Patent Document ID: 20010007985
Application ID: 09751561
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for identifying, classifying, or quantifying one or more nucleic acids in a sample comprising a plurality of nucleic acids having different nucleotide sequences, said method comprising: (a) probing said sample with one or more recognition means, each recognition means recognizing a different target nucleotide subsequence or a different set of target nucleotide subsequences; (b) generating one or more signals from said sample probed by said recognition means, each generated signal arising from a nucleic acid in said sample and comprising a representation of (i) the length between occurrences of target subsequences in said nucleic acid, and (ii) the identities of said target subsequences in said nucleic acid or the identities of said sets of target subsequences among which are included the target subsequences in said nucleic acid; and (c) searching a nucleotide sequence database to determine sequences that match or the absence of any sequences that match said one or more generated signals, said database comprising a plurality of known nucleotide sequences of nucleic acids that may be present in the sample, a sequence from said database matching a generated signal when the sequence from said database has both (i) the same length between occurrences of target subsequences as is represented by the generated signal, and (ii) the same target subsequences as are represented by the generated signal, or target subsequences that are members of the same sets of target subsequences represented by the generated signal, whereby said one or more nucleic acids in said sample are identified, classified, or quantified.