Patent Document ID: 7542881
Application ID: 10168013
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of simulating a local system which is in interaction with other local systems within a global environment, wherein: said global environment has a global state that is represented by a global set of quantifiable entities, the interaction of a local system with said global environment is represented at a given time by a local set of parameters, and each local system has a predetermined local function to calculate a local indicator of performance, said predetermined local function using values of said global set of quantifiable entities and said local set of parameters, said method comprising the steps of: a) generating, at a central location separate from the local systems, a collection of global sets of values, each of said global sets of values representing a possible future global state of said global environment at a future time, and said collection representing a variety of possible future global states, b) transmitting the collection of global sets of values to the local systems, c) at one or more of the local systems, c1) receiving at least some of said collection of global sets of values, c2) selecting a first local set of parameters, c3) calculating a first value of the local indicator of performance, with said predetermined local function using a first global set of values in said collection thereof as received, and using said selected first local set of parameters, c4) selectively repeating step c3) while changing the global set of values within said collection thereof as received, until covering at least a portion of said collection, thereby obtaining a collection of values of the local indicator of performance, and d) at the local systems, using said collection of values of the local indicator of performance as a predictive simulation of the local system, for said selected first local set of parameters thereof; and e) based on the predictive simulation performed for each of the local systems, controlling one or more of the local systems to operate within predetermined constraints, wherein steps c2) to c4) are selectively repeated for different sets of local parameters, wherein step d) is followed by the following steps: at one or more of the local systems, retransmitting the local indicator of performance back to a remote location that is common to a subset of local systems, at said remote location, i) receiving a plurality of local indicators of performance from the subset of the local systems, ii) calculating a global indicator of performance, using a global evaluation model, iii) comprising the global indicator of performance with the plurality of local indicators of performance, and determining a global setting parameter from said comparison, and sending to each local system information derived from said global setting parameter, to utilize in calculating a value of the local indicator of performance at step c3).