Method and structure for domain-independent modular reasoning and relation representation for entity-relation based information structures

1. A computerized method for at least one of creating, applying, and using a reasoning heuristic in at least one database of an information system accessible by a computer, said reasoning heuristic being based on an entity/relation paradigm, said method comprising:

providing a mechanism, as executed by a processor on a computer, for a user to at least one of define and interact with a domain-independent reasoning heuristic attachable to data in a database in said information system, thereby allowing self-describing knowledge capsules to be at least one of created from said data and, if data in said database is already encapsulated in said self-describing knowledge capsules, searched and retrieved from said database,

wherein said data in said information system being so encapsulated in said self-describing knowledge capsules is thereby characterized as having a self-similar hypergraph (“fractal”) format, said self-similar hypergraph format representing a graph in said information structure which comprises one or more nodes and each said node selectively comprises an entire subgraph,

wherein a plurality of such heuristics are formed to provide a plurality of inferencing and meta-inferencing reasoning heuristics, and

wherein relations information in said information system comprise binary relations and said inferencing and meta-inferencing reasoning heuristics are represented using domain-independent properties.

2. The method of claim 1 , said method further comprising:

storing said relations and their associated operations in a declarative fashion, thereby allowing a performing of meta-inferencing on said data, as executed by a processor on a computer.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

defining a relational algebra as a finite set of binary relations over a set domain of discourse (Dom).

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said relational algebra comprises: a tuple R ALG , where tuple R ALG ={Dom, {R 1 , . . . , R n }, o, −1 , R Univ , R Empty , I DTERM }, Dom comprises a domain of discourse, R 1 , . . . , R n comprise binary relations over the domain of discourse, the operations o and −1 comprise respectively composition and inverse, R UNIV comprises the universal relation over Dom, and R EMPTY comprises the empty relation, and the last member of the tuple, I DTERM , comprises an integer.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

defining a Reasoning Algebra over said Relational Algebra R ALG , said Reasoning Algebra comprising a tuple:

RM(R ALG )={R ALG ,<=,R ROOT }

where <= is a partial order over the relational set of R ALG with a largest element, defined as follows:

R i <=R j iff R i is a subset of R j .

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a Reasoning Module, as executed by a processor on a computer, as a computational representation of said Reasoning Algebra, for inferencing in an entity-relation based information system, by determining a composition R of a sequence of relations R 1 o . . . o R n .

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said database comprises one of:

a database residing in an independent part of a network architecture accessible by said computer and wherein data in said independent part has been stored in a format other than said self-similar hypergraph format;

a repository of real estate data; and

an automatic automotive diagnosis database.

8. A computerized method of navigating through an information system comprising at least one database accessible by a computer, said method comprising at least one of:

establishing a relational algebra for data in said at least one database to be thereby expressible as self-describing knowledge capsules, said relational algebra defining a set of relations over said data in said at least one database in said information system;

retrieving information from said information system by using said relational algebra to provide automatic inferencing and meta-inferencing over said data in said at least one database in said information system, as executed by a processor on a computer; and

establishing an instantiation of a reasoning module on a computer to perform said automatic inferencing and meta-inferencing, as executed by a processor on a computer.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said relational algebra allows said information system to comprise an information system based on an entity/relation paradigm and characterized as having a self-similar hypergraph (“fractal”) format, said self-similar hypergraph format representing a graph in said information structure which comprises one or more nodes and each said node selectively comprises an entire subgraph.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said information system comprises a network-based information system.

11. An apparatus for navigating through an information system, said apparatus comprising:

a middleware module comprising a signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus, said middleware module allowing a user to at least one of:

define and interact with a relational algebra that defines a set of inferencing and meta-inferencing relations over data in a database of said information system; and

retrieve information from said information system by using said relational algebra to provide automatic inferencing and meta-inferencing over said information system,

said middleware module further comprising a reasoning module to perform said automatic inferencing and meta-inferencing, as executed by a processor on a computer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein said relational algebra allows said information system to comprise an information system based on an entity/relation paradigm and characterized as being a self-similar hypergraph, said self-similar hypergraph format representing a graph in said information structure that comprises one or more nodes and each said node selectively comprises an entire subgraph.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein said information system comprises a network-based information system.

14. A network apparatus configured for navigating through a network-based information system, said network apparatus comprising at least one computer having at least one of the following:

a middleware module, as executed by a processor on a computer, allowing a user to at least one of define and interact with a relational algebra that defines a set of relations over data in at least one database in said network-based information system; and

a middleware module, as executed by a processor on a computer, permitting information to be retrieved from said network-based information system by using said relational algebra to provide automatic inferencing and meta-inferencing over said data in at least one database in said network-based information system,

said middleware module further comprising instructions that define a relational algebra comprising a finite set of binary relations over at least a subset of said information system and instructions for instantiating a reasoning module to perform said automatic inferencing and meta-inferencing, as executed by a processor on a computer.

15. A middleware module, as executed by a processor on a computer, for navigating through an information system, said middleware module comprising:

a module, as executed by said processor, that permits a user to package domain-independent reasoning heuristics so that they can be attached to data in a self-similar-hypergraph information system, thereby allowing self-describing knowledge capsules to be created from said data to perform inferencing and meta-inferencing on said data,

said middleware module further comprising instructions that define a relational algebra comprising a finite set of binary relations over at least a subset of said information system and instructions for instantiating a reasoning module to perform said automatic inferencing and meta-inferencing, as executed by said processor, based on inputs and instructions from said user.

16. A signal-bearing storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method of navigating through an information system, said method comprising:

establishing a relational algebra for data in at least one database in said information system, said relational algebra defining a set of relations over said data in said at least one database in said information system;

retrieving information from said information system by using said relational algebra to provide automatic inferencing and meta-inferencing over said data in said at least one database in said information system; and

instantiating a reasoning module to perform said automatic inferencing and meta-inferencing.