Method and system for combining prefix and first character searching of a list
US5692173A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 13, 1994 |
| Grant date | Nov 25, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 13, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99937
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and system for combining prefix and first character search methods. The present invention provides a combined search method for searching for elements in a list. The combined search method maintains a user input buffer that contains a plurality of search characters. The combined search method searches for a particular list element in a list, where each list element is a sequence of characters. That is, the combined search method searches for a list element whose prefix matches the search characters in the user input buffer. If each of the search characters in the user input buffer is the same, the combined search method also searches for a list element whose first character matches a search character in the user input buffer. If one list element is found, the combined search method selects that list element. If two list elements are found, the combined search method selects one of the two list elements based on its proximity to a predetermined list element.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.