Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1996-01-31
2003-09-09
Jung, David (Department: 2175)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C382S232000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06618728
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to the field of data processing, and more specifically to multi-process compression.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Computers manipulate or process information. The information used by computers is often stored in files of various formats and sizes. Computers may compress information stored in these files to conserve storage resources. For example, computers running in a DOS or MS-WINDOWS environment may utilize a compression program such as PKZIP.
Computers that perform data processing on large amounts of information may benefit from the reduced file storage requirements as well as the increased processing efficiency offered by file compression. However, existing compression techniques may not take advantage of the processing resources offered by more powerful computers. For example, existing compression techniques do not exploit the distributed processing capability of multi-process computers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, the disadvantages and problems associated with compression on multi-process computers has been substantially reduced or eliminated.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a system for compressing a file includes a splitter that splits the file into subfiles. Compressors are coupled to the splitter, and each compressor compresses one of the subfiles to produce a compressed subfile. A combiner is coupled to the compressors and combines the compressed subfiles produced by the compressors to produce a compressed file.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for compressing a file incudes: splitting the file into subfiles; compressing the subfiles to produce compressed subfiles; and combining the compressed subfiles to produce a compressed file.
Important technical advantages of the present invention include a compression technique that takes advantage of multi-process computers. This is accomplished by splitting the task of compressing a file into smaller tasks performed by separate compressors. In one embodiment, each compressor is a separate software process that receives and compresses a subfile. In another embodiment, the compressors may run on separate microprocessors. By splitting up the compression task to two or more subtasks, the present invention exploits the distributed processing capabilities of multi-process computers.
Other important technical advantages of the present invention include a particular multi-process compression technique for records-based files. Still another important technical advantage of the present invention includes storing, accessing, and modifying compression information that may be associated with a file to indicate parameters used for compression and decompression. Other important technical advantages are readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5103295 (1992-04-01), Uwabata et al.
patent: 5497244 (1996-03-01), Chargin, Jr. et al.
patent: 5592669 (1997-01-01), Robinson et al.
patent: 5602870 (1997-02-01), Hailey et al.
patent: 5668897 (1997-09-01), Stolfo
patent: 5684716 (1997-11-01), Freeman
patent: 5710562 (1998-01-01), Gormish et al.
patent: 5710919 (1998-01-01), Rail
patent: 6453383 (2002-09-01), Stoddard et al.
patent: 6470345 (2002-10-01), Doutre et al.
patent: 6513051 (2003-01-01), Bolosky et al.
Factor et al., Software compression in the client/server environment, Data Compression Conference, 2001, Proceedings, DCC 2001, pp. 233-242.*
Kawashima et al., A universal compressed data format for foreign file systems, Data Compression Conference, 1995, DCC '95, Proceedings, Mar. 28-30, 1995, p. 429.*
Eck et al., A new compression scheme for syntactically structured messages (programs) and its application to Java and the Internet, Data Compression Conference, 1988, DCC '98, Proceedings, Mar. 30—Apr. 1, 1998, p. 542.
Baker & Botts LLP
Electronic Data Systems Corporation
Jung David
LandOfFree
Multi-process compression does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Multi-process compression, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Multi-process compression will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3049129