Method and apparatus for memory management in an electronic device

• US 8,275,741 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Tysowski, Piotr K., Bells, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruiz, Angelica
• Application Number:
  US11/616,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,099 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70

Abstract

A method of memory management in an electronic device, includes receiving at the electronic device, representative viewable or audible samples of data records, and storing the representative viewable or audible samples of data records in a memory of the electronic device. Each of the representative viewable or audible samples of data records includes one of a compressed version of a corresponding one of the backup data records, and a viewable or audible portion of the corresponding one of the backup data records.

Claims

1. A method of memory management in an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving at said electronic device from a synchronization server, representative viewable or audible samples of data records, wherein each representative viewable or audible sample comprises one of a viewable or audible compressed version of one of said data records and a viewable or audible portion of one of said data records;

storing said representative viewable or audible samples of data records in a memory of said electronic device;

determining whether or not a low memory condition exists in said memory of said electronic device;

requesting a first full content data record, from the synchronization server, corresponding to a first representative viewable or audible sample stored in the memory of said electronic device, in response to a user input at an input device of said electronic device;

receiving said first full content data record; and

replacing said first representative viewable or audible sample with said first full content data record in the memory of said electronic device;

if a low memory condition is determined, prior to said requesting, replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record to thereby provide available memory;

wherein said replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record comprises;

retrieving said other data record from said memory;

performing a compression on said other data record to form a compressed data record; and

writing the compressed data record over said other data record on said memory.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

prior to said replacing, determining that said other data record has not been accessed in a period of time.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

repeating said determining, retrieving, performing a compression and writing until sufficient memory is available to store said first full content data record.

2. A method of memory management in an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving at said electronic device from a synchronization server, representative viewable or audible samples of data records, wherein each representative viewable or audible sample comprises one of a viewable or audible compressed version of one of said data records and a viewable or audible portion of one of said data records;

storing said representative viewable or audible samples of data records in a memory of said electronic device;

determining whether or not a low memory condition exists in said memory of said electronic device;

requesting a first full content data record, from the synchronization server, corresponding to a first representative viewable or audible sample stored in the memory of said electronic device, in response to a user input at an input device of said electronic device;

receiving said first full content data record; and

replacing said first representative viewable or audible sample with said first full content data record in the memory of said electronic device;

if a low memory condition is determined, prior to said requesting, replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record to thereby provide available memory;

wherein said replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record comprises;

retrieving said other data record from said memory;

reducing the other data record to a viewable or audible portion of said other data record, in the form of one of a thumbnail image, a sound file clip and a representative page of a multi-page record; and

writing the portion of the other data record over said other data record on said memory.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

prior to said replacing, determining that said other data record has not been accessed in a period of time.

8. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

repeating said determining, retrieving, reducing and writing until sufficient memory is available to store said first full content data record.

4. An electronic device comprising:

a receiver for receiving viewable or audible samples of data records from a synchronization server, wherein each representative viewable or audible sample comprises one of a viewable or audible compressed version of one of said data records and a viewable or audible portion of one of said data records;

a memory connected to said receiver; and

a processor connected to said receiver and said memory for storing said samples of data records in said memory, determining whether or not a low memory condition exists in said memory of said electronic device, and generating a request for a first full content data record, from the synchronization server, corresponding to a first representative viewable or audible sample stored in said memory, in response to a user input at an input device of said electronic device, and replacing said first representative viewable or audible sample with said first full content data record, after receipt of the first full content data record at the receiver, in the memory of said electronic device;

said processor configured, if low memory condition is determined, prior to said generating of a request, to replace an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record to thereby provide available memory;

wherein said replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record comprises;

retrieving said other data record from said memory;

performing a compression on said other data record to form a compressed data record; and

writing the compressed data record over said other data record on said memory.

9. The electronic device of claim 4, said processor further configured, prior to said replacing, to determine that said other data record has not been accessed in a period of time.

10. The electronic device of claim 4, said processor further configured to repeat said determining, retrieving, performing a compression and writing until sufficient memory is available to store said first full content data record.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for:

receiving at an electronic device from a synchronization server, representative viewable or audible samples of data records, wherein each representative viewable or audible sample comprises one of a viewable or audible compressed version of one of said data records and a viewable or audible portion of one of said data records;

storing said representative viewable or audible samples of data records in a memory of said electronic device;

determining whether or not a low memory condition exists in said memory of said electronic device;

requesting a first full content data record, from the synchronization server, corresponding to a first representative viewable or audible sample stored in the memory of said electronic device, in response to a user input at an input device of said electronic device;

receiving said first full content data record; and

replacing said first representative viewable or audible sample with said first full content data record in the memory of said electronic device

if a low memory condition is determined, prior to said requesting, replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record to thereby provide available memory;

wherein said replacing an other data record stored in said memory with a representative sample of the other data record comprises;

retrieving said other data record from said memory;

performing a compression on said other data record to form a compressed data record; and

writing the compressed data record over said other data record on said memory.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, further having computer readable code embodied therein for:

repeating said determining, retrieving, performing a compression and writing until sufficient memory is available to store said first full content data record.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, further having computer readable code embodied therein for:

prior to said replacing, determining that said other data record has not been accessed in a period of time.