Patent US 5,249,259

A generic algorithm search is applied to determine an optimum set of values (e.g., interconnection weights in a neural network), each value being associated with a pair of elements drawn from a universe of N elements, N an integer greater than zero, where the utility of any possible set of said values may be measured. An initial possible set of values is assembled, the values being organized in a matrix whose rows and columns correspond to the elements. A genetic algorithm operator is applied to generate successor matrices from said matrix. Matrix computations are performed on the successor matrices to generate measures of the relative utilities of the successor matrices. A surviving matrix is selected from the successor matrices on the basis of the metrics. The steps are repeated until the metric of the surviving matrix is satisfactory.