Delivery point validation system
First Claim
1. A method for representing a list comprising addresses using a bit array wherein each bit in the bit array is initialized to a first value, comprising:
- extracting portions of each address on the list;
combining the portions to create a standardized item that is smaller than the address;
converting each standardized item to a N-bit object;
determining bit positions based on the N-bit object;
setting bits of the bit array to a second value at the determined bit and storing the bit array for use in determining whether an inquiry item is on the list.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods consistent with the present invention encode a list so users of the list may make inquires to the coded list without the entire content of the list being revealed to the users. Each item in the list turns on one or more bits in the array 110. Once each item in the list has been encoded by an encoder, a bit array with high and low values is used to represent the items in the list. The bit array may be embodied in a validation system for allowing users to query the list to determine whether an inquiry item is on the list 105. The validation system determines which bits to check by executing the same coding process executed by the encoder. If all the bits are high, then the inquiry item is determined to be part of the list, if at least one of the bits is low, then the inquiry item is determined not to be part of the original list. An exemplary encoder and validation system comprises a standardizer, a hashing function unit, an extraction circuit, and an offset circuit.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A method for representing a list comprising addresses using a bit array wherein each bit in the bit array is initialized to a first value, comprising:
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extracting portions of each address on the list; combining the portions to create a standardized item that is smaller than the address; converting each standardized item to a N-bit object; determining bit positions based on the N-bit object; setting bits of the bit array to a second value at the determined bit and storing the bit array for use in determining whether an inquiry item is on the list. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for determining whether an inquiry item is on a list comprising addresses, wherein the list comprising addresses is represented by a bit array having first and second values, the method comprising:
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extracting portions of the inquiry item in the same manner applied to items on the list comprising addresses; combining the portions to create a standardized inquiry item in the same manner applied to items on the list comprising addresses; converting the standardized inquiry item into a N-bit object in a same manner that an item on the list comprising addresses is converted to produce the bit array representing the list comprising addresses; determining bit positions based on the N-bit object in a same manner that bit positions are determined for producing the bit array; determining that the inquiry item is on the list if the bits of the bit array equal a second value at the determined bit positions and determining that the inquiry item is not on the list if at least one bit of the bit array does not equal a second value at the determined bit positions; and outputting a result indicating whether the inquiry item is or is not on the list comprising addresses. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer for representing a list comprising addresses using a bit array wherein each bit in the bit array is initialized to a first value, the computer comprising:
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a memory having program instructions; and a processor, responsive to the programming instructions, configured to; extract portions of each address on the list; combine the portions to create a standardized item that is smaller than the address; convert each standardized item to a N-bit object; determine bit positions based on the N-bit object; set bits of the bit array to a second value at the determined bit positions; and store the bit array for use in determining whether an inquiry item is on the list. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A computer for determining whether an inquiry item is on a list comprising addresses, wherein the list is represented by a bit array having first and second values, the computer comprising:
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a memory having program instructions; and a processor, responsive to the programming instructions, configured to; extract portions of the inquiry item in the same manner applied to items on the list comprising addresses; combine the portions to create a standardized inquiry item in the same manner applied to items on the list comprising addresses; convert the standardized inquiry item to a N-bit object in a same manner that an item on the list was converted to produce a bit array; determine bit positions based on the N-bit object in a same manner that bit positions were determined for producing the bit array; determine that the inquiry item is on the list if the bits of the bit array equal a second value at the determined bit positions and determine that the inquiry item is not on the list if at least one bit of the bit array does not equal a second value at the determined bit position; and output a result indicating whether the inquiry item is or is not on the list comprising addresses. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for representing a list comprising addresses using a bit array wherein each bit in the bit array is initialized to a first value, comprising:
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means for extracting portions of each address on the list; means for combining the portions to create a standardized item that is smaller than the address; means for converting each standardized item to a N-bit object; means for determining bit positions based on the N-bit object; means for setting bits of the bit array to a second value at the determined bit positions; and means for storing the bit array for use in determining whether an inquiry item is on the list. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A system for determining whether an inquiry item is on a list comprising addresses, wherein the list is represented by a bit array having first and second values, the system comprising:
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means for extracting portions of the inquiry item in the same manner applied to items on the list comprising addresses; means for combining the portions to create a standardized inquiry item in the same manner applied to items on the list of-items comprising addresses; means for converting the standardized inquiry item to a N-bit object in a same manner that an item on the list was converted to produce the bit array; means for determining bit positions based on the N-bit object in a same manner that bit positions were determined for producing the bit array; means for determining that the inquiry item is on the list if the bits of the bit array equal a second value at the determined bit positions and determining that the inquiry item is not on the list if at least one bit of the bit array does not equal a second value at the determined bit positions; and means for outputting a result indicating whether the inquiry item is or is not on the list comprising addresses. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification