Patent ID: 7664722

Claim:
A method implemented by a computer, including a processor that has been programmed with instructions that cause the computer to optimize an explicative rule used for analyzing the operation of a production line, comprising: collecting data by the computer to constitute a database of examples in the form of a table in which each line of the table is an example and each column of the table is a variable of the example; storing the table in a computer-readable storage medium; constructing at least one initial explicative rule relating to the table, the at least one initial explicative rule including at least one logical combination of at least one elementary conclusion, each elementary conclusion including a restriction of the domain of one of the variables; calculating values relating to quality indicators describing a pertinence of the initial explicative rule when applied to the examples of the database; determining at least one modified explicative rule optimizing a value of the quality indicators of the at least one initial explicative rule; and displaying a graphical representation of the at least one modified explicative rule and corresponding quality indicators on a display, wherein the axes of the graphical representation correspond to at least two selected quality indicators.