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US 6,320,521 B1Granted
System and method for efficiently merging compressed data
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDavid Har, Kwok-Ken Mak, Charles O. Schulz
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Abstract
A highly-efficient system and methodology for organizing, storing and/or transmitting compressed data that achieves optimum compression throughput, enhances overall data compressibility, and reduces decompression latency.
Claims13
A data compression system comprising:
- one or more compression engines executing in parallel for receiving uncompressed information words and compressing said information words into one or more compressed information words;
- a temporary storage queue associated with each compression engine for temporarily storing one or more compressed information words from its respective compression engine;
- a pre-fetch mechanism for pre-fetching an amount of compressed information words in parallel from each said temporary storage queue;
- a first processing device for receiving said pre-fetched compressed information words and successively forming a merged word in queue sequence order for output each processing cycle;
- and,
- a second processing device for receiving said pre-fetched compressed information words and generating a number of consecutive next available compressed words in queue sequence order when one or more temporary storage queues have exhausted its storage of compressed information words at any time during a processing cycle and, at such time, utilizing said number of consecutive next available compressed words to form said merged word output,
- whereby output of a complete merged word in each successive cycle is ensured.
4 more elements
A method for generating compressed data comprising the steps of:
- a) inputting information words to one or more parallel executing compression engines and compressing said information words into one or more compressed information words;
- b) temporarily storing one or more compressed information words in a temporary storage queue associated with each compression engine;
- c) pre-fetching an amount of compressed information words in parallel from each said temporary storage queue;
- d) merging one or more pre-fetched compressed information words to form a merged word in queue sequence order for output in a processing cycle;
- and,
- e) concurrently, tracking an amount of compressed information words in each temporary storage queue and, detecting exhaustion of supply of remaining compressed information words in a temporary storage queue;
- and, upon said detection, generating a number of consecutive next available compressed words from associated next non-empty temporary storage queues in said queue sequence order during a processing cycle;
- and,
- f) at such time when one or more temporary storage queues have exhausted its supply of compressed information words at any time during a processing cycle, utilizing said generated number of consecutive next available compressed words in said queue sequence order to form a complete merged word for output, whereby output of a complete merged word in each successive cycle is ensured.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.