Showing papers on "Sorting published in 1973"

Sorting and Searching

Abstract: The first revision of this third volume is a survey of classical computer techniques for sorting and searching. It extends the treatment of data structures in Volume 1 to consider both large and small databases and internal and external memories.

System for sorting and processing articles including flat mail pieces

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a system for sorting and processing a variety of articles including certain mail pieces known as flats which cannot be processed on letter mail equipment. The system includes mechanical carriers, which may be magnetically encoded with the sort destinations, to transport and remain with the respective items through the total processing cycle. The system further comprises a monorail conveyor distribution system having a three dimensional suspension system consisting of belts to provide transport, storage, switching and supporting of the carriers during the processing operation.

Terrain parameters directly from a digital terrain model

Abstract: A COMPUTER ALGORITHM IS DEVELOPED TO YIELD QUANTITATIVE TERRAIN DATA AND TO SELECT SPECIAL FEATURES FOR COMPUTER MAPPING. VALUES OF DEPRESSION STORAGE, WATERSHED AREA AND EARTHWORK ARE DEDUCED WITHOUT INTERPOLATION, SURFACE FITTING AND WITHOUT DRAWING ANY MAP. FOR MAP PRODUCTION, THE ALGORITHM SIGNALIZES WATERSHED BOUNDARY POINTS, STREAM POINTS AND STORAGE CREST POINTS BY A DIRECT SORTING PROCESS WITHOUT ASSUMPTION OF CONTINUITY. THE ALGORITHM SUGGESTS A NEW APPROACH TO THE USE OF DTMS IN WHICH ALL INFORMATION IS SELECTED BY THE COMPUTER DIRECTLY FROM THE RAW DATA, AND POINTS OUT NEW WAYS OF DEFINING PHYSICAL FEATURES SO THAT THEY CAN BE QUANTIFIED BY FAST SORTING METHODS. /AUTHOR/

Conveyor and sorting system

Abstract: An endless closed loop parcel sorting conveyor system particularly adapted for use between areas of different vertical elevation. The system includes an endless track, contiguous receptacle means forming an endless conveyor mounted on said track for movement therealong and in-line omit drive means adapted to sequentially engage each of said receptacle means imparting movement to said conveyor.

Sorting and the hidden-surface problem

Abstract: Ten years ago the task of producing hidden-surface pictures by computer seemed untractable. Courageous men pressed forward nonetheless, and today we can have quite beautiful renderings of solid objects generated by computer in remarkably short times. The pictures being produced today and the speed of the programs producing them are beyond any but the wildest dreams of ten years ago.

Particle sorter with segregation indicator

Abstract: Small particles to be sorted are entrained in a stream of fluid and particle differences are detected to control a sorting means located downstream. The sorting means is effective to switch the particle carrying fluid to two different paths determined by the particle differences to thereby accomplish the sort. A photoelectric particle detector is positioned to detect the passage of particles through one of said paths in order to verify that the sorting operation has occurred.

Document edging and stack advance system

Abstract: The present disclosure describes an edging and stack advance system that is capable of automatically preparing documents such as letters and the like, that have been loaded onto a conveyor for subsequent feeding, sorting and/or processing. Significant features of the system include the use of separate zones for conveyance and edging, and a plurality of interconnected stack sensing switches. The latter switches cooperate to establish and maintain a stack geometry having a degree of looseness which permits reliable edging and subsequent feeding of the documents. The entire system has been designed to be relatively uncomplicated and may be manufactured at low cost.

Apparatus for sorting, carrying and delivering mail or the like

Abstract: Apparatus for sorting, carrying and delivering mail or the like characterized by a plurality of sorting trays that can be inserted directly into existing or new sorting bins for sorting; carried; and stacked in a vehicle, such as a mail jeep, for delivery. The sorting trays have a sloping back side and two sloping ends for stacking the bottom of an upper tray inside of the top of a lower tray without the bottom of the upper tray resting on partitions in the lower one. The partitions are carried by the bottom so as to define mail slots therebetween. Label holders are provided along the front bottom of each tray and include a plurality of street and address slots that are aligned with the mail slots and are inclined at an angle with respect to the bottom so as to be visible to a mail carrier. The partitions have respective recesses for gripping the mail for easy removal. The sorting trays have interlocks and retainers to prevent their sliding in relationship to each other as the carrying vehicle is stopped and started. Also disclosed are specific and preferred embodiments.

Empirical investigation of several techniques for computer generation of order statistics

Abstract: Although the generation of order statistics from a given distribution has been of considerable interest, the ordering or "sorting" aspect of the problem presents a serious handicap with regard to computer time. This time limitation hinders the effectiveness of many simulation studies. In this paper several shortcut techniques for the systematic generation of a subset of joint order statistics from U (0.1) are simultaneously utilized for various sample sires, and their corresponding generation times are recorded and compared.

Culinary articles and apparatus for retrieving and/or sorting the same

Abstract: Disclosed are (i) items such as knives, forks, spoons and dishes having magnetically responsive end portions enabling the items to be retrieved and/or sorted by type by automatic apparatus, and (ii) apparatus which automatically performs such operations.

