Patent ID: 7269597

Claim:
A computer implemented method of forming a decision tree, said decision tree operating to provide predictions of at least one attribute of interest of a physical item, wherein the physical item has one or more measured or computed descriptors representative of one or more physical characteristics of the physical item, and wherein the physical item has one or more unknown attributes of interest which have not been physically measured or otherwise previously determined, the decision tree comprising two or more nodes in a hierarchical structure, wherein each node is defined by a test based on one or more of the physical items' descriptors, wherein the result of the test at a node operates to classify the physical item into one of two or more classes, and wherein the classification made at any given node determines the identity of a node lower in the hierarchy which is next applied to the physical item until a final node in the hierarchy is reached, and wherein the classification made by the final node comprises a prediction of the behavior of the physical item with respect to the unknown attribute of interest, the method of forming the decision tree comprising: providing a set of training physical items, each training physical item in said set of training physical items having one or more measured or computed physical descriptors and one or more attributes of interest which have been physically measured or previously determined; defining a set of two or more alternative tests for defining a selected node of the decision tree; defining at least one test for defining at least one node lower in said hierarchy for each of said alternative tests previously defined for said selected node higher in the hierarchy; applying said two or more alternative tests associated with said selected node to at least some of said set of training physical items; applying said at least one test associated with said at least one node lower in said hierarchy to at least some of said set of physical training items; determining the results of said applying; choosing one of said alternative tests from said set based at least in part on said determined results; defining said selected node by said chosen alternative test; and defining additional nodes to produce a completed decision tree containing said selected node.