Locating information on an optical media disc to maximize the rate of transfer
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorJoseph C. Ballantyne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A user-interactive program assists a user in locating files on optical media discs such as CD-ROMs and DVDs to enhance file-transfer rates and program installation times in computers with a Constant Angular Velocity (CAV) optical media disc drive. In addition, an application program calculates an optimal location for files and/or directories on an optical media disc so that the files are located near the location with the highest data transfer rate. This program may be used to compute an image file that defines where data will be located on an optical disc, or may be used to control transfer of data to the optical media disc.
Claims39
A method for producing an optical media disc that stores data readable by a computer via an optical media drive, the method comprising the steps:
- organizing the data based on an order in which the data will be accessed on the optical media disc and a desired potential data transfer rate from the optical media drive, including designating a portion of the data to be transferred from the optical media disc at a data transfer rate higher than other data;
- transferring the data into a master optical media disc so that the portion of the data is located at a position on the disc with a higher expected data transfer rate than the other data;
- and
- duplicating the master optical media disc to produce the optical media disc.
A computer-implemented method for producing an optical media disc that stores computer readable files installable to a computer readable disc drive via a CAV optical media drive, the method comprising the steps:
- building an optical media disc image file order list of the computer-readable files;
- transferring a dummy file into a master optical media disc so that the dummy file is located toward the inner portion of the optical media disc;
- transferring the computer-readable files of the optical media disc image order list into the master optical media disc so that the computer readable files are located toward the outer portion of the master optical media disc;
- and
- duplicating the master optical media dics to produce the optical media disc.
A computer-implemented method for producing an optical media disc that stores files readable by a computer via a CAV optical media disc drive, the method being implemented on a computer having a display device, the method comprising the steps:
- building an optical media disc image file order list comprising the computer readable files;
- displaying the optical media disc image file order list;
- in response to user input, selecting files or directories from the displayed list to have a higher data transfer rate than the unselected files or directories;
- and
- controlling transfer of the files of the optical media disc image file order list into a master optical media disc so that the specifically-selected files are located so as to maximize their data transfer rate when being read by the computer.
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for locating files on an optical media disc, the optical media disc having a data storage capacity, each computer file having a storage space size, the instructions performing steps comprising:
- determining a total storage space size required to store all of the computer files on the optical media disc;
- determining an overhead size necessary to store a file location structure;
- calculating an optimal disc location parameter based on the storage capacity of the disc, the total storage space required for all of the computer files, and the overhead size;
- and
- building an image file for controlling where the computer files are stored on the optical media disc, including using the optimal disc location parameter to locate the computer files at positions on the optical media disc having a higher expected data transfer rate than an unused portion of the disc.
A computer-implemented method for producing an optical media disc that stores an application program, the application program comprising computer readable files, the files being readable by a computer via a CAV optical media disc drive, the method being implemented on a computer having a display device, the method comprising the steps:
- (a) in response to user input, building a destination fixed-drive file hierarchy tree, the file hierarchy tree comprising files and directories, the file hierarchy being displayed on the display device;
- (b) in response to a user input, selecting directory(s) or specific files from the file hierarchy tree to be located toward the outer portion of the optical media disc;
- (c) sorting all the files except for those files included in the selected directories or specific files by 1) depth in the directory structure and 2) alphabetically;
- (d) writing the files sorted in step (c) to an image file;
- (e) sorting the files and directories selected in step (b) alphabetically;
- (f) writing the files sorted in step (e) to the image file;
- (g) calculating a storage size required to store the image file on the optical media disc;
- (h) calculating an overhead storage size based on the optical media disc image file hierarchy tree;
- (i) calculating the size of a dummy file, the size being the difference between a data format dependent storage capacity of the optical media disc minus the image file storage size calculated in step (g) minus the overhead storage size calculated in step (h);
- (j) writing the dummy file to the image file at the start of the image file;
- and
- (k) writing the image file to the optical media disc.
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for a user-interactive computer program that enables a user to locate computer files on a optical media disc selectively, the computer program providing a windowed user-interface, the user interface comprising:
- (a) a first window pane that displays a fixed-medium image file hierarchy tree, the file hierarchy tree comprising files and directories;
- (b) a second window pane that displays a optical media disc image file order list comprising files and directories;
- (c) a third window pane that displays detailed file or directory information from files or directories selected from either the first or second window panes;
- and
- (d) a fourth window pane that displays statistical information pertaining to the optical media disc image file order list, including estimated times to install the files from a optical media disc produced from the optical media disc image file tree order list to a fixed media drive.
In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method of locating files or directories on an optical media disc, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) graphically portraying an image of a virtual optical media disc, the virtual optical media disc comprising multiple rings, each ring representing the relative location of a file or files or a directory on the optical media disc;
- (b) in response to a user input, selecting one of the rings with the user interface selection device, the selection causing the ring to be displayed differently then the non-selected rings, the display displaying the file or files or directory associated with the selected ring;
- (c) in response to a user input, changing the diameter of the selected ring on the display by tracking the movement of the selection device, the displayed diameter reflecting a location of the selected file or files or directory on the virtual optical media disc relative to the non-selected rings;
- (d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until a desired ring-pattern on the virtual optical media disc is displayed;
- and
- (e) creating an optical media disc comprising files and directories from the ring locations on the displayed virtual optical media disc so that the location of the files and directories on the created optical media disc match the relative locations of the file or directory-represented rings on the virtual optical media disc.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.