WO1995025308A1

WO1995025308A1 - Combined personal data manager and computer storage device

Info

Publication number: WO1995025308A1
Application number: PCT/US1995/003249
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arie Mergui; Dov Moran
Original assignee: M-Systems Ltd.; M-Systems, Inc.
Priority date: 1994-03-17
Filing date: 1995-03-16
Publication date: 1995-09-21
Also published as: AU1999695A

Abstract

A personal data manager (PDM) (10) functions as a storage medium for a larger platform, such as a desktop, laptop or notebook computer or a personal digital assistant (PDA). When the PDM (10) is not connected to a personal computer or a PDA, it functions in a normal manner to receive personal information entered via its keyboard (20) or other data entry device and to present the information to the user on its display (24). The PDM includes a PCMCIA interface (28) which enables it to be inserted into a PCMCIA slot in a personal computer or PDA. Once so inserted, the PDM (10) is recognized by the personal computer or PDA as one of its storage devices. In this configuration, the CPU of the personal computer or PDA can directly acces the information stored within the PDM (10). Thus, using the personal computer or PDA, the user can read or write personal information which resides on the PDM memory (26).

Description

COMBINED PERSONAL DATA MANAGER AND COMPUTER STORAGE DEVICE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a compact, portable electronic

devices for entering and retrieving personal information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The advent of laptop computers has made it practical for the first

time for a computer user to transport his computer between home and

office and to take the computer along on business trips and the like.

Although the laptop computers are considerably smaller and lighter than

the desktop units, their size and weight remain significant, which limits

their transportability.

More recently, notebook computers, approximately the size of an

average-sized notebook and weighing less than the laptops, have become

increasingly popular. The smaller size and weight of the notebook

computers make them more convenient to transport than the laptops.

However, for many applications, the notebooks continue to occupy

considerable space and their weight is not negligible.

Even more recently, various so-called personal digital assistants

(PDA's) have been gaining widespread popularity. These devices, also

known as personal information managers and digital phone books or organizers (and generally referred to hereinafter as "PDA's"), provide a

convenient mechanism for keeping track of large amounts of personal

information, such as names and addresses of friends and contacts, phone

numbers, birthdays, and the like. Generally, the PDA's, such as the

Newton, manufactured by Apple, are the size of a paperback book and are

thus small enough to be carried in a coat pocket or in a handbag. For this

reason, various users, such as salesmen and various other business

travellers, bring these devices along on their travels, where much of the

personal information is gathered and used.

Typically, a user of a PDA also works with a personal computer,

such as a desktop, laptop or notebook computer. In many cases, while

working on the personal computer, the user may desire to use or update the

personal information. However, since the personal information resides in

the PDA, it is not immediately accessible via the personal computer. To

enable the personal information stored in the PDA to be transferred to the

computer, several of the commercially available personal digital assistants

are equipped with a suitable interface device which enables the PDA to be

connected to a personal computer. For example, the personal computer and

the PDA may be connected by means of a cable which attaches to an I/O

port at the back of the computer. Once this connection is established, the

information in the PDA can be downloaded to a file in the personal

computer where it is then accessible through the computer/user interface. Once the transfer of the information has taken place, two copies of

the file exist, one in the PDA and the other in the personal computer. If

either of the files is updated, for example to enter the name and number of

a new personal contact, the two copies are no longer identical with one

another. For example, if new information is entered into the file residing

in the personal computer, that file will have to be uploaded to the PDA

before the PDA is used again, for example, before the user leaves on his

next business trip. The need to ensure that the two files are identical puts

an added burden on the user and could lead to errors and confusion.

One possible solution is to use a suitable flash memory device, such

as a flash card or other storage card, which serves as the sole storage

device of the entire system and which can alternately be plugged into

appropriate I/O ports of the personal computer or of the PDA. The flash

memory device stores the only copy of the personal information stored in

the system so that updating of the information can only be effected when

the flash memory device is plugged into the platform, e.g., personal

computer or PDA, being used to update the information.

A disadvantage of the solution described above is that it still

requires the user to carry a PDA along so as to be able to enter data into,

or read data from, the system. Commercially available PDA's, despite

their greatly reduced size and weight compared to even the notebook

computers, continue to be too bulky and heavy for certain applications. For example, the PDA's are inconvenient whenever the user is not already

lugging a briefcase or purse.

