Associative Database Scanning and Information Retrieval
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and device are disclosed for an associative and approximate, analog or digital scanning of databases that allows for the asynchronous accessing of data from a mass storage medium. The invention includes providing dedicated analog and digital circuitry and decision logic at the mass storage medium level for determining a key identifying the data of interest, continuously comparing the key to a signal generated from a reading of the data from the mass storage medium with an approximate or exact matching circuit to determine a pattern match, determining a correlation value between the key and the data as it is read in a continuous fashion, and determining a match based upon a preselected threshold value for the correlation value. The pattern matching technique eliminates any need to compare data based on its intrinsic structure or value, and instead is based on an analog or digital pattern. The key and data may be either analog or digital. This device and method may be provided as part of a stand-alone computer system, embodied in a network attached storage device, or can otherwise be provided as part of a computer LAN or WAN.
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Citations
51 Claims
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1-37. -37. (canceled)
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38. A computer having a main processor, a working memory, a supplemental memory, and a circuit coupled to said supplemental memory for pattern matching a key to a continuous stream of data read from said supplemental memory.
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39. A network attached mass storage device (NASD), said NASD comprising a mass storage device coupled to a circuit for pattern matching a key to a continuous stream of data read from said mass storage memory, and said NASD having a network addressable input/output port for receiving data inquiries and responding thereto.
- 40. An intelligent mass storage medium device, said device having a circuit for making a pattern comparison between a key and a signal representative of a continuous read of data from a data storage medium.
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42. A retrieval device for retrieving data from a database, the retrieval device comprising:
a programmable logic device in communication with a database, the programmable logic device being configured to determine whether a pattern match exists between a key that is representative of data desired to be retrieved from the database and a data signal that is representative of a continuous stream of data read from the database. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A retrieval device for retrieving data from a database, the retrieval device comprising:
a programmable logic device in communication with a database, the programmable logic device being configured to determine whether an approximate match exists between a key that is representative of data desired to be retrieved from the database and a data signal that is representative of a continuous stream of data read from the database. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51)
Specification