Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Input/output command process
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-21
2001-08-14
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2182)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Input/output command process
C710S005000, C710S065000, C710S074000, C235S441000, C235S492000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06275873
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter and a method of communication between the adapter and a disk cartridge drive. In particular, the present invention relates to a disk-cartridge-type adapter having the same shape as a 3.5-inch floppy disk (FPD) cartridge, for accommodating an IC card or a semiconductor memory for storing, for example, electronic money information. The adapter is inserted into a disk cartridge drive such as a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive (FDD) and is driven thereby. The present invention also relates to a method of communication between the adapter and the FDD.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disk-cartridge-type adapters are disclosed in, for example, a Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kohyo) No. 6-509194 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,043, and a Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 7-86912 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,182.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram showing one of the adapters disclosed therein. The adapter
1
a
has the same shape as a 3.5-inch FPD cartridge and incorporates a semiconductor memory
2
a
for storing, for example, electronic money data, a magnetic head
3
, an opening
4
for making the head
3
face a magnetic head of an FDD (not shown), and a battery
5
a
for supplying power to the memory
2
a.
The memory
2
a
employs the same data format as FPDs. The adapter
1
a
is inserted into the FDD so that data is transferred between the memory
2
a
and a data processor such as a personal computer through the FDD.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram showing another adapter disclosed in the publications. The adapter
1
b
has the same shape as the 3.5-inch FPD cartridge and incorporates an IC card
2
b
for storing, for example, electronic money data, a microprocessor (MPU)
6
, a magnetic head
3
, an opening
4
for making the head
3
face a magnetic head of an FDD, and a battery (or a generator)
5
b
for supplying power to the IC card
2
b
and MPU
6
.
The adapter
1
b
is inserted into the FDD so that data is transferred between the IC card
2
b
and a data processor such as a personal computer through the FDD and head
3
. The MPU
6
converts data from the data processor into data to be written into the IC card
2
b,
and data from the IC card
2
b
into data to be transferred to the data processor.
Although the prior arts describe a communication interface between the adapters and FDDs, they describe nothing about data formats transferred between the adapters and FDDs. It is understood that the adapters of the prior arts employ the same data format as that employed by FPDs. The FPD data format involves many tracks in a radial direction and many (for example, nine) sectors in a circumferential direction. If all of these tracks and sectors are used for the adapters, an FDD's seek time, an adapter's data processing time, and a data transfer time between the FDD and the adapter will be excessively long.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to improve the data processing efficiency of a disk-cartridge-type adapter.
Another object of the present invention is to improve data transfer efficiency between a disk-cartridge-type adapter and a disk cartridge drive.
In order to accomplish the objects, a first aspect of the present invention provides an adapter having a controller for controlling data transfer between the adapter and a disk cartridge drive. The controller formats data to be sent to the disk cartridge drive so that the formatted data may fit into at least part of a disk format having tracks and sectors handled by the disk cartridge drive, and assigns a specific one of the tracks to the formatted data.
A second aspect of the present invention makes the controller assign a specific one of the sectors to the formatted data.
A third aspect of the present invention makes the controller assign a specific one of the sectors to data that informs the disk cartridge drive of an access from the adapter.
A fourth aspect of the present invention makes the controller assign a specific one of the sectors to data to be transferred from the adapter to the disk cartridge drive.
A fifth aspect of the present invention makes the controller assign a specific one of the sectors to data transferred from the disk cartridge drive to the adapter.
A sixth aspect of the present invention makes the controller change the duration of a gap between adjacent sectors according to data transfer conditions.
A seventh aspect of the present invention makes the controller change the duration of the specific track according to data transfer conditions.
An eighth aspect of the present invention makes the controller change the duration of the specific track by changing the frequency dividing ratio of a reference clock signal.
A ninth aspect of the present invention provides an adapter having a first communication interface between the adapter and a disk cartridge drive, a controller for controlling the first communication interface, and a data transfer unit provided for the first communication interface, for transferring preset data to the disk cartridge drive when the controller is unavailable to control the first communication interface.
A tenth aspect of the present invention makes the preset data rewritable by software that controls the adapter.
An eleventh aspect of the present invention arranges a second communication interface between the adapter and a storage medium incorporated in the adapter. The data transfer unit transfers the preset data to the disk cartridge drive while the controller is exclusively controlling the second communication interface.
A twelfth aspect of the present invention provides the data transfer unit with a counter for counting index pulses generated at intervals of the duration of the specific track, a data pattern unit for storing data patterns and corresponding counts to be counted by the counter, and a data selector for selecting one of the output of the controller and the output of the data pattern unit according to the status of the controller.
A thirteenth aspect of the present invention makes the first communication interface transfer data at specific intervals and makes the data selector select one of the outputs at the specific intervals.
A fourteenth aspect of the present invention makes the controller send the same data in the next cycle if the controller receives no response from the first communication interface to a data transmission instruction.
A fifteenth aspect of the present invention makes the data transfer unit continuously send the preset data for each cycle in which the controller is unavailable to control the first communication interface.
A sixteenth aspect of the present invention makes the controller assign a specific sector for data to be transferred from the adapter to the disk cartridge drive and makes the data transfer unit transfer the preset data with the specific sector.
A seventeenth aspect of the present invention provides a method of communication between an adapter and a disk cartridge drive. The disk cartridge drive has a slot to receive and drive a disk cartridge that incorporates a disk. The adapter is so shaped to be inserted into the slot of the disk cartridge drive. The method fixedly positions a head of the disk cartridge drive with respect to a head of the adapter and transfers data between them in a format that is identical to at least part of a disk format having tracks and sectors handled by the disk cartridge drive. The method assigns a specific one of the tracks to data and transfers the data between the heads of the adapter and disk cartridge drive.
An eighteenth aspect of the present invention makes the method assign a specific one of the sectors to data and transfer the data with the specific sector between the heads of the adapter and disk cartridge drive.
The first to eighteenth aspects of the present invention shorten a data transfer time. These aspects make the data transfer unit send the preset data if the controller is unavailable to control the first communicati
Akasaka Nobuhiko
Hashimoto Shigeru
Niwata Tsuyoshi
Yamamoto Koken
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Cao Chun
Fujitsu Limited
Lee Thomas
LandOfFree
System for data communication between disk adapter and disk... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System for data communication between disk adapter and disk..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System for data communication between disk adapter and disk... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2546171