Patent ID: 7826418

Claim:
A method for use in a mobile computing platform to assign precedence values from a group of precedence values, the group of precedence values being orderable into a contiguous ordered list, wherein the contiguous ordered list can be broken up into a plurality of blocks, each of the blocks including an equal number of precedence values, the method comprising: with a processor executing programmed instructions comprising: (a) obtaining a first group of filters associated with a first application, wherein the filters of the first group have a first precedence order specified by the first application; (b) assigning precedence values to filters of the first group of filters, wherein the precedence values assigned to the filters of the first group of filters comprise contiguous precedence values from a first one of the blocks, and wherein the precedence values are assigned such that the first precedence order specified by the first application is maintained; (c) obtaining a second group of filters associated with a second application, wherein the filters of the second group have a second precedence order specified by the second application; (d) assigning precedence values to filters of the second group of filters, wherein the precedence values assigned to the filters of the second group of filters comprise contiguous precedence values from a second one of the blocks, and wherein the precedence values are assigned such that the second precedence order specified by the second application is maintained, wherein the second one of the blocks is magically adjacent to the first one of the blocks in the ordered list, and wherein the precedence values of the second block are all of lower priority that the precedence values of the first block; and (e) selectively performing a repacking operation to reassign precedence values of the first one of the blocks to the second group of filters previously assigned precedence values from the second one of the blocks.