System for updating an associative memory

• US 8,527,695 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Nakamoto, Kyle Masao, Quadracci, Leonard Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Dudek, Jr., Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fishburn, John P
• Application Number:
  US13/193,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20130031325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90339 by using parallel associative memories or content-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 15/00 Digital stores in which information comprising one or more characteristic parts is written into the store and in which information is read-out by searching for one or more of these characteristic parts, i.e. associative or content-addressed stores

Abstract

A system includes an associative memory, a first table, a second table, a comparator, and an updater. The associative memory may include data and associations among data and may be built from the first table. The first table may include a record with a first and second field. The associative memory may be configured to ingest the first field and avoid ingesting the second field. The second table may include a record with a third field storing information indicating whether the first field has been ingested by the associative memory or has been forgotten by the associative memory. The comparator may be configured to compare the first and second table to identify one of whether the first field should be forgotten or ingested by the associative memory. The updater may be configured to update the associative memory by performing one of ingesting or forgetting the first field.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an associative memory comprising a plurality of data and a plurality of associations among the plurality of data;

a first table from which the associative memory has been built, wherein the first table comprises a first record, wherein the first record comprises a first field and a second field, wherein the associative memory is configured to ingest the first field, and wherein the associative memory is further configured to avoid ingesting the second field;

a second table comprising a second record, wherein the second record includes a third field, and wherein the third field stores first information indicating at least one of;

whether the first field has been ingested by the associative memory or has been forgotten by the associative memory;

a comparator configured to compare the first table and the second table to identify one of;

whether the first field should be forgotten by the associative memory or whether the first field should be ingested by the associative memory; and

an updater configured to update the associative memory by performing one of;

ingesting the first field or forgetting the first field.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second field contains second information indicating whether the first field should be forgotten by the associative memory or ignored by the updater if the first field has not yet been ingested by the associative memory.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the comparator is further configured to compare the third field to the second field.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the updater is configured to update the associative memory by forgetting the first field when the second information in the second field indicates that the first field should be forgotten and also when the first information in the third field indicates that the first field has been ingested in the associative memory.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second updater configured to update the second table such that the first information indicates that the first field has been forgotten or ingested by the associative memory.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first table and the second table are maintained separately from each other.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first table and the second table are part of one table.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the updater is configured to avoid modifying or deleting the first field.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a remover configured to delete the first record from the first table, only after the first field has been forgotten by the associative memory.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an adder configured to add a third record to the first table, before the associative memory has been updated, and wherein the third record is to be ingested by the associative memory upon update of the associative memory.

11. The system of claim 2 further comprising:

a marker configured to change the second information in the second field to indicate that the first field should be forgotten by the associative memory.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, in a first tangible memory, an update to a first table from which an associative memory has been built, wherein the first table comprises a first record, wherein the first record comprises a first field and a second field, wherein the associative memory is configured to ingest the first field, wherein the associative memory comprises a plurality of data and a plurality of associations among the plurality of data, and wherein the associative memory is further configured to avoid ingesting the second field;

comparing, using a first processor, the first table to a second table in a second tangible memory to identify one of;

whether the first field should be forgotten by the associative memory or whether the first field should be ingested by the associative memory, wherein the second table comprises a second record, wherein the second record includes a third field, and wherein the third field stores first information indicating at least one of;

whether the first field has been ingested by the associative memory or has been forgotten by the associative memory, and wherein a comparison is formed; and

updating, using a second processor, the associative memory by performing one of;

ingesting the first field or forgetting the first field.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second field contains second information indicating whether the first field should be forgotten by the associative memory or ignored by the second processor if the first field has not yet been ingested by the associative memory, and wherein comparing comprises comparing the third field to the second field.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein updating comprises updating the associative memory by forgetting the first field when the second information in the second field indicates that the first field should be forgotten and also when the first information in the third field indicates that the first field has been ingested in the associative memory.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

updating, by a third processor, the second table such that the first information indicates that the first field has been forgotten or ingested by the associative memory.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first table and the second table are maintained separately from each other.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first processor and the second processor comprise one processor, and wherein the first tangible memory and the second tangible memory comprise one tangible memory.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising at least one of:

deleting, by a third processor, the first record from the first table, only after the first field has been forgotten by the associative memory;

adding, by a fourth processor, a third record to the first table before the associative memory has been updated, and wherein the third record is to be ingested by the associative memory upon update of the associative memory; and

changing, by a fifth processor, the second information in the second field to indicate that the first field should be forgotten by the associative memory.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code for receiving, in a first tangible memory, an update to a first table from which an associative memory has been built, wherein the first table comprises a first record, wherein the first record comprises a first field and a second field, wherein the associative memory is configured to ingest the first field, wherein the associative memory comprises a plurality of data and a plurality of associations among the plurality of data, and wherein the associative memory is further configured to avoid ingesting the second field;

computer usable program code for comparing, using a first processor, the first table to a second table in a second tangible memory to identify one of;

whether the first field should be forgotten by the associative memory or whether the first field should be ingested by the associative memory, wherein the second table comprises a second record, wherein the second record includes a third field, and wherein the third field stores first information indicating at least one of;

whether the first field has been ingested by the associative memory or has been forgotten by the associative memory, and wherein a comparison is formed; and

computer usable program code for updating, using a second processor, the associative memory by performing one of;

ingesting the first field or forgetting the first field.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 further comprising:

computer usable program code for updating, by a third processor, the second table such that the first information indicates that the first field has been forgotten or ingested by the associative memory.