Patent ID: 6883007

Claim:
A computer method for normalizing two or more encoded text data strings, said method comprising the steps of: receiving at least two strings in meta normal form, said strings being expressed as a series of characters and meta data fields, said meta data fields containing glyph information for said characters in said strings; determining whether all of the strings are in a decomposed meta normal form or a precomposed meta normal form; responsive to determining that at least one received string is in a different meta normal form from at least one other received string, converting one or more strings to a selected meta normal form such that all strings are in a same decomposed or precomposed meta normal form; removing said meta data fields from said received and converted strings to yield pure strings devoid of embedded glyph information; and producing a result code indicating that said pure strings are not equivalent if said pure strings do not match by comparing on a character-by-character basis, otherwise outputting said pure string.