Data storage device and data storage device tracing system

• US 20080268896A1
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Imation Corporation (Glassbridge Enterprises, Inc.)
• Inventors: Langlois, Denis J., Gupta, Sanjay, Lala Balaji, Purushotham G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,953,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 21/00 Systems for transmitting the position of an object with respect to a predetermined reference system, e.g. tele-autographic system

Abstract

A data storage device tracing system includes at least one container configured to maintain at least one electronic data storage device, a two-way radio coupled to each of the container(s), and a network including a network coordinator configured to transmit to and receive data from the two-way radio. In this regard, the two-way radio communicates real-time container location data to the network coordinator to enable real-time tracing of the container(s) and the electronic data storage device(s).

Claims

1. A data storage device tracing system comprising:

at least one container configured to maintain at least one electronic data storage device;

a two-way radio coupled to the at least one container; and

a network including a network coordinator configured to transmit to and receive data from the two-way radio;

wherein the two-way radio communicates real-time container location data to the network coordinator to enable real-time tracing of the at least one container and the at least one electronic data storage device.

2. The data storage device tracing system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a star topology characterized by data communication between the two-way radio of the container and the network coordinator.

3. The data storage device tracing system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one sensor coupled to the container and configured to communicate with the two-way radio;

wherein the at least one sensor communicates real-time container condition information to the network coordinator.

4. The data storage device tracing system of claim 3, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a plurality of sensors including a temperature sensor and an acceleration sensor.

5. The data storage device tracing system of claim 1, wherein the container comprises a sleeve including a first compartment configured to receive one electronic data storage device and a second compartment housing the two-way radio.

6. The data storage device tracing system of claim 5, wherein the second compartment of the sleeve houses a GPS unit and an RFID reader unit, and further wherein the electronic data storage device comprises a device RFID tag configured to be read by the RFID reader unit.

7. The data storage device tracing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one container is configured to maintain a plurality of data storage devices, each of the data storage devices including:

a housing defining an enclosure;

data storage media disposed within the enclosure; and

a device two-way radio coupled to the housing;

wherein the device two-way radio communicates real-time data storage device location data to the network coordinator.

8. The data storage device tracing system of claim 7, wherein the device two-way radio comprises a system-on-a-chip (SOC), the SOC configured to be compliant with IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee standard.

9. The data storage device tracing system of claim 8, wherein the SOC comprises an electronic memory, the memory configured to log the real-time data storage device location data when the device two-way radio is out of range of the network coordinator.

10. The data storage device tracing system of claim 9, wherein the SOC comprises an electronic address that is addressable by the network coordinator, and further wherein network coordinator is configured to permit the memory of the SOC to download the real-time data storage device location data when the device two-way radio enters within range of the network coordinator.

11. The data storage device tracing system of claim 8, wherein the network comprises a wireless personal area network having a mesh topology characterized by data communication between the device two-way radios of the data storage devices and by data communication between the device two-way radios and the network coordinator.

12. The data storage device tracing system of claim 8, wherein the device two-way radio operates at a frequency of one of 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz and has a data transmission rate of about 250 kbits per second.

13. The data storage device tracing system of claim 1, wherein the network coordinator communicates with a computer, the computer including a software database configured to store a log of the real-time container location data for subsequent transmission over the network.

14. A data storage device configured to be traced in a network of traceable data storage devices, the data storage device comprising:

a housing defining an enclosure;

data storage media disposed within the enclosure; and

a device two-way radio coupled to the housing;

wherein the device two-way radio communicates real-time data storage device location data to the network coordinator that is configured to communicate with the network of traceable data storage devices.

15. The data storage device of claim 14, wherein the device two-way radio is coupled to an interior surface of the housing.

16. The data storage device of claim 14, wherein the device two-way radio comprises a system-on-a-chip (SOC), the SOC comprising an IEEE 802.15.4 physical layer operable at 2.4 GHz and a ZigBee media access control layer communicating with the physical layer.

17. The data storage device of claim 14, wherein the device two-way radio communicates real-time data storage device location data to the network coordinator, the network coordinator configured to communicate with a cellular network of traceable data storage devices.

18. A data storage device tracing system comprising:

at least one container configured to maintain at least one electronic data storage device;

a network including a network coordinator; and

means for the network coordinator to transmit to and receive real-time container location data from the container.

19. The data storage device tracing system of claim 18, wherein the at least one electronic data storage device comprises an active transceiver device that is configured to transmit to and receive real-time data from the network coordinator.

20. The data storage device tracing system of claim 18, wherein the at least one container comprises a two-way radio coupled to the at least one container that is configured to communicate with the network coordinator, and the at least one electronic data storage device comprises an RFID device tag coupled to a housing of the device that is configured to communicate with a reader unit that is provided separately from the network coordinator.