Abstract:
A method and system for managing data transmission between an external memory and an internal memory of an electronic apparatus is provided. The system includes an interactive interface for outputting messages that indicate real-time storage status of the internal memory and external memory card. When an external memory card is inserted, the system automatically duplicates files stored in the internal memory to the external memory card, and deletes the files in the internal memory upon determining that the files have been successfully transferred to the external memory card by matching the file names of the files in the internal memory to the external memory card. The system further includes a clamping means for securely clamping the portion of the external memory card that is exposed outside the electronic apparatus to avoid unintentional detachment of the external memory card from the electronic apparatus.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a data transmission technique, and more particularly, to a system and method for managing data transmission between internal memory of an electronic apparatus and external memory.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Digital Still Camera (DSC) is an electronic apparatus used for capturing natural images and converting captured natural images into image files in digital format. The digital image files usually are large in size, so a very large memory capacity is needed to store them.  
         [0003]     Moreover, card size digital still cameras have been developed to meet the demands for being compact and lightweight. The size of the motherboard thereof approximately equals a name card that is suitable for users to carry around.  
         [0004]     However, one drawback of a card size digital camera is that it is usually provided with a 16 MB internal memory, which accommodates only about 80 low-resolution digital images, and even less for high-resolution images. A solution to this problem is to provide external removable memory card with large capacity, such as a CF card or a SD card that can be inserted into the card size digital camera. However, such approach would require a considerable amount of internal space of the card size digital camera to accommodate entirely the once-inserted external memory card, restricting the demanded size reduction of the card size digital camera. U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,380 has thus proposed a solution to address this problem as shown in  FIG. 2A . The length of a slot module  70  is decreased, such that when an external memory card  30  is inserted therein, half of the card area is exposed outside the casing of a digital camera  100 . This method provides a larger storage capacity for the camera  100  without adversely increasing its size, since the external card  7  is not completely inserted into the digital camera, and data in internal memory of the digital camera  100  can be transferred to the external memory card  30  for storage. When all data has been transferred to the external memory card  30 , the data stored in the internal memory is deleted, so that the size of the digital camera can be greatly reduced while unlimited extended memory capacity can be achieved. Nonetheless, such design still has disadvantages, i.e. it lacks data transmission management functionality and a user-friendly interface to interact with the users. The machine itself controls all the data transmission managing process, which cannot provide usage status of the internal memory in real time to the user. In this case, the user is unable to determine that the internal memory is reaching its full capacity and insert the external memory card into the digital camera  100  in advance to reduce the time taken for data transmission. Additionally, in this patent, the data file stored in the internal memory is deleted once and for all. However, during the data transmission process, the data files originally stored in the internal memory may not be completely transferred to the external memory card for storage due to some reasons, thus once the not-yet-transferred image data is deleted, it will be lost permanently. Moreover, this design is applied to portable electronic information devices, when the user moves while operating the digital camera, vibration of the movement may cause the external memory card  30  to detach from the slot module  70 , since half or more of the card size is exposed outside of the digital camera  100 , resulting in incomplete data transfer.  
         [0005]     Thus, a system for managing stable data transmission with a user-friendly interface is urgently in need.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In the light of the forgoing drawbacks, an objective of the present invention is to provide a data transmission management system and method that provides an interactive interface for the user, which provides information such as real-time storage status of the internal storage unit and the externally connected storage unit, so that the user may be notified that the internal storage unit is reaching its full capacity, and inserts an external storage unit for duplication process in advance.  
         [0007]     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a data transmission management system and method that automatically copies files stored in the internal storage unit to the external storage unit, and then deletes the files when it determines that the files are successfully copied to the external storage unit.  
         [0008]     Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a data transmission management system that securely fastens the external storage unit to the electronic apparatus where at least a portion of the external storage unit is exposed outside of the electronic apparatus.  
         [0009]     In accordance with the above objectives, the data transmission management method of the present invention comprises: detecting connection between the external storage unit and the electronic apparatus; duplicating files stored in the internal storage unit to the external storage unit upon said connection being detected; and determining whether the file names of the files in the internal storage unit match those stored in the external storage unit, wherein the files in the internal storage unit whose file names have respective matches in the external storage unit are automatically deleted from the internal storage unit, and the files in the internal storage unit whose file names do not have respective matches in the external storage unit are duplicated again from the internal storage unit to the external storage unit.  
         [0010]     The data transmission management method of the present invention further comprises determining and displaying the currently available storage space of the internal storage unit and/or external storage unit on a display unit of the electronic apparatus.  
