Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-04
2001-09-11
Nguyen, Than (Department: 2187)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
C710S002000, C710S003000, C710S004000, C710S005000, C710S006000, C710S036000, C711S001000, C711S004000, C711S005000, C711S102000, C711S103000, C711S115000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289397
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a data storage device to be interfaced with a computer as a peripheral, and more specifically to such a device adapted for use not only with usual storage media for storing computer data but with those having prewritten thereon programs or software that is not used by the computer, such as a new version of interfacing firmware and a self-testing program for the peripheral.
Examples of the data storage device envisaged by the present invention include, but are not limited to, all such currently known devices as flexible magnetic disk drives, CD-ROM drives, optical disk drives, magneto-optical disk drives, and magnetic tape transports, all such devices being alike in their potential capability of use with the noted two different kinds of storage media.
There recently have been introduced to the market the personal computers that have what is called a universal serial bus (USB) port for connection of peripherals via serial USB interfaces. A plurality of peripherals, each with a USB interface, may be connected what is termed a USB hub via separate USB cables and thence to the USB port of the computer via a single USB cable. USB connections are acknowledged to greatly enhance the versatility of computer systems.
The USB interface, which may, or may not, be built into each peripheral, includes a central processor unit, a random access memory, a read-only memory, etc. For adapting the peripheral to the specific computer in use, the USB interface ROM stores system software commonly known as firmware. Computer manufacturers and users alike have experienced difficulties in changing the ROM firmware, usually in upgrading it to a later version. The following two methods have so far been available for this purpose:
1. Replacing the ROM itself by a new one holding the new version.
2. Building an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), instead of a simple nonprogrammable ROM, into the USB interface for firmware storage, permitting the user to rewrite the firmware as the need arises.
The first described method involves the trouble of sending the complete peripheral to the manufacturer or to the authorized service shop at the costs of considerable time, labor and expense. Although this trouble is absent from the second method, reprogramming by the user himself is no easy task, with a high likelihood of write errors being introduced into the firmware, potentially seriously affecting the performance of the peripheral or of the complete computer system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to make a data storage device, which is to be connected to a computer as a peripheral, capable of interchangeable use with a first kind of storage medium for storing data used by the computer and a second kind of storage medium storing data not used by the computer, thereby enabling the data storage device to utilize the second kind of storage medium for its own purposes, totally independently of the computer.
The present invention further seeks to apply the above fundamental concept to firmware upgrading or rewriting and, in so doing, to overcome all the inconveniences encountered with the listed conventional methods.
The present invention also seeks to apply the above fundamental concept to the self-testing of the data storage device including an interface.
Most broadly, the invention may be summarized as a data storage device to be connected to a computer via connector means, for interchangeable use with a first kind of storage medium for storing data used by the computer and a second kind of storage medium storing data not used by the computer. The data storage device comprises: (a) data transfer means for data transfer with the first or the second kind of storage medium as these media are interchangeably loaded in the data storage device, the data transfer means being capable of at least reading the first or the second kind of storage medium; (b) means for determining whether or not the data storage device is connected to the computer in terms of data transmission, in order to permit the data storage device to operate under the control of the computer when the data storage device is determined to be connected to the computer; (c) means for identifying the storage medium loaded in the data storage device; and (d) means for causing the data transfer means to read the loaded storage medium when the data storage device is determined to be not connected to the computer and, at the same time, when the loaded storage medium is identified as being of the second kind.
Preferably, the first kind of storage medium is a standard data storage medium, and the second kind a software storage medium, both in disk form to be loaded interchangeably in the disk drive. The software storage medium takes the form of a firmware disk, storing a new interfacing firmware version, in one embodiment of the invention, and a self-testing program disk for the data storage device (i.e. disk drive) in another. The self-testing program disk has prewritten thereon a set of diagnostic tests to be conducted on various components and operations of the disk drive including the interface.
Thus, stated in another aspect thereof, the present invention concerns a data storage device, to be interfaced with a computer, for interchangeable use with a data storage medium and a firmware storage medium, the latter holding a new version of interfacing firmware. The device comprises: (a) interface means including an erasable, programmable memory on which is stored an old version of interfacing firmware; (b) means for determining whether or not the data storage device is connected to the computer in terms of data transmission, in order to permit the data transfer means to make data transfer with the data storage medium under the control of the computer when the data storage device is determined to be connected to the computer; (c) means for identifying the loaded storage medium as a firmware storage medium when the data storage device is determined to be not connected to the computer; and (d) means for replacing the old firmware version on the memory of the interface means by the new version on the firmware storage medium when the data storage device is determined to be not connected to the computer and, at the same time, when the loaded storage medium is identified as a firm-ware storage medium.
The invention utilizes a reprorgrammable ROM for interfacing firmware storage like the prior art but, unlike the prior art, in combination with a firmware storage medium holding the new firmware version. The user may therefore simply insert the firmware disk in the disk drive, disconnect the disk drive from the computer, and electrically turn on the disk drive. Thereupon the old firmware version on the ROM will be automatically replaced by the new version read out from the disk according to the firmware rewrite program which has been factory introduced into the ROM.
The user no longer needs to send his machine to the manufacturer or to the local service shop for having the firmware updated. The manufacturers themselves are certain to benefit immensely from this invention, since all they have to do each time they issue a new firmware version is mail the firmware disks to the users.
Still another aspect of the invention concerns the use of a self-testing program disk instead of the firmware disk. For testing the components and operations of the storage device, including the interface, by this self-testing disk, the user may insert that disk in the disk drive, disconnect the disk drive from the computer, and electrically turn on the disk drive. Upon subsequent identification of the self-testing disk as such, the self-testing program will be transferred from the disk to an internal memory of the device, and the prescribed sets of diagnostic tests will be implemented accordingly. The user need not operate the computer in any way, it being disconnected from the disk drive during the testings.
The transfer of the self-testing program from disk to memory is necessary because the tests include th
Nakamura Satoshi
Osawa Tsuyoshi
Tsuyuguchi Hiroshi
Yabuki Sadao
Nguyen Than
Teac Corporation
Woodcock Washburn Kurtz Mackiewicz & Norris LLP
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