Apparatus and method for data access

Abstract

Methods and systems for optimal access of data are disclosed. A system for optimally updating data is described wherein a central database transmits a location table to a remote terminal having an access time variant (ATV) storage medium wherein a first set of data items is stored. The data on the ATV medium can be displayed visually upon a user's accessing a particular piece of data from the ATV medium. The user's data access habits are indexed on a location table by the central database where the location table is optimized and updated according to the number of accesses the user makes to particular data items. A second set of data is then transmitted to the remote terminal along with the updated location table and stored on the ATV database in optimized form, thereby reducing the access time to the second set of data on all the remote terminals since each particular user's individual habits govern the optimization process.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A system for optimally storing and updating data on an access time-variant storage medium, comprising: 
       a central data transmitting station including central data storage means for storing a database comprising original data representing a plurality of items;  
       at least one remote terminal comprising remote data storage means for storing data, said data storage means containing at least one access time-variant storage medium on which original data transmitted from said central station may be stored;  
       means for interfacing said central transmitting station with said remote terminal to transmit said original data from said central transmitting station to said remote terminal for storage means;  
       accessing means at said remote terminal for storing the original data received by said remote terminal at controllable different positions on said access time-variant storage medium;  
       means for monitoring the frequency at which said data on said access time-variant storage medium are accessed by said accessing means and for producing access-frequency representing signals;  
       algorithm generating means for generating signals and for controlling the positions at which said data are to be stored on said access time-variant storage medium; and  
       data-location control means responsive to said algorithm-generated signals and to said access-frequency representing signals for controlling the storage of said data on said accessing time-variant storage medium at positions on said storage medium such as to minimize the access time for accessing data representing said items, the access time-variant storage medium being adapted to store all of the data thereon after the positions are controlled.  
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said data-location control means is at said central data transmitting station, and said system comprises feedback means for transmitting said access-frequency generating signals to said central data transmitting station. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said data-location control means is at said remote terminal. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said algorithm is such as to cause the more frequently-accessed data to be stored adjacent to each other on said access-time variant medium and said less frequently accessed data more remotely on said medium. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4 , wherein said more-frequently accessed data are stored at and on both sides of the center of said medium. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 5 , wherein said most-frequently accessed data are stored at the center of said medium, and said less frequently-accessed data are stored on both sides of said center with the less frequently accessed data progressively further from the center. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein said algorithm-operating means is controllable to change the algorithm which it generates.