Patent ID: 7467138

Claim:
A method, comprising executing an algorithm by a processor of a computer system, said executing said algorithm comprising in-place sorting at least two sequences of binary bits in ascending or descending order of a value associated with each sequence and in a time period denoted as a sorting execution time, said sequences being stored contiguously in an array within a memory device of the computer system prior to said sorting, each sequence comprising contiguous fields of bits, said in-place sorting comprising executing program code at each node of a linked execution structure, each node comprising a segment of the array, said executing program code being performed in a hierarchical sequence with respect to said nodes, said executing program code at each node including: dividing the segment of the node into groups of sequences based on a mask field having a mask width, each group having a unique mask value of the mask field; and in-place rearranging a group of sequences in the segment, said rearranging resulting in each group comprising only those sequences having the unique mask value of the group, wherein said in-place rearranging comprises executing at least one domino chain with respect to sequences within the segment, wherein said executing at least one domino chain comprises performing for each domino chain an ordered movement of N sequences within the segment such that N is at least 2, and wherein said performing the ordered movement of the N sequences comprises: moving a first sequence of the N sequences from an initial position of the first sequence into a position of the segment occupied by a second sequence of the N sequences, resulting in the initial position being empty; moving the second sequence into a position of the segment occupied by a third sequence of the N sequences; moving an (N−1)th sequence is into a position of the segment occupied by an Nth sequence of the N sequences; and moving the Nth sequence into the empty initial position of the segment.