Automated forms publishing system and method using a rule-based expert system to dynamically generate a graphical user interface

Abstract

A system and method includes a rule-based expert system that uses high-level rules for determining what graphical interface features should be displayed to a user. The rules can be written in a language such as PROLOG and used in an inference engine to drive the graphical user interface. The rules can be changed without recoding and testing of computer software, and without specialized computer software knowledge. Consequently, people other than programmers can customize and change a graphical user interface easily and without errors. Certain embodiments include a scanner and related software that captures data fields from existing paper forms; a database for storing field definitions and their relationships together with rules for determining which user interface features to display at a particular point in a data entry sequence; an inference engine for executing the rules; a graphical user interface component that provides the user with dynamically generated screen configurations based on execution of the rules (which are fired based on inferences drawn from data the user has entered); and a printing component that generates paper and/or electronic forms based on the user's inputs and the execution of the rules. Other embodiments include a method for using a graphical user interface to dynamically represent information based on previous responses including steps of displaying a first set of information for which data selection is required; using the first set of information to fire rules in an inference engine, wherein the rules produce conclusions that are used to dynamically generate a second set of information for which data selection is required; storing the results of the first and second sets of information as predicates for further rules; and generating one or more forms using the first and second sets of information.