# US 2002/0147577 A1 · System and method for performing compound computational experiments

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2002/0147577 A1
- Document ID: US20020147577A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 10/097,087
- Filed: 2002-03-12
- Published: 2002-10-10
- Earliest claimed: 1997-09-16
- Assignees: Evolving Logic Associates
- Inventors: Steven C. Bankes
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20020147577A1

## CPC

- G06N 3/126: Evolutionary algorithms, e.g. genetic algorithms or genetic programming
- Y10S 707/99944: Object-oriented database structure
- G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A system and method for performing compound computational experiments include an experiment having at least one input. The experiment includes a process controllable by a computer and responsive to the input to produce at least one output, the output capable of being stored on a medium readable by the computer. The system includes a generator capable of running on the computer. The generator automates the performance of a plurality of experiments and automatically varies the inputs for the experiments. An outcome store of the system stores the outputs on the computer-readable medium. The system also includes a display capable of running on the computer. The display presents an interpretation of a set of the outputs extracted from the outcome store. The display is responsive to user input to alter the interpretation, to present an interpretation of a different set of outputs, or to cause the generator to perform a plurality of experiments.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for performing compound computational experiments, comprising:
an experiment having at least one input, said experiment including a process controllable by a computer, said process responsive to said at least one input to produce at least one output, said at least one output capable of being stored on a medium readable by said computer;
a generator capable of running on said computer, said generator automating the performance of a plurality of said experiments, said generator automatically varying said inputs for said experiments;
an outcomeStore storing said outputs on said medium; and
a display capable of running on said computer, said display presenting an interpretation of a set of said outputs extracted from said outcomeStore, said display responsive to user input to alter said interpretation, to present an interpretation of a different set of said outputs, or to cause said generator to perform a plurality of said experiments.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system as described in claim 1, further comprising:
a dispatch capable of running on said computer, said computer being one of a plurality of networked computers, said dispatch causing a first experiment to run on a first of said networked computers and causing a second experiment to run on a second of said networked computers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system as described in claim 1, further comprising:
a dispatch capable of running on said computer, said dispatch causing each of said experiments to be run on a computer upon determining, by examining data in the outcomeStore, that the experiment has not previously been run.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system as described in claim 1, wherein said process includes first and second sub-models such that each of said experiments uses either said first sub-model or said second sub-model, said first sub-model responsive to first inputs, said second sub-model responsive to second inputs, said second inputs differing from said first inputs, wherein said generator automatically produces sets of said first inputs and automatically varies the values of said first inputs in each of said sets of said first inputs, wherein said generator automatically produces sets of said second inputs and automatically varies the values of said second inputs in each of said sets of said second inputs, and wherein said generator automatically provides a set of said first inputs for each experiment using said first sub-model and automatically provides a set of said second inputs for each experiment using said second sub-model.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system as described in claim 1, further comprising:
a second generator capable of running on said computer, said second generator automating the performance of a plurality of said experiments without changing said experiment and automatically varying said inputs for said experiments according to a sampling or search strategy different than that used by said generator; and
a second outcomeStore storing on said medium the outputs of said experiments automated by said second generator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system as described in claim 1, wherein said display presents a plotted representation of two dimensions of a compound computational experiment for a first set of said outputs, said system further comprising:
a user interface capable of running on said computer, said user interface including a control manipulable by a user to associate a value with an unplotted dimension of said compound computational experiment, said display responsive to a manipulation of said control to (1) extract a second set of said outputs resulting from experiments that were run with a value for said unplotted dimension substantially equivalent to the value resulting from said manipulation, and to (2) present a plotted representation of said two dimensions of said compound computational experiment for said second set of said outputs.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system as described in claim 1, wherein said display presents a plotted representation of two dimensions of a compound computational experiment for a first set of said outputs, said system further comprising:
a user interface capable of running on said computer, said user interface including a control manipulable by a user to associate a value with an unplotted dimension of said compound computational experiment, said display responsive to a manipulation of said control to (1) cause said generator to perform a plurality of experiments to generate a second set of said outputs run using a value for said unplotted dimension substantially equivalent to the value resulting from said manipulation, and to (2) present a plotted representation of said two dimensions of said compound computational experiment for said second set of said outputs.

### Claim 8

A method for performing compound computational experiments, comprising the steps of:
encapsulating an experiment in an experiment object having a run method, said run method callable by other objects to run an experiment, said run method encapsulating outputs produced by an experiment in a result object;
encapsulating all input and output variables for an experiment in a domain object, said domain object having a read method callable by other objects to receive information about the input and output variables; and
encapsulating a search or sampling strategy in generator object, said generator object having a generate method callable by other objects to repetitively encapsulate a value for each input variable in a specification object and to repetitively call said run method to perform an experiment using each specification object, said generator calling said read method to acquire information about the input variables.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method described in claim 8, comprising the further steps of:
encapsulating experiment result data in an outcomeStore object, said outcomeStore object having an extract method callable by other objects to retrieve experiment result data; and
requesting a plot of experiment result data by issuing a plot command through a user interface running on a computer, said request invoking said generate method to produce experiment result data and invoking said extract method to acquire experiment result data for experiment dimensions related to said requested plot.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method described in claim 9, comprising the further steps of:
plotting pixel data on a computer screen to visualize experiment result data corresponding to said experiment dimensions related to said requested plot; and
adjusting a control on said user interface to associate a value with an unplotted dimension of said experiment, said adjustment invoking said generate method to produce second experiment result data, invoking said extract method to acquire second experiment result data for experiment dimensions related to said requested plot, and plotting pixel data on said computer screen to visualize said second experiment result data corresponding to said experiment dimensions related to said requested plot.

### Claim 11

A system for performing compound computational experiments, said system comprising:
experiment means for encapsulating and running a computational experiment;
domain means for encapsulating all inputs and outputs for an experiment; and
generator means for generating experiments by encapsulating subsets of said inputs encapsulated in said domain means and by combining said encapsulated subsets of inputs with said experiment means.