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EP1046980A2
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Portable electronic device having a log-structured file system in flash memory
Assignee: BlackBerry Ltd
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Filing: 2000-04-14
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2020-04-14
Abstract
Abstract A portable electronic device includes a log-structured file system implemented in flash memory. The log-structured file system includes a write function for storing contiguous data records to the flash memory in the form of at least one data log, although the system may write data records to the flash memory using a plurality of data logs. The log-structured file system also includes a read function for retrieving data records from the one or more logs using a plurality of memory mapped pointers, which may be stored in an associated RAM index; or which may be implemented as an index stored in the flash memory. A clean-log function is also provided for eliminating inactive records from the log so that new data can be appended to the end of the log. The various functions associated with the log-structured file system are implemented as at least three software modules, a read module, a write module and a clean-log module, although other configurations are possible. The portable electronic device may include a two-way RF transceiver for sending and receiving data from the device, and may also include a plurality of application programs that are configured to interact with the log-structured file system, as well as other software modules for controlling the operation of the portable electronic device.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenneth W. Parker
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 17:39
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/06; G06F3/0601; G06F3/0602; G06F3/0614; G06F3/0616; G06F3/0628; G06F3/0638; G06F3/0643; G06F3/0668; G06F3/0671; G06F3/0673; G06F3/0679; G11; G11C; G11C7/00; G11C7/16; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99951; Y10S707/99952; Y10S707/99953; Y10S707/99956
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
151 words
A portable electronic device, comprising: a microprocessor; an electrically erasable flash memory store; a two-way radio-frequency transceiver; and a log-structured file system for storing data in the flash memory store, the log-structure file
system including: (a) a write software module for writing data to the flash memory as a sequence of
contiguous records; (b) a read software module for reading data from the flash memory using a
plurality of memory mapped pointers into the flash memory store; and (c) a clean-log software
module for cleaning inactive records from the flash memory store in order to make room for
additional data; wherein the microprocessor executes the software modules of the log-structured file system
in order to write data to the flash memory, read data from the flash memory, and clean inactive
records from the flash memory, and controls sending and receiving data from the portable electronic
device via the two-way radio-frequency transceiver.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
22 words
The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a digital signal processor coupled between the microprocessor and the two-way radio-frequency
transceiver.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the log-structured file system creates at
least one log in the flash memory store, the log comprising a plurality of files linked together
as a linked-list, and wherein each file includes a plurality of records linked together as a linked
list.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the log-structured file system creates a
plurality of logs in the flash memory store, at least one log for storing relatively-volatile data
records and at least one log for storing relatively-involatile data records.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a random access memory for storing the memory mapped pointers used by the read software
module to read data from the flash memory store.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the write software module stores each
record with a header indicating: (a) the size of the record; (b) whether the record is active or
inactive; (c) a memory mapped pointer to the records; and (d) a link to another record.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of application programs that read and write data to the flash memory store using
the log-structured file system.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of application programs
include: an e-mail application and at least one of an organizer application, a calendar
application, a to-do list application, an address book application, a billable hours application
and a timecard application.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
78 words
The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein an application interacts with the read
software module of the log-structured file system for reading data from the flash memory
store by: (a) the application requesting access to a particular data record; (b) the read
software module accessing the memory mapped pointer associated with the particular data
record; and (c) returning the memory mapped pointer to the application, which then uses the
pointer to directly access the particular data record.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
48 words
The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a user-interface software module; a wireless data network protocol software module; and an operating system kernel for controlling the operation of the log-structured file system
software modules, the user-interface software module, and the wireless data network protocol
software module.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
The portable electronic device of claim 10, further comprising: a plurality of application programs stored in the flash memory store, including at least an e-mail
application for sending and receiving data via the two-way radio-frequency transceiver.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
A portable electronic device including a log-structured file system for storing a log of
contiguous data records in a flash memory store, and for reading data from the flash memory
store using a plurality of memory mapped pointers that point to the individual data records.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of memory mapped pointers
are stored in random access memory.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of memory mapped pointers
are stored in an index in the flash memory store.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The portable electronic device of claim 12, further including a two-way radio-frequency
transceiver for sending and receiving data over a wireless data network.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
78 words
The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the log-structured file system includes (a)
a write software module for writing data to the flash memory as a sequence of contiguous
records; (b) a read software module for reading data from the flash memory using the plurality
of memory mapped pointers into the flash memory store; and (c) a clean-log software module
for cleaning inactive records from the flash memory store in order to make room for
additional data.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
80 words
A portable electronic device, including: a flash memory store; and a log-structured file system for storing a plurality of logs of contiguous data records in the
flash memory store, and for reading data from the flash memory store using a plurality of memory
mapped pointers that point to the individual data records, wherein at least one of the logs of
contiguous data records stores records that change frequently, and at least one other log stores data
records that change infrequently.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
118 words
A portable electronic device for sending and receiving data via a wireless digital data network,
comprising: a microprocessor, an electrically erasable flash memory store; a two-way radio-frequency transceiver; and a log-structured file system for storing the data in the flash memory store, the log-structure
file system including a write software module, a read software module and a clean-log software
module; and wherein the microprocessor executes the software modules of the log-structured file system
in order to write data to the flash memory, read data from the flash memory, and clean inactive data
from the flash memory, and controls sending and receiving data from the portable electronic device
over the wireless digital data network via the two-way radio-frequency transceiver.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
97 words
A two-way wireless paging computer, comprising: a microprocessor; an RF transceiver for sending and receiving data; a flash memory store for storing data sent and received by the two-way wireless paging
computer; and a log-structured file system under the control of the microprocessor for storing one or more
data logs in the flash memory store, the log-structured file system including software modules for
writing contiguous data records to the log, for reading data records from the log, and for cleaning
the log by removing inactive data records from the log to make room for new data records.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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