1. A computer-implemented method for identifying gapped permutation patterns, comprising: discovering, using a processor of a computer on which the method is implemented, all clusters in an input data sequence that occur with a predetermined gap, said discovering comprising: inputting the data sequence; inputting the predetermined gap; generating an implicit data tree; using the implicit data tree to extract maximal permutation patterns; and obtaining, for each maximal permutation pattern, non-maximal permutation patterns.