LECTEUR EXTERNE UNIVERSEL

UNIVERSAL EXTERNAL DRIVE

Abrégé anglais

A universal external drive which is a partition and operating system
independent is proposed.
The universal drive comprised of a hard or solid state drive with at least two
different partitions
corresponding to two different operation systems and a processor with programs
to detect an
operation system of a device to which the drive is connected, to transfer
digital information
between computer and the drive in format corresponding to the partition of the
computer's hard
or solid state drive, to copy digital information between parts having
different partitions.

Revendications

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A universal external drive for digital data comprising of the following
parts.
- a connecting interface for connecting said universal external drive to a
computer or
an electronic device;
- a memory device with at least two different types of partitions, each
partition
corresponding to a different operation system,
- a processor to control operations of said universal external drive;
- software to manage operations of data exchange between said memory device
and a
computer or an electronic device via said connecting interface,
- software to manage operations of data exchange between parts of said memory
device with the different partitions
2 . A universal external drive for digital data comprising of the following
parts:
-a connecting interface for connecting said universal external drive to a
computer or
an electronic device;
- at least two memory devices with different types of partitions on each
device, where
said partitions correspond to different operation systems;
- a processor to control operations of said universal external drive;
- software to manage operations of data exchange between said universal
external
drive and a computer or an electronic device;
- software to manage operations of data exchange between said memory
devices.
3. A system as in claim 1, wherein said connecting system is a wired system.
4. A system as in claim 1, wherein said connecting system is a wireless
system.
A system as in claim 2, wherein said connecting system is a wired system
6. A system as in claim 2, wherein said connecting system is a wireless
system.
7. A system as in claim 1, wherein said memory device is a hard drive.
8. A system as in claim 1, wherein said memory device is a solid state drive.
9. A system as in claim 2, wherein said memory device is hard drive.
10. A system as in claim 2, wherein said memory device is a solid state drive.
11. A system as in claim 1, wherein said software is inside the processor.

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12. A system as in claim 1, wherein said software is outside of the processor
on a separate
chip
13. A system as in claim 2, wherein said software is inside the processor.
14. A system as in claim 2, wherein said software is outside of the processor
on a separate
chip.
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Description

CA 02792456 2012-10-22
TITLE OF INVENTION
Universal external drive
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR
DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to external memory devices for computer and electronic
systems.
2. Background Information.
Modern external hard or solid state drives have a one type of partition
specific for a particular
operating system of a device, for example NTFS for Microsoft windows OS or
HPFC for Mac
OS. If an external hard or solid state drive has NTFS partition then it cannot
be used on a Linux
or Mac computer without special drivers to read/write on NTFS partition from
this computer. In
the same way if an external hard or solid state drive has HPFS partition then
it cannot be used on
a Windows computer without special drivers to read/write on HPFS partition
from this computer.
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CA 02792456 2012-10-22
Sometimes a user of an external drive has no control over installing such
drivers on computers
with which such hard drive is connected, therefore in such case when a
computer has no drivers
to read/write information fromIto the external drive the external drive cannot
be used. The
purpose of the present invention is to address this problem and suggest
universal external drive,
which is independent of type of operating system on a computer.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a device, which purpose is to address the above
mentioned problem of
how to use an external drive with computers having different operation systems
but not having
specific drivers to work with external drives having a different partition
from a partition on the
computers.
The device is comprised of a at least two drives having different types of
partitions; processor
and software for managing operations between a computer and the drives, and
also between
drives in the device; connecting interface for connecting a computer and the
device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1. A structural scheme of the device with two separate physical drives.
Fig. 2. A structural scheme of the device with a one drive.
DETAH,ED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
STRUCTURE.
FIG.1 shows all components of the invention with relations among them.
The components are:
-two separate drives 2 and 3 having different partitions corresponding to
different operating
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CA 02792456 2012-10-22
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systems;
-a processor 1 with management software to manage operations of reading,
writing, copying, etc.
from an electronic device, such as a computer, smartphone, etc. to/from the
device and between
the drives;
-a connecting interface 4 for connecting the device with an external
electronic device such as a
computer, smartphone, etc.
FIG.2 shows all components of the invention having only one drive with
relations among them.
The components are:
-a drive 2 having two different partitions corresponding to two different
operating systems;
-a processor 1 with management software to manage operations of reading,
writing, copying, etc.
from an electronic device, such as a computer, smartphone, etc. to/from the
device and between
the different partitions of the drive;
-a connecting interface 3 for connecting the device with an external
electronic device such as a
computer, smartphone, etc.
OPERATIONS.
The connecting interface connects an electronic device, such as a computer or
smartphone to the
universal drive. The management software on the processor determines a type of
a partition on
the electronic device and starts operations of data transfer between the
electronic device and the
drive having the partition corresponding to the operating system of the
electronic device. Also
the management software is responsible for synchronization of data on two
different partitions of
the universal drive.
The novelty of this invention consists in the unobvious combination of well-
known components,
which produces useful and unexpected results. All components of the proposed
invention are
well known in the prior art and are used over many decades in corresponding
industries. Some
references are below:
-Hard Disk Drive: Mechatronics and Control, A.AI. Mamun,GuoXiao Guo, Chao Bi,
2006
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CA 02792456 2012-10-22
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-Inside Solid Sate Drives, R. Micheloni, A. MareIli, K.Eshghi, 2012
-Building Electro-Optical Systems, P.C.D. Hobbs, 2009
-Designing Embedded Hardware, J. Catsoulis, 2005
-Algorithms and Data Structures for External Memory, J.S. Vitter, 2008
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