Patent ID: 6993618
Filing Date: 2006-01-31
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A flash-card reader and exchanger comprising: a first serial-bus connector for receiving a serial cable connected to a host computer that acts as a serial-bus host; a second serial-bus connector for receiving a serial-bus flash-memory drive; a serial bus connected to the first and second serial-bus connectors; an input-output bus; a dual-mode microcontroller coupled to the serial bus and coupled to the input-output bus, for operating in a card-reader mode and responding as a serial-bus peripheral to requests from the host computer when the host computer is connected, but for operating in an exchanger mode and originating data transfers as a local host of the serial bus when the host computer is not connected to the first serial-bus connector; a flash-card interface for receiving a removable flash-memory card, the flash-card interface connected to the input-output bus; and an exchanger program, executed by the dual-mode microcontroller, for reading data from the removable flash-memory card over the input-output bus to the dual-mode microcontroller, and for writing data over the serial bus to the serial-bus flash-memory drive, when the dual-mode microcontroller is operating in the exchanger mode, whereby the flash-card reader and exchanger operates in the card-reader mode when the host computer is connected, but operates in the exchanger mode, originating data transfers as a local host, when the host computer is not connected.