Patent ID: 8191142
Filing Date: 2012-05-29
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for detecting whether an arbitrary-length bit string input matches one of a plurality of known arbitrary-length bit strings, using a memory storing, for each of the plurality of known arbitrary-length bit strings, the known arbitrary-length bit string or a pointer thereto, in an addressed location, and a hierarchical data structure, wherein a hash of one of the plurality of known arbitrary-length bit strings at each level of the hierarchical data structure defines a bit location of a data bit map and a next level bit map, the method comprising: a) interrogating the hierarchical data structure using hashes of the input arbitrary-length bit string to determine whether or not the input arbitrary-length bit string might match one of the known arbitrary-length bit strings, wherein the act of interrogating generates a concatenated bit string using information in next level bit maps of the hierarchical data structure; and b) if it was determined that the input arbitrary-length bit string might match one of the known arbitrary-length bit strings, then otherwise determining that a match does not exist with any of the known arbitrary-length strings.