Media device with intelligent cache utilization

• US 8,255,640 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hodge, Andrew Bert, Tupman, David John, Bar-Nahum, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Reba I
• Application Number:
  US11/583,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,141 Days
• Field of Search: 711/154, 711/163
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3275 Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0625 Power saving in storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0674 Disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00057 MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 audio layer III [MP3]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10685 input interface, i.e. the way data enter the buffer, e.g. by informing the sender that the buffer is busy
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10759 content data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10916 Seeking data on the record carrier for preparing an access to a specific address
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A portable media device and a method for operating a portable media device are disclosed. According to one aspect, a battery-powered portable media device can manage use of a mass storage device to efficiently utilize battery power. By providing a cache memory and loading the cache memory so as to provide skip support, battery power for the portable media device can be conserved (i.e., efficiently consumed). According to another aspect, a portable media device can operate efficiently in a seek mode. The seek mode is an operational mode of the portable media device in which the portable media device automatically scans through media items to assist a user in selecting a desired one of the media items.

Claims

1. In a media device that includes a cache memory and a storage device for storage of at least a media data file corresponding to a media item, a method comprising:

receiving an indication of a degree of skip support;

reserving a portion of the cache memory for storage of a number of media item snippets, wherein the number of media item snippets is directly related to the degree of skip support, and wherein each media item snippet includes only a portion of the actual media data itself for a respective media item;

receiving the number of media item snippets directly from the storage device;

storing the number of media item snippets only in the reserved portion of the cache memory;

in accordance with a media item selection by an end-user, playing the selected media item snippet directly from the cache memory;

skipping to another media item snippet when a skip request is received;

when the skip request is not received,

downloading a remaining portion of the media data file corresponding to the played snippet directly from the storage device; and

playing the remaining portion of the media data file.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media device further includes a display screen, and

wherein said method further comprises:

displaying, prior to said receiving, at least a portion of a sequential list of media items on the display screen.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media items are audio recordings.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a size of the media item snippet is related to end-user behavior.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the number of media item snippets are stored in the reserved portion of the cache memory prior to receiving the skip request.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said number of media item snippets includes only about 2% of the actual media data itself for its respective media item.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the reserved portion of the cache memory also stores 100% of the actual media data for one or more media items simultaneously with the number of media item snippets.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

playing at least a portion of the selected media item at the media device using the corresponding media data from the cache memory.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said method further comprises:

receiving the skip request to play a next media item while the particular media item is being played; and

playing the next media item at the media device using the corresponding media data from the cache memory.

10. The method as recited in claim 9,

wherein, when the complete media data for the next media item has been loaded into the cache memory, the next media item can be played using the corresponding media data exclusively retrieved from the cache memory, and

wherein, when only the initial media data for the next media item has been loaded into the cache memory, the next media item can be initially played using the corresponding initial media data retrieved from the cache memory, and while the initial media data is played, the remaining media data corresponding to the next media item can be loaded into the cache memory provided there has not been another skip request during a time interval while a substantial portion of the initial media data is being played.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining the degree of skip support to be provided by the media device for skip operations that are expected to occur based upon previous end-user skip behavior;

determining media data stored in the storage device for transfer to and storage in the cache memory based on the degree of skip support; and

storing the determined media data into the cache memory before the skip request is received.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the determined media data is a media data set.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the degree of skip support is dependent on at least one of a user setting, a device or manufacturer setting.

14. Non-transitory computer readable medium for storing computer code executable by a processor in an autonomous media device that includes a cache memory and a storage device for storage of at least a media data file corresponding to a media item, comprising:

computer program code for receiving an indication of a degree of skip support;

reserving a portion of the cache memory for storage of a number of media item snippets, wherein the number of media item snippets is directly related to the degree of skip support, and wherein each media item snippet includes only a portion of the actual media data itself for a respective media item;

computer program code for storing the number of media item snippets only in the reserved portion of the cache memory;

computer program code for playing the selected media item snippet directly from the cache memory in accordance with a media item selection by an end-user;

computer program code for skipping to another media item snippet when a skip request is received;

computer program code for downloading a remaining portion of the media data file corresponding to the played snippet directly from the storage device when the skip request is not received; and

computer program code for playing the remaining portion of the media data file.

15. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the degree of skip support is dependent on at least one of a user setting, a device or manufacturer setting, and a user history.

16. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein said computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for retrieving media data for the selected media item from the first memory;

computer program code for initiating playing of the retrieved media data corresponding to the selected media item;

computer program code for receiving a user skip selection for another media item from the media items;

computer program code for retrieving media data for the another media item from the first memory; and

computer program code for initiating playing of the retrieved media data corresponding to the another media item.

17. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the number of media item snippets are stored in the reserved portion of the cache memory prior to receiving the skip request.

18. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein at least one of said number of media item snippets includes only about 2% of the actual media data itself for its respective media item.

19. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the reserved portion of the cache memory also stores 100% of the actual media data for one or more media items simultaneously with the number of media item snippets.

20. A consumer electronics product, comprising:

a user interface for receiving a user input event from an end-user;

a cache memory;

a storage device for storage of at least a media data file corresponding to a media item; and

a processor arranged to;

receive an indication of a degree of skip support from the user interface;

reserve a portion of the cache memory for storage of a number of media item snippets, wherein the number of media item snippets is directly related to the degree of skip support, and wherein each media item snippet includes only a portion of the actual media data itself for a respective media item;

store the number of media item snippets only in the reserved portion of the cache memory;

play a selected media item snippet directly from the cache memory in accordance with a media item selection received from the user interface;

skip to another media item snippet when a skip request is received from the user interface;

download a remaining portion of the media data file corresponding to the played snippet directly from the storage device when the skip request is not received; and

play the remaining portion of the media data file.

21. The consumer electronics product as recited in claim 20, wherein the plurality of media items other than the particular media item are determined by said processor based on at least one of a user setting, a device or manufacturer setting, and a user history.

22. The consumer electronics product as recited in claim 20, wherein said consumer electronics product further comprises:

a display screen operatively connected to said processor, said display screen displays a list of the media items.

23. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 20, wherein the number of media item snippets are stored in the reserved portion of the cache memory prior to receiving the skip request.

24. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 20, wherein at least one of said number of media item snippets includes only about 2% of the actual media data itself for its respective media item.

25. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 20, wherein the reserved portion of the cache memory also stores 100% of the actual media data for one or more media items simultaneously with the number of media item snippets.

26. The consumer electronics product as recited in claim 20, wherein said consumer electronics products is a portable, battery-operated media player.

27. The consumer electronics product as recited in claim 26, wherein the media player is an MP3 player, and wherein the media items include at least audio files of songs.