Network-extended data storage for mobile applications

摘要

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and subsystems directed to increasing the amount of memory accessible to software and hardware components of mobile electronic devices as well as to increasing security and reliability of data storage for mobile electronic devices. In the described embodiments of the present invention, the local memory within a mobile electronic device is extended by transmitting data from the local memory to one or more remote computer systems for storage and by requesting and receiving data from the one or more remote computer systems for storage in the local memory of the mobile electronic device. In the described embodiments of the present invention, a portion of the local memory within a mobile electronic device is employed as a local window into a much larger amount of data stored on one or more remote computer systems on behalf of the mobile electronic device.

主权项

1. An extended-memory monitor that executes within an electronic device, the extended-memory monitor comprising:
a session manager that manages communications sessions for command and data exchange through a telecommunications network with one or more remote extended-memory-service applications; a transaction manager that receives transactions from calling routines, forwards the transactions to the session manager, receives corresponding transaction completions from the session manager, and returns transaction completions to the calling routines; and extended-memory application-programming-interface routines, linked with application programs, that provide extended-memory data storage to application programs running on the electronic device, an extended memory including a portion of local memory within the electronic device as well as data-storage provided by the one or more remote extended-memory-service applications, the extended-memory application-programming-interface routines submitting transactions to the transaction manager on behalf of calling application programs, wherein data objects stored in the portion of local memory within the electronic device are transferred from the electronic device to the data-storage provided by the one or more remote extended-memory-service applications at a time when the application programs executing within the electronic device are not currently accessing the data objects and retrieved from the data-storage provided by the one or more remote extended-memory-service applications at a time when the application programs executing within the electronic device again access the data objects.