Patent ID: 6917946

Claim:
A method for storing a plurality of filter rules in a computer system, the plurality of filter rules using at least one range of values in at least one dimension, the method comprising the steps of: partitioning a portion of the plurality of filter rules into a plurality of pure subsets of filter rules, each of the plurality of pure subsets of filter rules including at least one of the plurality of filter rules, at least one of the plurality of pure subsets including at least two of the plurality of filter rules, each of the portion of the plurality of filter rules in each of the plurality of pure subsets for each of the at least one dimension includes at least one of requiring an exact match, being completely a wildcard, and having a match requiring a common prefix with other of the portion of the plurality of filter rules in the each of the plurality of pure subsets; combining a portion of the plurality of pure subsets of filter rules to provide a combined pure subset; determining whether an efficiency of utilizing the plurality of filter rules is improved by combining the portion of the plurality of pure subsets of filter rules; and storing the plurality of filter rules including storing the portion of the plurality of filter rules as the combined subset if the efficiency of utilizing the plurality of filter rules is improved.