US6584612B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Transparent loading of resources from read-only memory for an application program
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1999-07-15
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Granted: 2003-06-24
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Expires: 2019-07-15
Abstract
Abstract A method, system, and computer program product for transparently loading resources (such as stored bitmaps, images, fonts, and sound files) from read-only memory (“ROM”) for an application program executing on a Java Virtual Machine (“JVM”). Typically, the invention will be used on an embedded computing device which has no disk storage and no file system software. A novel class loader is described, which loads resources from ROM and returns an input stream object as is expected by the existing application program. Therefore, when using the present invention, no change is required to existing application code to use resources stored in ROM. (In addition, no change to existing applications is required in order to invoke the code of the present invention.) The invention may be used with programs written in the Java programming language, or with programs written in other languages that execute on a JVM.
Inventors
- 👤 Patrick James Mueller
- 👤 Eric Christopher Smith
- 👤 Timothy James Wolf
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 18:44
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/44; G06F9/445
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
169 words
A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium readable by a computer in a computing environment, for transparently loading resources from a read-only memory (“ROM”) of said computer, comprising: a plurality of resource files stored in said ROM; computer-readable program code means for executing a Java Virtual Machine (“JVM”) on said computer; computer-readable program code means for executing an application program on said JVM; computer-readable program code means for executing a ROM class loader on said JVM, said ROM class loader being adapted to loading said resource files from said ROM; computer-readable program code means for creating a table comprising an entry for each of said resource files; computer-readable program code means for receiving, by said ROM class loader, a request from said application program for an input stream on a selected one of said resource files; computer-readable program code means for using said table to locate said selected resource file in said ROM; and computer-readable program code means for returning said input stream using said located resource.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
169 words
A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium readable by a computer in a computing environment, for transparently loading resources from a read-only memory (“ROM”) of said computer, comprising: a plurality of resource files stored in said ROM; computer-readable program code means for executing a Java Virtual Machine (“JVM”) on said computer; computer-readable program code means for executing an application program on said JVM; computer-readable program code means for executing a ROM class loader on said JVM, said ROM class loader being adapted to loading said resource files from said ROM; computer-readable program code means for creating a table comprising an entry for each of said resource files; computer-readable program code means for receiving, by said ROM class loader, a request from said application program for an input stream on a selected one of said resource files; computer-readable program code means for using said table to locate said selected resource file in said ROM; and computer-readable program code means for returning said input stream using said located resource.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
127 words
The computer program product for transparently loading resources according to claim 1 , wherein each of said entries in said table comprises: a key value corresponding to an identifier of a particular one of said resource files; a location of said particular resource file in said ROM; and a length of data stored at said location for said particular resource file; and wherein said computer-readable program code means for using said table further comprises: computer-readable program code means for accessing said table using an identifier of said particular resource file as a key; and computer-readable program code means for returning said location and said length of said particular resource file when a matching entry is found in said table by said computer-readable program code means for accessing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The computer program product for transparently loading resources according to claim 1 , further comprising computer-readable program code means for configuring said JVM to use said ROM class loader.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The computer program product for transparently loading resources according to claim 1 , wherein said request is unchanged from a pre-existing request syntax specified in said application program.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
139 words
A system in a computing environment for transparently loading resources from a read-only memory (“ROM”) of a computer in said computing environment, comprising: a plurality of resoutce files stored in said ROM; means of executing a Java Virtual Machine(“JVM”)on said computer; means for executing an application program on said JVM; means for executing a ROM class loader on said JVM, said ROM class loader being adapted to loading said resource files from said ROM; means for creating a table comprising an entry for each of said resource files; means for receiving, by said ROM class loader, a request from said application program for an input stream on a selected one of said resource files; means for using said table to locate said selected resource file in said ROM; and means for returning said input stream using said located resource.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
139 words
A system in a computing environment for transparently loading resources from a read-only memory (“ROM”) of a computer in said computing environment, comprising: a plurality of resoutce files stored in said ROM; means of executing a Java Virtual Machine(“JVM”)on said computer; means for executing an application program on said JVM; means for executing a ROM class loader on said JVM, said ROM class loader being adapted to loading said resource files from said ROM; means for creating a table comprising an entry for each of said resource files; means for receiving, by said ROM class loader, a request from said application program for an input stream on a selected one of said resource files; means for using said table to locate said selected resource file in said ROM; and means for returning said input stream using said located resource.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
113 words
The system for transparently loading resources according to claim 5 , wherein each of said entries in said table comprises: a key value corresponding to an identifier of a particular one of said resource files; a location of said particular resource file in said ROM; and a length of data stored at said location for said particular resource file; and wherein said means for using said table further comprises: means for accessing said table using an identifier of said particular resource file as a key; and means for returning said location and said length of said particular resource file when a matching entry is found in said table by said means for accessing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system for transparently loading resources according to claim 5 , further comprising means for configuring said JVM to use said ROM class loader.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system for transparently loading resources according to claim 5 , wherein said request is unchanged from a pre-existing request syntax specified in said application program.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
126 words
A method for transparently loading resources from a read-only memory (“ROM”) of a computer in a computing environment, comprising the steps of: storing a plurality of resource files in said ROM; executing a Java Virtual Machine (“JVM”) on said computer; executing an application program on said JVM; executing a ROM class loader on said JVM, said ROM class loader being adapted to loading said resource files from said ROM; creating a table comprising an entry for each of said resource files; receiving, by said ROM class loader, a request from said application program for an input stream on a selected one of said resource files; using said table to locate said selected resource file in said ROM; and returning said input stream using said located resource.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
126 words
A method for transparently loading resources from a read-only memory (“ROM”) of a computer in a computing environment, comprising the steps of: storing a plurality of resource files in said ROM; executing a Java Virtual Machine (“JVM”) on said computer; executing an application program on said JVM; executing a ROM class loader on said JVM, said ROM class loader being adapted to loading said resource files from said ROM; creating a table comprising an entry for each of said resource files; receiving, by said ROM class loader, a request from said application program for an input stream on a selected one of said resource files; using said table to locate said selected resource file in said ROM; and returning said input stream using said located resource.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
110 words
The method for transparently loading resources according to claim 9 , wherein each of said entries in said table comprises: a key value corresponding to an identifier of a particular one of said resource files; a location of said particular resource file in said ROM; and a length of data stored at said location for said particular resource file; and wherein said using said table step further comprises the steps of: accessing said table using an identifier of said particular resource file as a key; and returning said location and said length of said particular resource file when a matching entry is found in said table by said accessing step.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method for transparently loading resources according to claim 9 , further comprising the step of configuring said JVM to use said ROM class loader.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method for transparently loading resources according to claim 9 , wherein said request is unchanged from a pre-existing request syntax specified in said application program.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-06-23 | 2006-12-23 | 2007-06-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-06-23 | 2010-12-23 | 2011-06-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-06-23 | 2014-12-23 | 2015-06-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |