Associative database scanning and information retrieval
First Claim
1. A data retrieval system comprising:
- a mass storage medium in which data is stored;
a retrieval device in communication with the mass storage medium, wherein the retrieval device is configured to (1) receive a continuous stream of data from the mass storage medium, and (2) continuously process the data stream to determine whether an approximate match exists therein with respect to a key that is representative of data sought to be retrieved,wherein the retrieval device is further configured to process the data stream to determine whether an approximate match exists via a pattern comparison between the key and the data stream,wherein the key is an analog key and wherein the data stream is an analog data stream,wherein the retrieval device is further configured to perform the pattern comparison by calculating a correlation coefficient that is indicative of a degree of correlation between the key and the data stream, andwherein the retrieval device is further configured to determine that an approximate match exists if the correlation coefficient has a value larger than or at least equal to a predetermined threshold value.
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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
32 Claims
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1. A data retrieval system comprising:
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a mass storage medium in which data is stored; a retrieval device in communication with the mass storage medium, wherein the retrieval device is configured to (1) receive a continuous stream of data from the mass storage medium, and (2) continuously process the data stream to determine whether an approximate match exists therein with respect to a key that is representative of data sought to be retrieved, wherein the retrieval device is further configured to process the data stream to determine whether an approximate match exists via a pattern comparison between the key and the data stream, wherein the key is an analog key and wherein the data stream is an analog data stream, wherein the retrieval device is further configured to perform the pattern comparison by calculating a correlation coefficient that is indicative of a degree of correlation between the key and the data stream, and wherein the retrieval device is further configured to determine that an approximate match exists if the correlation coefficient has a value larger than or at least equal to a predetermined threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A data retrieval system comprising:
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a mass storage medium in which data is stored; and a retrieval device in communication with the mass storage medium, wherein the retrieval device is configured to (1) receive a continuous stream of data from the mass storage, and (2) process the data stream to determine whether an approximate match exists via a pattern comparison between the key and the data stream, wherein the retrieval device is further configured to perform the pattern comparison by calculating a correlation coefficient that is indicative of a degree of correlation between the key and the data stream, and wherein the retrieval device is further configured to determine that an approximate match exists if the correlation coefficient has a value larger than or at least equal to a predetermined threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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- 7. A retrieval device for retrieving data from a mass storage medium, said retrieval device comprising an approximate matching unit that is configured to framelessly perform a pattern comparison between a determined key representative of the data sought to be retrieved and a data signal representative of a continuous stream of data read from said mass storage medium, wherein said approximate matching unit is further configured to perform said pattern comparison by computing a correlation coefficient between said data key and said data signal, and wherein said approximate matching unit is further configured to compare said computed correlation coefficient with a predetermined threshold value to thereby determine whether an approximate match exists between said data key and said data signal.
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27. A method for retrieving data from a mass storage medium, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a search command from a processor for said mass storage medium, determining a key representative of the data desired to be retrieved from said mass storage medium, making a pattern comparison between said key and a data signal representative of a continuous stream of data read from said mass storage medium, said determined key being an analog key or a digital representation of an analog key, said data signal being an analog data signal or a digital representation of an analog data signal, wherein said data signal is said analog data signal if said key is said analog key, and wherein said data signal is said digital representation of said analog signal if said key is said digital representation of said analog key, determining, in response to said pattern comparison, which data within said data signal matches said key; and wherein said pattern comparison making step comprises computing a correlation coefficient between said key and said data signal, and wherein said match determining step comprises comparing said computed correlation coefficient with a predetermined threshold value to thereby determine whether a match exists between said data key and said data signal. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification