Patent ID: 7457837

Claim:
A computer-implemented method, comprising: determining a storage length of computer-readable memory allocated in a computer system for decimal quantities; determining a storage length of computer-readable memory allocated in the computer system for a conversion relation between a base unit of measure and an alternative unit of measure; determining an increment quantity for the base unit of measure based on the conversion relation between the base unit of measure and the alternative unit of measure and based on the storage length allocated for decimal quantities and the storage length allocated for the conversion relation; if the increment quantity can be represented precisely within the storage length allocated for the conversion relation, adjusting the increment quantity and conversion relation by: calculating an alternative increment quantity from the increment quantity and the storage length allocated for decimal quantities in the base unit of measure, calculating an integer alternative quantity from the alternative increment quantity and the conversion relation, calculating an adjusted conversion relation from the alternative increment quantity and the integer alternative quantity, storing the adjusted conversion relation and the increment quantity in a first computer-readable memory location, converting, based on the adjusted conversion relation, a quantitative measurement from the base unit of measure to one of the alternative unit of measure respectively to generate a converted quantitative measurement, the quantitative measurement representing a first quantitative characteristic corresponding to an amount of an item present in an inventory system and the converted quantitative measurement representing a second quantitative characteristic corresponding to the amount of the item present in the inventory system, storing the converted quantitative measurement in a second computer-readable memory location; and providing the converted quantitative measurement on a computer display unit to a user.