Sorting and stacking of food slices

Abstract: Slices of flexible material such as cheese are formed into stacks by use of a special form of conveyor. The conveyor uses vacuum and a release mechanism to form particularly accurate stacks, and can also sort the slices by weight and form interleaved or overlapping stacks or combine material emanating from different sources.

Computer assisted tabular sorting of phytosociological data

Abstract: This paper reports an implementation, on a computer, of tabular sorting in the traditional manner. A description is given of the use and usefulness of the program, and an account of its performance with two sets of data is presented. The paper concludes with a comparison of numerical and traditional approaches and an introduction to a new approach for computer assisted organisation of ecological data (COED).

Mail sorting system

Abstract: In a mail sorting system in which mail items are routed from a number of distributing stations to appropriate, essentially parallel conveying channels, the stations being spaced along the channels and each item being fed to a selected channel on the basis of its destination address, overloading of a channel is indicated by providing an electrical simulation of the distribution at each moment of items along each channel, the simulation being in response to routing signals from the stations, and by producing an alarm signal when the simulation shows that more than a predetermined number of items are present in a selected length of any one channel upstream of its junction with at least the last station, taken in the direction of conveyance along the channels.

Hydrodynamic sorting apparatus

Abstract: A hydrodynamic sorting apparatus for continuously sorting out condenser element cleaning balls that have been worn to a reduced diameter during circulation through a condenser system. Each of the preferred embodiments includes a sorting conduit having a sorting basket interposed in the flow of cooling fluid and cleaning balls through the condenser system. The sorting conduit is arranged in bypassing relationship to the normal cooling fluid circulation so as to accept a partial stream of cooling fluid therethrough. The sorting basket includes an apertured plate having openings which permit passage of balls below a reduced diameter while preventing passage of the remaining balls and the sorting conduit includes a sorting gate for trapping the balls passing through the basket and for accommodating removal of these worn balls.

Device for sorting grain

Abstract: A sorting apparatus for grain having a sorting pan of rectangular or pentagonal plan configuration is provided. The sorting pan has a rough sorting surface and is mounted in an inclined position so as to have a higher side to which the material is supplied and a lower side from which the material sorted according to the difference in the specific gravity is discharged. In addition, said pan is reciprocated in an obliquely upward direction when seen in elevation.

Apparatus and method for sorting articles

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus for sorting articles includes a carrier arranged to carry articles from an input to one of a plurality of outputs, a sorting controller arranged to control which output an article is delivered to dependent on a determined characteristic of the article and respective sorting criteria associated with each said output, wherein the sorting criteria comprise a value parameter of a completed package of articles associated with the respective outputs.

Computing with sparse matrices

Abstract: A survey of recent developments in sparse matrix technology is presented. Two fundamental areas are reviewed: 1. Sorting and reordering techniques by which the non-zero elements of a given sparse matrix can be rearranged to obtain a form which leads to more efficient computations. 2. Direct methods for solving systems of linear equations and computing inverses.

Article sorting equipment

Abstract: Article sorting equipment, particularly for hard fruit, comprises operator inspection via an optical system, or automatic optical inspection, of articles passing along a conveyor, and article sorting means controlled by information inserted by the operators or by the automatic inspection in information storage equipment.

A measure for the quantity of computation

Abstract: The paper establishes a definition for the quantity of computation based on information theory concepts. The definition is based on the recognition of a computing device, process or procedure as a set of associated information sources as defined by Shannon. It is then shown that the quantity of computation (computer work) has a mechanical work equivalent.It is shown how this new measure of computation can be used for measurements of computer processes at various levels. The first area of application described is machine-language level performance, the second is high level language (FORTRAN) performance and finally the measure is applied to the process of sorting. It is shown that the quantity of computer work required to sort a set of items is directly proportional to the quantity of disorder in the set of items. The above system of measurement is proposed as a basis for a uniform and universal computer performance measuring system.

Basic concepts of multiple-discrete valued logic and decision theory

Abstract: This paper deals with some of the basic concepts of multiple-discrete, as opposed to continuous, valued logic and its relation to decision theory. In particular attention is focused on three-valued logic. In the hardware or human methods of sorting out three things one actually has to resort to three pairings of binary decision making; one would like to really three-sort without first two-sorting or pairing. Moreover, standard statistical techniques can be extended to proper ternary relations (H0, H1, H2) ∈ ℋ × ℋ × ℋ of hypotheses. An example to which the theory can be applied is the several models originating with Pitts–McCulloch (1947) on the study of redundancy of potential command.

Sorting device for core handler

Abstract: A sorting mechanism for magnetic core handlers utilizing a sort gate or block that is provided with tubular openings, and is directly attached to the output shaft of a conventional stepper motor that has a shaft which can be rotated between a neutral position and at least one position from neutral. The gate is shifted directly by the movement of the motor shaft in response to a test signal for a core being tested, and suitable vacuum means can be supplied to the sorting chambers to exert a vacuum force to pull tested cores through the properly aligned opening in the sort block.

Oppositely reciprocating container inspecting machine

Abstract: A machine and method for inspecting and sorting glass bottles or containers wherein there are at least a pair of oppositely reciprocating testing heads. The testing heads have control circuits for ejecting unacceptable bottles or containers.