Mass storage device with near field communications

• US 7,747,797 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abraham, Dalen M., Manchester, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, ALAN S
• Application Number:
  US11/192,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07732 the record carrier having a housing or construction similar to well-known portable memory devices, such as SD cards, USB or memory sticks housings for electrical equipment in general, see H05K5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag

Abstract

A memory device may comprise a nonvolatile computer readable medium, a near field communication wireless transmitter, a nonvolatile near field communication tag memory, a data input device and a controller. The nonvolatile computer readable medium is adapted to store data in a data block format. The near field communication wireless transmitter is adapted to wireless transmit data to an external near field communication receiver. The nonvolatile near field communication tag memory is adapted to store data in a tag memory format.

Claims

1. A memory device comprising:

a nonvolatile computer readable medium adapted to store data in a data block format;

a near field communication wireless transponder comprising a near field communication wireless receiver adapted to wirelessly receive wireless network settings from a first external near field communication transmitter of a first device external to the memory device when communication is established between the memory device and the first device, wherein the wireless network settings are stored on the nonvolatile computer readable medium, and a near field communication wireless transmitter operatively coupled to the nonvolatile computer readable medium and adapted to wirelessly transmit wireless network settings to a second external near field communication receiver of a second device external to the memory device when communication is established between the memory device and the second device;

a nonvolatile near field communication tag memory adapted to store data in a tag memory format, wherein the tag memory format is incompatible with the data block format used to store data in the nonvolatile computer readable medium;

a data input device; and

a controller operatively coupled to the nonvolatile computer readable medium, the near, field communication transmitter, nonvolatile near field communication tag memory, and the data input device,

wherein the near field communication wireless transponder is adapted to translate the stored data in the data block format to the tag memory format and adapted to translate received data from the tag memory format to the data block format.

2. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, the memory device further comprising a USB connector operatively coupled to the USB interface.

3. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the near field communication receiver is adapted to translate the received data to at least one of the group consisting of the data block format and the tag memory format.

4. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile computer readable medium further comprises a public partition and a private partition, the memory device further comprising:

a decision component for receiving at least one credential and for allowing access to the private partition if the credential is authentic.

5. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the near field communication wireless transmitter is adapted to wirelessly transmit the translated data to the external near field communication receiver.

6. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the near field communication transmitter is adapted to wirelessly transmit network settings to the external near field receiver.

7. The memory device of claim 1, wherein data is stored in the near field communication tag memory, the memory device further comprising a decision component adapted to receive at least one credential and further adapted to provide access to at least a portion of the data stored in response to a valid credential.

8. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the near field communication transmitter is adapted to wirelessly transmit data to the external near field communication receiver in response to a user input received via the data input device.

9. A method of communicating wireless network settings between a first device and a second device comprising:

providing a USB device including a controller, a nonvolatile computer readable medium, a near field communication transponder and a nonvolatile near field communication tag memory adapted to store data in a tag memory format, wherein the tag memory format is incompatible with the format used to store data in the nonvolatile computer readable medium;

establishing communication between the USB device and a first device external to the USB device;

receiving wireless network settings from the first device;

storing the wireless network settings on the nonvolatile computer readable medium;

establishing communication with a second device comprising a near field communication receiver;

translating the wireless network settings from the nonvolatile computer readable medium format to a tag memory format; and

wirelessly transmitting the wireless network settings to the second device.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein receiving the wireless network settings from/the first device comprises receiving the wireless network settings in an extensible markup language (XML) data format from the first device,

wherein storing the wireless network settings on the nonvolatile computer readable medium comprises storing the wireless network settings on the nonvolatile computer readable medium in the XML format,

wherein translating the wireless network settings comprises translating the wireless network setting from the XML format to a binary format, and

wherein wirelessly transmitting the wireless network settings to the second device comprises wirelessly transmitting the translated wireless network settings in binary format to the second device.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a capacity of the nonvolatile computer readable medium; and

editing the wireless network settings based on the capacity of the nonvolatile computer readable medium.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a capacity of the nonvolatile computer readable medium; and

deleting the wireless network settings from the nonvolatile computer readable medium after wirelessly transmitting the wireless network settings to the second device based on the capacity of the nonvolatile computer readable medium.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the wireless network settings from the first device comprises receiving the wireless network settings from the first device via a USB connector operatively coupled to the controller.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

applying the wireless network settings at the second device;

establishing wireless communication with a wireless network based on the wireless network settings.

15. A Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive comprising:

a controller including a USB interface, a nonvolatile computer readable medium interface and a near field communication tag interface;

a nonvolatile computer readable medium adapted to store data in a data block format;

a near field communication wireless transponder operatively coupled to the nonvolatile computer readable medium, and comprising a near field communication wireless receiver adapted to wirelessly receive wireless network settings from a first external near field communication device external to the USB flash drive when communication is established between the USB flash drive and the first external near field communication device, wherein the wireless network settings are stored on the nonvolatile computer readable medium, and a near field communication wireless transmitter adapted to wirelessly transmit wireless network settings to a second external near field communication device external to the USB flash drive when communication is established between the USB flash drive and the second external near field communication device;

a nonvolatile near field communication tag memory adapted to store data in a tag memory format incompatible with the data block format used to store data in the nonvolatile computer readable medium; and

a plurality of data input devices, wherein each data input device is associated with a data component stored in at least one of the group consisting of;

the nonvolatile computer readable medium and the nonvolatile near field communication tag memory

wherein the near field communication wireless transponder is adapted to translate the stored data in the data block format to the tag memory format and adapted to translate received data from the tag memory format to the data block format.

16. The USB flash drive of claim 15, wherein the near field communication wireless transponder is adapted to wirelessly transmit a data component to the external near field communication device in response to a user input received via the data input device associated with the data component.

17. The USB flash drive of claim 15,

wherein the near field communication wireless transponder is adapted to wirelessly receive a data component from the external near field communication device;

wherein the near field communication wireless transponder is adapted to store the data component in at least one of the group consisting of the nonvolatile computer readable medium and the near field communication memory; and

wherein the near field communication wireless transponder is adapted to associate the data component with at least one of the plurality of data input devices.

18. The USB flash drive of claim 15, wherein the near field communication transponder and the near field communication tag memory together comprise a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag.

19. The USB flash drive of claim 15, wherein the nonvolatile computer readable medium comprises a flash memory.