File qualifying and sorting system
US4209845A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 25, 1977 |
| Grant date | Jun 24, 1980 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 25, 1997 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99937
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system for sorting records of a file to find the record in the file having the highest or lowest data in a first field of the records, provided that the record qualifies to be sorted in accordance with the data in a second field of the records. A plurality of such records are stored on a plurality of blocks of a segmented serial storage device. Random access memory used by the system to accomplish the qualifying and sorting is a small fraction of the size of the file. In the preferred embodiment, a multiplicity of qualifying fields and sort fields may be specified. The system may typically be used, for example, to provide names, addresses and other variable text to be merged with form letter text in a printing system to sequentially print automatic form letters in the alphabetical or zip code order of their intended recipients. This information can also be used to list a qualified sublist of a master file in the order specified by the sort information.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.