The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 30, 2002
Filed:
Aug. 29, 2000
Robert Daniel Maher, III, Plano, TX (US);
Aswinkumar Vishanji Rana, Plano, TX (US);
Milton Andre Lie, McKinney, TX (US);
Kevin William Brandon, Dallas, TX (US);
Mark Warden Hervin, Plano, TX (US);
Corey Alan Garrow, Dallas, TX (US);
Netrake Corporation, Plano, TX (US);
Abstract
A content processor is described that is able to scan the contents of entire data packets including header and payload information. The content processor includes a queue engine operable to reorder out of order data packets and reassemble fragmented data packets. The queue engine sends the reordered and reassembled data packets to the context engine, which schedules the packets to be scanned. The packets are scanned by the content scanning engine using one or more string memories and one or more leaf string memories. The string memories are used by the content scanning engine to determine if there is a potential match between the data packet being scanned and any of the strings contained in database of known strings. If a potential match is identified, whether or not there is an exact match is determined using the leaf string memories and the leaf string compare engine. The scanning of the data packet results in a conclusion being generated by the content scanning engine. The conclusion can be an intermediate conclusion, can be an instruction to be executed by the content processor, can instruct the context engine to forward the information to a host processor for further analysis, or can be the final conclusion sent with the data packet with routing and quality of service treatment. Other uses for the conclusion are programmable in the content processor.