         [0011]     The data transmission management system for managing data transmission between an internal storage unit in an electronic apparatus and an external storage unit in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a detection module for detecting connection between the external storage unit and the electronic apparatus; a microcontroller unit for receiving a message sent from the detection module notifying said connection being detected, duplicating files stored in the internal storage unit to the external storage unit, and determines and displaying the available storage space of the internal storage unit and/or the external storage unit on a display unit of the electronic apparatus; and a matching module for determining whether the file names of the files in the internal storage unit match those stored in the external storage unit and sending match results to the microcontroller unit, wherein the microcontroller unit delete the files in the internal storage unit whose file names have respective matches in the external storage unit based on the match results, and duplicate again the files in the internal storage unit to the external storage unit if the file names of the files do not have respective matches in the external storage unit based on the match results.  
         [0012]     The data transmission management system further comprises a slot module for receiving the external storage unit; and a clamping means for exerting clamping force on a portion of the external storage unit that is exposed outside a casing of the electronic apparatus to securely fixing the external storage unit therewith. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure and connection of a data transmission management system according to one embodiment of the present invention applied in a digital still camera;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2A  shows a schematic view of a conventional manner of connecting an external memory card to a digital still camera;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2B  shows a schematic view of connecting an external memory card to a digital still camera according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3A  shows the steps for implementing the data transmission management method; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 3B  shows the displayed screen contents corresponding to steps implemented in the method shown in  FIG. 3A . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]     In the following embodiments, the system and method for data transmission management of an external storage unit of the present invention is applied to a card size digital still camera, providing a stable and automatic data transmission management for the digital still camera. It should be noted that the system and method for data transmission management of an external storage unit of the present invention is not limited to only digital cameras, but can be applied to any electronic information apparatus with externally connected storage unit for expanding storage capacity, especially portable electronic information apparatus. Embodiments of the system and method for data transmission management of an external storage unit of the present invention will be described in incorporation with the appended drawings.  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram for illustrating structure and connections within a data transmission management system  20  of the present invention applied in a digital still camera  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the digital still camera  10  captures natural images through lens  101 , and converts the characteristics (e.g. light frequency etc.) of the captured natural images into current signals via a Charge Coupled Device (CCD)  102  for processing by a digital signal processing unit  106 . Upon receiving the current signals from the CCD  102 , the digital signal processing unit  106  decodes the current signals and reconstructs the original images captured by the lens  101 , and stores, as files, the reconstructed images in an internal memory  103  or temporarily in a dynamic memory  104 . During the digital still camera photographing and storing image files, user can set status of the image files stored therein via a key interface module  107 , such that the user may choose whether to keep an image file in the internal memory  103  or delete it from the internal memory  103  permanently.  
         [0021]     During photographing and data storage of the image files, power required for performing these processes is supplied from a power supply  105  to the digital still camera  10  and the data transmission management system  20 . Additionally, the digital signal processing unit  106  continuously stores natural images captured through the lens  101  into the internal memory  103 . In the process of storing image files, a microcontroller unit  21  of the data transmission management system  20  controls a display driving module  108  based on information related to image storing process performed by the digital signal processing unit  106 , where the display driving module  108  drives a connected display unit (e.g. a LCD)  109  for displaying on its screen information such as the number of photos taken, used storage space and available storage space etc. Based on this reference information, the user will be able to determine whether to insert an external memory card  30  or continually use the internal memory  103  for image storage.  
         [0022]     Generally, images stored in a digital camera tend to have large file sizes, with built-in storage unit, i.e. the internal memory  103 , of the digital camera  10  small in size, for example, a 16 MB storage space capable of storing about 80 low resolution digital images and less than 10 high resolution images, the digital camera  10  usually requires one or more externally connected memory cards for memory expansion. When the microcontroller unit  21  detects that the internal memory  103  of the digital still camera  10  is reaching its full capacity, that is, the internal memory  103  is unable to store any more image files, the microcontroller unit  21  controls one or more output devices for outputting signals that reminds the user to insert an external memory card  30  by, for example, causing a speaker  110  to sound and/or display message on the LCD  109  through control of the display driving module  108 . The microcontroller unit  21  then instructs a detecting module  22  to detect the status of a slot module  24  to determine whether the external memory card  30  has been inserted into the slot module  24 . Once the user has inserted the external memory card  30  therein, the detecting module  22  sends a signal to the microcontroller unit  21 . The microcontroller unit  21  then instructs the display driving module  108  for displaying on the LCD  109  a message indicating that the external memory card  30  has been found, so that the user is informed of proper insertion of the external memory card  30 . This will ensure that the external memory card  30  be inserted properly to avoid the situation of unsuccessful data transfer due to improper card insertion. The microcontroller unit  21  then outputs the image files stored in the internal memory  103  to the external memory card  30  for storage via the slot module  24  acting as the transmission interface. After transmission of image files, a matching module  23  compares file names stored in both the internal memory  103  and the external memory card  30 . If a file name of a file is determined to be in both of the internal memory  103  and the external memory card  30 , the file in the internal memory  103  is automatically deleted to vacate more storage spaces. Additionally, the user may set in advance that a certain file is to be refrained from removal. In this case, the microcontroller unit  21  drives the speaker  80  to make a warning sound while displaying the image on the LCD  109 , so that the user can decide whether he now wants to delete it from the internal memory  103  or not. This provides more flexibility for the removal process.  
