Split file system

• US 6,694,318 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2001
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: emWare, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Howard, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US09/778,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20010004738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/5, 707/10, 707/101, 707/104.1, 707/200, 707/205, 707/204, 707/206, 715/506, 715/507, 715/511, 711/103, 711/111, 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

A file system for a collection of data files on a microcontroller-based device, the microcontroller-based device including an arithmetic/logic unit, read/write memory, and program memory, and the file system comprising a data table stored in the program memory and a document table of contents stored on a host computer. The data table is a set of data files, and the document table of contents includes length and offset information for each data file. A method is also described for creating and managing a file system for a collection of data files on a microcontroller-based device, wherein the microcontroller-based device includes an arithmetic/logic unit, read/write memory, and program memory, wherein the method comprises the steps of providing a data table for storage in the program memory and providing a document table of contents for storage on a host computer.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining a file system for one or more web page files stored in non-volatile memory of a microcontroller-based device, wherein the microcontroller-based device is in communication with a host computer over a computer network to provide access to the one or more web page files from a web browser communicating with the host computer via the Internet, wherein updating a file stored on the microcontroller-based device includes the steps of:

(a) providing byte-oriented non-volatile memory access routines stored in the program memory of the microcontroller-based device;

(b) providing, on the host computer, file-oriented access routines;

(c) maintaining, on the host computer, a directory and a free block list characterizing the files stored on the microcontroller-based device and the file storage space available, wherein web page files are retrieved from the device through the host computer;

(d) maintaining, on the host computer, a copy of the file to be updated;

(e) compressing the copy of the file;

(f) determining file length;

(g) examining the free block list to determine whether number of block required for file storage has changed; and

, if so

(h) modifying the free block list to reflect new block allocation;

(i) storing the file in blocks as allocated in the free block list;

(j) updating a directory entry corresponding to the file being updated; and

(k) writing the file to the microcontroller-based device utilizing the byte-oriented access routines in the program memory of the microcontroller-based device.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of updating a transaction counter stored both on the microcontroller-based device and on the host computer.