Patent ID: 7715385

Claim:
A method comprising: searching a plurality of mappers for a search result based on a search key, wherein at least one mapper comprises a first default route memory configured to store at least one value from a set of values comprising an inherit code and a default route index associated with a set of one or more entries corresponding to a set of one or more subtree nodes in a search tree, wherein the inherit code indicates that a default route index corresponding to the set of one or more subtree nodes is a default route index stored in a second default route memory associated with a root node corresponding to the set of one or more subtree nodes; and returning the default route index stored in the second default route memory if the search key corresponds to an entry in the set of one or more entries corresponding to the set of one or more subtree nodes, the corresponding entry comprises a use default route indicator, and an inherit code is stored in the first default route memory.