Patent ID: 7570644

Claim:
A method for routing information packets towards an output port of a telecommunication router having n output ports, said router receiving an incoming packet having a destination address defined by at least a first, a second, a third and a fourth address element, said method comprising: looking up a first-level table from said first address element of said information packet; looking up a second-level table from said first and second address elements of said packet; looking up and searching a third-level table, allowing a third level of search, from said third address element of said packet; looking up and searching a fourth-level table from said fourth address element of said packet; and routing said packet using a result of at least one of said look ups, wherein the first-level table includes: a first field determining whether a search must end on a first level or continue on a second level; a second field defining an output port of the router if a value of said first field defines the search having to end; and a third field returning an access pointer to the second-level table if the value of said first field defines the search having to continue.