Use of a media cache for subsequent copying acceleration

• US 7,441,084 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Allard, James E., Henshaw, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Portka; Gary J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eland; Shawn
• Application Number:
  US10/915,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20050010700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 711/118
• US Class Current: 711/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1062 Data buffering arrangements, e.g. recording or playback buffers

Abstract

The apparent speed with which a media work is ripped to copy the work into a visible store is substantially reduced. When the media work is played, its content is cached onto a persistent, fast access storage media. If the user subsequently decides to rip the media work, the content of the cache is copied to a visible store in substantially less time than would be required to play the media work and convert it. The user thus perceives that the media work is ripped in a substantially shorter time, compared to that required for ripping the media work in a conventional manner. The ripping process may encode or transform the format of the content to a desired format for use within the visible store. Constraints may be imposed by the user to limit the cache, or the caching process may be hidden from the user.

Claims

1. A method of presenting a user with settings of a plurality of adjustable parameters on an electronic visual display, where at least one user selected adjustable parameter setting is applicable to caching a form of a digital data work in a storage provided in a non-volatile memory, the digital data work being stored on a media having a slower data-transfer rate than the non-volatile memory used to cache the digital data work, to enable a later, selective apparent rapid conversion of the digital data work to a playable form that is available in a visible store, the visible store including a collection of media exposed directly to a user, said caching occurring during play of the digital data work stored on a removable digital medium, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of user adjustable parameter settings in the electronic visual display, said parameter settings controlling how much of an available non-volatile memory is used for the caching of digital data works, the cache and the digital data representing the digital data work stored thereon, being hidden from and unplayable by the user and being utilized to allow for a subsequent, selective apparent rapid conversion of digital data works to the playable form that is available in the visible store, the digital data works appearing in the visible store faster than if transferred from the removable digital medium;

(b) receiving user input selecting at least one of the plurality of adjustable parameter settings in the visual display for adjustment and user input selectively setting the adjustable parameter setting that was selected, wherein the user input specifies as a limit a number of digital data works that may be cached in the non-volatile memory;

(c) responding to the user setting the adjustable parameter setting that was selected and set, so that the setting affects how much of the available non-volatile memory is used for the caching of the digital data works; and

(d) maintaining the cache so that when the number of cached digital data works reaches the user specified limit, the oldest item in the cache will be expired to enable newer digital data representing the digital data work to be added to the cache.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of converting a digital data work to a compressed form for caching the digital data work in the non-volatile memory, the compressed form comprising the playable format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a plurality of user adjustable parameter settings comprises providing a parameter setting which allows the user to select a minimum number of times the digital data work on the removable media is played after which the digital data work is cached in the non-volatile memory.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically adding digital data representing another digital data work to the cache for storage in the nonvolatile memory each time that a digital data work stored on a removable digital medium is played, if the digital data work being played is not already represented by digital data stored in the cache.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of deleting digital data representing a digital data work from the cache in non-volatile memory when a time limit has been exceeded without the user electing to selectively initiate the transfer of the digital data work to the playable format that is available in the visible store.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting a percentage of the available non-volatile memory currently being used for caching of digital data works, on the visual display.

7. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for performing a method of presenting a user with settings of a plurality of adjustable parameters on an electronic visual display, where at least one user selected adjustable parameter setting is applicable to caching a form of a digital data work in a storage provided in a non-volatile memory, to enable a later, selective apparent rapid conversion of the digital data work to a playable form that is available in a visible store, the visible store including a collection of media exposed directly to a user, said caching occurring during play of the digital data work stored on a removable digital medium, the computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for performing the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of user adjustable parameter settings in the electronic visual display, said parameter settings controlling how much of an available non-volatile memory is used for the caching of digital data works, the cache and the digital data representing digital data works stored thereon, being hidden from and unplayable by the user and being utilized to allow for a subsequent, selective apparent rapid conversion of digital data works to the playable form that is available in the visible store, the digital data works appearing in the visible store faster than if transferred from the removable digital medium;

(b) receiving user input selecting at least one of the plurality of adjustable parameter settings in the visual display for adjustment and user input selectively setting the adjustable parameter setting that was selected, wherein the user input specifies as a limit a number of digital data works that may be cached in the non-volatile memory; and

(c) responding to the user setting the adjustable parameter setting that was selected and set, so that the setting affects how much of the available non-volatile memory is used for the caching of the digital data works; and

(d) maintaining the cache so that when the number of cached digital data works reaches the user specified limit, the oldest item in the cache will be expired to enable newer digital data representing the digital data work to be added to the cache.

8. A system that enables a user to interactively control a parameter setting for caching in a non-volatile memory, of a digital data work that is cached in a storage to facilitate a later, selective, apparent rapid conversion of the digital data work to a playable format available in a visible store, said caching occurring during play of the digital data work on a removable digital medium, comprising:

(a) a visual display;

(b) a processor coupled to the visual display; and

(c) a non-volatile memory including a non-visible portion and a visible store, said memory being coupled to the processor and storing machine instructions causing the processor to;

(i) provide a plurality of user adjustable parameter settings in the electronic visual display, said parameter settings controlling how much of an available non-volatile memory is used for the caching of digital data works, the cache and the digital data representing digital data works stored thereon, being hidden from and unplayable by the user and being utilized to allow for a subsequent, selective apparent rapid conversion of digital data works to the playable form that is available in the visible store, the digital data works appearing in the visible store faster than if transferred from the removable digital medium;

(ii) receive user input selecting at least one of the plurality of adjustable parameter settings in the visual display for adjustment and user input selectively setting the adjustable parameter setting that was selected, wherein the user input specifies as a limit a number of digital data works that may be cached in the non-volatile memory;

(iii) respond to the user setting the adjustable parameter setting that was selected and set, so that the setting affects how much of the available non-volatile memory is used for the caching of the digital data works; and

(iv) maintain the cache so that when the number of cached digital data works reaches the user specified limit, the oldest item in the cache will be expired to enable newer digital data representing the digital data work to be added to the cache.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to convert a digital data work to a compressed form for caching the digital data work in the non-volatile portion of the memory, the compressed form comprising the playable format.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein providing a plurality of user adjustable parameter settings comprises providing a parameter setting which allows the user to select a minimum number of times the digital data work on the removable media is played after which the digital data work is cached in the non-volatile memory.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to automatically enable the user to add another digital data work to the cache.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to delete a digital data work from the storage in the non-volatile memory when a time limit has been exceeded without the user electing to selectively initiate the transfer of the digital data work to the playable format that is available in the visible store of the memory.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to add another digital data work to the cache for storage in the non-volatile portion of the memory each time that a digital data work stored on aremovable digital medium is played, if the digital work being played is not already cached in the cache.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the machine instructions further cause the processor to present a percentage of the available non-volatile portion of the memory currently being used for caching of digital data works, on the visual display.