Method and means utilizing multiple processing means for determining degree of match between two data arrays

A data processing means for determining a particular criterion value and an associated positional value indicative of the degree of match between the juxtaposition of a plurality of event types of a query and a plurality of corresponding event types of a particular stored data base entry, the data processing means utilizing a priorly-formed array of data values, each of the data values representing the number of event positions between the juxtaposition of an event type in the query and a corresponding event type in the particular stored data base entry, a group of one or more of the data values being provided for each of a plurality of different ones of the query event types, the data processing means comprising:

• (a) a plurality of processing means, each comprising:
• (1) a plurality of data stores and a corresponding temporary store for each such data store, each different group of the data values being stored in a different data store with the data values thereof arranged in an incremental order from one end thereof to the other, one end being called a first end, the data values being stored in the data stores of a plurality of said processing means;
• (2) means for designating at least one of the data values contained in each of a plurality of the data stores as a first data value;
• (3) means for detecting at least one of the designated first data values, provided by means (a)(2), where the detected data value has a predetermined magnitude relative to the other designated first data values;
• (b) means for determining from among the detected data values for all of the processing means a particular detected data value which has a predetermined magnitude relative to the others and for providing a determined value corresponding to the particular detected data value;
• (c) each processing means additionally comprising:
• (1) means for storing the detected data value, from the means (a)(3), in the temporary store of such processing means, wherein the temporary store corresponds to the data store in which the detected data value is detected;
• (2) means for forming for each of the individual data stores of such processing means, a first distance value which represents the algebraic difference between the determined data value, provided by the means (b), and the designated data value, provided by the means (a)(2), in such data store;
• (3) means for forming for each of the individual data stores of such processing means, a second distance value representing the algebraic difference between the determined data value and the data value in the temporary store corresponding to such individual data store;
• (4) means for selecting for each of the individual data stores of such processing means, at least one of the distance values from among the corresponding first and second distance values, such selected first or second distance value, for a particular data store, being the one that has a predetermined magnitude relative to the non-selected distance value for the same data store;
• (5) means for forming for the detected data value, provided by the means (a)(3), a sum-of-distance value representing the sum of the absolute value of the selected distance values which are formed by the means (c)(4) for the detected data value;
• (6) means for designating a new data value in the data store, of such processing means, which contained the at least one determined data value, means for repeating the operation of the means recited above commencing with the means (a)(2) for designating using such new data value as a designated data value,
• the means for designating a new data value including means for designating, in a predetermined order in the recited order of data values, the next data value from the one which was previously designated;
• and
• (d) means for utilizing the detected data values and the corresponding sum-of-distance values provided in each processing means for deriving such criterion value and positional value.