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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information storage method for storing
in a memory pieces of information stored in an information storage part in
association with identification codes in an order opposite to that of an
arrangement of key elements having the identification codes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An information storage system of this type serves to store pieces of name
information of persons assigned reserved seats of for example a streetcar
or a bus, etc., in particular name information for each reserved seat
number in an information storage part through keyed inputting operation,
and to read information on the names from the rear side of the reserved
seats together with the numbers of the reserved seats, or serves to store
information on proceeds, etc. in an account book at each date with keyed
inputting operation, and to successively read them in the order of the
date and store the read information in a memory. Furthermore, the
information storage system is employed for stock control wherein pieces of
information of articles arranged at prescribed positions are stored with
key operation and read with the opposite procedures to storing them.
Referring here to FIGS. 4 and 5, a prior information storage system will be
described.
In the figures, designated at 1 is an information storage part, which part
includes information storage areas 2, 3, 4, and 5 each having
identification numbers 120, 130, 010, and 250 as identification codes K
different in the order of arrangement thereof from each other. The
information storage areas 2, 3, 4, and 5 are adapted to store desired
informations A1 to A4 corresponding to the identification codes K. For
example, it may be assumed that the identification numbers described above
are selected as reserved seat numbers in a streetcar or a bus, etc., and
the various informations A1 to A4 are the names of persons corresponding
to the reserved seat numbers. Or, the identification number may be assumed
to be dates, and the informations A1 to A4 to be proceeds corresponding to
the dates. Such identification codes K and informations A1 to A4 are
stored in the information storage part 1 as a memory means with use of a
key input means and a display device. A data input device for input
operation is already known.
Designated at 6 is an indexed part such as a memory means in which key
elements 9 to 12 including identification numbers 010, 120, 130, 250 as
the identification codes K are arranged in a prescribed direction (left to
right in the figure) after which the pieces of information A1 to A4 are
key-inputted into the information storage part 1. Also in this case, the
key input means and the display (not shown) are employed to effect key
input operation for the key elements. Thereupon, it is limited in view of
read/write capability to subject in succession the key elements 9 to 12 to
the key operation laterally. Consequently, the key elements 9 to 12 are
divided into blocks 7, 8 for each prescribed number of the key elements.
Since the block 7 includes key elements disposed ahead, in the sequence of
key elements, of those involved in the block 8, the block 7 becomes a
front block with respect to the block 8, while the block 8 becomes a rear
block with respect to the block 7. Block decision areas (hereinafter
referred to as a header) are provided in the blocks 7, 8, which areas have
rear stage block specifying parts 15, 16 for specifying in which
respective blocks identification numbers following the last identification
numbers 120, 250 of the respective blocks 7, 8 are existent. In this case,
information for specifying the block 8 is stored in the rear stage block
specifying part 15 of the block 7, while information for specifying a
further rear stage block (not shown) behind the block 8 is stored in the
rear stage block specifying part 16 of the block 8.
The key elements 9, 10, 11, and 12 described above have length indication
parts 19, 20, 21, and 22 for specifying the lengths of the key elements
themselves and are required for finding positions of the next key elements
in the blocks 7, 8. For example, retrieving the indication part 19 of the
key element 9, the length of the key element 9 is found. Consequently,
after retrieving the key element 9 in an amount corresponding to the
length of the key element 9, head data of the next key element 10 can be
found. Moreover, the key elements 9, 10, 11, and 12 have position
indication parts 23, 24, 25, and 26 for indicating at which addresses
respective corresponding informations A1 to A4 are located in the
information storage part 1. Prescribed information is entered in these
length indication parts and the position indication parts in preparing the
key elements 9 to 12. Furthermore, designated at 27 is a memory having a
plurality of information storage areas 28, 29, 30, and 31.
Designated at 32 is a controller which stores in the memory 27 informations
from the information storage part 1 in the order of arrangement of the
identification numbers 010, 120, 130 and 250 based on instructions from
the indexed part 6 described above. Namely, the controller 32 includes an
element read means 32b operated based on an input from a forward read
setting means 32a such as a switch, etc., for retrieving the blocks 7, 8
in the order of the arrangement of the key elements, i.e., from the left
to the right in the figure, and for thereby reading the key elements 9 to
12 and delivering them to the memory 27, and a block indication means 32c
for reading the rear stage block specifying parts 15, 16 after the element
read means 32b finishes reading the key elements in each block, and for
indicating to the element read means 32b the next block. Moreover the
element read means 32b, after reading the respective key elements 9 to 12,
detects, from the position indication parts 23 to 26, at which position in
the information storage part 1 an identification number for each key
element is located, and reads the identification numbers, i.e.,
corresponding identification codes k and the informations A1 to A4 from
the information storage part 1 for storing them in the memory.
