Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-21
2002-04-02
Alam, Hosain T. (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C709S206000, C709S202000, C709S218000, C709S227000, C709S250000, C717S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06366898
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of computer file systems.
Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Solaris, Java, JavaOS, JavaStation, HotJava Views and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
2. Background
Embedded Devices
The use of platform independent programming languages, such as the Java™ programming language, has been adapted for use in non traditional computing environments. These environments include limited resource devices, referred to as “embedded” devices and include cell phones, “personal digital assistants” (PDAs), smart cards, appliances, and other environments that may lack the number and size of traditional computer system resources. For example, such limited resource devices may have limited memory, reduced processing power, and simple or no operating systems. Such limited resources can prevent the use of some programming languages on the limited resource device. One disadvantage, for example, of embedded devices is the absence of a traditional file system. This creates an obstacle to the ability to access files required by a programming language and makes it difficult to upgrade or change software versions, applications, classfiles and/or features of an embedded device.
Example Embedded Device (Personal Digital Assistant (PDA))
One example of an embedded device is a PDA.
FIG. 13
illustrates a PDA, such as the PalmPilot produced by 3Com Corporation. PDA device
1300
is equipped with touch screen display
1305
, mechanical buttons (
1306
and
1307
), a stylus (not shown), and serial port
1302
. A universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART)
1301
is used to convert information from the PDA for transmission through serial port
1302
, and to convert serial information received through serial port
1302
. Mechanical buttons
1306
are provided for user input, such as for the selection of predefined applications. Mechanical buttons
1307
are provided for scrolling graphics on touch screen display
1305
.
Touch screen display
1305
is separated into application display area
1308
and user input area
1309
. Application display area
1308
displays the graphical output of the current application being executed by PDA device
1300
. User input area
1309
contains software buttons
1310
, alphabet script input area
1311
, and numeric script input area
1312
. Software buttons
1310
are for performing system or application-based selection operations. Alphabet script input area
1311
is used to enter alphabetical characters with the electronic stylus. Similarly, numeric script input area
1312
is used to enter numeric characters with the electronic stylus. Character recognition software within the PDA converts user input in areas
1311
and
1312
into data characters.
An advantage of platform independent programming languages such as the Java programming language is the ability to load components of a program, such as an applet, at runtime. (This behavior is specified in the Java Language Specification (JLS) in section 12.2 (pages 218-9) and in the Java Virtual Machine Specification (JVMS) in section 2.16.2 (page 43) and is accomplished with a class loader, a part of the Java virtual machine.
Because PDAs do not typically have access to a file system (e.g. through a network connection) from which classfiles can be loaded, standard class loading techniques cannot be used. One solution is to preload classfiles into a non-volatile memory, such as a ROM (read only memory). This lacks flexibility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a method of creating and periodically loading a database of classfiles on a non traditional computer device, such as a PDA (personal digital assistant), cellular telephone, pager, smartcard, Java Ring, or other embedded device. A resident Java virtual machine loads classes from this database instead of loading them from a file system. The embedded device is periodically updated by connecting it to a network or computer that includes a classfile source. At this time, records can be added to, or deleted from, the database (where the records are classfiles). The management of the classfile database on the embedded device is independent of the virtual machine on the embedded device. One embodiment of the invention comprises an embedded device with a virtual machine, a classfile database, a database manager, and a remote database loader. The embedded device and virtual machine can function even when not connected to the classfile source.
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Munson, Jonathan P. and Prasun Dewan “Sync: A Java Framework for Mobile Collaborative Applications,” IEEE Jun. 1997 pp. 59-66.
Bush William
Taivalsaari Antero
Alam Hosain T.
Ly Anh
Sun Microsystems Inc.
The Hecker Law Group
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