Patent ID: 8239141

Claim:
A method for changing a character string that represents a DNA or RNA base array comprised of a multitude of nucleotides, said character string including a sequence of characters, each of said characters representing one of the nucleotides of the DNA or RNA base array, wherein said characters include one or more pairs of characters that are complementary to each other, the method comprising the steps of: traversing the character string in a defined order; for each of at least selected ones of said characters in the character string, if the character string includes, earlier in the character string in said defined order than said each character, a complementary character of said each character, then changing said each character to information that represents the location in said array of the complementary character of said each character, and if said each character does not have a complementary character in the character string, earlier in the array, in said defined order, than said each character, then changing said each character to information indicating that there is no complementary character of said each character in said character string, earlier in the array, in said defined order, than said each character; and using a computer system including one or more processor units, executing a character string transformation program, to perform the changing steps.