Cooperative interconnection and operation of a non-volatile memory card and an input-output card
First Claim
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1. A method of communicating data between a non-volatile memory card and an external device, the method comprising:
- when a non-volatile memory card is connected with a host system via a set of electrical contacts located at a first edge of the memory card and the memory card is electrically and mechanically attached to an input-output card via a connector located at a second edge of the memory card opposite the first edge and a mating connector on the input-output card;
receiving data at the memory card from the external device through the input-output card rather than through the host system, wherein receiving the data includes transferring the data received from the external device to memory located on the memory card via the input-output card and via the connector located at the second edge of the memory card and the mating connector on the input-output card while the connector located at the second edge of the memory card is attached directly to the mating connector on the input output card, but without transferring the data to the host via the electrical contacts at the first edge of the memory card;
wherein the memory card comprises a secure digital (SD) memory card and wherein the set of electrical contacts comprises plural data contacts for receiving data in parallel from the host system for storage in the memory of the memory card and to send data in parallel from the memory card to the host system; and
wherein one of the connector located at the second edge of the memory card and the mating connector on the input-output card includes resilient elements that are biased towards each other and the other of the connector located at the second edge of the memory card and the mating connector on the input-output card includes structures insertable between the resilient elements for effecting the electrical and mechanical attachment of the memory card to the input-output card.
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Abstract
Very small non-volatile memory cards are modified to include a connector to which a connector on a separate data input-output card electrically and mechanically mates when pushed together. The input-output card transfers data directly between an external device and the non-volatile memory, without having to go through the host to which the memory card is connected. The input-output card communicates with the external device through a wired or a wireless communication channel.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method of communicating data between a non-volatile memory card and an external device, the method comprising:
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when a non-volatile memory card is connected with a host system via a set of electrical contacts located at a first edge of the memory card and the memory card is electrically and mechanically attached to an input-output card via a connector located at a second edge of the memory card opposite the first edge and a mating connector on the input-output card; receiving data at the memory card from the external device through the input-output card rather than through the host system, wherein receiving the data includes transferring the data received from the external device to memory located on the memory card via the input-output card and via the connector located at the second edge of the memory card and the mating connector on the input-output card while the connector located at the second edge of the memory card is attached directly to the mating connector on the input output card, but without transferring the data to the host via the electrical contacts at the first edge of the memory card;
wherein the memory card comprises a secure digital (SD) memory card and wherein the set of electrical contacts comprises plural data contacts for receiving data in parallel from the host system for storage in the memory of the memory card and to send data in parallel from the memory card to the host system; andwherein one of the connector located at the second edge of the memory card and the mating connector on the input-output card includes resilient elements that are biased towards each other and the other of the connector located at the second edge of the memory card and the mating connector on the input-output card includes structures insertable between the resilient elements for effecting the electrical and mechanical attachment of the memory card to the input-output card. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification