Using binary array representations of sequences to eliminate redundant patterns in discovered patterns of symbols

摘要

The present invention relates to computer-implemented methods for finding patterns in patterns in a set of k-sequences of symbols (where k≧2) and to a computer readable medium having instructions for controlling a computer system to perform the methods. Patterns of symbols common to each 2-tuple of sequences are identified. Each identified pattern of symbols is represented by a position index binary array (PIBA) which is a set of binary digits. The binary digit in each place in the array that corresponds to a location in the selected reference sequence of a symbol in the identified pattern has a first predetermined binary value. All of the other binary digits in the array have a second predetermined binary value. The position index binary array (PIBA) representations of patterns of each tuple at any order “n” may be combined with the PIBA pattern representations of all other tuples at that same order “n” or with the pattern representations in any selected m-tuple, where m may have any integer value from 2 to (n−1). The representations of the patterns in an n-tuple are only combined with pattern representations of another tuple that includes in its tuple identifier at least one sequence index greater than the sequence indices included in the tuple identifier of the n-tuple. To avoid redundancies involving pair-wise combinations of representations of patterns all of the sequence indices of the other tuple (other than the reference sequence index) must be different from those of the n-tuple.