Consequently, once the element read means 32b reads all the key elements
9, 10 of the block 7, for example, the block specifying means 32c reads
the information of the rear stage block specifying part 15. Since the
block 8 has been specified in the rear stage block specifying part 15, the
block specifying means 32c instructs the element read means 32b to
retrieve the block 8, and thereby the element read means 32b retrieves
from the block 8 the first key element 11. For the forward read setting
means 32a, a switch interlocking with a specific key on a key board is
available.
Such prior information storage systems are described in for example
"Electronic Computer Programming Language COBOL" JIS C 6205-1980, issued
by Japanese Standard Association, and "FACOM CSP/F5" JIS COBOL E Syntax,
45SP-3102-1 published by Fujitsu Inc. These systems can call records in
the increasing and decreasing orders of reference keys.
Let us here describe the whole operation of the prior information storage
system described above. First, to initially enter informations in the
increasing order of the identification numbers 010, 120, 130, and 250 and
to then store them, the indexed part 6 is prepared while structured as
shown in FIG. 4, upon preparing an indexed file. Such operation is
effected with key operation while permitting an operator to observe a
display. The key elements 9, 10, 11, and 12 are successively arranged in
the increasing order of the identification numbers 010, 120, 130, and 250.
With informations are stored in the increasing order of the identification
numbers 010, 120, or 130, 250, i.e., in the arrangment order of the key
elements based on the indexed file so prepared, the read setting means 32a
is turned on. As a result, the forward read means 32b successively takes
out the key elements 9, 10, involved in the front stage block 7 starting
from the head in the block 7, i.e., from the key element 9 toward the rear
key element 10 and further takes out the last key element 10 in the block
7. Therefore, the block specifying means 32c decides the rear stage block
8 from the rear stage block specifying part 15 serving to specify the
block number of the rear stage block present in the header 17 and
instructs the element read means 32b to retrieve the block 8. Hereby, the
element read means 32b successively takes out in repetition the key
elements in the block 8 starting from the head in the block 8, i.e., the
key element 11 toward the rear element 12. The element read means 32b
furthermore finds positions of corresponding informations A1 to A4, i.e.,
positions (addresses) in the information storage part 1 from the contents
of the position indication parts 23, 24, 25, and 26 each time one of the
key elements 9, 10, 11, and 12 is taken, and successively enters the
informations A1 to A4 in the memory 27 together with the information
codes. Thus, the informations are entered in the increasing order of the
identification numbers 010, 120, 130, and 250.
Namely, entering the indexed file of FIG. 4 in the increasing order of the
identification numbers 010, 120, 130, and 250, the informations A1 to A4
can be entered in the order of steps S1, S2, S3, and S4 of FIG. 5.
However, prior information storage systems, as described above, are adapted
to retrieve information in accordance with the order of arrangement of the
key elements and to store the information in the increasing order to the
identification numbers 010, 120, 130, and 250, but are incapable of
entering the identification numbers 010, 120, 130, and 250 in the
decreasing order thereof.
In view of the drawbacks with the conventional information storage systems,
it is an object of the present invention to provide an information storage
system capable of storing information in the opposite direction to the
arrangement the key elements including the identification codes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An information storage system according to the present invention is adapted
to read the key elements in the opposite direction to the order of
arrangement of the identification codes and to successively store
information corresponding to the identification codes of the key elements
in the memory.
According to the present invention, a controller stores informations
corresponding to the identification codes in the memory in the opposite
direction to the order of arrangement of the key elements including the
identification codes.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following description when
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred
embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative
example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information storage system
according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information storage
system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the operation of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a prior information storage system;
and
FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the operation of FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An embodiment of an information storage system according to the present
invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The same
symbols shall be applied to the same constituent elements as those in
prior arts. Description thereof is therefore neglected here.
In the figures, designated at 33, 34 are front stage block specifying parts
provided in the block decision areas 17, 18. In the block specifying parts
33, 34, there set contents indicating which respective blocks contain
respective identification codes just before the identification codes 010
or 130 located at the fronts in the respective blocks 7, 8. In addition,
designated at 35 to 38 are indication parts for specifying the length of a
key element needed to know the position of a front key element. Namely,
when the element read means 32b retrieves and reads the respective blocks
7, 8 in a direction from the last key elements 10, 12 to the front
elements 9, 11, positions of the key elements 9, 11 in front of the key
elements 10, 12 can be decided with use of the contents of these
indication parts 36 and 38. The front stage indication parts 33, 34
serving to specify the front stage block and the indication parts 35 to 38
are prepared upon making the indexed file.
Moreover, designated at 39 is a controller in the present invention, which
has a special function besides functions thereof present in prior arts.
