Patent ID: 7873786

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving a packet with a compression device; generating signatures for data in the packet; mapping the signatures to storage locations of previously received data stored on a storage medium of the compression device; identifying a set of signatures generated from the previously received data stored on the storage medium that matches the signatures generated for the packet data; and when a logical distance separating storage locations within the storage medium associated with the set of signatures is below a threshold distance: retrieving data from the storage locations of the storage medium for which the logical distance is below the threshold; comparing the data of the packet with the retrieved data to determine whether at least a portion of the data in the received packet matches data previously received by the compression device and stored on the storage medium; upon detecting a match in the data of the received packet, modifying the packet by inserting one or more pointers to storage locations of the storage medium; and transmitting the modified packet to a decompression device.