Object-oriented pseudo-random number generator interface

• US 20050050122A1
• Filed: 12/18/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Klein, Udo, Blumenthal, Andreas, Januschke, Peter
• Application Number:
  US10/741,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050122A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 708/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/582 Pseudo-random number generators

Abstract

Systems and techniques to generate pseudo-random numbers in a specified target range. In general, in one implementation, the technique includes an object class definition that defines a constructor method for generating a pseudo-random number generator object that is capable of generating pseudo-random numbers within a specified output range and a method for instructing the pseudo-random number generator object to output a pseudo-random numbers within the specified output range. The pseudo-random number generator may use a specified seed. In that case, generating pseudo-random numbers within a specified output range may generate a reproducible sequence if the same seed is used. The pseudo-random number generator may be defined to generate pseudo-random numbers that are uniformly distributed across the specified output range.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating the generation of pseudo-random numbers, the method comprising:

receiving input specifying an output range; and

invoking a constructor method to generate a pseudo-random number generator object having one or more methods for generating pseudo-random numbers within the specified output range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated pseudo-random number generator object is configured to generate pseudo-random numbers that are uniformly distributed across the specified output range.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

invoking a method within the pseudo-random number generator object for outputting a pseudo-random number within the specified output range.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input specifying a seed to be used by the pseudo-random number generator object to generate pseudo-random numbers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a sequence of pseudo-random numbers generated within the specified output range is reproducible if the input specifies the same seed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

invoking a method within the generated pseudo-random number generator object for generating a seed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a method for generating pseudo-random numbers uniformly distributed across the specified output range comprises:

generating a plurality of pseudo-random numbers having a uniform distribution in a source range,

selecting an optimal subset of the plurality of pseudo-random numbers to map, and

mapping the selected pseudo-random numbers to a corresponding number in the specified output range such that the mapped numbers are uniformly distributed across the specified output range.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pseudo-random number generator object is serializable.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the constructor method comprises:

generating a plurality of pseudo-random numbers having a uniform distribution in a source range,

selecting an optimal subset of the plurality of pseudo-random numbers to map, and

mapping the selected pseudo-random numbers to a corresponding number in the specified output range such that the mapped numbers are uniformly distributed across the specified output range.

10. A method of facilitating the generation of a pseudo-random number generator, the method comprising:

providing a class definition that defines an object for generating pseudo-random numbers within a specified output range;

receiving input specifying the output range; and

invoking a constructor method to create a pseudo-random number generator object capable of providing pseudo-random numbers in the specified output range.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to return a pseudo-random number within the specified output range; and

returning a next pseudo-random number within the specified output range.

12. An object class definition comprising:

a constructor method for generating a pseudo-random number generator object that is capable of generating pseudo-random numbers within a specified output range; and

a method for instructing the pseudo-random number generator object to output a pseudo-random numbers within the specified output range.

13. The object class definition of claim 12, wherein the pseudo-random number generator outputs numbers of a single data type.

14. The object class definition of claim 12, wherein the pseudo-random number generator object is serializable.

15. The object class definition of claim 12, wherein generating pseudo-random numbers within a specified output range includes using a specified seed.

16. The object class definition of claim 15, wherein generating pseudo-random numbers within a specified output range generates a reproducible sequence of pseudo-random numbers if the same seed is used.

17. A method of generating pseudo-random numbers, the method comprising:

providing an output range to a pseudo-random number generator object; and

invoking a method within the pseudo-random number generator object that causes pseudo-random numbers within the output range to be generated by the pseudo-random number generator object.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

invoking a method to generate a pseudo-random number generator object that can generate pseudo-random numbers within a specified output range.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing a seed to a pseudo-random number generator object.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the seed is predefined.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the output range is predefined.

22. A method of facilitating generation of PRNs, the method comprising:

providing a single object-oriented interface that enables PRN generation and PRN mapping, the single object-oriented interface comprising a constructor method for generating a PRNG object that is capable of generating PRNs within a specified output range and a method for instructing the PRNG object to output PRNs within the specified output range.