METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MATCHING ENCODED CHARACTERS

A means and method for comparing an incoming sequential string of digitally encoded characters from a database stored in a conventional memory against a pattern with an arbitrary number of elements, comprising specified characters or character types (alphabetic, numeric, delimiter, etc.) or tokens to indicate the matching of a specified or arbitrary number of input characters, is disclosed. The system comprises a number of digital machines, sequenced by control words fetched from their memories. The control words may indicate the current input character or character type of interest for each machine, the address of the potential next control word of the machine, a flag indicating the successful completion of a match, and other control fields. If the input character matches the character or type of interest, the machine's next control word will be that specified by the current control word, and optionally the next control word of one or more of the other machines will be forced to an address specified in the current control word. By properly specifying the control words in each machine the input character string can be compared against an arbitrary number of pattern elements, limited only by the ability to map the elements into the control word memories of the available machines.