Patent ID: 7661042

Claim:
A content-addressable-memory device comprising: a plurality of content-addressable-memory sub-arrays having comparators that simultaneously perform a parallel comparison between a plurality of data sequences arranged in a row direction of memory cells and a search data sequence input from outside, wherein the comparators output a result of the comparison for each of the data sequences; and a plurality of priority encoders, each priority encoder arranged to correspond with one of the content-addressable-memory sub-arrays, wherein each of the priority encoders includes a plurality of priority determining circuits arranged to be divided, for each fixed address length, in a corresponding content-addressable-memory sub-array, and configured to determine a priority based on a result of the comparison for each of the data sequences for the address length; a plurality of lower-order address encoders, each lower-order address encoder arranged to correspond with one of the priority determining circuits to encode a lower-order address for which the priority is determined; and a sending circuit, arranged between the priority determining circuits and the lower-order address encoders, to store defect information, and to send to the lower-order address encoders an output of each of the priority determining circuits other than an output related to a path matching stored information.