Patent ID: 7246192

Claim:
An interface circuit for interfacing a Parallel ATA bus to a storage device, comprising: a storage device controller that has a first interface that is connected to the storage device and a second interface that is connected to a Serial ATA bus, the storage device controller to control a flow of information between the storage device and a Serial ATA bus, the Serial ATA bus to carry information having a Serial ATA format; and a bridge circuit that is connected to the Serial ATA bus and the Parallel ATA bus and that is selectively configured as a host bridge or a device bridge to interface between the Serial ATA bus and the Parallel ATA bus, the host bridge to convert Serial ATA information from the storage device to Parallel ATA information that is output to the Parallel ATA bus and the device bridge to convert Parallel ATA information to Serial ATA information that is output to the SATA bus, wherein the bridge circuit includes a mode select pin to receive a mode signal for controlling operating modes of the bridge circuit and the operating modes include a host mode and a device mode.