance of the concept itself. The algorithm for the transformation and the subsequent matching process are outlined and illustrated in the text.