Multicolor Visual Feedback for Portable, Non-Volatile Storage

• US 20080297368A1
• Filed: 05/28/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyson York Winarski
• Original Assignee: Tyson York Winarski
• Inventors: Winarski, Tyson York
• Granted Patent: US 7,683,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/691.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

An improved portable storage device is disclosed having an interface, a controller in communication with this interface, a memory in communication with the controller, and a light-emitting-diode assembly in communication with the controller. The light-emitting-diode assembly has a first and a second light-emitting-diode element, the first and second light-emitting-diode elements emitting a first and a second color of light, respectively. The first light-emitting-diode element and said second light-emitting-diode element each independently controlled by the controller via pulse-width-modulation, to produce a third color which appears to be in between the first and second colors in wavelength, this third color indicative of the percent completion of an I/O task or the usage of the memory.

Claims

1. A portable storage device, comprising:

an interface,

a controller in communication with said interface,

a memory in communication with said controller, and

a light-emitting-diode assembly in communication with said controller,

said light-emitting-diode assembly comprising;

a first and a second light-emitting-diode element, said first light-emitting-diode element emitting a first color of light and said second light-emitting-diode element emitting a second color of light, said second color of light of a different wavelength than said first color of light, said first light-emitting-diode element and said second light-emitting-diode element each independently controlled by said controller, said controller pulse-width-modulating said first light-emitting-diode element and said second light-emitting-diode element light in response to a percentage change related to data such that at most only one of said light-emitting-diode elements is illuminated, and said pulse-width-modulation occurs at a frequency, said frequency ranging between 30 Hertz and 1000 Hertz, whereby said light from said light-emitting-diode assembly appears to the human eye to be of a third color which is in between said first color and said second color in wavelength.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said first color is red, and said second color is green.

3. The device of claim 1, said memory selected from the group consisting of Millipede, EEPROM, and PROM memory.

4. The device of claim 1, said interface selected from the group consisting of USB, SCSI, iSCSI, Ethernet, Fibre channel, Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), Serial ATA (SATA), IDE, TCP/IP, and Bluetooth.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said first color is red, said second color is green, and said third color chosen from the group of orange and yellow.

6. The device of claim 1, said controller shifting said pulse-width-modulation between said first light-emitting-diode element and said second light-emitting-diode element light in response to a percentage completion of an I/O job performed to said portable storage device.

7. The device of claim 1, said controller shifting said pulse-width-modulation between said first light-emitting-diode element and said second light-emitting-diode element light in response to a percentage filling of said memory of said portable storage device.

8. The device of claim 1, said pulse-width-modulation selected from the group consisting of red (100% red, 0% green), orange (60-70% red, 40-30% green), yellow (30-40% red, 70-60% green), and green (0% red, 100% green).

9. The device of claim 6, said controller pulse-width-modulating said LED assembly in accordance with the equation (first color,second color)=(P %,[100−

P]%), where P is a percentage of the size of the file being read from or written to said memory.

10. The device of claim 9, where said first color is green, and said second color is red.

11. The device of claim 9, where said first color is red, and said second color is green.

12. The device of claim 7, said controller pulse-width-modulating said LED assembly in accordance with the equation (first color,second color)=(X %,[100−

X]%), where X is a percentage of said memory which is filled with data.

13. The device of claim 12, where said first color is green, and said second color is red.

14. The device of claim 12, where said first color is red, and said second color is green.

15. A portable storage device, comprising:

an interface,

a controller in communication with said interface,

a memory in communication with said controller, and

a light-emitting-diode assembly in communication with said controller,

said controller varying the color of light emitted by said light-emitting-diode assembly based upon a percentage change related to data.

16. The device of claim 15, said controller varying the color of light emitted by said light-emitting-diode assembly in response to a percentage completion of an I/O job performed to said portable storage device.

17. The device of claim 15, said controller varying the color of light emitted by said light-emitting diode assembly in response to a percentage filling of said memory of said portable storage device.

18. The device of claim 16, said controller varying the color of light emitted by said light-emitting diode assembly in accordance with the equation (first color,second color)=(P %,[100−

P]%), where P is a percentage of the size of the file being read from or written to said memory.

19. The device of claim 18, where said first color is yellow, and said second color is blue.

20. The device of claim 17, said controller varying the color of light emitted by said light-emitting diode assembly in accordance with the equation (first color,second color)=(X %,[100−

X]%), where X is a percentage of said memory which is filled with data.