Patent ID: 6385612
Filing Date: 2002-05-07
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of sorting and storing data in a computer system, the computer system including a Central Processor Unit (CPU), nonvolatile memory accessible by the CPU, and working memory associated with the CPU, the nonvolatile memory including a plurality of data records stored therein, comprising the steps of:reading said data records from said nonvolatile memory and storing them in said volatile working memory; assigning a unique data record identifier to each data record in said volatile memory; creating and initializing a sort tree in said volatile memory, said sort tree including a plurality of nodes allocated to locations in said volatile memory, said nodes including a plurality of exterior nodes, a plurality of interior nodes, and a root node; initializing said sort tree in combination with entry of said data record identifiers into said sort tree so as to add nodes to the sort tree in accordance with a number of data records added, so that the sort tree is initialized to the extent that it is only large enough to hold the data records entered; sorting said data record identifiers by comparing said data record identifiers throughout said sort tree to said root node; and reading said data records from said volatile memory and storing them in said nonvolatile memory in the order of said sorted record identifiers.