diff --git a/properties.go b/properties.go
index 2f330bd..c86c84c 100644
--- a/properties.go
+++ b/properties.go
@@ -507,3 +507,84 @@ func DeleteUnexpandedPropsFromString(str string) string {
 	rxp := regexp.MustCompile("\\{.+?\\}")
 	return rxp.ReplaceAllString(str, "")
 }
+
+// ExtractSubIndexSets works like SubTree but it considers also the numeric sub index in the form
+// `root.N.xxx...` as separate subsets.
+// For example the following Map:
+//
+//  properties.Map{
+//    "uno.upload_port.vid": "0x1000",
+//    "uno.upload_port.pid": "0x2000",
+//    "due.upload_port.0.vid": "0x1000",
+//    "due.upload_port.0.pid": "0x2000",
+//    "due.upload_port.1.vid": "0x1001",
+//    "due.upload_port.1.pid": "0x2001",
+//    "tre.upload_port.1.vid": "0x1001",
+//    "tre.upload_port.1.pid": "0x2001",
+//    "tre.upload_port.2.vid": "0x1002",
+//    "tre.upload_port.2.pid": "0x2002",
+//  }
+//
+// calling ExtractSubIndexSets("uno.upload_port") returns the array:
+//
+//  [ properties.Map{
+//      "vid": "0x1000",
+//      "pid": "0x2000",
+//    },
+//  ]
+//
+// calling ExtractSubIndexSets("due.upload_port") returns the array:
+//
+//  [ properties.Map{
+//      "vid": "0x1000",
+//      "pid": "0x2000",
+//    },
+//    properties.Map{
+//      "vid": "0x1001",
+//      "pid": "0x2001",
+//    },
+//  ]
+//
+// the sub-index may start with .1 too, so calling ExtractSubIndexSets("tre.upload_port") returns:
+//
+//  [ properties.Map{
+//      "vid": "0x1001",
+//      "pid": "0x2001",
+//    },
+//    properties.Map{
+//      "vid": "0x1002",
+//      "pid": "0x2002",
+//    },
+//  ]
+//
+// Numeric subindex cannot be mixed with non-numeric, in that case only the numeric sub
+// index sets will be returned.
+func (m *Map) ExtractSubIndexSets(root string) []*Map {
+	res := []*Map{}
+	portIDPropsSet := m.SubTree(root)
+	if portIDPropsSet.Size() == 0 {
+		return res
+	}
+
+	// First check the properties with numeric sub index "root.N.xxx"
+	idx := 0
+	haveIndexedProperties := false
+	for {
+		idProps := portIDPropsSet.SubTree(fmt.Sprintf("%d", idx))
+		idx++
+		if idProps.Size() > 0 {
+			haveIndexedProperties = true
+			res = append(res, idProps)
+		} else if idx > 1 {
+			// Always check sub-id 0 and 1 (https://github.com/arduino/arduino-cli/issues/456)
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	// if there are no subindexed then return the whole "roox.xxx" subtree
+	if !haveIndexedProperties {
+		res = append(res, portIDPropsSet)
+	}
+
+	return res
+}
diff --git a/properties_test.go b/properties_test.go
index f8d6c34..8042866 100644
--- a/properties_test.go
+++ b/properties_test.go
@@ -295,3 +295,51 @@ func TestEqualsAndContains(t *testing.T) {
 	json.Unmarshal([]byte(data2), &prevOpts)
 	require.False(t, opts.Equals(prevOpts))
 }
+
+func TestExtractSubIndexSets(t *testing.T) {
+	data := map[string]string{
+		"uno.upload_port.vid":       "0x1000",
+		"uno.upload_port.pid":       "0x2000",
+		"due.upload_port.0.vid":     "0x1000",
+		"due.upload_port.0.pid":     "0x2000",
+		"due.upload_port.1.vid":     "0x1001",
+		"due.upload_port.1.pid":     "0x2001",
+		"tre.upload_port.1.vid":     "0x1001",
+		"tre.upload_port.1.pid":     "0x2001",
+		"tre.upload_port.2.vid":     "0x1002",
+		"tre.upload_port.2.pid":     "0x2002",
+		"quattro.upload_port.vid":   "0x1001",
+		"quattro.upload_port.pid":   "0x2001",
+		"quattro.upload_port.1.vid": "0x1002",
+		"quattro.upload_port.1.pid": "0x2002",
+		"quattro.upload_port.2.vid": "0x1003",
+		"quattro.upload_port.2.pid": "0x2003",
+	}
+	m := NewFromHashmap(data)
+
+	s1 := m.ExtractSubIndexSets("uno.upload_port")
+	require.Len(t, s1, 1)
+	require.Equal(t, s1[0].Get("vid"), "0x1000")
+	require.Equal(t, s1[0].Get("pid"), "0x2000")
+
+	s2 := m.ExtractSubIndexSets("due.upload_port")
+	require.Len(t, s2, 2)
+	require.Equal(t, s2[0].Get("vid"), "0x1000")
+	require.Equal(t, s2[0].Get("pid"), "0x2000")
+	require.Equal(t, s2[1].Get("vid"), "0x1001")
+	require.Equal(t, s2[1].Get("pid"), "0x2001")
+
+	s3 := m.ExtractSubIndexSets("tre.upload_port")
+	require.Len(t, s3, 2)
+	require.Equal(t, s3[0].Get("vid"), "0x1001")
+	require.Equal(t, s3[0].Get("pid"), "0x2001")
+	require.Equal(t, s3[1].Get("vid"), "0x1002")
+	require.Equal(t, s3[1].Get("pid"), "0x2002")
+
+	s4 := m.ExtractSubIndexSets("quattro.upload_port")
+	require.Len(t, s4, 2)
+	require.Equal(t, s4[0].Get("vid"), "0x1002")
+	require.Equal(t, s4[0].Get("pid"), "0x2002")
+	require.Equal(t, s4[1].Get("vid"), "0x1003")
+	require.Equal(t, s4[1].Get("pid"), "0x2003")
+}