GB1005994A - A method and means for making and retrieving records of information - Google Patents

Abstract

1,005,994. Statistical apparatus. FMA Inc. Oct. 29, 1963 [April 25, 1963], No. 42686/63. Heading G4M. In an information retrieval system, documents are recorded on a film 11 together with a block of identifying code characters, a card reader 12 senses a request card 13 which is punched with characters corresponding to the characteristics of the document or documents which is or are to be retrieved, and the requested characteristics are entered in registers of comparison circuitry 14 where they are compared with those derived from the film 11 by a flying spot scanner 10, the film transport system being stopped when a prescribed identity is detected. Each request card, Fig. 6, is divided into six fields which correspond to six possible request descriptors, there being six corresponding registers in circuitry 14. Each descriptor comprises six alphabetic, numeric or other symbols and is preceded by a tag denoting the type of descriptor, e.g. author, date, subject, and is followed by a function character which instructs the comparison circuitry to (a) regard two adjacent descriptors as making up one descriptor (for use when a descriptor requires more than six characters), (b) make a straightforward comparison, or (c) indicate a limited search, e.g. for documents received before or after or between a specified date or dates. The descriptors B-F have a further special character associated therewith, indicating the logical association between adjacent descriptors, such as AND, OR or AND NOT, a document being retrieved only if these logical conditions are fulfilled.