APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATION BY USING NON-VOLATILE MEMORY DEVICE

• US 20080125170A1
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Mobile Communications Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Masuda, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,295,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations

Abstract

A mobile communication apparatus configured to communicate with an opposite communication device is provided. The mobile communication apparatus includes a transceiver configured to receive an incoming signal sent from the opposite communication device. The transceiver is configured to produce an interrupt signal upon receiving the incoming signal. The mobile communication apparatus includes a first memory device and a non-volatile second memory device. The mobile communication apparatus includes a controller connected to the transceiver, the first memory device and the second memory device. The controller is configured to perform garbage collection of the second memory device, to load data stored in one of the first memory device and the second memory device into another of the first memory device and the second memory device, to access the first memory device if the transceiver produces the interrupt signal.

Claims

1. A mobile communication apparatus configured to communicate with an opposite communication apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive an incoming signal sent from the opposite communication apparatus, the transceiver configured to produce an interrupt signal upon receiving the incoming signal;

a first memory device;

a non-volatile second memory device;

a controller connected to the transceiver, the first memory device and the second memory device, the controller configured to perform garbage collection of the second memory device, the controller configured to load data stored in one of the first memory device and the second memory device into another of the first memory device and the second memory device, the controller configured to access the first memory device upon the transceiver producing the interrupt signal.

2. The mobile communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the incoming signal represents one of a voice call arrival and an e-mail arrival, and

the controller is configured to load ring tone data stored in the second memory device into the first memory device, the controller configured to read the ring tone data from the first memory device upon the transceiver producing the interrupt signal.

3. The mobile communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the incoming signal carries incoming data, and

the controller is configured to write the incoming data into the first memory device after the transceiver produces the interrupt signal, the controller configured to load the incoming data stored in the first memory device into the second memory device except during the garbage collection.

4. The mobile communication apparatus of claim 1 further having a built-in answering machine function, wherein

the incoming signal sent from the opposite communication device represents a voice call arrival, and

the controller is configured to write data of a message left on the built-in answering machine function into the first memory device after the transceiver produces the interrupt signal, the controller configured to load the data of the message stored in the first memory device into the second memory device except during the garbage collection.

5. A method for avoiding a conflict between garbage collection and memory access of a mobile communication apparatus having a first memory device and a non-volatile second memory device, the mobile communication apparatus configured to communicate with an opposite communication apparatus, comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming signal sent from the opposite communication apparatus;

producing an interrupt signal upon receiving the incoming signal;

performing garbage collection of the second memory device;

loading data stored in one of the first memory device and the second memory device into another of the first memory device and the second memory device; and

accessing the first memory device upon producing the interrupt signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the incoming signal represents one of a voice call arrival and an e-mail arrival,

the data stored in the second memory device and loaded into the first memory device are ring tone data, and

the step of accessing the first memory device is reading the ring tone data from the first memory device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein

the incoming signal carries incoming data,

the step of accessing the first memory device is writing the incoming data into the first memory device, and

the data stored in the first memory device and loaded into the second memory device are the incoming data.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein

the mobile communication apparatus further has a built-in answering machine function;

the incoming signal represents a voice call arrival,

the step of accessing the first memory device is writing data of a message left on the built-in answering machine function into the second memory device, and

the data stored in the first memory device and loaded into the second memory device are the data of the message.