Patent ID: 8560768

Claim:
A method for reducing memory entries in a ternary content-addressable memory, comprising: determining if a first entry and a second entry of the ternary content-addressable memory include the same data value, each of the entries comprising an identifier, a mask associated with the identifier, and the data value associated with the identifier; determining if the first entry can be masked such that searching the memory with the content value of either of the first entry or the second entry returns the same data value; and in response to determining that the first entry and a second entry are associated with the same data value and determining that the first entry can be masked such that searching the memory with the content value of either of the first entry or the second entry returns the same data value: masking the first entry such that searching the memory with the content value of either of the first entry or the second entry returns the same data value; and deleting the second entry.