Converting arbitrary strings into numeric representations to facilitate complex comparisons

• US 7,574,446 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2006
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Catalyst Repository Systems Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Catalyst Repository Systems Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Collier, Cody M., Kiefer, Bruce E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Wilson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Merilyn P
• Application Number:
  US11/634,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 3, 707100-102, 707/6, 707/10, 704/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24534 Query rewriting; Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A method for converting arbitrary strings consisting of any combination of numbers, digits, or punctuation into numerical representations for comparisons at run time or any other time using a data store such as a relational database or full text search engine. The method is designed to build a numeric representation having small, fixed length values that are stored in numeric data types supported by the data store. All arbitrary string data is converted to a numeric representation using the method and placed in the data store. Queries of the data can be converted to a similar numeric representation.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for converting a document character string into a numerical string representation, said document character string comprising a plurality of characters chosen from a group consisting of numbers, letters and punctuation, said method comprising:

converting each of said plurality of characters to a plurality of corresponding first document equivalent characters;

converting each of said plurality of corresponding first document equivalent characters to a plurality of corresponding second document equivalent characters by adding a constant to each of said first document equivalent characters;

grouping a number of said second document equivalent characters into a document string representation, each document string representation having a predetermined number of second document equivalent characters;

storing said document string representation in memory;

electronically receiving a document identification string and operand, said document identification string comprising a plurality of document identification characters chosen from said group consisting of numbers, letters and punctuation;

converting each of said plurality of document identification characters to a plurality of corresponding first document identification equivalent characters;

converting each of said plurality of corresponding first document identification equivalent characters to a plurality of corresponding second document identification equivalent characters;

grouping a number of said second document identification equivalent characters into a document identification string representation;

storing said document identification string representation in said memory;

comparing said document identification string representation to said document string representation based upon said operand; and

in response to said operand and said comparison, electronically returning results of said comparison.