[aga ISSUE
`CLASSIFICATION|.
`
`PATENT NUMBER.
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`70399
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`U.S. UTILITY PATENT APPLICATION
`OCT 22 2002
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`PATENT DATE.
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`[ (;5 EXAMINER
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`2055/101
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`APPLICANTS
`
`MICHAEL TASLER, WURZBURG;.GERMANY;
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`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`In re application of:
`Tasler, Michael
`ApplicationNo.:
`AppliedFor
`Filed:
`Herewith
`‘For:
`FLEXIBLE INTERFACE
`
`Group No.:
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`Unknown
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`-
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`Attention: EO/US |
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`EXPRESS MAIL CERTIFICATE
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`Copy ofGerman Application filed with thePCT (36 pages)
`Translation ofPCT ApplicationPCT/EP98/01187 as originally filed (26 pages)
`Copyofthe IPER (6 pages)
`o
`.
`FirstPreliminary Amendment and Remarks (2 pages)
`_ Final version ofPCT/EP98/01187 fortheprosecution attheUSPTO tobefiledas firstpreliminary
`amendment (28 pages)
`:
`8 Declaration andPower ofAttorney ForPatent Application (28 pages)
`Verified Statement (Declaration) Claiming Small Entity Status - IndependentInventor(1 page)
`9.
`10.
`Copy ofInternational Search Report (7 pages)
`:
`_ ik
`ID§ Transmittal (1 page)
`12.
`IDS Form PTO/SB/08A and O8B (2 pages)
`i Concise explanation ofdocuments citedin examinationproceedings ofcorresponding foreign and
`_ ue
`international applications (4 pages)
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`IDS References(7 for a total of 92 pages)
`arebeingdepositedwiththeUnitedStatesPostal Service "ExpressMailPostOfficeto Addressee" service
`under 37 CFR 1.10, onthe date indicatedabove andis addressedto Attention: EO/US, BoxPCT, Assistant
`Commissioner for Patents, Washington, DC 20231.
`Elaine C. VonSpreckelsen
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`me
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`PTO 14 JUN 999 fA
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`CHAPTERII
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`Tasler, Michael
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`Attention: EO/US
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`This express request to immediately begin national examination procedures (35 U.S.C.
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`transmitted herewith are Forms PTO-1449 PTO/SB/08A and 08B, Explanation of documents cited in .
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`L __ --·--· --····· -------------~-
`
`d.P~T3
`
`09/331002
`510 Rocd PCT/PTO 1 4 JUN"1999
`
`!lexible Interf.3.C£-
`
`Description
`
`The present invention relates to the transfer of data and in particular to interface
`
`dev~ces for ·communication between a computer or host device and a data
`
`transmit/receive device from which data is to be acquired or with which two-way
`
`communication is to take place.
`
`Existing data acquisition systems for computers are very limited in their areas of
`
`application. Generally such systems can be classified into two groups.
`
`In the first group host devices or computer systems are attached by means of an
`
`interface to a device whose data is to be acquired. The interfaces of this group are
`
`normally standard interfaces which, with specific driver software, can be used with a
`
`variety of host systems. An advantage of such interfaces is that th~y are largely
`
`independent of the host device. However, a disadvantage is that they generally require
`
`very sophisticated drivers which are prone to malfunction and which limlt data
`
`transfer rates between the device connected to the interface and the host device and
`
`vice versa. Further, it is often very difficult to implement such interfaces for portable
`
`systems and they offer few possibilities for adaptation with the result that such
`
`systems offer little flexibility.
`
`The devices from which data is to be acquired cover the entire electrical engineering
`
`spectrum. In a typical case, it is assumed that a customer who operates, for example, a
`
`diagnostic 'radiology system in a medical engineermg environment reports a fault. A
`
`field service technician of the system manufacturer visits the customer and reads
`
`system log files generated by the diagnostic radiology system by means a portable
`
`computer or laptop for example. If the fault cannot be localized or if the fault is
`
`intermittent, it will be necessary for the service technician to read not only an error
`
`log file but also data from current operation. It is apparent that in this case fast data
`
`transfer and rapid data analysis are necessary.
`
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`

`
`
`
`ee,teeCY
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`Another case requiring the use of an interface could be, for example, when an
`electronic measuring device, e.g. a multimeter, is attached to a computer system to
`transfer the data measured by the multimeter to the computer. Particularly when long-
`term measurements or large volumes of data are involved is it necessary for the
`interface to support a high data transferrate.
