Method of add storage feature to computer peripherals and its architecture

• US 20040267987A1
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Feng Xiang, Guoshun Deng, Xiaohua Cheng
• Original Assignee: Feng Xiang, Guoshun Deng, Xiaohua Cheng
• Inventors: Cheng, Xiaohua, Xiang, Feng, Deng, Guoshun
• Application Number:
  US10/493,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20040267987A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/382 using universal interface adapter

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method of adding storage function to computer peripherals and architecture thereof. It solves the problem that the computer peripherals do not have storage function, and cannot carry drive programs and relevant data files. The present invention is to add semiconductor storage device to various computer peripherals, and have the storage device readily identifiable and readable by a host computer, while the added semiconductor storage devices will not affect application functions of the computer peripherals. The computer peripherals of the present invention utilize the universal bus interface to connect with the host computer, including the application system capable of performing the application function of the computer peripherals and the additional semiconductor storage device. Through the host computer, the drive program, application program, and data files can be read or written or operated in the additional semiconductor storage device. The present invention can be used in various computer peripherals, such as printers, scanners, plotters, video cameras, modem, storage device or digital cameras, MP3, PDA, etc.

Claims

1. A method of adding storage function to computer peripherals, characterized by adding semiconductor storage devices that can be readily identified and read by a host computer into various computer peripherals, while the added semiconductor storage devices will not affect application functions of the computer peripherals.

2. The method of adding storage function to a computer peripheral according to claim 1, characterized in that said various computer peripherals or said additional semiconductor storage devices are selected to be connected with the host computer respectively through a universal bus interface switch, and identified by the host computer to performed the application functions of said various computer peripherals or the storage function of said additional semiconductor storage devices;

or said various computer peripherals and said additional semiconductor storage devices are connected simultaneously through a universal bus interface hub, whereby said various computer peripherals and said additional semiconductor storage devices can be simultaneously identified by the host computer, thereby carrying out the application function of said various computer peripherals and the storage function of said additional semiconductor storage devices;

or the universal bus interface control of said various computer peripherals and said additional semiconductor storage devices and the host is implemented by a multiple controller sub-module (70), thereby enabling the identification thereof by the host simultaneously to perform their respective functions.

3. A computer peripheral device having additional storage function, which is connected to a host computer through a universal interface, comprising an application system (400) capable of realizing the application functions of the computer peripheral device, characterized by including an additional semiconductor storage device (100), from/into which drive programs, application programs, data files, and the like can be read/written and the application programs can be carried out by the host computer.

4. The computer peripheral device having additional storage function according to claim 3, characterized in that the storage function of said semiconductor storage device is implemented by a multiple control sub-module (70) and the semiconductor memory sub-module (10) together;

the application function of the computer peripheral is implemented by the multiple control sub-module (70) and the application system sub-module (50) together;

the universal bus interface control between said application system (400) and said additional semiconductor storage device (100) and the host computer is implemented by the multiple control sub-module (70), wherein the multiple control sub-module (70) implements the connection with the host computer, interprets, converts, controls and transmits the universal interface protocol to complete the initialization and control of the universal bus interface (60);

said application system (400) and said additional semiconductor storage device (100) have different logical unit numbers, and the multiple control sub-module (70) receives data sent from the host computer through the universal bus interface (60), and distributes them to the application system sub-module (50) or the semiconductor memory sub-module (10) according to the logical unit number in the data; and

said multiple control sub-module (70) receives data packets from the application system sub-module (50) or the semiconductor memory sub-module (10), indicates the corresponding logical unit number, and sends to the host computer through the universal bus interface (60).

5. The computer peripheral device having additional storage function according to claim 3, characterized by including a universal bus interface switch or a universal bus interface hub (30), said universal bus interface switch being capable of selecting the application system (400) performing the application function of the computer peripheral to connect with the host computer to perform the application function, or selecting the additional semiconductor storage device (100) to connect with the host computer to perform the storage function;

the universal bus interface hub enabling the application system (400) performing the application function of the computer peripheral and the additional semiconductor storage device (100) to connect to the host computer simultaneously to perform their functions;

the universal bus interface switch or the universal bus interface hub (30) being connected with the host computer through the universal bus interface (60), and connected respectively with said application system (400) and said additional semiconductor storage device (100), wherein all of these connections support the bidirectional flow of the signals and data.

6. The computer peripheral device having additional storage function according to claim 3, characterized by including an additional semiconductor storage module enabling switch for enabling and disabling the function of the additional semiconductor storage device (100);

said enable switch being connected with a storage device universal bus interface controller sub-module (20).

7. The computer peripheral device having additional storage function according to claim 3, characterized in that the device protocol of floppy disk drive can be implemented when the storage function is performed, stimulating and implementing the storage function of a floppy disk running in a floppy disk drive;

or the device protocol of a CDROM drive can be implemented, thereby stimulating and implementing the storage function of a CD running in a CDROM drive;

or the device protocol of hard drive is implemented, thereby stimulating and implementing the storage function of a hard drive;

or the device protocol of ZIP disk is implemented, thereby stimulating and implementing the storage function of ZIP disk;

or further the device protocol of MO disk is implemented, thereby stimulating and implementing the storage function of MO disk.

8. The computer peripheral device having additional storage function according to claim 3, characterized in that when the storage function is performed, the device protocol supported by the device is UFI protocol, or SFF8070I protocol, or SCSI Transparent Command Set protocol, or Reduced Block Commands (RBC) T10 Project1240-D protocol, or ZIP disk protocol, or MO disk protocol.

9. The computer peripheral device having additional storage function according to claim 3, characterized by the semiconductor storage medium in said semiconductor storage medium module can be selected from Flash Memory or EEPROM or MRAM or FRAM or two or more of the aforesaid medium;

the semiconductor storage medium module corresponding to one or more memory space, each memory space corresponding a memory disk;

a special information area storing information, code, user digital signature, and the like with respect to the memory disk;

the memory space of each memory disk including a data area, a special information area and a data buffer;

the special information of said special information area including information, code, user digital signature, and the like with respect to the memory disk;

the buffer being used as temporary memory for data exchange.

10. The computer peripheral device having additional storage function according to claim 3, characterized in that said semiconductor storage device (100) includes a storage device universal bus interface controller sub-module (20) and semiconductor memory sub-module (10), which are connected sequentially and support the bidirectional flow of signals and data;

said application system (400) performing the application function of the computer peripheral includes an application universal bus interface control sub-module (40) and the application system sub-module (50), which are connected sequentially and support the directional flow of signals and data.