Patent ID: 8337252

Claim:
A multi-flash-card reader comprising: a plurality of connectors ( 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 ) each having a respective slot adapted to removably receive a flash memory card; characterised by comprising a converter chip ( 40 ) connected to the connectors and adapted to convert signals from a flash-memory card currently inserted in one of said connectors to read data from the flash-memory card; the converter chip having an interface ( 100 ) for outputting data read from the flash-memory card; the plurality of connectors comprising at least first and second connectors ( 64 ; 62 ), the first connector ( 62 ) having a parallel data bus and control signals for parallel data transfer from a type of flash-memory card providing parallel data access in which a parallel data bus and an address bus are used to access data, hereafter referred to as a parallel card ( 16 ), and the second connector ( 64 ) having at least one serial data pin and a clock pin for controlling serial data transfer from a type of flash-memory card, hereafter referred to as a serial card ( 28 ), in which one or more data lines are each clocked in synchronization with a clock signal so that one bit or one word of data is transferred for each clock; wherein the converter chip is adapted to control clocked data transfer for serial cards and parallel data bus transfer for parallel cards, whereby multiple types of flash-memory card can be read by the multiflash-card reader using the converter chip; the converter chip further comprising a shifter ( 98 ) connected to data and clock signals (DATA; CLK) from the second connector and adapted to clock in one bit of data for each clock pulse when the serial card ( 28 ) is of a first type providing bit by bit data access and to clock in one word of data for each clock pulse when the serial card ( 26 ) is of a second type providing word by word data access.