`
`From these randomly chosen examplesit can be seen that an interface may be put to
`totally different uses..It is therefore desirable that an interface be sufficiently flexible
`to permit attachment ofvery different electrical or electronic systems to a host device
`by meansofthe interface. To prevent operator error,it is also desirable that a service
`technician is not required to operate different interfaces in different ways for different
`applications but that, if possible, a universal method of operating the interface be
`provided for a Jarge numberofapplications.
`
`To increase the data transfer rates across an interface, the route chosen in the second
`group of data acquisition systems for the interface devices was to specifically match
`the interface very closely to individual host systems or computer systems. The
`advantage of this solution is that high data transfer rates are possible. However, a
`disadvantage is that the drivers for the interfaces of the second group are very closely
`matched to a single host system with the result that they generally cannot be used with
`other host systems or their use is very ineffective. Further, such types of interface
`have the disadvantage that they must be installed inside the computer casing to
`achieve maximum data transfer rates as they access the internal host bus system. They
`are therefore generally not suitable for portable host systems in the form of laptops
`whose minimum possible size leaveslittle internal Space to plug in an interface card.
`
`A solution to this problem is offered by the interface devices of IOtech (business
`address: 25971 Cannon Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44146, USA) which are suitable for
`laptops such as the WaveBook/512 {registered trademark). The interface devices are
`connected by meansof a plug-in card, approximately the size of a credit card, to the
`PCMCIAinterface which is now a standard feature in laptops. The plug-in card
`converts the PCMCIAinterface into an interface known in the art as IEEE 1284. The
`said plug-in card provides a special printer interface which is enhanced as regards the
`data transfer rate and delivers a data transfer rate of approximately 2 MBps as
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`
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`compared with a rate of approx. 1 MBps for known printer interfaces. The known
`interface device generally consists of a driver component, a digital signal processor, a
`
`buffer and a hardware module which terminates in a connector to which the device
`
`whose data is to be acquired is attached. The driver componentis attached directly to
`
`the enhanced printer interface thus permitting the known interface device to establish
`a connection between a computer and the device whose datais to be acquired.
`
`In order to work with the said interface, an interface-specific driver must be installed
`on the host device so that the host device can communicate with the digital signal’
`processorofthe interface card. As described above, the driver must be installed on the
`
`host device. If the driver is a driver developed specifically for the host device, a high
`
`data transfer rate is achieved but the driver cannot be easily installed on a different
`
`host system. However, if the driver is a general driver which is as flexible as possible
`
`and which can be. used on many host devices, compromises must be accepted with.
`
`regard to the data transferrate.
`
`
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`Particularly in an application for multi-tasking systems in which several different
`
`tasks such as data acquisition, data display and editing are to be performed quasi-
`
`simultaneously, each task is normally assigned a certain priority by the host system. A
`driver supporting a special task requests the central processing system of the host
`device for processor resources in order to perform its task. Depending on the
`particular priority assignment method and on the driver implementation, a particular
`share of processor resources is assigned to a special task in particular time slots.
`Conflicts arise if one or more drivers are implemented in such a way that they have
`the highest priority by default, ie. they are incompatible, as happens in practice in
`many applications. It may occur that both drivers are set to highest priority which, in
`the worst case, can result in a system crash.
`
`EP 0685799 Al discloses an interface by means of which several peripheral devices
`can be attached to a bus. An interface is connected between the bus of a host device
`
`and various peripheral devices. The interface comprises a finite state machine and
`
`several branches each of which is assigned to a peripheral device. Each branch
`. comprisesa data manager,cycle control, user logic and a buffer. This knowninterface
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`device provides optimal matching between a host device and a specific peripheral
`
`device.
`
`The specialist publication IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 38, No. 05, page
`245; "Communication Method between Devices through FDD Interface" discloses an
`interface which connects a host device to a peripheral device via a floppy disk drive
`interface. The interface consists in particular of an address generator, an MFM
`encoder/decoder,a serial/parallel adapter and a format signal generator. The interface
`makes it possible to attach not only a floppy disk drive but also a further peripheral
`device to the FDD host controller of a host device. The host device assumes that a
`
`floppy disk drive is always attached to its floppy disk drive controller and
`
`communication is initiated if the address is correct. However, this document contains
`
`no information as to how communication should be possible if the interface is
`
`connected to a multi-purpose interface instead of to a floppy disk drive controller.
