I Know My Patterns!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This puzzle has intermediate cluephrase confirmation.

Hints

How do I start this puzzle? The break-in to this puzzle does not require anything like a common encoding or an obscure cipher. The black and white patterns should be familiar to you. Both the title of the puzzle and its respective round name should point you in the right direction.
I have like a donut ring thingy, what do I do with that? It is not a donut ring thing, it should be the entire 9x9 you are looking at! Do you notice strange about the set of letters in the black squares you have there? Does the 9x9 remind you of any logic puzzle?