SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HIGH SPEED DEVICE ACCESS
System and methods are provided for more rapidly accessing data from a data container, such as a .ZIP archive, stored on a physical storage medium. Instead of requiring a processes desiring to access a file from the data container to read sequentially through the data container until the file is found, the data container has been modified to include an indication of the location on the physical memory where the desired file may be found. Consequently, the process for reading data from the data container may be advanced directly to the specified physical location without reading the intervening data.
1 . A method for storing data in a data container, said method including:
storing data on a physical memory, wherein said physical memory includes a plurality of physical memory locations;
associating at least one of said physical memory locations with said data to form a physical memory location indicator; and
storing said physical memory location indicator in a data container.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein said data is also included in said data container.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein said physical memory location indicator is a pointer.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein said data container includes information about said physical memory.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein said physical memory location indicator indicates the position of the start of said data.
6 . The method of claim 1 wherein said physical memory location indicator is stored in a data container separate from said data.
7 . The method of claim 1 wherein said data container is in the .ZIP format.
8 . A system for storing data in a data container, said system including:
a data container including data; and
a physical memory, wherein said physical memory includes a plurality of physical memory locations,
wherein said data is stored on said physical memory,
wherein at least one of said physical memory locations is associated with said data to form a physical memory location indicator,
wherein said physical memory location indicator is also stored in said data container.
9 . The system of claim 8 wherein said data is also included in said data container.
10 . The system of claim 8 wherein said physical memory location indicator is a pointer.
11 . The system of claim 8 wherein said data container includes information about said physical memory.
12 . The system of claim 8 wherein said physical memory location indicator indicates the position of the start of said data.
13 . The system of claim 8 wherein said physical memory location indicator is stored in a data container separate from said data.
14 . The system of claim 8 wherein said data container is in the .ZIP format.
15 . A method for reading data, said method including:
reading, from a data container, a physical memory location indicator corresponding to a location on a physical memory where a desired data element is stored;
using said physical memory location indicator to advance the process of reading data from said physical memory to the location indicated by said physical memory location indicator; and
reading the data located at the location indicated by said physical memory location indicator
16 . The method of claim 15 wherein said data is also included in said data container.
17 . The method of claim 15 wherein said physical memory location indicator is a pointer.
18 . The method of claim 15 wherein said data container includes information about said physical memory.
19 . The method of claim 15 wherein said physical memory location indicator indicates the position of the start of said data.
20 . The method of claim 15 wherein said physical memory location indicator is stored in a data container separate from said data.
21 . The method of claim 15 wherein said data container is in the .ZIP format.
22 . A system for reading data, said system including:
a data container including a physical memory location indicator corresponding to a location on a physical memory where a desired data element is stored; and
a physical memory, wherein said physical memory includes a plurality of physical memory locations,
wherein said data element is stored on said physical memory,
wherein said physical memory location indicator is read from said data container and used to advance the process of reading data from said physical memory to the location indicated by said physical memory location indicator in order to read the data located at the location indicated by said physical memory location indicator
23 . The system of claim 22 wherein said data is also included in said data container.
24 . The system of claim 22 wherein said physical memory location indicator is a pointer.
25 . The system of claim 22 wherein said data container includes information about said physical memory.
26 . The system of claim 22 wherein said physical memory location indicator indicates the position of the start of said data.
27 . The system of claim 22 wherein said physical memory location indicator is stored in a data container separate from said data.
28 . The system of claim 22 wherein said data container is in the .ZIP format.
29 . A data container stored on a computer readable media, said data container including:
a data container, wherein said data container includes a physical memory location indicator associated with a data file,
wherein said data file physical memory location indicator references a physical memory location corresponding to said data file.
30 . The data container of claim 29 wherein said data file is also included in said data container.
31 . The data container of claim 29 wherein said physical memory location indicator is a pointer.
32 . The data container of claim 29 wherein said data container includes information about said physical memory.
33 . The data container of claim 29 wherein said physical memory location indicator indicates the position of the start of said data.
34 . The data container of claim 29 wherein said physical memory location indicator is stored in a data container separate from said data.
35 . The data container of claim 29 wherein said data container is in the .ZIP format.