Patent ID: 7809195

Claim:
A method for summarizing a spatial pattern within an array of elements wherein marked elements of said array designate said spatial pattern and distances from a convergence hub to said marked elements are combined into a distribution that provides a summary of said spatial pattern, comprising, (a) providing an array of elements and the locations of said elements in said array according to a coordinate address system, a subset of said array of elements having a state that represents said spatial pattern, providing a label for said state, and designating said elements of said subset as said marked elements, (b) polling said elements of said array to determine the coordinate address of each of said marked elements so as to provide a set of coordinate addresses, (c) a distance processor to measure and calculate the distance of each marked element from a convergence hub, thus providing a set of distance values for said marked elements, (d) a distributor to combine said set of distance values to form a distance distribution, said distance distribution having an abscissa scale and an ordinate scale, (f) deriving a plurality of alternative distance distributions from said array, said alternative distance distributions being based on said coordinate address system, said label for said state, said polling, said measuring or calculating of distance, and said combining of said set of distance values into said distance distribution, thereby providing a plurality of alternative distance distributions which in turn provide summaries of said respective plurality of alternative spatial patterns, and (g) a distribution comparator to quantitatively compare said distance distribution with said plurality of alternative distance distributions, whereby said quantitative comparison can be used to determine degree of correspondence between said spatial pattern and said plurality of alternative spatial patterns.