Patent ID: 6970878

Claim:
A method for representing a range of numbers by an optimized set of hierarchically ordered sub-ranges using wildcard entries, the range having a lowest value range number and a highest value range number, wherein each of the sub-ranges includes a lowest value sub-range number and a highest value sub-range number, the method comprising: (a) generating a set of sub-ranges from the range; and (b) optimizing at least one of the sub-ranges, said optimizing (b) including at least: (c) determining a difference position between a lowest value sub-range number and a highest value sub-range number indicating a maximal degree of optimization of the sub-range; (d) optimizing the sub-range based upon the difference position; (e) determining a counting value and a magnitude value wherein the magnitude value indicates a number of wildcards used to optimize the sub-range; (f) truncating the highest value sub-range number based upon the difference position to form a limiting value; (g) adding a wildcard entry to the optimized set based upon the counting value and the magnitude value; (h) incrementing the counting value; and (i) repeating (g) and (h) until the counting value equals the limiting value or the counting value is divisible by ten.