Patent ID: 7437343

Claim:
A computerized system for exploring a set of decision alternatives D 1 -D n wherein each of said decision alternatives in said set is evaluated according to at least two criteria C 1 and C 2 , said system comprising: (a) a first software component that produces a subset from said set of decision alternatives D 1 -D n using a multi-criterial filter and values for said at least two criteria C 1 and C 2 wherein said multi-criterial filter produces said subset by: (i) comparing decision alternatives in said set of decision alternatives D 1 -D n according to said values for said at least two criteria C 1 and C 2 ; (ii) removing from said set of decision alternatives D 1 -D n decisions alternatives that are inferior according to said values for said at least two criteria C 1 and C 2 wherein inferiority is determined according to whether larger values for C i or smaller values for C i are preferred; and (iii) retaining in said set of decision alternatives D 1 -D n only decisions alternatives that are not inferior to any other decision alternatives according to said values for said at least two criteria C 1 and C 2 wherein superiority is determined according to whether larger values for C i or smaller values for C i are preferred; and (b) a second software component that presents on a computer display said subset of said set of decision alternatives D 1 -D n produced by said multi-criterial filter of said first software component, wherein additional decision alternatives in said subset of said set of decision alternatives D 1 -D n are removed from said subset of decision alternatives, forming a favored sub-subset of decision alternatives, in consideration of specific values of said decision alternatives according to computed criteria applied to decision alternatives in said subset of decision alternatives, including said at least two criteria C 1 and C 2 used in filtering said decision alternatives D 1 -D n .