Web cache memory device and browser apparatus utilizing the same

• US 6,467,026 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Consumer Electronics Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kazumichi, Umetani, Yukio, Suzuki, Norihiro, Yamaguchi, Muneaki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THAN VINH
• Application Number:
  US09/989,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 711/3, 711/115, 711/118, 711/104, 711/112, 711/202, 711/205-207
• US Class Current: 711/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cache mechanism of a browser apparatus as a World Wide Web (WWW) client and aims at the improvement of utilization efficiency and the shortening of an information acquisition delay time. A cache is constituted in an HDD or DVD-RAM under the control of a Web cache program. A copy of acquired information is stored in the cache. A directory of the cache is managed by a Web cache management table, and the control is made so that the writing of the cache contents and necessary entries of the management table is completed before the DVD-RAM is removed from the browser apparatus. A browsing work can be continued smoothly by loading the DVD-RAM to another browser apparatus. Also, if an information provider provides information in a form stored in a disk in the form of a Web cache, the browsing of the information becomes possible with the same URL as that in WWW access.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus comprising:

a storage medium for storing information from a network as cache data, said storage medium being made freely detachable; and

means for recording said information as cache data into a secondary memory device other than said storage medium,

wherein;

a first directory table is provided for associating an address of said in formation on said network and an address of said information on said storage medium stored as the cache data in said storage medium is provided in said storage medium,

a second directory table is provided for associating an address of said information on said network and an address of said information on said secondary memory device stored as the cache data in said secondary memory device is provided in said secondary memory device, and

means is provided for making the search of cache data by use of a third directory which is generated by merging said first directory table and said second directory table with the address of said information on said network used a key and is provided with a field for the address on said storage medium and a field for the address on said secondary memory device.

2. A terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein means is provided for examining whether or not said first directory table exists in said storage medium at the time of mounting of said storage medium.

3. A terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein means is provided for examining whether or not said first directory table exists in said storage medium at the time of mounting of said storage medium and merging, in the case where said first directory table exists, said first directory table into said third directory table with the address of said information on said network used as a key.

4. A terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein means is provided with which at the time of removal of said storage medium, an entry inputted with the address of said information on said storage medium stored as the cache data in said storage medium is extracted in said third directory table, said first directory table is updated by information of the extracted entry, and the field for the address of the extracted entry on said storage medium is cleared.

5. A terminal apparatus comprising:

a storage medium for storing information from a network as cache data, said storage medium is made free detachable and usable in another terminal apparatus;

means for recording said information as cache data into a secondary memory device other than said storage medium,

wherein;

a first directory table for associating an address of said information on said network and an address of said information on said storage medium stored as the cache data in said storage medium is provided in said storage medium,

a second directory table for associating an address of said information on said network and an address of said information on said secondary memory device stored as the cache data in said secondary memory device is provided in said secondary memory device, and

means is provided for making the search of cache data by use of a third directory which is generated by merging said first directory table and said second directory table with the address of said information on said network using a key and is provided with a field for the address on said storage medium and a field for the address on said secondary memory device.

6. A terminal apparatus according to claim 5, wherein means is provided for examining whether or not said first directory table exists in said storage medium at the time of mounting of said storage medium.

7. A terminal apparatus according to claim 6, wherein means is provided for examining whether or not said first directory table exists in said storage medium at the time of mounting of said storage medium and merging, in the case where said first directory table exists, said first directory table into said third directory table with the address of said information on said network used as a key.

8. A terminal apparatus according to claim 5, wherein means is provided with which at the time of removal of said storage medium, an entry inputted with the address of said information on said storage medium stored as the cache data in said storage medium is extracted in said third directory table, said first directory table is updated by information of the extracted entry, and the field for the address of the extracted entry on said storage medium is cleared.

9. A method for information access from a terminal apparatus used in a manner connected to a network, comprising:

a step of referring from a storage medium to a first directory table concerning data on said storage medium, said storage medium being freely detachable from said terminal apparatus and having a copy of information from a network written as data therein;

a step of referring to a second directory table concerning data on a secondary memory device in said terminal apparatus, said secondary memory device having a copy of information from said network written as data therein;

a step of making access to either said storage medium or said secondary memory device by use of both the result of said step of referring to said first directory table and the result of said step of referring to said second directory table; and

a step of acquiring said information through said network in the case where said both results indicate that there is said information in neither said storage medium nor said secondary memory device,

wherein when said storage medium is mounted to said terminal apparatus, said step of referring to said first directory table is carried out.

10. A control method in a system in which the combination of a memory device including a removable storage medium stored with information and another secondary memory device is used as a cache storage for storing a copy of information acquired through a network and said cache storage is controlled in such a manner that it is also held in said storage medium, wherein when the indication of ejection of said storage medium is given from a user to said memory device, a write processing for said storage medium is performed in the case where information to be recorded in said storage medium exists in said cache storage, and an instruction for ejection of said storage medium is given from said system to said memory device after said write processing is completed,

wherein when said write processing is performed, information concerning date and time and information concerning a time difference between said time and a specified time zone are recorded into said storage medium.

11. A control method in a system in which the combination of a memory device including a removable storage medium stored with information and another secondary memory device is used as a cache storage for storing a copy of information acquired through a network and said cache storage is controlled in such a manner that it is also held in said storage medium, wherein when the indication of ejection of said storage medium is given from a user to said memory device, a write processing for said storage medium is performed in the case where information to be recorded in said storage medium exists in said cache storage, and the permission of ejection of said storage medium is given from said system to said memory device after said write processing is completed,

wherein when said write processing is performed, information concerning date and time and information concerning a time difference between said time and a specified time zone are recorded into said storage medium.