         [0023]     Although in the above embodiment, the key interface module  107 , the display driving module  108 , the LCD  109 , and the speaker  110  are shown as part of the digital still camera  10  and shared between the digital still camera  10  and the data transmission management system  20  of the present invention, in another embodiment, these components can also be exclusive for the data transmission management system  20 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 2B  shows a schematic view of connecting the external memory card  30  to the digital still camera  10  according to one embodiment of the present invention  
         [0025]     As shown in  FIG. 2B , the slot module  24  comprises a guiding groove  241  and a clamping structure  242 . It should be noted that both  FIG. 2B  is a simplified schematic diagram for illustrating the basic principles of the present invention, thus the components shown may not drawn in accordance with physical shapes, scale and quantities.  
         [0026]     The slot module  24  and the guiding groove  241  are fixed to the inside of the casing of the digital still camera  100 . As shown in  FIG. 2B , the length of the guiding groove  241  is a fraction of the length of the external memory card  30 , for example, ⅕ or ⅙. The external memory card  30  is inserted from outside of the digital still camera  100  into the guiding groove  241  until electrical terminals  301  of the external memory card  30  comes in contact with electrical terminals  243  of the slot module  24 . At the same time, the clamping structure  242  exerts clamping forces onto the external memory card  30  to stably position the external memory card  30 . Various units and modules in the data transmission management system  20  and the digital still camera  10  can then start performing the operations described above.  
         [0027]     The following descriptions conjointly refer to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , where  FIG. 3A  shows the steps for implementing the data transmission management method and the displayed screen contents corresponding to the steps implemented in  FIG. 3A  are shown in  FIG. 3B . The user turns on the power supply  105  to provide power to the digital camera for photographing. First, in step S 1  of  FIG. 3A , the microcontroller unit  21  determines the storage status of the internal memory  103  and displays the result on the LCD  109  driven by the display driving module  108 , as shown in exemplary screen content A in  FIG. 3B , for example, respective size of used and empty memory. Then, goes to step S 2 .  
         [0028]     In step S 2 , the microcontroller unit  21  determines whether the internal memory  103  has reached its storage capacity and can no longer store any image file. If so, then executes step S 3 ; else, returns to step S 1  so that the microcontroller unit  21  continues to determine and display the storage status of the internal memory  103 .  
         [0029]     In step S 3 , the microcontroller unit  21  sends a warning signal to indicate that the internal memory  103  is full, which causes the LCD  109  to display a screen content B via the display driving module  108  and/or the speaker  110  to make a warning sound in order to remind the user that the storage of the internal memory  103  is full and another external memory card  30  is needed to be inserted for further storage. Then, performs step S 4 .  
         [0030]     In step S 4 , the detecting module detects whether an external memory card has been inserted, if an external memory card is detected, performs step S 5 ; else, returns to step S 3 .  
         [0031]     In step S 5 , the microcontroller unit  21  determines the available storage space of the external memory card  30  and sends an instruction to the display driving module  108  for displaying a message indicating that the external memory card  30  is found and the available storage space thereof on the LCD  109 , as shown in exemplary screen content C. If the available storage space of the inserted memory card is zero, then performs step S 9 ; else goes to step S 6 .  
         [0032]     In step S 6 , the microcontroller unit  21  starts duplicating files stored in the internal memory  103  to the external memory card  30  and a message indicating that copy is in progress is displayed on the LCD  109 , as shown in exemplary screen content D. Next, goes to step S 7 .  
         [0033]     In step S 7 , the matching module  23  determines whether the files names of the files in the internal memory  103  match those in the external memory card  30 , i.e. whether a successful duplication has been achieved. If there is a match, go to step S 110 ; else, goes to step S 8 .  
         [0034]     In step S 8 , since a duplication of the files is unsuccessful, the microcontroller unit  21  determines whether the external memory card  30  is full, if so, goes to step S 9 ; else, returns to step S 6  to perform the duplication process again.  
         [0035]     In step S 9 , a warning message indicating that the external memory card is full is displayed on the LCD  109 , as shown in exemplary screen content E, and/or the speaker  110  is sounded in order to remind the user that the storage of the external memory card  30  is full and another external memory card  30  should be inserted for further storage. Then, returns to step S 4 .  
         [0036]     In step S 10 , a message is displayed on the LCD  109  as shown in exemplary screen content F to indicate that all desired files are successfully copied.  
         [0037]     It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above description is only illustrative of specific embodiments and examples of the present invention. The present invention should therefore cover various modifications and variations made to the herein-described structure and operations of the present invention. For example, in an alternative embodiment, after determining the file names are matched, the data transmission management method may further perform a step of determining whether the file was previously selected by the user to be refrained from automatic deletion. In such a case, the selected file will not be deleted even if a copy of the file exists in the external memory card. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be defined only by the following appended claims.