Patent ID: 7881090

Claim:
A method of operating a content addressable memory (CAM) system comprising: receiving a signal for performing a read operation from a selected row of a CAM array; in response to receiving the signal, decoding the signal to activate a discharge signal from a plurality of discharge signals during a first cycle of the CAM system, wherein the discharge signal is associated with the selected row of the CAM array; performing the read operation from the selected row of a CAM array during the first cycle of the CAM system, wherein a read data value is read from the selected row; performing a search operation within each row of the CAM array except for the selected row of the CAM array during the first cycle of the CAM system, wherein a search data value is provided to the CAM array during the search operation; providing a first search result in response to the search operation; comparing the read data value with the search data value to provide a second search result, the comparison occurring outside of the CAM array; and providing a third search result in response to the first search result and the second search result.