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Abstract

A method and system for constructing rule-based intelligent agents that process events on behalf of one or more users. The intelligent agents have event-generating modules that supply events to be processed, and event-processing modules that process the events by evaluating rules. Each event-processing module of the agent includes multiple sets of rules, one or more such sets for each user of the agent. A selection key related to the user is associated with a rule set, and for event-generating modules a selection key indicates the user on whose behalf the event was generated. When the event-processing module receives an event with a selection key, the module locates and evaluates the rule set(s) which have a matching key to launch the corresponding actions. Addition, replacement or removal of rule sets for a user is made by temporarily suspending the initiation of new events for the user designated by the rule set's selection key; completing all in-progress events for that user; effecting the modification to the rule set within the event-processing modules; and the resuming the initiation and processing of events for the user. While the rule sets are being modified for a particular user, event generating and processing continues unimpeded for the other users of the agent.

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First Claim