Patent ID: 8381178

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of visualizing Boolean expressions, comprising: identifying one or more Boolean operators in a Boolean expression; representing Boolean operators in the Boolean expression as graphical symbols; representing one or more NOT operators in the Boolean expression as one or more switches respectively; and building, by a processor, a visual flow of path representing the Boolean expression using the graphical symbols and said one or more switches, the building of the visual flow of path comprising, setting a state of traversal to positive and starting from a root of a tree representing a conditional portion of the Boolean expression that is parsed into a plurality of nodes in the tree: traversing a node in the tree; in response to determining the node represents a NOT operators, determining whether the state of traversal is positive or negative; in response to determining that said state is negative, outputting a negative flow graphical symbol on a display device, and in response to determining that said state is positive, outputting a positive flow graphical symbol on the display device, and returning to the traversing of the tree with a next node to traverse as the node; in response to determining the node is an AND operator, determining whether the state of traversal is positive or negative; in response to determining that said state is negative, outputting a horizontal group of operands associated with said AND operator, resetting said state to positive, and in response to determining that said state is positive, outputting a vertical group of operands associated with said AND operator, and returning to the traversing of the tree with a next node to traverse as the node; in response to determining that node is an OR operator, determining whether the state of traversal is positive or negative; in response to determining that said state is positive, outputting a horizontal group of operands associated with said OR operator, and in response to determining that said state is negative, outputting a vertical group of operands associated with said OR operator, resetting said state to positive, and returning to the traversing of the tree with a next node to traverse as the node; displaying the visual flow of path using visual effects on a display device; receiving one or more values associated with one or more of respective said operands; and automatically indicating with said visual effects on the visual flow of path comprising the outputted nodes of the tree, whether said one or more values satisfy said conditional portion, wherein the Boolean expression is derived from a natural language of a business rule and the step of building a visual flow of path comprises grouping AND operators nested within a NOT operator horizontally.