Discardable files

• US 20100153452A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Hahn, Judah Gamliel
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1737 for reducing power consumption or coping with limited storage space, e.g. in mobile devices saving storage space on storage devices G06F3/0608; power saving in storage systems G06F3/0625

Abstract

The present application includes methods and system for managing a storage device. In one implementation, a storage allocator that is present in a host or a storage device receives a request to store a file in a storage area of the storage device. The storage allocator marks the file as discardable in a file system structure associated with the storage device and updates a primary file allocation table (“FAT”) to associate a cluster chain that is allocated to the file with the file. The storage allocator additionally updates a discardable FAT or a database to reflect a physical location of the file, or may generate one or more location files that store the physical location of the file. The storage allocator then manages the storage area device based on the FAT and a discardable FAT, database, or one more location files indicating the physical location of the file.

Claims

1-65. -65. (canceled)

66. A method for managing operations associated with a discardable file, the method comprising:

in a host to which a storage device is operatively coupled;

associating an owner user ID with a discardable file, where the discardable file comprises a file that has been marked as discardable in a file system structure associated with the storage device;

defining, with an application associated with the owner user ID, a set of permissions for an additional user ID associated with the discardable file;

receiving a request to perform an operation associated with the discardable file from an application associated with the additional user ID;

determining whether the application associated with the additional user ID may perform the operation based on the set of permissions; and

managing the operation associated with the discardable file based on the determination.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein the application associated with the owner user ID downloads the discardable file to the storage device.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the operation comprises:

modifying an attribute associated with the discardable file.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein the attribute comprises at least one of a conversion lock identifier, a time stamp, a consumption intent universal resource indicator, and a priority level.

70. The method of claim 66, wherein the operation comprises:

reading an attribute associated with the discardable file.

71. The method of claim 70, wherein the attribute comprises at least one of a conversion lock identifier, a time stamp, a consumption intent universal resource indicator, and a priority level.

72. The method of claim 66, wherein the operation comprises:

reading the discardable file.

73. The method of claim 66, wherein the operation comprises:

writing to the discardable file.

74. The method of claim 66, wherein the operation comprises:

reading preview data associated with the discardable file.

75. The method of claim 74, wherein the discardable file comprises the preview data.

76. The method of claim 74, wherein the discardable file is distinct from the preview data.

77. The method of claim 66, wherein the operation comprises:

writing preview data associated with the discardable file.

78. The method of claim 66, wherein the additional user ID is a shared user ID associated with multiple users.

79. The method of claim 66, wherein the additional user ID is a shared user ID associated with multiple applications.

80. The method of claim 66, wherein managing the operation associated with the discardable file based on the determination comprises:

prohibiting the application associated with the additional user ID from performing the operation associated with the discardable file.

81. The method of claim 66, wherein managing the operation associated with the discardable file based on the determination comprises:

allowing the application associated with the additional user ID to perform the operation associated with the discardable file.

82. A storage system comprising:

a communication interface; and

a storage allocator for managing a file system associated with a storage device,

the storage allocator including a processor for managing operations associated with a discardable file that is stored in the storage device;

wherein the processor is configured to;

associate an owner user ID with the discardable file, where the discardable file comprises a file that has been marked as discardable in a file system structure associated with the storage device;

define, with an application associated with the owner user ID, a set of permissions for an additional user ID associated with the discardable file;

receive a request over the communication interface to perform an operation associated with the discardable file from an application associated with the additional user ID;

determine whether the application associated with the additional user ID may perform the operation based on the set of permissions; and

manage the operation associated with the discardable file based on the determination.

83. The storage system of claim 82, wherein to manage the operation associated with the discardable file, the processor is configured to allow the application associated with the additional user ID to read preview data associated with the discardable file.

84. The storage system of claim 82, wherein the additional user ID is a shared user ID associated with multiple users.

85. The storage system of claim 82, wherein the additional user ID is a shared user ID associated with multiple applications.

86. A method for managing a storage device, the method comprising:

in a host to which a storage device is operatively coupled;

storing preview data in the storage device;

associating the preview data with a discardable file, the discardable file comprising a file that has been marked as discardable in a file system structure associated with the storage device; and

managing access to the preview data and the discardable file such that an application is permitted to access the preview data but is not permitted to access the discardable file.

87. The method of claim 86, wherein the discardable file comprises the preview data.

88. The method of claim 86, wherein the discardable file is distinct from the preview data.

89. The method of claim 86, wherein the discardable file comprises a movie and the preview data comprises a movie trailer associated with the movie.

90. The method of claim 86, wherein the discardable file comprises a television program and the preview data comprises a portion of the television program.

91. The method of claim 86, wherein the discardable file comprises music data and the preview data comprises a portion of the music data.

92. The method of claim 86, wherein the discardable file comprises a program and the preview data comprises a demo version of the program.

93. The method of claim 86, wherein managing access to the preview data and the discardable file such that an application is permitted to access the preview data but is not permitted to access the discardable file comprises:

managing access to the preview data and the discardable file such that an application is permitted to access the preview data but is not permitted to access the discardable file during a period of time before a release date associated with the discardable file.

94. The method of claim 86, further comprising:

managing access to the preview data and the discardable file such that an application is permitted to access the preview data and permitted to access the discardable file during a period of time after the release date associated with the discardable file.