Integrated PC Card host controller for the detection and operation of a plurality of expansion cards

• US 7,191,270 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2003
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maishi Electronic (Shanghai) Limited
• Original Assignee: O2 Micro International Limited (O2 Micro Incorporated)
• Inventors: Oh, Hyang-Kyun, Huang, Yishao Max, Brayden, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Desta, Elias
• Application Number:
  US10/655,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20040073736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 710/300, 710/301, 710/313, 235/486, 702/109, 439/76.1, 439/630, 439/638, 439/945
• US Class Current: 710/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/945 Adapter for pcb or cartridge

Abstract

An integrated controller for the detection and operation of both PC Cards, smart cards and passive smart card adapter cards. In one aspect, the invention detects the presence of standard expansion cards or passive smart card adapters by utilizing the reserved detection and voltage selection signal area defined by the PC Card specification. In another aspect, the invention provides an integrated controller that includes logic to operate either a standard expansion card or a passive smart card adapter by reassigning certain PC Card signal lines to operate a standard expansion card or a passive smart card adapter, thereby eliminating the need to provide pins in addition to those defined by the PC Card specification.

Claims

1. An adapter system to read and operate Smart Cards, said system comprising;

an integrated controller comprising first logic sets for detecting and operating a first expansion card, second logic sets for detecting and operating a second expansion card, MUX logic enabled by said first and/or second logic sets to provide communication between said first and/or second expansion card and a bus controller logic using PCMCIA or CardBus PC card communication protocols; and

an adapter dimensioned to mate with a PCMCIA type I/III socket, said adapter is further dimensioned to receive a Smart Card.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adapter comprising a circuit and a connector, said circuit is coupled to said connector, said circuit is capable operating said Smart Card through said socket.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, said integrated controller further comprising a bus interface to permit said bus controller logic to communicate with a bus.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second logic set detects said second card using PCMCIA or CardBus PC Card signal lines.