Patent ID: 8661185

Claim:
An electronic library for managing a plurality of removable data storage devices, the electronic library comprising: a housing having a plurality of receptacles, wherein each of the receptacles is sized to connect with one or more types of removable data storage devices; a host communication interface configured to removably connect the electronic library as a peripheral device with a host electronic device, the host electronic device being external to the housing; memory interface circuitry configured to detect the plurality of removable data storage devices via the receptacles; and a data access module positioned in the housing and in communication with the memory interface circuitry, the data access module configured to: in response to the memory interface circuitry detecting one or more of the plurality of removable data storage devices, for each of the plurality of removable storage devices: communicate with a respective removable data storage device in order to obtain directory information from the respective removable data storage device; assign a folder name to the respective removable data storage device; and assign the directory information within the folder name for the respective removable data storage device; emulate to the host electronic device a single removable data storage peripheral device including the assigned folder names and the directory information, wherein each assigned folder name identifies the respective removable data storage device in order to present the single removable data storage peripheral device to the host electronic device as a single drive and to present the plurality of removable data storage devices to the host electronic device as the assigned folder names within the single drive so that plurality of removable data storage devices are consolidated into the single drive rather than separate drives; and send, via the host communication interface, the emulation of the single removable data storage peripheral device to the host electronic device, wherein the electronic library is connected to a second electronic library in a series daisy chain; wherein the electronic library is in communication with the host electronic device without intervening electronic libraries; wherein the second electronic library is in communication with the host electronic device through the electronic library; and wherein the data access module is configured to represent to the host electronic device the second electronic library as a separate folder and represent one or more data storage devices connected to the second electronic library as sub-folders to the separate folder.