Rules engine for warehouse management systems

Abstract

A novel rules engine which automates many warehouse processes, and provides for efficient management of a warehouse. The rules engine provides a flexible and customizable structure for modeling the many different types of processes governing the function of a warehouse. The rules engine translates business level logic into code for manipulating the warehouse database. The rules engine allows a user to create their own user logic for working with the database, which operates at a level of abstraction more feasible for the user. The rules engine understands the user logic by the way the user decides how to string various restrictions together. The rules engine implements the translation via its internal understanding of the structure of the particular application. Thus, the rules engine allows the user to define logic without understanding how to manipulate a database.

1 - 6 . (canceled)  
   
   
       7 . A warehouse management system comprising: 
 a) a rules creation function, wherein user defined logic is translated into a user defined rule comprising: 
 selecting an applicable criteria;  
 defining a strategy; and  
 defining solution; and  
   b) a rules execution function, wherein the user defined rule is used to manipulate a database to obtain an intelligent solution to a requested action.    
   
   
       8 - 20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . A process of creating user defined rules, comprising: 
 defining at least one solution, and    selecting at least one criteria for association with each solution.    
   
   
       22 . The process according to  claim 21 , further comprising defining at least one strategy for association with one or more of the selected criteria.  
   
   
       23 . The process according to  claim 22 , further comprising associating one or more of the defined solutions with one or more of the defined strategies.  
   
   
       24 - 25 . (canceled)  
   
   
       26 . The process according to  claim 21 , further comprising prioritizing the one or more of the selected criteria associated with each solution.  
   
   
       27 . The process according to  claim 21 , further comprising sequencing the one or more of the defined solutions.  
   
   
       28 . The process according to  claim 22 , further comprising sequencing the one or more of the defined strategies associated with each solution.  
   
   
       29 . The process according to  claim 21 , further comprising specifying an entity for each defined solution.  
   
   
       30 . The process according to  claim 21 , further comprising indicating a rule type for each defined solution.