It would thus be desirable and advantageous to have a device

(hereinafter referred to, for convenience, as a "personal data manager" or

"PDM") which is pluggable into various suitable platforms, such as a

personal computer or a personal data manager, and which includes a non¬

volatile memory device, such as flash memory disk, which serves as the

sole storage medium of the system for storing up-to-date personal

information accessible through the user interface of each of the platforms,

the memory device further including its own user interface, which includes

display means and input means, so as to give the user the ability of reading

and updating the stored information through the memory device itself

without the need for the memory device to be inserted in a suitable

platform.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, these objectives are

achieved by means of a personal data manager (PDM) which can function

as a storage medium for a larger platform, such as a desktop, laptop or

notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or similar platforms

(referred to singularly or collectively hereinafter as "platform" or "host

processor"). In a preferred implementation of the invention, the bus standard established by the Personal Computer Memory Card International

Association (hereinafter the PCMCIA standard) is employed in the

integration of the PDM with the personal computer and/or the PDA.

In a standard operating mode, the PDM is not connected to the

platform. In this mode, the PDM functions in a normal manner. For

example, it can include a keyboard or other data entry device and a display

on which the user can view information, such as telephone numbers,

address, reminders, and the like. In addition, the PDM preferably includes

a PCMCIA interface and associated logic and it is built on the form factor

of a PCMCIA card. These features enable the PDM to be inserted into a

PCMCIA slot in the platform.

Once inserted into the platform, the PDM is recognized by the

platform as one or its storage devices. In this configuration, the CPU of

the platform can directly access the information stored within the PDM.

Thus, using the platform, such as a personal computer or PDA, the user

can read or write personal information which resides on the PDM.

With this approach, therefore, only one copy of the information

exists. There is no need to transfer files between the PDM and the

platform, or to update one copy of a file when data have been entered or

changed in another copy thereof. Furthermore, the user is relieved of the

cumbersome process of having to use cables or the like to connect the

PDM to the platform. The foregoing features and advantages of the invention, as well as

others, are explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to a

preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with

reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a personal data manager according to

the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a laptop computer which can serve as a host processor

for a personal data manager according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a desktop computer which can serve as a host

processor for a personal data manager according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a notebook computer which can serve as a host

processor for a personal data manager according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a digital assistant which can serve as a host processor

for a personal data manager according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

In the practice of the present invention, a personal data manager

(PDM) can be directly plugged into a computer platform, such as a personal computer or a PDA, through the medium of a suitable interface,

preferably a PCMCIA interface.

To facilitate an understanding of the principles and applications of

the present invention, a personal computer system which includes such an

interface is briefly described. The structure of the computer itself does not

form part of the present invention. Rather, it is briefly described here for

a better understanding of the manner in which the features of the invention

cooperate with the structure of the commuter.

The basic components of a personal computer, or other platform

include various peripheral devices, such as one or more data entry devices

like a keyboard, mouse, pen, and the like, a display device, such as a CRT

monitor or an LCD screen, and a printer.

The computer itself includes a central processing unit, a main

memory which is typically implemented in the form of a random access

memory (RAM), and a static memory which can include a read only

memory (ROM) and a permanent storage device, such as a magnetic or

optical disk. The CPU communicates with each of these forms of memory

through an internal bus.

In addition, the computer includes slots for receiving peripheral

devices. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, one or

more of these slots conform to the standards established by the Personal

Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA). These standards set forth a form factor, electrical interface and software interface

for peripheral devices which can be plugged into the slot and become part

of the hardware configuration for the computer.

PCMCIA peripheral devices can include, for example, modems, hard

disk drives, other types of memory, such as flash memory, and local area

network adapters. In the case of a hard disk drive, for example, when

inserted into the PCMCIA slot, it is accessible via the internal bus in the

same manner as the permanent storage device.

In accordance with the present invention, a personal data manager

functions as a storage medium for the platform, such as the computer

system. The components of such a personal digital assistant are illustrated,

in block diagram form, in Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, the PDM 10 includes a CPU 12 which

communicates with a variety of devices by means of an internal bus 14.

These devices include main memories, such as a random access memory

16 and a read only memory 18, and one or more input devices, such as a

keyboard 20, a pen device 22. The devices can further include a display

24, which can also serve as a data input device, for example, through use

of a pen and/or pressure applied to the display screen.

Information or data which is entered into the PDM through keyboard

20, pen 22 or display 24, is stored in a permanent storage device 26. In the preferred implementation of the invention, storage device 26 is a flash

memory.

The PDM also includes a suitable interface unit, preferably a

PCMCIA interface unit 28. Interface unit 28 includes a connector which

complies with the standards for PCMCIA peripheral devices and the logic

associated therewith. Internal bus 14 and PCMCIA interface unit 28 are

each connected to flash memory device 26 through a dual port logic

element 30. The overall size and configuration of the PDM conforms to

the form factor specifications for PCMCIA devices, so that it can be

plugged into a PCMCIA slot on a personal computer or PDA.

