Portable peripheral apparatus with an embedded storage module

• US 20030182456A1
• Filed: 05/20/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acer America Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Acer America Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lin, Hao-Hsing, Lin, Ju-Yung
• Application Number:
  US10/152,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182456A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2003/0697 device management, e.g. handlers, drivers, I/O schedulers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]

Abstract

A portable peripheral apparatus with an embedded storage module. The apparatus is connected to a computer via a communication interface, such as a USB interface or an IEEE 1394 interface. The portable peripheral apparatus includes a main device and an embedded storage module. The embedded storage module connects to the computer via the communication interface and has a storage device. The storage device stores peripheral data. If the storage device is a rewritable memory, then when receiving a specific instruction from the computer, the embedded storage module receives and updates the peripheral data stored in the storage device.

Claims

1. A portable peripheral apparatus connected to a computer via a communication interface, the peripheral device comprising:

a main device connected to the computer via the communication interface; and

an embedded storage module connected to the computer via the communication interface, the embedded storage module having a storage device.

2. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface is a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

3. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the embedded storage module is compatible with the USB mass-storage device class specification.

4. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface is an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface.

5. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a read-only memory (ROM).

6. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a rewritable memory.

7. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the embedded storage module receives a specific instruction form the computer, the embedded storage module receives and updates the peripheral data stored in the storage device.

8. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a flash memory.

9. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral data comprises a driver program of the main device.

10. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral data comprises Basic Input Output System (BIOS) data.

11. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral data comprises a utility program required by the main device.

12. The portable peripheral apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral data comprises a security protection program.

13. A method for a computer to access peripheral data, the computer being connected with a portable peripheral apparatus via a communication interface, the portable peripheral apparatus having a main device and an embedded storage module, the embedded storage module having a storage device to store the peripheral data, the method comprising the steps of:

controlling the communication interface using a communication interface control module;

controlling the embedded storage module according to a standard storage specification;

performing data compilation on the storage device according to a program control interface specification; and

accessing the peripheral data in the storage device.

14. The method for a computer to access peripheral data according to claim 13, wherein the communication interface is a USB interface.

15. The method for a computer to access peripheral data according to claim 14, wherein the standard storage specification is the USB mass-storage device class specification.

16. The method for a computer to access peripheral data according to claim 14, wherein the communication interface control module is a USB control driver program.

17. The method for a computer to access peripheral data according to claim 13, wherein the program control interface specification is the AT Attachment Packet Interface (ATAPI) specification.

18. The method for a computer to access peripheral data according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

coordinating the operations of the main device and the embedded storage module using a arbitration control module.

19. The method for a computer to access peripheral data according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

receiving and updating, by the embedded storage module, the peripheral data stored in the storage device storage device when the embedded storage module receives a specific instruction from the computer.