Patent ID: 7193996

Claim:
A method of determining a source of an Internet protocol (IP) packet comprising the steps of: comparing a destination address of said IP packet to a first destination address stored within a first destination address cell of memory, and comparing a destination port of said IP packet to a first destination port stored within a first destination port cell of said memory; comparing a source address of said IP packet to a first source address stored within a first source address cell of said memory, and comparing a source port of said IP packet to a first source port stored within a first source port cell of said memory, wherein said stored first source address and said stored first source port are associated with said stored first destination address and said stored first destination port; and storing said source address and said source port of said IP packet within said memory to determine said source of said IP packet if: said destination address and said destination port of said IP packet match said stored first destination address and said stored first destination port; said source address and said source port of said IP packet do not match said stored first source address and said stored first source port; and said stored first source address and said stored first source port are universal bits, wherein universal bits are bits that accept any value, wherein a first table group stored within said memory comprises said stored first destination address, said stored first destination port, said stored first source address and said stared first source port, said first table group being assigned a first weight value, said memory having a second table group comprising a stored second destination address, a stored second destination port, a stored second source address and a stored second source port, wherein said stored second source address and said stored second source port are universal cells, and said second table group being assigned a second weight value, said method further comprising the steps of: prior to said step of storing said source address and said source port of said IP packet, comparing said source address, source port, destination address, and destination port of said IP packet to said first table group and said second table group; and if said source address, source port, destination address, and destination port of said IP packet are the same as said first table group, and said destination address and destination port of said IP packet are the same as said stored second destination address and said stored second destination port, comparing said first weight value to said second weight value, and not performing said step of storing said source address and said source port of said IP packet if said first weight value is larger than said second weight value.