US 2004/0210596 A1Published application

Reduced comparison coordinate-value sorting process

OwnerGerald Budd, Keith Sonnanburginventors

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Abstract

One objective of the present invention is to optimize a sorting process (20) that, by novel means (240), reduces the number of comparisons required to sort delivered items (10, 230) whether said items are physical tokens, electronic data or other symbolic representations of whatever is sorted. Said novel means (240) include: initializing values (220), recording values (250), comparing items found closest to evolving centroids (310, 320), restricting evolving fields for comparison within limits (330), setting pointers indicating the sorted order of items (360), detecting delivered items and those remaining within limits (60, 260), noting value changes (30, 250), and appropriate recursions (270, 280, 350, 370). A second objective of the present invention is to provide computer software means for said process (20) whereby said novel means (240) can be operably coupled with an apparatus to find items (40) and place them in ordered queues (50) as items (70).

Claims20

Dependent claims

A reduced comparison coordinate value sorting method by executing topological interpolation comprising the steps of:

a) creating an array, wherein value(s) of plural role-defined variables are recorded;
b) assigning initial values to said role-defined variables in said array;
c) delivering plural items to be sorted;
d) determining the item or items closest to a centroid in said array within plural established limits;
e) deciding the ordinal rank of newly delivered item or items compared to the item closest to said centroid;
f) setting the A-value of the item now compared as a new A-value limit for the current round, according to the direction opposite the result of the comparison;
g) restricting the field of items remaining for comparison, by collapsing said array to accommodate only those already placed items that remain within the bounds of the plural most recently established limits;
h) detecting when there are no further items still within the bounds of the plural most recently established limits, else step (d), then;
i) when the new item is higher than the last item compared, setting the pointer of that last item compared to the address of the new item and setting the pointer of the new item to the address of the item, if there is one, previously pointed to by that last item compared, or when the new item is lower than the last item compared, setting the pointer of the new item to the address of the last item compared and then setting the pointer of the item previously pointing to the item last compared, if there is one, to the address of the new item, and returning to step (c);
and
j) detecting no further items delivered, else step (c), and then noting the F-values from their assigned A-value locations by first noting the F-value assigned to the A-value location indicated by the pointer now found in the origin location and following the order indicated by the pointers found in the location of each subsequent F-value that is noted and since these F-values will be in sorted order, ending the process.

8 more elements

A computer-based system for sorting items by executing topological interpolation, thereby enabling enhanced efficiencies in any computer-based sorting process, comprising:

a) means for creating an array, wherein value(s) of plural role-defined variables are recorded;
b) means for assigning initial values to said role-defined variables in said array;
c) means for delivering plural items to be sorted;
d) means for determining the item closest to a centroid in said array, within plural established limits;
e) means for deciding the ordinal rank of newly delivered item(s) compared to the item closest to said centroid;
f) means for setting the A-value of the item now compared as a new A-value limit for the current round, according to the direction opposite the result of the comparison;
g) means for restricting the field of items remaining for comparison, by collapsing said array to accommodate only those already placed items that remain within the bounds of the plural most recently established limits;
h) means for detecting when there are no further items still within the bounds of the plural most recently established limits, else returning to step (d), then;
i) when the new item is higher than the last item compared, means for setting the pointer of that last item compared to the address of the new item and setting the pointer of the new item to the address of the item, if there is one, previously pointed to by that last item compared, or when the new item is lower than the last item compared, setting the pointer of the new item to the address of the last item compared and then setting the pointer of the item previously pointing to the item last compared, if there is one, to the address of the new item, and returning to step (c);
and
j) means for detecting no further items delivered, else returning to step (c), and then noting the F-values from their assigned A-value locations by first noting the F-value assigned to the A-value location indicated by the pointer now found in the origin location and following the order indicated by the pointers found in the location of each subsequent F-value that is noted and since these F-values will be in sorted order, ending the process.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.