US Patent 7756921 Programmable packet field replacement based on a range technique

A network component for processing a packet includes at least one first storage unit, at least one second storage unit, at least one third storage unit, and an action implementation unit. The at least one first storage unit is configured to store an initial bit value selected from within the packet. The at least one second storage unit is configured to store a bit action length value. The at least one third storage unit is configured to store an extracted bit value based upon the initial bit value and the bit action length value. The action implementation unit is configured to implement at least one action on a packet by using an action bit value to modify the extracted bit value.