Computer system, external storage, converter system, and recording medium for converting a serial command and data standard to a parallel one

• US 6,199,122 B1
• Filed: 07/22/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Device Limited (Tokyo Electron Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Device Limited (Tokyo Electron Limited)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Toshiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Application Number:
  US09/120,326
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 714/724, 371/22.1, 371/22.3, 371/22.5, 371/22.6, 709/250, 709/214, 710/36
• US Class Current: 710/36
• 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 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0676 Magnetic disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/08 from or to individual record carriers, e.g. punched card , memory card, integrated circuit [IC] card or smart card

Abstract

In order to access a memory card of the ATA specification, a computer generates a command based on the USB. A conversion controller in a reader/writer receives the command and converts it into a command of the ATA specification and supplies it to a controller of the ATA specification. The controller accesses the memory card based on the command of the ATA specification thus supplied. The conversion controller converts the formats of the data of the USB specification and the data of the ATA specification to each other. Consequently, the computer can access the memory card of the ATA specification constituting a conventional standard product using the USB of serial communication smaller in the area occupied by the connector.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a computer including a computer-side serial interface for issuing at least one command and data based on a serial communication standard through said computer-side serial interface;

a storage-side serial interface connected to said computer-side serial interface;

conversion means having a ROM storing a program m for receiving the at least one command and data based on said serial communication standard supplied through said computer-side serial interface and said storage-side serial interface and converting the at least one command and data into a corresponding at least one parallel command and data based on a parallel communication standard, said conversion means automatically converting the received at least one command and data based on said serial communication standard into the at least one parallel command and data based on the parallel communication standard in accordance with the program stored in said ROM; and

an external storage having access means and including a removable storage medium, said access means controlling access to said removable storage medium in accordance with the at least one parallel command and data based on the parallel communication standard supplied from said conversion means.

2. A computer system according to claim 1, wherein said computer issues the at least one command based on a USB (Universal Serial Bus) serial communication standard, said conversion means converts a command based on said USB standard into at least one corresponding parallel command based on an ATA (AT Attachment) parallel communication standard.

3. A computer system according to claim 1, wherein said ROM stored program is a program for converting at least one command based on a USB (Universal Serial Bus) serial communication standard into at least one command based on an ATA (AT Attachment) parallel communication standard, said conversion means includes a conversion controller operating in accordance with the program stored in said ROM for converting the at least one command and data based on the USB standard into the at least one command and data based on the ATA standard, and said access means includes an ATA controller for controlling the access to said removable storage medium based on the ATA standard.

4. An external storage accessed by a computer, comprising:

conversion means configured to be connectable to a serial communication terminal of the computer and including a ROM storing a program for receiving a first command and data based on a first standard supplied from said computer and converting the received command and data into a second command and data based on a second standard different from said first standard said conversion means automatically converting the first command and data into the second command and data under control of said program stored in said ROM; and

access means for controlling access to a storage medium removably connected to said conversion means according to the second command and data supplied from said conversion means.

5. An external storage according to claim 4 wherein said first standard is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard and said second standard is an ATA (AT Attachment) standard.

6. An external storage according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said conversion means includes means for converting serial data of format based on the first standard and supplied serially from said computer into parallel data of format based on the second standard, said access means includes means for writing the data of the format based on said second standard into said storage medium in response to a write command based on said second standard supplied from said conversion means, said access means reads the data stored in said storage medium in response to a read command based on the second standard supplied from said conversion means and supplies the data to said conversion means in accordance with a format based on said second standard, and said conversion means includes means for converting the data supplied from said access means into serial data of format based on said first standard and supplying the data thus converted to said computer.

7. An external storage according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said conversion means includes means for sending a response to said computer without converting a command, which is included in commands supplied from the computer and which is capable of responding to the computer without using the access means, into a command based on the second standard, and for supplying a command, which is included in the commands supplied from the computer and required for accessing the storage medium by means of the access means, to the access means with said command being converted into a command based on the second standard.

8. An external storage according to claim 4 or 5, comprising mounting means for mounting said storage medium removably, wherein said access means accesses said storage medium mounted on said mounting means.

9. An external storage according to claim 8, wherein said mounting means includes a plurality of mounting members for selectively mounting a plurality of removable storage media.

10. An external storage according to claim 8, wherein said storage medium includes a flash memory, and said external storage functions substantially in similar fashion to a magnetic disk drive.

11. An external storage according to claim 4 or 5, comprising mounting means for mounting said storage medium removably, wherein said access means is arranged in said storage medium mounted on said mounting means.

12. An external storage according to claim 11, wherein said mounting means includes a plurality of mounting members for selectively mounting a plurality of removable storage media.

13. A converter system comprising:

a first node based on a serial communication standard;

a second node based on a parallel communication standard;

conversion means for converting a command based on the serial communication standard supplied serially through said first node into a corresponding parallel command based on the parallel communication standard and outputting said parallel command to said second node in the case where said command based on said serial communication standard is a command requiring access to a system based on said parallel communication standard; and

transmission means for transmitting through said first node a response to a command based on the serial communication standard supplied serially through said first node without converting said command into a command based on the parallel communication standard in the case where said command based on said serial communication standard is a command not requiring access to said system.

14. A converter system according to claim 13, wherein said serial communication standard is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, said parallel communication standard is an ATA (AT Attachment) standard, and said system includes an external storage based on the ATA standard.

15. A converter system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein said conversion means includes means for converting the format of data based on said serial communication standard supplied through said first node into the data of the format based on said parallel communication standard and outputting said data to said second node, and means for converting data of the format based on said parallel communication standard supplied through said second node into data of the format based on said serial communication standard and outputting said data to said first node.

16. A converter system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein said first node is connected to a serial communication terminal based on said serial communication standard of a computer, and said second node is connected to access means for accessing a storage medium based on a command supplied from said conversion means.

17. A converter system according to claim 16, wherein said second node is fixedly connected to said access means, and said access means is connected to means for accessing a removably-mounted storage medium.

18. A converter system according to claim 16, wherein said second node is removably connected to said access means, and said access means accesses said storage medium while being connected to said second node.

19. A converter system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein said conversion means and said transmission means include a memory for storing a program for converting a command based on the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard into a command based on the ATA (AT Attachment) standard and a program for responding to a command based on the USB standard, and a processor for receiving a command supplied through said first node and executing a program corresponding to said received command thereby to convert a command or respond to a command.

20. A recording medium for storing a program including an instruction for instructing a processor to convert a command based on a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard into a command based on an ATA (AT Attachment) standard, an instruction for instructing the processor to respond to a command based on the USB standard, an instruction for instructing the processor to convert data of a format based on the USB standard into data of a format based on the ATA standard, an instruction for instructing the processor to convert data of the format based on the ATA standard into data of the format based on the USB standard.