Patent ID: 7246124

Claim:
A method of encoding integer lists in a computer system, wherein a range covering integers of an input list is divided into subsets according to a predetermined pattern, the position of each subset in the pattern being represented by an integer rank, the method comprising: for each input list of a plurality of integer lists, executing a routine on a processor of the computer astern for producing an output comprising coding data, the coding data including, for each subset containing at least one integer of the input list, the rank of said subset in the pattern and a bitmap segment in which each bit is associated with a respective integer of the subset to indicate whether said integer belongs to the input list, and storing the coding data in a computer memory coupled to a processor, the coding data stored in a coding data container comprising records stored in a computer readable medium and having respective addresses, each record of the coding data container having a first field for storing an integer rank related to the pattern, a second field for storing an address value for another record of the data container and a third field for storing a bitmap segment.