Pre-storage of data to pre-cached system memory

• US 7,430,633 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ragno, Robert J., Thiesson, Bo, Church, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis; Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIDSON, CHAD
• Application Number:
  US11/298,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

System(s) and method(s) that facilitate utilizing pre-cached disk space. Pre-cached memory space within a storage device is identified, and a subset of the pre-cached memory space is pre-populated with data so that the data can be selectively and dynamically accessed. During use of a computer (e.g., in a web-browsing session) a subset of the pre-stored data can be dynamically and selectively exposed to the user as a function of user and/or computer application state. Pre-storage of the data on pre-cached memory of the computer mitigates delayed data access (e.g., due to insufficient transmission bandwidth) thereby enhancing user computing experience. The user can utilize the device without having to distinguish between pre-cached and free memory. In other words, the operating system can present the cached memory to the user so that it appears as free memory without the user having to direct the system to do so.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates utilizing an unused portion of a digital storage media, comprising:

a memory analyzer that identifies pre-cached memory space or unallocated memory space within a storage device, the pre-cached memory space is pre-loaded with data and is presented to a user as unallocated memory space; and

a content population component that populates the pre-cached memory space with data that can be dynamically accessed during a computer application or web-browsing session.

2. The system of claim 1, the content population component writes the data to the pre-cached memory space at one or more of the following locations:

the point of manufacture, the point of sale, the shipping site, the packaging site, the user site, the retail store.

3. The system of claim 1, the content population component stores in the pre-cached space at least one of the following:

advertisements, images, programs, music, web-pages, movies, images, audio files, text files, operating systems, video, or games.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an optimization component that directs storing of data in the pre-cached space as a function of one or more users'"'"' preferences.

5. The system of claim 4, the optimization component employs artificial intelligence to infer the amount and type of data that should be pre-stored to the pre-cached memory space.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising the optimization component that selectively removes a subset of the pre-stored data from the storage device to increase pre-cached memory space capacity.

7. The system of claim 4, further comprising the optimization component that selectively removes a subset of the pre-stored data from the storage device to allow allocated space to increase as the user explicitly stores data.

8. The system of claim 4, further comprising an organization component that selectively removes a subset of the pre-stored data from the storage device to allow the unallocated space to increase.

9. The system of claim 6, the organization component removes data as a function of at least one of the following:

data age, frequency of access, relationship to other data, priority of data, user preference, user state, file size or amount of available space.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a filtering component that filters the data as a function of at least one of:

user preferences, user state, user profile, file size, or available space.

11. A computer implemented method that facilitates pre-fetching of data to be stored on a storage medium, comprising:

identifying available memory space within a storage medium;

identifying data to be potentially saved to the storage medium, identification of the data is based at least upon a determination of the most popular software packages in the geographic area in which the storage medium was purchased at the time the storage medium was purchased;

filtering the identified data based on identified interests of an end user; and

saving a subset of the filtered data to a subset of the available memory space within the storage medium prior to delivering the storage medium to the end user for dynamic access during a web-browsing session; and

presenting the subset of the available memory space to the user as unallocated memory space.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising saving advertisements to the available memory space, and dynamically and selectively displaying a subset of the advertisements to a user as a function of user and/or computer application state.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising permitting a user access to certain saved filtered data as a function of performing pre-determined acts.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the pre-determined acts comprise being exposed to an advertisement.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising saving the filtered data during periods of low or no computer activity.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising filtering the data as a function of at least one of:

user preferences, user state, user profile, file size or available space.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising indexing the saved data, and mapping the indexed data to user and/or application states to facilitate quick access to data as a function of temporal relevance.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising negotiating with a user to allow pre-saving of data to the storage medium.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising performing a utility-based analysis in connection with filtering the data.

20. The method of claim 11 further comprising reserving an amount of the unused memory space for user future use.

21. The method of claim 11 further comprising automatically removing saved data as a function of at least one of:

data age, frequency of access, relationship to other data, priority of data, user preference, user state, file size, or amount of available space.

22. A computer implemented system that facilitates pre-fetching data to be stored on a storage medium, comprising:

means for identifying available memory space within a storage medium;

means for inferring software content to which a user is willing to be exposed;

means for saving the software content to the available memory space prior to delivering the storage medium to the user;

means for selectively displaying a subset of the software content to the user, wherein the selection of the subset of software content is a function of at least one of the following;

user state, application(s) currently being executed, or user preferences; and

means for presenting the portion of memory on which the software content is saved as available memory space.