Patent ID: 8428991

Claim:
A scheduling system comprising: an interface to an input device, the input device configured to receive a number n, the number n representing a quantity of discrete elements to be scheduled, the discrete elements being physical things; and a computer coupled to the interface, the computer including a generic algorithm module configured to output a single generic matrix associated with the n discrete elements, the single generic matrix being a schedule, the single generic matrix having a first axis associated with n−1 consecutive periods and a second axis associated with n/2 discrete element pairs in each of the n−1 consecutive periods, each of the n discrete elements being disposed in each of the n−1 consecutive periods, each of the discrete element pairs being a unique combination of two of the n discrete elements, each of the discrete element pairs having a first discrete element associated with a left-hand assignment and a second discrete element associated with a right-hand assignment, the single generic matrix being optimized in that a number of times that each of the n discrete elements is associated with the left-hand assignment differs by no more than one from a number of times that each of the n discrete elements is associated with the right-hand assignment, the single generic matrix being further optimized in that, for each of the n discrete elements, the association with the left-hand assignment and the right-hand assignment is alternated over the n−1 consecutive periods, except that each of the n discrete elements may be exclusively associated with two consecutive left-hand assignments or with two consecutive right-hand assignments, but not both, over the n−1 consecutive periods.