Wireless secondary interface for data storage device

• US 5,894,425 A
• Filed: 02/28/1997
• Issued: 04/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Quantum Corporation (Chi Ko Investment Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Quantum Corporation (Chi Ko Investment Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Saliba, George A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TZENG, FRED
• Application Number:
  US08/807,925
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 364/708.1, 178/18, 340/825.52, 395/152, 359/113, 359/142, 345/329, 345/169
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31915 In-circuit Testers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2221 to test input/output devices or peripheral units
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06

Abstract

A mass storage device includes a secondary bidirectional interface digital port connected to an embedded microcontroller, and a wireless communications path, such as an optical infra-red (IR) path, connected to the secondary bidirectional interface port for providing a wireless bidirectional secondary communications path between the embedded microcontroller and an external service unit which is not directly connected to the digital computer via a primary electrical bus structure.

Claims

1. A computer peripheral mass storage device for providing mass storage of user digital data to a computer and including an embedded device microcontroller, and a primary user data interface structure for passing digital user data recorded on storage media to a digital computer electrically connected to the computer mass storage device via a primary electrical bus structure, the computer peripheral mass storage device being included in a device housing and further comprising:

a front panel of the device housing accessible to the user,

a bidirectional optical path extending through the front panel and viewable by the user, the bidirectional optical Path including a separating device for separating light energy into two components,

a first visible light emission device operated by the embedded device microcontroller and coupled to the optical path for providing visual indication of device activity or status to the user,

a second bi-directional optical light emission/detection means coupled to the optical path and providing a wireless secondary interface of the peripheral mass storage device for receiving and sending device-specific information from and to an external device-specific data source,

optical path emission/detection support circuitry connected to the emission/detection means,

a secondary bidirectional interface digital port interconnecting the device microcontroller and the optical path emission/detection support circuitry, for enabling the embedded device microcontroller to receive and send device-specific information from and to the external device-specific data source.

4. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the device comprises a hard disk drive.

5. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the separating device comprises a prism located interiorly adjacent of the front panel for directing light energy between the path and the optical path emission/detection means in a first direction, and for directing visible light energy from the first visible light emission device to the optical path in a second direction.

6. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the optical path emission/detection means comprises an infra-red light energy emitter and an infra-red light energy receiver.

7. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the external device-specific data source comprises a portable peripheral storage device service computer in effective optical proximity to the computer peripheral mass storage device and including an optical path detection/emission means for passing light energy carrying the device-specific information between the service computer and the optical path of the computer peripheral mass storage device.

8. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 7 wherein the portable peripheral storage device service computer comprises a personal digital assistant device having a bidirectional optical port directed at the optical path of the computer peripheral mass storage device.

9. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 7 wherein the portable peripheral storage device service computer comprises a factory robot having a bidirectional optical port directed at the optical path of the computer peripheral mass storage device.

10. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the device microcontroller collects device status information and sends the device status information to the external device-specific data source via the wireless secondary interface.

11. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 1 wherein the external device-specific data source sends firmware updates to the device microcontroller via the wireless secondary interface.

2. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 2 wherein the device comprises a digital streaming tape drive.

3. The computer peripheral mass storage device set forth in claim 2 wherein the device comprises an optical disk drive.