COMPUTER IN A DONGLE

• US 20110270952A1
• Filed: 04/20/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Marvell Israel Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell Israel Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: RAY, Guy, Avital, Dudu
• Application Number:
  US13/090,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270952A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/283 Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure provide a dongle device for providing services at a network device, such as a gateway device. The dongle device includes a connector configured to connect the dongle device to a network device that performs packet switching in and out of a network and/or within the network. The connector has a power pin configured to receive a power supply from the network device to power up the dongle device, and a data pin configured to enable the dongle device to communicate with the network device. The dongle device further includes a processor configured to provide a service in the network after the dongle device is powered up.

Claims

1. A dongle device, comprising:

a connector configured to connect the dongle device to a network device that performs packet switching in and out of a network and within the network, the connector having a power pin configured to receive a power supply from the network device to power up the dongle device, and a data pin configured to enable the dongle device to communicate with the network device; and

a processor configured to provide a service in the network after the dongle device is powered up.

2. The dongle device of claim 1, wherein

the processor is configured to obtain an independent Internet protocol (IP) address to operate as an independent node in the network.

3. The dongle device of claim 1, wherein

the connector is configured to connect the dongle device to a residential gateway device that couples a local area network (LAN) to another network;

and

the processor is configured to execute instruction codes of the service, and provide the service to the LAN.

4. The dongle device of claim 1, wherein:

the connector is configured according to at least one of a universal serial bus (USB) and IEEE 1394.

5. The dongle device of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store at least the instruction codes of the service.

6. The dongle device of claim 5, wherein

a memory chip includes the memory;

and

a system-on-chip includes the processor.

7. The dongle device of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is configured to provide at least one of a cloud backup service, an antivirus service, an Internet accelerator service, a JAVA application service, a home automation service, a voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) service, a packet forwarding service, an intrusion monitor service, and a network attached storage (NAS) service.

8. The dongle device of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to receive and transmit wireless signals.

9. An electronic system, comprising:

a network device configured to perform packet switching in and out of a network and within the network; and

a dongle device comprising;

a connector configured to connect the dongle device to the network device, the connector having a power pin configured to receive a power supply from the network device to power up the dongle device, and a data pin configured to enable the dongle device to communicate with the network device; and

a processor configured to provide a service in the network after the dongle device is powered up.

10. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein

the processor is configured to obtain an independent Internet protocol (IP) address to operate as an independent node in the network.

11. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein

the network device is configured as a residential gateway device that couples a local area network (LAN) to another network;

the connector is configured to connect the dongle device to the residential gateway device; and

the processor is configured to provide the service to the LAN.

12. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein:

the connector is configured according to at least one of a universal serial bus (USB) and IEEE 1394.

13. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein the dongle device further comprises:

a memory configured to store instruction codes of the service.

14. The electronic system of claim 13, wherein the dongle device comprises:

a memory chip that includes the memory; and

a system-on-chip that includes the processor.

15. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein:

the processor is configured to provide at least one of a cloud backup service, an antivirus service, an Internet accelerator service, a JAVA application service, a home automation service, a voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) service, and a network attached storage service.

16. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein the dongle device further comprises:

a wireless transceiver configured to receive and transmit wireless signals.

17. A method for upgrading a network device, comprising:

coupling a dongle device including a packet processor and a memory to a port of the network device; and

processing packets received at the network device using the dongle device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein coupling the dongle device including the packet processor and the memory to the port of the network device further comprises:

coupling the dongle device to at least one of a universal serial bus (USB) port and an IEEE 1394 port of the network device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining an independent Internet protocol (IP) address for the dongle device to operate as an independent node in the network.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

processing the packets received at the network device according to instruction codes in the memory of the dongle device.