Method for data communication between a wireless and an electronic device, and a data communication device

• US 8,867,631 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2007
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Memory Technologies LLC (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Memory Technologies LLC (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Inkinen, Sami, Vapaakoski, Simo
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, TANMAY K
• Application Number:
  US11/687,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20070259622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,773 Days
• Field of Search: 375/259, 375/327
• US Class Current: 375/259
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/3814 Wireless link with a computer system port
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for wireless data communication between a wireless device having means for short-range data communication, and an electronic device includes mounting a data communication device having means for short-range radio frequency wireless data communication in a general purpose expansion memory location of the electronic device, activating a short-range radio frequency wireless data communication link between the wireless device and the data communication device, and transmitting data between the electronic device and the wireless device so that the wireless device operates as an ordinary expansion memory from the view point of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accepting a first wireless data communication device into a memory expansion interface of an electronic device, wherein said memory expansion interface is compliant with a defined memory expansion interface specification and wherein said first wireless data communication device comprises a data storage memory configured to be read and written through said memory expansion interface by use of instructions compliant with the defined memory expansion interface specification, and the first wireless data communication device further comprises a wireless data communication unit configured to receive, from said memory expansion interface, data to be wirelessly transmitted and to send, to said memory expansion interface, data that is wirelessly received, the first wireless data communication device configured to wirelessly transmit the data received from said memory expansion interface responsive, at least in part, to an instruction to store the data, wherein the instruction is compliant with the defined memory expansion interface specification, and the instruction is received via said memory expansion interface; and

configuring the first wireless data communication device so that the data storage memory of said first wireless data communication device is one of readable and writable from a second wireless data communication device via a wireless link established with said wireless data communication unit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing data from the electronic device to the first wireless data communication device and storing the provided data in said data storage memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting data between the first wireless data communication device and the second wireless data communication device uses an industrial, scientific, medical (ISM) frequency band.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting data between the first wireless data communication device and the second wireless data communication device is in accordance with a Bluetooth standard.

5. The method of claim 1, where the second wireless data communication device is comprised of a printer configured to print data transmitted by the first wireless data communication device.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising inhibiting access by the electronic device to said data storage memory while data stored in the data storage memory of said first wireless data communication device is wirelessly transmitted to the second wireless data communication device.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

an interface configured to connect said apparatus to a memory expansion interface of an electronic device, wherein said interface is compliant with a defined memory expansion interface specification;

a data storage memory configured to be read and written through said interface, where data is read from and written to the data storage memory by use of instructions compliant with the defined memory expansion interface specification; and

a wireless data communication unit configured to receive via said interface data to be wirelessly transmitted and to send via said interface data that is wirelessly received, the wirelessly transmitting of the data occurring responsive, at least in part, to instructions to store the data, the instructions received via the interface and the instruction compliant with the defined memory expansion interface specification.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, where said wireless data communication unit uses an industrial, scientific, medical (ISM) frequency band.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, where said wireless data communication unit is compliant with a Bluetooth standard.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, where said wireless data communication unit is compliant with a Bluetooth standard and comprises a Bluetooth radio unit, link control and management unit and software facilities.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, embodied as a card that fits in a location that is compliant with the defined memory expansion interface specification.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, where said interface is configured to physically connect to a device that comprises a digital camera.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, where said wireless data communication unit is compliant with a Bluetooth standard and is configurable to wirelessly connect said apparatus to a device that comprises a printer.

13. The apparatus of claim 6, where said memory expansion interface is compliant with a Flash memory expansion interface specification.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, where said data storage memory is comprised of Flash memory.

21. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a controller configured to inhibit access by the electronic device to the data storage memory when data stored in the data storage memory is wirelessly transmitted.

15. A method, comprising:

accepting an apparatus into a memory expansion interface of an electronic device, where said memory expansion interface is compliant with a defined memory expansion interface specification, said apparatus comprising a data storage memory and a wireless data communication unit; and

operating said apparatus to at least one of read and write said data storage memory through said interface and to receive via said interface at said wireless data communication unit data to be wirelessly transmitted and to send to said interface data that is wirelessly received, where data is read from and written to the data storage memory by the apparatus by use of instructions compliant with the defined memory expansion interface specification, wherein at least one of wireless transmission of data received via said interface, and sending to said interface data that is wirelessly received, is performed responsive, at least in part, to a write or read command, respectively, that is received via the memory expansion interface and that is compliant with the defined memory expansion interface specification.

16. The method of claim 15, where said wireless data communication unit uses an industrial, scientific, medical (ISM) frequency band.

17. The method of claim 15, where said wireless data communication unit is compliant with a Bluetooth standard and comprises a Bluetooth radio unit, link control and management unit and software facilities.

18. The method of claim 15, where said memory expansion interface is compliant with a Flash memory expansion interface specification and where said data storage memory is comprised of Flash memory.

19. The method of claim 15, where the defined memory expansion interface specification is compliant with an ATA (attachment interface) specification.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising inhibiting access by the apparatus to said data storage memory while data stored in the data storage memory is wirelessly transmitted to another apparatus.