System and method to facilitate native use of small form factor devices

• US 7,454,530 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2004
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thornton, Andrew John, Cahill, Jeremy Paul, Smith, Jonathan Vines
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz; Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUN, SCOTT C
• Application Number:
  US10/918,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20050015525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling

Abstract

A system and method to facilitate communication between an associated bus, such as employs a standard bus protocol, and a connector to which a removable SFF device can be attached. A desired operating mode is selected based on the device attached at the connector, such as either to pass the protocol between the bus and device generally unchanged or to implement suitable protocol conversion for such communication. Thus, by configuring the SFF device to appear as device currently supported by the bus, the SFF device can operate at the connector with native operating system support.

Claims

1. A system to facilitate operation of a small form factor device that is removably attached at a connector, comprising:

a selection system to route data between a bus and the connector,

the selection system operating in a first mode and comprising a first interface that implements the first mode, to convert between a protocol supplied at the connector and a protocol of the bus if the device attached at the connector employs a different protocol from the protocol of the bus, wherein the protocol is a conventional protocol or a proprietary protocol, and

the selection system operating in a second mode and further comprising a second interface that implements the second mode, to pass the protocol between the bus and the connector without protocol conversion if the device attached at the connector employs a protocol supported by the bus, wherein the second interface comprises an electrical converter that adapts to power requirements of the device attached at the connector based on type information, such that the electrical converter can implement electrical conversion for the connected device so that the connected device does not have to be designed to conform to one particular electrical power standard;

a selector that connects the connector with the bus through a selected one of the first and second interfaces based on the type information; and

the connector comprising a detector that initiates a protocol read from the device attached at the connector, protocol information is then sent to the selector which connects the connector through an appropriate interface based on identification of the device attached at the connector; and

wherein if the removable device employs a protocol supported by the bus, the selector selects the interface such that the connection between the connector and the bus is a direct data connection for coupling the removable device with the bus, and if the removable device employs a protocol unsupported by the bus, the selector selects the interface such that the connector is coupled to the bus through the interface and the interface is programmed to implement appropriate protocol conversion from the unsupported protocol of the removable device to that of the bus.

2. The system of claim 1, the connector detecting the device attached at the connector and providing type information to the selection system identifying a type of the device, the selection system selecting one of the operating modes based on the type information.

3. The system of claim 2, the first interface component comprises a controller that, when connected to the bus, is exposed to the bus as a device controller supported by the bus.

4. The system of claim 3, the device controller comprises a mass storage controller to communicate data with a small form factor storage device attached at the connector.

5. The system of claim 2, the selector comprising a multiplexer.

6. The system of claim 2, the device attached at the connector being configured to employ one of the protocol of the bus and a predetermined other protocol supported by the first interface.

7. The system of claim 2, the selector is coupled between the first and second interfaces and the bus.

8. The system of claim 2, the selector is coupled between the connector and the first and second interfaces.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a hub coupled between the first and second interfaces and the bus.

10. The system of claim 1, the protocol of the bus comprising a serial bus protocol.

11. The system of claim 10, the serial bus protocol conforming to one of universal serial bus, IEEE 1164.

12. The system of claim 1, the selection system implemented as an integrated circuit.

13. The system of claim 1, the connector is a first connector, and the selection system is coupled between the first connector and a second connector, the second connector being configured to removably connect to a mating connector part that is electrically associated with the bus.

14. A system to facilitate use of an existing bus by one of a plurality of removable devices implementing at least two different bus protocols, each one of the plurality of devices adapted to expose itself to the bus as a type of device native to the existing bus, the system comprising:

a connector configured to electrically and operatively couple with each of the plurality of removable devices, wherein the connector comprises an electrical converter that adapts to power requirements of the removable devices based on type information, such that the electrical converter can implement electrical conversion for the removable devices so that the removable devices do not have to be designed to conform to one particular electrical power standard;

a selector to selectively connect the connector with the bus through a selected one of at least two interfaces based on a protocol employed by the removable device attached at the connector; and

the connector comprising a detector that initiates a protocol read from the removable devices, protocol information is then sent to the selector which connects the connector through an appropriate interface based on identification of the removable devices.

15. The system of claim 14, the selector employs the selected interface based on information that indicates the removable device attached at the connector is a predetermined type of device.

16. The system of claim 14, a first of the at least two interfaces further comprises a controller that, when connected to the bus by the selector, is exposed to the bus as a device controller native to the bus operative to convert between a protocol employed by the bus and a predetermined protocol of the removable device attached at the connector.

17. The system of claim 16, the device controller further comprises a mass storage controller to communicate data with a small form factor storage device attached at the connector.

18. The system of claim 16, a second of the at least two interfaces passes data between the connector and bus without protocol conversion.

19. The system of claim 14, the bus employs a protocol conforming to a standard serial bus protocol.

20. The system of claim 14, the selector is coupled between the interfaces and the bus.

21. The system of claim 14, the selector is coupled between the connector and the interfaces.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a hub coupled between the interfaces and the bus.

23. The system of claim 14 implemented as an integrated circuit.

24. The system of claim 14, the connector is a first connector, the selector and the interfaces coupled between the first connector and a second connector, the second connector configured to removably connect to a mating connector part associated with the bus, the system forming part of a modular connector.

25. A system to facilitate use of a small form factor device that is removably attachable to a connector, comprising:

means for converting between a standard bus protocol and a protocol employed by the small form factor device;

means for passing substantially unchanged the protocol of the small form factor device;

means for selecting a path through one of the means for converting and the means for passing in response to attaching the small form factor device at the connector;

means for connecting the connector with a bus through the selected path;

means for implementing electrical conversion for the small form factor device attached at a connector based on the type information, such that the small form factor device does not have to be designed to conform to one particular electrical power standard;

means for providing a detector that initiates a protocol read from the small form factor device; and

means for utilizing the protocol information to connect the connector through an appropriate interface based on identification of the small form factor device.

26. A method for connecting a small form factor device with an internal bus that employs a predetermined protocol, the method comprising:

detecting a type of device attached at a connector;

selecting one of at least two communications paths based on the detected type of device;

connecting the connector with the bus through the selected communications path, such that data communications with bus can occur according to the predetermined protocol of the bus;

implementing electrical conversion for the device attached at a connector based on the type information, such that the device does not have to be designed to conform to one particular electrical power standard;

providing a detector that initiates a protocol read from the device attached at a connector; and

utilizing the protocol information to connect the connector through an appropriate interface based on identification of the device attached at a connector.

27. The method of claim 26, providing type information to the selection system identifying the detected type of device, and selecting at least one operating mode having different protocol characteristics based on the type information.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

if the type information indicates a first type of device, connecting the connector with the bus through a first interface that passes data through the first interface without protocol conversion.

29. The method of claim 28, controlling electrical power provided to the connector for the device based on the type information.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

if the type information indicates a second type of device, connecting the connector with the bus through a second interface that implements protocol conversion for data communicated between the bus and the device.

31. The method of claim 30, the second interface further comprises a mass storage controller to communicate data with a small form factor storage device attached at the connector.

32. The method of claim 30, using a serial bus protocol for data communicated between each of the first and second interfaces and the bus.

33. The method of claim 32, the serial bus protocol conforming to one of universal serial bus protocol and IEEE 1394.

34. The method of claim 30, routing data communicated to and from a selected one of the first and second interfaces and the bus through a hub.