Patent ID: 6205526
Filing Date: 2001-03-20
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
An internal information backing up device for backing up internal information used by a firmware to facilitate a re-start and operation of an electronic apparatus after said electronic apparatus has been turned off and then on, said firmware being incorporated into said electronic apparatus, said internal information being organized into a plurality of groups of information entities, each information entity including at least one label, each respective label including at least version information indicating the version of said respective label, said firmware controlling the operation of said electronic apparatus and including a data structure table which stores current labels having current data, said internal information backing up device comprising:a first non-volatile storage medium including a backup section which stores said plurality of groups of information entities relating to data that exists in said non-volatile storage medium before said electronic apparatus is turned off and on, said non-volatile storage medium further including a data structure storage section which stores prior labels, said prior labels including data that exists in said prior labels before said electronic apparatus is turned off and on;a second storage medium;a comparator which compares said version information stored in said data structure storage section of said non-volatile storage medium for each prior label and said version information stored in said data structure table of said firmware for each corresponding current label; andan expansion processing unit which expands information entities related to a particular prior label stored in said back-up section into said second storage medium when said version information of said particular prior label matches with said version information of a corresponding current label.