Wireless enabled memory module

• US 7,440,774 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2003
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Socket Mobile, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Socket Mobile, Inc.
• Inventors: Croome, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zewdu, Meless N
• Application Number:
  US10/510,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20060056326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,023 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/3.01, 455 303- 306, 455 412- 413, 455/66.1, 455/88, 455/344, 455346-349, 455351-352, 455/403, 455/410, 455418-420, 455/426.2, 455/434, 455/462, 455/465, 455/500, 455/507, 455/508, 455/514, 455557-558, 4555561-5562, 455/561, 3482112-2113, 709/203, 709/209, 709/216, 370/285, 370/293, 370/310, 370/315, 370/328, 370/338, 370/363, 370/368, 370/371, 370/374, 370/378, 370381-385
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• 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: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A wireless-enabled memory module provides host devices access to a memory via a standard memory expansion interface and further incorporates embedded processing capability and a wireless network capability. The wireless-enabled memory module can be used in any host device providing a compatible memory card controller and interface. Host devices so equipped become wireless-memory enabled devices and can provide memory access to any other remote device enabled for compatible wireless communications. It is thereby possible for a remote device to access the memory content of the memory module, and cause transfers of either full-size or scaled versions of the content to the remote device through a first network, and optionally further transfer the content from the remote device through a second network to the Internet in the form of an e-mail message or MMS attachment.

Claims

1. A removable module for coupling to a digital host and a wireless network, the coupling to the host being via an expansion port of the host, the wireless network having at least one remote wireless device, the module comprising:

a host-to-module interface including host-to-module interconnect enabled to removably couple with the host and a host-to-module interface controller coupled to the host-to-module interconnect;

wireless transceiver circuitry adapted to couple with the wireless network;

a memory controller coupled to the host-to-module interface controller;

an embedded non-volatile memory coupled to the memory controller;

a control sub-system coupled to the wireless transceiver circuitry and the memory controller, the control sub-system being adapted to at least in part control data transfers between the memory and the wireless network without requiring any action by the host; and

wherein the host-to-module interface controller, the wireless transceiver circuitry, the memory controller, the embedded non-volatile memory, and the control sub-system are contained in a shared housing.

2. The removable module of claim 1, wherein the host-to-module interconnect and the host-to-module interface controller are implemented in accordance with the CompactFlash standard.

3. The removable module of claim 1, wherein the host-to-module interconnect and the host-to-module interface controller are implemented in accordance with the Secure Digital (SD) standard.

4. The removable module of claim 1, wherein the host-to-module interface controller, the memory controller, and the control sub-system are all on a single ASIC.

5. The removable module of claim 1, further including media scaling circuitry.

6. The removable module of claim 5, wherein the media scaling circuitry selectively produces a version of a requested portion of the embedded non-volatile memory content that is scaled to a selected one of a plurality of available scaling factors.

7. The removable module of claim 6, wherein the plurality of scaling factors includes a thumbnail scaling factor.

8. The removable module of claim 6, wherein the plurality of scaling factors includes at least a small and a large scaling factor.

9. The removable module of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry is implemented in accordance with the BlueTooth standard.

10. The removable memory of claim 1, wherein the module is adapted to provide at least a first type of memory access that enables the at least one remote wireless device to access the memory without requiring any action by the host.

11. The removable memory of claim 10, wherein the module is further adapted to provide at least a second type of memory access that enables the host to access the memory without requiring any action by the control sub-system.

12. The removable memory of claim 11, wherein the module is adapted to provide the first and second types of memory access without requiring any adaptation of the host beyond compatibility between the expansion port an the host-to-module interface.

13. The removable memory of claim 1, wherein at least some of the data transfers from the memory to the wireless network are directed by the at least one remote wireless device.

14. The removable memory of claim 1, wherein the expansion port is a host expansion slot for receiving a removable module, the shared housing is adapted in at least two dimensions to fit within the host expansion slot, and the module is adapted to operate while at least partly inside the host.

15. The removable memory of claim 1, wherein the expansion port is a host expansion slot for receiving a removable module, the shared housing is adapted to fit within the host expansion slot, and the module is adapted to operate while inside the host.

16. A removable module for operative coupling to a digital host, a removable memory, and a wireless network, the coupling to the host being via an expansion port of the host, the wireless network having at least one remote wireless device, the module comprising:

a host-to-module interface including host-to-module interconnect enabled to removably couple with the host and a host-to-module interface controller coupled to the host-to-module interconnect;

wireless transceiver circuitry adapted to couple with the wireless network;

a removable memory controller coupled to the host-to-module interface controller;

a slot for receiving and coupling the removable memory to the removable memory controller;

a control sub-system coupled to the wireless transceiver circuitry and the removable memory controller, the control sub-system being adapted to at least in part control data transfers between the memory and the wireless network without requiring any action by the host; and

wherein the host-to-module interface controller, the wireless transceiver circuitry, the removable memory controller, and the control sub-system are contained in a shared housing.

17. The removable module of claim 16, wherein the host-to-module interconnect and the host-to-module interface controller are implemented in accordance with the CompactFlash standard.

18. The removable module of claim 16, wherein the host-to-module interconnect and the host-to-module interface controller are implemented in accordance with the Secure Digital (SD) standard.

19. The removable module of claim 16, wherein the host-to-module interface controller, the removable memory controller, and the control sub-system are all on a single ASIC.

20. The removable module of claim 16, further including media scaling circuitry.

21. The removable module of claim 20, wherein the media scaling circuitry selectively produces a version of a requested portion of the removable memory content that is scaled to a selected one of a plurality of available scaling factors.

22. The removable module of claim 21, wherein the plurality of scaling factors includes a thumbnail scaling factor.

23. The removable module of claim 21, wherein the plurality of scaling factors includes at least a small and a large scaling factor.

24. The removable module of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry is implemented in accordance with the BlueTooth standard.

25. The removable memory of claim 16, wherein the module is adapted to provide at least a first type of memory access that enables the at least one remote wireless device to access the memory without requiring any action by the host.

26. The removable memory of claim 25, wherein the module is further adapted to provide at least a second type of memory access that enables the host to access the memory without requiring any action by the control sub-system.

27. The removable memory of claim 26, wherein the module is adapted to provide the first and second types of memory access without requiring any adaptation of the host beyond compatibility between the expansion port an the host-to-module interface.

28. The removable memory of claim 16, wherein at least some of the data transfers from the memory to the wireless network are directed by the at least one remote wireless device.

29. The removable memory of claim 16, wherein the expansion port is a host expansion slot for receiving a removable module, the shared housing is adapted in at least two dimensions to fit within the host expansion slot, and the module is adapted to operate while at least partly inside the host.

30. The removable memory of claim 16, wherein the expansion port is a host expansion slot for receiving a removable module, the shared housing is adapted to fit within the host expansion slot, and the module is adapted to operate while inside the host.

31. A method of transferring data, the method comprising:

coupling a wireless-enabled removable module to an expansion port of a host;

coupling a non-volatile memory to the removable module;

transferring data of a first type between the host and the non-volatile memory;

communicating with the removable module over a first wireless network from a remote wireless-enabled device;

through a user interface of the remote device, directing a control sub-system of the removable module;

under the control of the control sub-system as directed by the remote device, transferring data of a second type between the remote device and the non-volatile memory; and

wherein the communicating, the directing, and the transferring data of the second type are performed using browser-server transactions between a browser on the remote device and a web server executing in the control sub-system, and without requiring any action by the host.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the host is a digital camera.

33. The removable memory of claim 31, wherein the data of the first type is transferred without requiring any action by the control sub-system for the web server.