The controller 39 composed of the prior element read means 32b and the
block specifying means 32c furthermore includes an element read means 39b
adapted to be operatable based on an input from the backward read setting
means 39a such as a switch to retrieve the blocks 7, 8 in the opposite
direction to the arrangement of the key elements, i.e., from the right to
the left in the figure, to detect the identification codes k corresponding
to the respective key elements 9 to 12 and read the information A1 to A4
from the information storage part 1 for storing them in the memory 27, and
a block specifying means 39c adapted to read, after allowing the element
read means 39b to finish reading the key elements for each block, the
front stage block specifying parts 33, 34 of the blocks 7, 8 and thereby
indicate to the element read means 39b the next. Namely, the controller 39
serves to read the identification numbers 010, 120, 130, and 250 in the
opposite order to the arrangement of the identification codes, i.e., in
the order 250, 130, 120 and 010, and to read information corresponding to
the identification numbers 010, 120, 130, and 250 from the information
storage part 1 in accordance with the above read order and store them in
the memory 27.
Referring here to FIG. 2 illustrating a flowchart showing a method to enter
the informations in the decreasing order of the identification numbers
010, 120, 130, and 250, a step S10 represents processing just after
initiating the operation, and also processing when the whole processing is
finished based on decision in a Step S11. In the step S10, just after the
initiation of the operation, the block specifying means 39c takes out a
block 8 having the rear key elements 11, 12 contained therein, the block 8
having key elements with the largest identification numbers therein. In
the step S12, the block 8 taken out in the step S10 is retrieved. In the
step S12, the block 8 includes a plurality of key elements 11, 12 therein,
in which they are arranged from the head to the rear of the block in the
increasing order of the identification numbers 130, 250. The element read
means 39b first takes out the last key element 12 in the block 8, and then
takes out in repetition each front key element toward the head element. In
a step S13, a position of a key element to be finally read out in the
block 8 is evaluated. Since the lengths of the key elements 9 to 12 are
not constant, a head position of the front key element 11 is evaluated by
subtracting lengths of the front key element located just before the head
positions of the key element 12 which has already been processed from the
head position of the key element 12. In a step S14, the position evaluated
in the step S13 of the head position of the key element 12 already
processed is subtracted from a position just before the above head
position of the key element 12, i.e., the last position of the front key
element 11, by the length of the front key element 11 whereby the head
position of the key element 11 to be subsequently processed is evaluated.
This evaluation is executed by an evaluation means additionally provided
in the controller 39. A position indication part 37 included in the key
element 11 taken out in the above step S14 is taken out in a step S15,
which information is entered into the memory 27 in a step S16. The
operation is decided to be NO in a step S17 until information about the
smallest identification number 130 in the block 8 has completely been
entered, and the processing concerned is repeated in the above steps of
S14, S15, and S16. In such a manner, the retrieving and reading
processings are repeated starting from the key element 12 arranged in the
rear in the block 8, i.e., having the largest identification number, to
the key element arranged further ahead in the block 8, i.e., having a
smaller identification number. Provided that the retrieving and reading
operation on the interior of the block 8 is finished based on the decision
in the step S17 but on the whole the blocks are not all finished based on
the decision in the step S11, the operation is returned to the processing
in the step S10. The front stage block indication part 34 located in the
block header 18 shows, upon the completion of the retrieving and reading
operation about the block 8, in which block a key element having a smaller
identification number next to the identification number 130 located in the
block 8 is present. Accordingly, in the step S10, the block specifying
means 39c takes out the contents of the front stage block specifying part
34 located in the header 18 of the block 8 which has already been
processed. It is in such a manner repeated in the blocks 7 and 8 to take
out the key elements 9 to 12 in reverse order and take out a block located
in the front. Thus, informations can be entered in the decreasing order o
the identification numbers of 010, 120, 130 and 250 after taking out the
key element concerned.
Processing the indexed file arranged as shown in FIG. 1 by making use of
the method shown in FIG. 2, the information concerned can be entered in
the order of the steps of S18, S19, S20, and S21 of FIG. 3. Furthermore,
as described before, any information can be entered in the order shown in
FIG. 5 when the forward/backward read setting means 32a is turned on.
Thus, according to the present invention, information in the indexed file
can be entered in the opposite direction to the arrangement of the key
elements, i.e., in the decreasing order of the identification numbers 010,
120, 130, and 250. Consequently, provided dates are provided as key
values, they can advantageously stored successively from a new information
on the dates. In addition, the information stored in the memory 27 is
taken out by means of a printer or a display (not shown), and thereby the
information can be captured with visual observation for decision.
Moreover, although in the embodiment described above a case based on the
indexed file was described, a relational database and network database
which are accessible with use of the keys may be otherwise applied to
manifest the same effect as the embodiment described above. Furthermore,
although in the above embodiment each of the front stage block specifying
parts 33, 34 serving to specify a front block was disposed behind the rear
block specifying parts 15, 16 serving to specify a rear stage block, they
may be disposed in the front.
According to the information storage method, the key elements can be read
out in the opposite order to the order of arrangement of the key elements
including identification codes. And, in conforming with the order of the
key elements read out, informations corresponding to the identification
codes involved in the key elements can be subsequently stored in the
memory. Thus, the information storage system according to the present
invention can advantageously extend the coverage of applicability thereof.
Although a certain preferred embodiment has been shown and described, it
should be understood that many changes and modifications may be made
therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
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