`
`invention to provide an interface device for
`the object of the present
`is
`It
`communication between a host device and a data transmit/receive device whose use is
`host device-independent and which delivers a high data transfer rate.
`
`This object is achieved by an interface device according to claim 1 or 12 and by a
`method according to claim 15.
`
`The present invention is based on the finding that both a high data transfer rate and
`host device-independent use can be achieved if a driver for an input/output device
`customary in a host device, normally present in most commercially available host
`devices, is utilized. Drivers for input/output.devices customary in a host device which
`are found in practically all host devices are, for example, drivers for hard disks, for
`graphics devices or for printer devices. As however the hard disk interfaces in
`common host devices which can be, for example, IBM PCs, IBM-compatible PCs,
`Commodore PCs, Apple computers or even workstations, are the interfaces with the
`highest data transfer rate, the hard disk driver is utilized in the preferred embodiment
`of the interface device of the presentinvention. Drivers for otherstorage devices such
`as floppy disk drives, CD-ROM drivesor tape drives could also be utilized in order to
`implementthe interface device according to the presentinvention.
`
`
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`5
`
`As described in the following, the interface device according to the present invention
`
`is to be attached to a host device by means of a multi-purpose interface of the host
`
`device which can be implemented, for example, as an SCSI interface or as an
`
`enhanced printer interface. Multi-purpose interfaces comprise both an interface card
`
`and specific driver software for the interface card. The driver software can be
`
`designed so that it can replace the BIOS driver routines. Communication between the
`
`host device and the devices attached to the multi-purpose interface then essentially
`
`talces t_>lace by means of the specific driver software for the multi-purpose interface
`
`and no longer primarily by means of BIOS routines of the host device. Recently
`
`however drivers for multi-purpose interfaces can also already be integrated in the
`
`BIOS system of the host device as, alongside classical input/output interfaces, multi(cid:173)
`
`purpose interfaces are becoming increasingly common in host devices. It is of ,course
`
`also possible to use BIOS routines in parallel with the specific driver software for the
`
`multi-purpose ititerface, if this is desired.
`
`The interface device according to the present invention comprises a processor means,
`a memory means, a first connecting device for interfacing the host device with the
`
`interface device, and a second connecting device for interfacing the interface device
`
`with the data transmit/receive device. The interface device is configured by the
`
`processor means and the memory means in such a way that the interface device, when
`
`receiving an inquiry from the host device via the first_ connecting device as to the type
`
`of a device attached to the host device, sends a signal, regardless of the type of the
`
`data transmit/receive device, to the host device via the first connecting device which
`
`signals to the host device that it is communicating with an input/output device. The
`
`interface device according to the present invention therefore simulates, both in terms
`
`of hardware and software, the way in which a conventional input/output device
`
`functions, preferably that of a hard disk drive. As support for hard disks is
`
`implemented as standard in all commercially available host systems, the simulation of
`
`a hard disk, for example, can provide host device-independent use. The interface
`
`device according to the present invention therefore no longer communicates with the
`
`host device or computer by means of a specially designed driver but by means of a
`
`program which is present in the. BIOS system (Basic Input/Output System) and is
`
`normally precisely matched to the specific computer system on which it is installed,
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`
`or by meansof a specific program for the multi-purpose interface. Consequently, the
`interface device according to the present invention combines the advantages of both
`
`groups. On the one hand, communication between the computer and the interface
`takes place by meansof a host device-specific BIOS program or by means of a driver
`program which is matched to the multi-purpose interface and which could be regarded
`as a "device-specific driver". On the other hand,
`the BIOS program or a
`corresponding multi-purpose. interface program which operates one of the common
`input/output interfaces in host systems is therefore present in all host systems so that
`the interface device according to the present invention is host device-independent.
`
`In the following, preferred embodiments: of the present invention will be explained in
`
`more detail with reference to the drawings enclosed, in which:
`
`Fig. 1 shows a general block diagram ofthe interface device according to the
`present invention; and
`
`' Fig. 2.
`
`showsa detailed block diagram of an interface device according to a preferred
`embodimentof the present invention.
`
`Fig.
