Abstract: A method is disclosed using a digital data processing means for determining from a plurality of candidate words at least one which is both an acceptable spelling and an acceptable inflection of a query word. The words are represented by machine readable coded signals and comprise plural characters. The steps are as follows: Determine a stem portion of such query word. Form a suffix class indication for any one of a plurality of classes in which the query word may be included. Compare the determined query stem with characters in the beginning of such candidate words for finding acceptable and nonacceptable spelling matches. Determine an ending portion, if any, in each individual candidate words which is an acceptable spelling match. Utilize the suffix class indication to select a representation of at least one acceptable suffix for the candidate words.

Abstract: The method uses digital data processing means and stored representations of a table of textual block identifiers for locating in a stored textual data base those textual blocks having the best match with a query. Textual block identifiers each provide an indication of a textual block in a stored data base which contains the corresponding word. The method comprises the following steps: A query word is received having representations of a plurality of words to be located in textual blocks in the stored data base. For each of a plurality of the query words, determine a corresponding set of equivalent words which are contained in the stored data base. Each set of equivalent words is equivalent to the corresponding query word. Each equivalent word has a corresponding group of textual block identifiers represented in the stored table.

Abstract: Digital data processing means employing a method for separating acceptable spellings of words from nonacceptable spellings wherein each word comprises characters assigned positions. The character positions in each word are assigned increasing values from one end of the word to the other, positions of the same number of characters from the same end of each word being assigned the same value. Two words to be compared are called a query word and a candidate word. The method includes the following steps. A representation of a character in a given position of the query word is compared with representations of characters in the next lower position, the same position, and the next higher position in the candidate word and a compare type indication is formed representing a match or a mismatch between each query word character and the candidate word characters under comparison.

Abstract: A method using a digital data processing system and a query composed of entries locates entries in a stored multiple layer data base. The entries have one or more event types, and the entries of the data base include entries which have either an exact or an inexact match with entries of the query. The query and a first one of the data base layers are processed to form packages having an assigned order. The packages contain representations of event types in a second layer of the data base (entries in the first layer) and representations of the degree of match between the entry in the first layer and an entry of the query. Representations of the packages and representations of entries in a second one of the data base layers are processed to form a degree of match therebetween and to form representations of entries on the second one of the data base layers. For each of individual ones of the entries in the packages, a representation of a further degree of match for such entry is determined and formed.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for determining a particular criterion value and an associated positional value for the degree of match between the juxtaposition of a plurality of events of a query and a plurality of corresponding events of a stored data base entry. Plural processors are utilized. Each processor includes a plurality of data stores and a temporary store for each data store. Each data store stores a group of data values. The data values are priorly formed and represent the number of event positions between the occurrence of events in the query and the occurrence of the corresponding events in the stored data base. The plural processors, working together using the plural data stores and the temporary stores, form determined data values and sum-of-distance values which are then used for deriving a criterion value and a positional value corresponding to the degree of match between the query and the data base.

Abstract: Method and means are disclosed for determining a particular criterion value and an associated positional value for a degree of match between the juxtaposition of a plurality of events of a query and a plurality of events of a stored data base entry. The method and means use a processing means having a plurality of data stores and a temporary store for each data store. Each data store stores a group of data values. The data values are priorly formed and represent the number of event positions between the occurrence of events in the query and the occurrence of the corresponding events in the stored data base. The processing means using the plurality data stores, the temporary stores and the data values stored therein form determined data values and sum-of-distance values which are then used by a utilizing means for in turn deriving a criterion value and a positional value corresponding to the degree of match between the query and the data base.