Patent ID: 6944725

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a data storage unit configured to store a plurality of data items, said data storage unit including a plurality of register elements, each register element being capable of storing at least one data item, said plurality of register elements being arranged to form a sequence of register elements; and a controller configured to control said data storage unit to store first data in a first part of said sequence of register elements and second data in a second part of said sequence of register elements, said first part and said second part being of variable lengths with the sum of the variable lengths being equal to the length of said sequence of register elements; wherein said first data is periodic data and said second data is asynchronous data, and said controller is arranged to control the first part periodically and the second part asynchronously; wherein said first data and said second data includes data items of the same type, and said data items of the same type are transaction items; and wherein said controller is arranged for controlling said data storage unit dependent on an estimated duration of transfers represented by said transaction items.