Patent ID: 8140660

Claim:
A device for detecting network traffic content, the device comprising: a predicate input port; a network traffic input port; a network traffic output port; and a processor, the processor configured to receive, via the predicate input port, a signature associated with content desired to be detected, wherein the signature comprises an item representing a predicate which at least partially defines the signature and represents a function to be performed by the processor, and the predicate is configured to be compiled by the processor into a machine readable format to control a logic of the processor so that the processor performs the function; and wherein the predicate is selected from the group consisting of a letter, a combination of letters, a sentence, a number, a punctuation, a mathematical operator, a logical operator, and combination thereof execute the function represented by the predicate to filter network traffic content received via the network traffic input port based on a determination of whether network traffic content matches the content desired to be detected; and transmit, via the network traffic output port, filtered network traffic content.