Background data storage

• US 20040249797A1
• Filed: 06/06/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Jarvinen, Richard, Millar, Matt
• Application Number:
  US10/456,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20040249797A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing

Abstract

The invention relates to data processing method in a low memory electronic device. The data is scanned according to various criteria in an active storage file, wherein the data matching to said criteria is transferred from the active storage file into a passive storage file. When data is searched the data in the active storage file is searched at first, and if the wanted data is not found there, the data in the passive storage file is searched next. The invention also relates to a device utilizing said method and to a system as well as to a computer program implementing said method.

Claims

1. A method for processing data with a portable electronic device comprising a search engine, a main memory means for storing data records and an interface for an auxiliary memory means, said method comprising steps of

defining data records to be stored in the auxiliary memory means as passive, whereupon data records in the main memory means are defined as active,

scanning the active data records in order to identify records fulfilling certain criteria,

transferring the data record matching said criteria into the auxiliary memory means, said transferring indicating the change of a status of a data record from active to passive, wherein, in response to a request for accessing a data record, the requested data record is searched from the auxiliary memory means unless the requested data record is found from the main memory means.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the requested data record is found from the auxiliary memory means, the data record is retrieved to the main memory means.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data record matching said criteria is stored in said auxiliary memory means in compressed format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a content of the passive data record is stored in the auxiliary memory means and an entry of said content is stored in the main memory means, wherein also a pointer to a corresponding data content in the auxiliary memory means is stored in the main memory means.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data record corresponds to a contact card.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria is one of the following criteria;

a usage of the data record, a size of the data record or usage frequency of the data record;

or a function derived thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is for a memory card.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface is for a remote memory means.

9. An electronic device for processing data comprising a search engine, a main memory means for storing data records and an interface for an auxiliary memory means, said main memory means comprising active data records, said auxiliary memory means comprising passive data records, said electronic device comprising also

a scanning means for scanning the active data records in order to identify records fulfilling certain criteria,

means for transferring a data record between said main memory means and auxiliary memory means, wherein the data record matching said criteria is transferred to the auxiliary memory means, wherein in response to a request for accessing a data record, said auxiliary memory means is searched from unless the requested data record is found from the main memory means.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the means for transferring the data record is adapted to retrieve the data record to the main memory means, if the requested data record is found from the auxiliary memory means.

11. The device of claim 9 further comprising a compressor for compressing the data records to be stored in the auxiliary memory means.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the auxiliary memory means comprises a data content of the passive data record.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the main memory means comprises an entry and a pointer to the corresponding data content in the auxiliary memory means.

14. The device of claim 9 comprising also means for telecommunications.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the data record comprises a contact information.

16. The device of claim 9 comprising also at least one of the following means;

means for measuring the usage of the data record, means for measuring the usage frequency of the data record or means for determining the size of the data record.

17. A system for processing data records, comprising a search engine, a main memory means for storing data records and an interface for an auxiliary memory means, said main memory means comprising active data records, said auxiliary memory means comprising passive data records, said electronic device comprising also

a scanning means for scanning the active data records in order to identify records fulfilling certain criteria,

means for transferring a data record between said main memory means and auxiliary memory means, wherein the data record matching said criteria is transferred to the auxiliary memory means, wherein in response to a request for accessing a data record, said auxiliary memory means is searched from unless the requested data record is found from the main memory means.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for transferring the data record is adapted to retrieve the data record to the main memory means, if the requested data record is found from the auxiliary memory means.

19. The system of claim 17 further comprising a compressor for the data records to be stored in the auxiliary memory means.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the auxiliary memory means comprises a data content of the passive data record.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the main memory means comprises an entry and a pointer to the corresponding data content in the auxiliary memory means.

22. The system of claim 17 comprising also at least one of the following means;

means for measuring the usage of the data record, means for measuring the usage frequency of the data record or means for determining the size of the data record.

23. A computer program product for processing data records, comprising computer readable instructions for searching data from memory, computer readable instructions for storing data records in a main memory means and transferring data records to an auxiliary memory means, said main memory means comprising active data records, said auxiliary memory means comprising passive data records, said computer program comprising also computer readable instructions for

scanning the active data records in order to identify records fulfilling certain criteria,

transferring a data record between said main memory means and said auxiliary memory means, wherein a data record matching said criteria is transferred to auxiliary memory means,

searching the requested data record from said auxiliary memory means unless the requested data record is found from the main memory means.