Patent Document ID: 8392381
Application ID: 12599163
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of maintaining a uniform random sample by a machine, comprising: establishing in a machine memory a sampling reservoir having a size; receiving in the machine memory a uniformity confidence threshold value; receiving a data stream containing sequentially arriving tuples; sampling the data stream so as to store ones of the sequentially arriving tuples in the sampling reservoir so as to create stored tuples, wherein ones of the sequentially arriving tuples not stored in the sampling reservoir are discarded and not stored anywhere; while sampling, adjusting the size of the sampling reservoir in a controlled manner; and after adjusting the size, continuing sampling the data stream and storing ones of the sequentially arriving tuples in the sampling reservoir so as to maintain a sample of the data stream with a certain uniformity confidence as a function of the uniformity confidence threshold value; wherein said adjusting of the size of the sampling reservoir in a controlled manner includes increasing the size of the sampling reservoir; the method further comprising: providing an increased size; and determining a smallest uniformity confidence recovery tuple count as a function of the increased size and the uniformity confidence threshold value.