Patent ID: 9268881
Filing Date: 2016-02-23
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A method of fetching destination NFA (nondeterministic finite automaton) states in a dynamically configurable NFA cell array, said method comprising: determining a policy pre-fetch depth (PFD) value for each transition in the NFA, wherein said PFD value indicates a number of successive transitions from a current state to successive child states; when any NFA state in the NFA cell array is active, said active state having a transition to a child NFA state, and said transition having a nonzero policy PFD value, pre-fetching the child state into the cell array if said child state is not present; and pre-fetching further non-present descendant NFA states of said child state, up to a number of transitions away from the active state equal to said policy PFD value.