Patent ID: 9424331
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A method to be performed by a computing system, the method comprising: comparing data values at an initial partition index for each of three sorted data sets to identify a first sorted data set of the three sorted data sets with a highest data value of the compared data values and a second sorted data set of the three sorted data sets with a lowest data value of the compared data values; adjusting the initial partition index for the first sorted data set to an adjusted initial partition index with a lower data value; adjusting the initial partition index for the second sorted data set to an adjusted initial partition index with a higher data value; comparing data values at the adjusted initial partition indexes of the first and second sorted data sets with the data value at the initial partition index of a third sorted data set of the three sorted data sets; determining a final partition index for each of the three sorted data sets based on the comparison of the data values at the adjusted initial partition indexes of the first and second sorted data sets; partitioning each of the three sorted data sets at their corresponding final partition index into a first portion and a second portion; processing the first portions of each of the three sorted data sets; processing the second portions of each of the three sorted data sets; and merging the processed first portions of the three sorted data sets with the processed second portions of the three sorted data sets.