Patent ID: 6185559
Filing Date: 2001-02-06
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for selectively retrieving records that contain recognizable items from a plurality of records collectively stored seriatim in an electronic database, wherein said method comprises:reading each record in the electronic database in a substantially sequential flow;detecting each record that contains a first recognized item;incrementing a first register to keep track of the records identified as containing said first recognized item;continuously comparing the number of records in the first register to a preset value to determine if a first threshold has been reached;reading each record that has been previously identified as containing a first recognized item, wherein the reading of said records containing a first recognized item begins at any record that has been previously identified as containing a first recognized item, and continues in a substantially sequential flow;detecting in said records containing a first recognized item those records that also contain a second recognized item;incrementing a second register to keep track of the records identified as containing a set having both of said first and said second recognized items;continuously comparing the number of records in the second register to a preset value to determine if a second threshold has been reached; andrepeating the above recited steps for sets having a plurality of recognized items until all recognized sets of items having a record count exceeding preset thresholds are detected.