Extended universal serial bus (USB) card reader

• US 7,850,082 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corporation
• Original Assignee: Super Talent Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Yu, Frank I-Kang, Shen, Ming-Shiang, Lee, Charles C., Chow, David Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US11/932,118
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 235/451, 439/638
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0042 Universal serial bus [USB]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/3804 Memory card connected to a computer port directly or by means of a reader/writer

Abstract

An extended universal serial bus (USB) card reader device is described herein. In one embodiment, a card reader includes a first extended USB (EUSB) connector to be coupled to an external host system, multiple flash memory card sockets capable of receiving multiple flash memory cards inserted therein, multiple flash controllers coupled to the plurality of flash memory card sockets respectively. The card reader further includes a memory for storing executable code, a processor coupled to each of the flash controllers for executing the executable code to control each of the plurality of flash controllers in order to access the corresponding flash memory card inserted therein. The card reader further includes a second EUSB connector to be coupled to an external EUSB device using the extended USB protocols, which is one of an EUSB slave device and an EUSB hub device. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. An extended universal serial bus (USB) card reader device, comprising:

a first extended USB (EUSB) connector to be coupled to an external host system, the first EUSB connector capable of communicating with the external host system according to extended USB protocols;

a plurality of flash memory card sockets capable of receiving a plurality of flash memory cards inserted therein;

a plurality of flash controllers coupled to the plurality of flash memory card sockets respectively, each corresponding to one of the flash memory card sockets and controlling the corresponding flash memory card sockets including reading and writing data from and to a flash memory card inserted in the associated socket;

a memory for storing executable code;

a processor coupled to each of the plurality of flash controllers, the processor executing the executable code retrieved from the memory to control each of the plurality of flash controllers in order to access the corresponding flash memory card inserted therein; and

a second EUSB connector to be coupled to an external EUSB device using the extended USB protocols, wherein the external EUSB device is one of an EUSB slave device and an EUSB hub device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of flash memory card is one of Secure-Digital, Multi-media Card, Micro Secure-Digital, or Memory Stick card.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first serial engine for coupling the first EUSB connector with the processor; and

a second serial engine for coupling the second EUSB connector with the processor.

4. The device of claim 3, further comprising a direct memory access (DMA) engine for transferring data between the external host and one or more of devices inserted into the plurality of flash memory card sockets and the EUSB interfaces.

5. A host computer system, comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a memory controller coupled to the CPU via a processor bus;

an IO (input/output) controller coupled to the memory controller;

an extended universal serial bus (EUBS) interface circuit coupled to the IO controller, the EUSB interface is configured to receive an EUSB card reader, wherein the EUSB card reader comprises

a first extended USB (EUSB) connector coupled to EUSB interface, the first EUSB connector capable of communicating with the CPU via the EUSB interface according to extended USB protocols;

a plurality of flash memory card sockets capable of receiving a plurality of flash memory cards inserted therein;

a plurality of flash controllers coupled to the plurality of flash memory card sockets respectively, each corresponding to one of the flash memory card sockets and controlling the corresponding flash memory card sockets including reading and writing data from and to a flash memory card inserted in the associated socket;

a memory for storing executable code;

a processor coupled to each of the plurality of flash controllers, the processor executing the executable code retrieved from the memory to control each of the plurality of flash controllers in order to access the corresponding flash memory card inserted therein; and

a second EUSB connector to be coupled to an external EUSB device using the extended USB protocols, wherein the external EUSB device is one of an EUSB slave device and an EUSB hub device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of flash memory card is one of Secure-Digital, Multi-media Card, Micro Secure-Digital, or Memory Stick card.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the EUSB card reader further comprises:

a first serial engine for coupling the first EUSB connector with the processor; and

a second serial engine for coupling the second EUSB connector with the processor.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the EUSB card reader further comprises a direct memory access (DMA) engine for transferring data between the external host and one or more of devices inserted into the plurality of flash memory card sockets and the EUSB interfaces.