Patent ID: 6931424

Claim:
A system for locating a specific value contained in an array of N data values, the specific value being the result of a binary operation defined over the array of N data values wherein each data value is a plurality of bits wide, the system comprising a plurality of decision units grouped in successive computation stages wherein: (a) each decision unit receives a pair of input values, each input value containing a data value and a partial address; and (b) each decision unit generates a value representative of a selected data value and the partial address of the selected data value and the decision unit of the last computation stage contains the specific value, wherein each of the plurality of decision units comprises: (i) a binary operator for generating a binary decision representative of a local address of the selected data value, (ii) a multiplexer coupled to the binary operator for generating one of the pair of input values as output and with the output being selected by the binary decision, and (iii) a storage element coupled to the binary operator and the multiplexer for storing the output of the multiplexer and the binary decision which is added to the partial address of the selected data value.