`
`1 shows a general block diagram of an interface device 10 according to the
`
`present invention. A first connecting device 12 of the interface device 10 can be
`
`attached to a host device (not shown) via a host line 11. The first connecting device is
`
`attached both to a digital signal processor 13 and to a memory means 14. The digital
`
`signal processor 13 and the memory means 14 are also attached to a second
`
`connecting device 15 by means of bi-directional communication lines (shownforall
`
`lines by means of two directional arrows). The second connecting device can be
`
`attached by means of an output line 16 to a data transmit/receive device which is to
`
`receive data from the host device or from which data is to be read, Le. acquired, and
`transferred to the host device. The data transmit/receive device itself can also
`communicate actively with the host device via the first and second connecting device,
`as described in more detail in the following.
`
`. Communication between the host system or host device and the interface device is
`
`based on known standard access commands as supported by all known operating
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`systems (e.g. DOS, Windows, Unix). Preferably, the interface device according to the
`
`present
`
`invention simulates a hard disk with a root directory whose entries are
`
`"virtual" files which can be created for the most varied functions. When the host
`
`device system with which the interface device according to the present invention is
`
`connected is booted and a data transmit/receive device is also attached to the interface
`device 10, usual BIOS routines or multi-purpose interface programs issue an
`instruction, known by those skilled in the art as the INQUIRY instruction, to the
`
`input/output interfaces in the host device. The digital signal processor 13 receives this
`
`inquiry instruction via the first connecting device and generates a signal which is sent
`
`to the host device (not shown) again via the first connecting device 12 and the host
`
`line 11, This signal indicates to the host device that, for example, a hard disk drive is.
`attached at the interface to which theINQUIRYinstruction was sent. Optionally, the
`host device can send an instruction, known by those skilled in the art as "Test Unit
`
`Ready", to the interface device to request more precise details regarding the queried
`
`device.
`
`Regardless of which datatransmit/receive device at the output line 16 is attached to
`the second connecting device, the digital signal processor 13 informs the host device
`
`that it
`
`is communicating with a hard disk drive. If the host device receives the
`
`response that a drive is present, it then sends a request to the interface device 10 to
`
`read the boot sequence which, on actual hard disks, normally resides on the first
`
`sectors of the disk. The digital signal processor 13, whose operating system in stored
`
`in the memory means 14, respondsto this instruction by sending to the host device a
`
`virtual boot sequence which, in the case of actual drives, includes the drive type, the
`
`Starting position and the length of the file allocation table (FAT), the number of
`
`sectors, etc., knownto those skilled in the art. Once the host device has received this
`data, it assumes that the interface device 10 according to a preferred embodiment of
`
`the present invention is a hard disk drive. In reply to an instruction from the host
`
`device to display the directory of the "virtual" hard disk drive simulated by the
`interface device 10 with respect to the host device, the digital signal processor can
`
`respond to the host device in exactly the same way as a conventional hard disk would,
`
`namely by reading on request the file allocation table or FAT on a sector specified in
`"the boot sequence, normally the first writable sector, and transferring it to the host
`
`device, and subsequently by transferring the directory structure of the virtual hard
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`|“SREEE
`
`FS
`
`iichekSG"
`
`disk. Further, it is possible that the FAT is not read until immediately prior to reading
`or storing the data of the "virtual" hard disk and notalready at initialization.
`
`In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the digital signal processor 13,
`which need not necessarily be implemented as a digital signal processor but may be
`any other kind of microprocessor, comprises a first and a second command
`interpreter. The first commandinterpreter carries out the steps described above whilst
`the second commandinterpreter carries out the read/write assignment to specific
`functions. If the user now wishesto read data from the data transmit/receive device
`via the line 16, the host device sends a command, for example "readfile xy", to the
`interface device. As described above, the interface device appears to the host device
`
`as a hard disk. The second command interpreter of the digital signal processor now
`interprets the read command of the host processor as a data transfer command, by
`decoding whether
`"xy" denotes,
`for
`example,
`a
`"real-time
`input"
`file,
`a
`“configuration” file or an executablefile, whereby the same begins to transfer data
`from the data transmit/receive device via the second connecting device to the first
`connecting device and via the line 11 to the host device.
`
`Preferably, the volume of data to be acquired by a data transmit/receive device is
`specified in a configuration file described in the following by the user specifying in
`the said configuration