Patent Document ID: 6064817
Application ID: 08971072

Base Claim:
1. A method of processing a computer source program, comprising the steps of: providing a data declaration extension syntax, wherein the syntax comprises use of DATE-FORMAT to identify the data declaration extension to a compiler and provides keywords for identifying one of a plurality of windowing techniques and provides fields for specifying ranges of years; receiving a plurality of programming language statements comprising a source program into a memory of a computer, wherein at least one of the received statements comprises a data declaration extension requesting a Year 2000 solution selected from a plurality of windowing techniques, and wherein the data declaration extension is in a format of the provided data declaration extension syntax; and compiling the source program into an object program in the memory of the computer, wherein the object program includes instructions for processing and/or invoking procedures on a data field associated with the extended data declaration according to the Year 2000 solution requested in the data declaration.

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Claim 2:
2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: (a) identifying data declaration statements relating to year values in date fields of the source program; and (b) modifying at least one identified data declaration statement to add an extension requesting a Year 2000 solution to be applied to the year value associated with the statement; and wherein said step of receiving, further comprises the step of storing the modified data declaration statement in the memory of the computer.