Patent ID: 11865464
Assignee: nan
Field: Furniture, games (Other fields)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 3:
4. The method of claim 1, wherein
said given set of distinct characters is {Char(1), Char(2), . . . , Char(I), . . . Char(λ)},
collectively identified as {CHARS},
said set of spaces is {Space(1), Space(2), . . . , Space(I), . . . Space(σ)}, collectively identified as {SPACES};
the set of rules, including the given set of rules and the logical constraints for associating labels with the filling of empty spaces of the puzzle, is {Rule(1), Rule(2), . . . , Rule(I), . . . Rule(ρ)}, collectively identified as {RULES}, and,
filling of Space(K) with a character Char(J) for integers J and K, for 1≤J≤λ, and 1≤K≤σ is associated with the sequence of labels so that:
Label(1) is associated with filling Space(K) with a character, Char(J), if the filling is not inconsistent with a rule in{Rules} or with any given non-empty space in {SPACES};
Label(I) is associated with the filling of Space(K) with character Char(J), if the filling is not inconsistent with: a Rule in the set {RULES}, or a given non-empty space in {SPACES} or an empty space filled prior to Space(K) in the solution-path, or, with the association of the labels with those prior-filled empty spaces; and,
the determining of the label, Label(I) to associate with the filing of Space(K) comprises the following acts:
(o1) receiving a List of two or more characters from said set of characters {CHARS} with which the empty space Space(K) may be filled;
(o2) seeking the character in the List to fill into Space(K) that is not inconsistent with: a rule in {Rules}, a given non-empty space in {SPACES} or with another space filled at a prior step of the solution-path;
(o3) temporarily saving a label, TempLabel, to associate with the filling of Space(K);
(o4) tentatively filling Space(K) with each character in said List, one by one, as a trial to solve the puzzle;
(o5) counting, for each failed trial for filling Space(K), the number of steps in the trial filling to a logical error due to an inconsistency;
(o6) saving for each failed trial with a character in said List, the number of steps to the logical error;
(o7) finding the maximum among all the saved numbers of steps found for said failed trials for the List;
(o8) identifying and saving as Label(I) a label in the sequence of labels that follows TempLabel by more than said maximum number;
(o9) filling into Space(K) the only character from said List that does not lead to a logical error;
(o10) associating the filling of Space(K) with the label identified in step (o8) as Label(I).