METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEMORY MANAGEMENT IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20080162501A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Bells, Matthew, TYSOWSKI, Piotr K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70

Abstract

A method of memory management in an electronic device, includes receiving at the electronic device, representative viewable or audible samples of data records, and storing the representative viewable or audible samples of data records in a memory of the electronic device. Each of the representative viewable or audible samples of data records includes one of a compressed version of a corresponding one of the backup data records, and a viewable or audible portion of the corresponding one of the backup data records.

Claims

1. A method of memory management in an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving at said electronic device, representative viewable or audible samples of data records;

storing said representative viewable or audible samples of data records in a memory of said electronic device;

requesting a full content data record corresponding to one of said samples of data records, in response to a user input at an input device of said electronic device;

receiving said full content data record; and

replacing said corresponding one of said samples of data records with said full content data record,

wherein each of said representative viewable or audible samples of data records comprises one of;

a compressed version of a corresponding one of said backup data records, and

a viewable or audible portion of the corresponding one of said backup data records.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said representative viewable or audible samples of data records comprises a viewable or audible portion of the corresponding one of said backup data records, in the form of one of a thumbnail image, a sound file clip, and a representative page of a multi-page record.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

requesting a further full content data record corresponding to a further one of said samples of data records, in response to a user input at an input device of said electronic device;

receiving said further full content data record; and

replacing said corresponding further one of said samples of data records with said further full content data record.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining whether or not a low memory condition exists in said memory of said electronic device, prior to requesting.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein if a low memory condition is determined, the method comprises:

replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record to thereby provide available memory.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record comprises:

retrieving said other data record from said memory;

performing a compression on said other data record to form a compressed data record; and

writing the compressed data record over said other data record on said memory.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein said replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record comprises:

retrieving said other data record from said memory;

reducing the other data record to a viewable or audible portion of said other data record, in the form of one of a thumbnail image, a sound file clip and a representative page of a multi-page record; and

writing the portion of the other data record over said other data record on said memory.

8. The method according to claim 1, comprising replacing a full data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the full data record.

9. The method according to claim 8, comprising determining said full data record has not been accessed in a period of time, prior to replacing.

10. The method according to claim 8, comprising:

determining said full data record has not been accessed in a period of time; and

creating said representative sample of said full data record, prior to replacing.

11. The method according to claim 1, comprising replacing full data records stored in said memory with corresponding representative samples of the full data records based on a criteria.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said replacing full data records is carried out in response to the occurrence of an event.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said occurrence of an event comprises one of a scheduled time occurrence, a low memory condition detected at the portable electronic device, and a user initiation.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein said criteria comprises a duration of time since a last access of said full data record.

15. An electronic device comprising:

a receiver for receiving viewable or audible samples of data records; and

a memory connected to said receiver; and

a processor connected to said receiver and said memory for storing said samples of data records in said memory, generating a request for a full content data record corresponding to one of said samples of data records in response to a user input at an input device of said electronic device, and replacing said corresponding one of said samples of data records with said full content data record, after receipt of the full content data record at the receiver,

wherein each of said representative viewable or audible samples of data records comprises one of;

a compressed version of a corresponding one of said backup data records, and

a viewable or audible portion of the corresponding one of said backup data records.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for:

receiving at an electronic device, representative viewable or audible samples of data records;

storing said representative viewable or audible samples of data records in a memory of said electronic device;

requesting a full content data record corresponding to one of said samples of data records, in response to a user input at an input device of said electronic device;

receiving said full content data record; and

replacing said corresponding one of said samples of data records with said full content data record,

wherein each of said representative viewable or audible samples of data records comprises one of;

a compressed version of a corresponding one of said backup data records, and

a viewable or audible portion of the corresponding one of said backup data records.