Patent ID: 8135883

Claim:
A system, comprising: an enclosure; at least one upstream port for coupling to a host device, wherein the at least one upstream is comprised in the enclosure; at least one downstream port for coupling to at least one first-speed downstream device, wherein the at least one downstream port is comprised in the enclosure; an embedded device coupled to the upstream port and comprised in the enclosure, wherein the embedded device is configured to communicate with the host device using a first speed or a higher speed that is higher than the first speed, wherein the embedded device is not a hub; an internal hub coupled to the at least one upstream port, the embedded device, and the at least one downstream port, wherein the internal hub is configured to provide a connection between the host device and the at least one downstream port at the first speed, wherein the internal hub is comprised in the enclosure; wherein, when supported by the host device, the embedded device is configured to communicate with the host device at the higher speed via the at least one upstream port without using the internal hub; wherein, when the host device does not support the higher speed, the internal hub is configured to provide a connection between the host device and the embedded device at the first speed.