Patent Document ID: 9158295
Application ID: 13113044
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of modeling a process, comprising: sequentially developing, by one or more computer processors, a plurality of models, each of the plurality of models corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of process stages into which the process is resolved, said plurality of models including at least a first model of a first one of the plurality of process stages, wherein the first one of the plurality of process stages occurs before any other one of the plurality of process stages in the process, wherein sequentially developing the plurality of models includes: developing the first model using first data from one or more runs of the first one of the plurality of process stages and first product quality data relating to the one or more runs of the first one of the plurality of process stages, running the first model to generate a first output quality prediction and a first measure of reliability corresponding to the first model, for each of the plurality of process stages after the first one of the plurality of process stages in an order of the plurality of process stages after the first one of the plurality of process stages: developing a subsequent model using subsequent data from one or more runs of the process stage, subsequent product quality data relating to the one or more runs of the process stage, a previous output quality prediction, and a previous measure of reliability, wherein the previous output quality prediction and the previous measure of reliability are generated by running a previous model of a previous one of the plurality of process stages, and wherein the previous one of the plurality of process stages occurs, in the process, before the process stage, and running the subsequent model of the process stage to generate a subsequent output quality prediction and a subsequent measure of reliability.