System and method for efficient representation of dynamic ranges of numeric values

A method of selecting an optimal value from a solution space for a constraint problem, the method comprising:

• mapping, using a processor, the solution space to a range of finite sequential values;
• storing, in a memory, a binary tree data structure comprising a plurality of nodes, the plurality of nodes including:
• a first node, the first node comprising a first node range of one or more values, the first node range comprising a first bound and a second bound;
• and
• a second node, the second node comprising a second node range of one or more values, the second node range comprising a first bound and a second bound;
• receiving a selection range of one or more values to be excluded as the optimal value from the range of finite sequential values, the selection range comprising a first bound and a second bound;
• determining whether the selection range, the first node range, and the second node range should be merged into a single range;
• in response to a first determination that the selection range, the first node range, and the second node range should be merged into the single range, updating the first node to represent the single range, and removing the second node from the binary tree data structure;
• in response to a second determination that the selection range, the first node range, and the second node range should be merged into the single range, adding a third node to the binary tree data structure, the third node comprising a third node range, the third node range comprising a first bound and a second bound, wherein the third node range is equivalent to the selection range, the first bound of the third node range is equivalent to the first bound of the selection range, and the second bound of the third node range is equivalent to the second bound of the selection range;
• and
• determining that excluding any values represented by the binary tree data structure from the range of finite sequential values represents the optimal value for the constraint problem.

A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to select an optimal value from a solution space for constraint problem by:

• mapping, using the processor, the solution space to a range of finite sequential values;
• storing, in a memory, a data structure comprising a first node, the first node comprising a first node range of one or more values equivalent to the range of finite sequential values, the first node range comprising a first bound and a second bound;
• receiving a selection range comprising multiple values to be excluded as the optimal value from the range of finite sequential values, the selection range comprising a first bound and a second bound;
• removing the selection range from the data structure by splitting the first node into two nodes that exclude the selection range;
• receiving a pruning command and a single value, wherein the selection range includes the single value;
• removing all nodes from the data structure that represent values less than the single value;
• and
• updating the range of a node that represents the single value.