  Motivated by study of Mahonian statistics, in 2000, Babson and Steingrimsson
introduced the notion of a "generalized permutation pattern" (GP) which
generalizes the concept of "classical" permutation pattern introduced by Knuth
in 1969. The invention of GPs led to a large number of publications related to
properties of these patterns in permutations and words. Since the work of
Babson and Steingrimsson, several further generalizations of permutation
patterns have appeared in the literature, each bringing a new set of
permutation or word pattern problems and often new connections with other
combinatorial objects and disciplines. For example, Bousquet-Melou et al.
introduced a new type of permutation pattern that allowed them to relate
permutation patterns theory to the theory of partially ordered sets.
  In this paper we introduce yet another, more general definition of a pattern,
called place-difference-value patterns (PDVP) that covers all of the most
common definitions of permutation and/or word patterns that have occurred in
the literature. PDVPs provide many new ways to develop the theory of patterns
in permutations and words. We shall give several examples of PDVPs in both
permutations and words that cannot be described in terms of any other pattern
conditions that have been introduced previously. Finally, we raise several
bijective questions linking our patterns to other combinatorial objects.
