Patent ID: 6330558
Filing Date: 2001-12-11
Classification: G06F,G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A series of operational steps to be performed on or with the aid of computer, said steps comprising:(a) reading a year datum which comprises two bytes from a computer-readable storage medium;(b) taking the year datum to be a binary integer and computing a composite binary value of at least some of the two bytes of the binary integer;(c) determining whether the composite binary value of said at least some of the two bytes of the binary integer falls within a first range;(d) if the composite value falls within the first range, determining decimal digits encoded by the year datum in accordance with a character set and determining the year in accordance with the decimal digits, each of the two bytes separately representing one of the decimal digits;(e) determining whether the composite value falls within a second range; and(f) if the composite value falls within the second range, determining the year as a linear function of the composite value, the composite value representing at least four decimal digits of the year.