Patent ID: 8484139

Claim:
A data classification method for classifying a plurality of input data in the natural world into a plurality of preset categories B using a computer, comprising the steps of: storing the prototype of category A related to the categories B, an area determining parameter for specifying the size of the area of category A and a category correspondence matrix for converting category A into one of the categories B; normalizing the input data; selecting the prototype of category A nearest to the normalized input data; evaluating whether the selected prototype is proper or not based on the distance between the selected prototype and the input data; repeating the prototype selection by adding a new prototype in the case where the prototype is not judged as proper while correcting the prototype of the category nearest to the normalized input data so as to minimize a distance of the nearest prototype to said input data and the category correspondence matrix in the case where the prototype is judged as proper; and converting the selected category A into said one of said categories B using the corrected category correspondence matrix, wherein the relation between the selected category A and the preset category B is added to the corrected category correspondence matrix in such a manner that in the case where the selected category A already corresponds to another category B, the addition of the relation of correspondence is rejected, the prototype of category A is corrected away from the input data and the area determining parameter is corrected to a distance equal to the distance between the prototype of category A and the input data.