Patent ID: 7355977

Claim:
A method of associating allocation buckets in an allocation table with corresponding target identifiers from a set of target identifiers, each target identifier having a corresponding weighting value, the set of target identifiers having a distribution profile based on weighting values of each target identifier, the method implemented on one or more computers, comprising: (a) creating an allocation table having a number n of allocation buckets; (b) creating an association between each allocation bucket and a corresponding target identifier, based on the distribution profile; and (c) if at least one target identifier's corresponding weighting value changes: (i.) determining a new bucket allocation profile based at least in part on the weighting value changes; (ii.) determining whether to wait for a subsequent weighting value change, based at least in part on the change in the weighting value corresponding to the first target object; (iii.) modifying an association corresponding to at least one allocation bucket, based on the new bucket allocation profile; and (iv.) if the determination whether to wait is affirmative, waiting for the subsequent weighting value change, prior to modifying the association corresponding to the at least one allocation bucket.