User selectable editing protocol for fast flexible search engine

A computer program product for changing a number of entries in a sorted binary tree comprising:

• a medium for embodying a computer program for input to a computer;
• and
• a computer program embodied in the medium for causing the computer to perform the following functions:
• selecting a protocol parameter P for determining a tradeoff between memory utilization and required execution time wherein P is an integer greater than zero;
• defining a minimum number of entries and a maximum number of entries in each vertex of the sorted binary tree as a function of the protocol parameter P;
• if inserting an entry into a bottom vertex of the sorted binary tree exceeds the maximum number of entries, and if another bottom vertex has fewer than the maximum number of entries, then redistributing entries in the sorted binary tree until no bottom vertex has more than the maximum number of entries and no fewer than the minimum number of entries;
• if inserting an entry into the bottom vertex exceeds the maximum number of entries, and if no bottom vertex has fewer than the maximum number of entries, then creating a new bottom vertex in the sorted binary tree and redistributing entries in the sorted binary tree until no bottom vertex has more than the maximum number of entries or fewer than the minimum number of entries;
• if deleting an entry from the bottom vertex results in fewer than the minimum number of entries, and if another bottom vertex has more than the minimum number of entries, then redistributing entries in the sorted binary tree until no bottom vertex has fewer than the minimum number of entries and no more than the maximum number of entries;
• and
• if deleting an entry from the bottom vertex results in fewer than the minimum number of entries, and if no bottom vertex has more than the minimum number of entries, then redistributing the entries in the sorted binary tree until the bottom vertex has no entries and deleting the bottom vertex so that every remaining bottom vertex in the sorted binary tree has no fewer than the minimum number of entries and no more than the maximum number of entries.