Storage and retrieval system

Abstract

Abstract A DESK-TOP DATA STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM INTO WHICH DESCRIPTOR TERMS AND BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA ARE ENTERED BY A KEYBOARD, THE LATTER BEING STORED PROPINQUITIOUSLY WITH TAG NUMBERS OF FIXED FORMAT AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED BY THE ENTRY OF DESCRIPTOR TERMS. IN THE RETRIEVAL MODE, THE OPERATOR ENTERS A DESCRIPTOR TERM AS AN INTERROGATION OF THE SYSTEM, WHICH THEN AUTOMATICALLY GENERATES THE APPROPRIATE TAG NUMBER AND MATCHES IT AGAINST STORE TAG NUMBERS, AND READS OUT SUCH BIBLOGRAPHIC DATA AS IT FINDS STORED TOGETHER WITH IDENTICAL TAG NUMBERS. THE TAG NUM- BER WHICH REPRESENTS EACH WORD OR PHRASE MAKING UP A DESCRIPTOR TERM IS GENERATED BY ARBITRARILY ASSIGNING NUMBERS TO ALL LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET, ARRANGING THE SERIES OF ASSIGNED NUMBERS REPRESENTING A DESCRIPTOR TERM ACCORDING TO A MATRIX OF HORIZONTAL ROWS AND THEN ADDING THE RESULTING COLUMNS OF NUMBERS TO FORM A TAG NUMBER. PLURAL TAG NUMBERS EACH REPRESENTING A SIMPLE CONCEPT CAN BE SELECTIVELY COMBINED BY ADDITION TO FORM ANOTHER COMBINED TAG NUMBER REPRESENTING A COMPOUND CONCEPT.

Inventors

• 👤 Ariadne L Loewenthal
• 👤 Rudolf Loewenthal
• 👤 Gary M Flynn

Bibliographic Details