When the PDM functions as a stand alone device, i.e., whenever it

is not connected to the PCMCIA slot of a personal computer or PDA,

internal bus 14 is connected to flash memory device 26 by means of dual

port logic 30. In this configuration, the PDM functions in the normal

manner associated with devices of this type. In this mode, personal

information entered via keyboard 20 and/or pen device 22 and/or display

24, is processed in CPU 12 and stored in memory 26. In response to

commands entered by the user, the stored information is presented to

display 24 for viewing by the user.

PCMCIA interface 28 enables the PDM to be plugged into a

PCMCIA slot on a suitable platform, such as a desktop, laptop, notebook

or PDA. When desired, preferably upon proper insertion of the PDM into such a slot, dual port logic 30 changes the connection of flash memory unit

26 from internal bus 14 to PCMCIA interface 28. Typically, the PCMCIA

logic 32 senses the connection and sends a suitable signal to dual port logic

30 which, in turn, switches the signal source for the PCMCIA bus 34. In

other words, the user interface components of the PDM are disabled.

In the configuration shown in Figure 1, flash memory 26 is

connected to the internal bus of the personal computer or PDA, and

functions as another storage device for the computer or PDA. As such, the

information stored within flash memory 26 can be retrieved by the

platform's CPU, processed as appropriate, and displayed on the platform's

monitor.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention

provides a single medium for the storage of personal information which

can be plugged directly into, and which can be easily accessed through, a

number of different platforms. Through the use of a standardized bus

interface, such as the PCMCIA-standard interface and receptacle, the user

is provided with the ability to store and retrieve personal information via

a variety of platforms having such an interface without having to transfer

files between the PDM and the platform. In addition, since only one copy

of the personal information data is needed, assurance is provided that the

information is always up-to-date. It will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the

specific embodiments which have been described herein to facilitate an

understanding of its underlying principles. The scope of the invention is

defined by the claims which are appended hereto, rather than the foregoing

description, and all equivalents which are consistent with the meaning of

the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A personal data manager for storing and displaying

information, comprising:

(a) at least one input device for entering information;

(b) a personal data manager memory for storing information

entered through said input device;

(c) a display screen for displaying information stored in said

personal data manager memory;

(d) a personal data manager processor for controlling the storage

of information in said personal data manager memory and the

presentation of information on said display screen; and

(e) an interface for connecting said personal data manager

memory to a host processor which is external to said

personal data manager, so that when said personal data

manager is inserted into said host processor said personal

data manager memory becomes a memory device of said host

processor.

2. A personal data manager as in claim 1, wherein said host

processor is a personal computer.

3. A personal data manager as in claim 2, wherein said personal

computer is selected from the group consisting of a desktop, a laptop and

a notebook computer.

4. A personal data manager as in claim 1 , wherein said host

processor is a personal digital assistant.

5. A personal data manager as in claim 1, further comprising:

(f) means for disabling access to said personal data manager

memory by said processor and for connecting said personal

data manager memory to said host processor through said

interface.

6. A personal data manager as in claim 5, wherein said means

for disabling access is responsive to the insertion of said personal data

manager into a receptacle of said host processor.

7. A personal data manager as in claim 1, wherein said interface

is a PCMCIA-standard interface.

8. A personal data manager as in claim 6, wherein said

receptacle is a PCMCIA-standard receptacle.

9. A personal data manager as in claim 1 , wherein said input

device includes a keyboard.

10. A personal data manager as in claim 1 , wherein said input

device includes a pen.

11. A personal data manager as in claim 9, wherein said input

device further includes a pen by which information is entered via said

display screen.

12. A personal data manager as in claim 1 , wherein said display

screen is touch sensitive.

13. A personal data manager as in claim 1 , wherein said personal

data manager memory is a flash memory.

14. A personal data manager as in claim 1, wherein said personal

data manager includes a housing which conforms to the form factor

specifications of the PCMCIA standard to thereby enable said personal data

manager to be plugged directly into a PCMCIA-standard slot in said host

processor.

15. A system for storing and displaying information, comprising:

(a) a portable personal data manager including:

(i) at least one input device for entering information;

(ii) a personal data manager memory for storing

information entered through said input device;

(iii) a display screen for displaying information stored in

said personal data manager memory;

(iv) a processor for controlling the storage of information

in said personal data manager memory and the

presentation of information on said display screen; and

(v) an interface connected to said personal data manager

memory; and

(b) a host processor external to said personal data manager, said

host processor having a central processing unit and a

receptacle for connection to said interface of said personal

data manager so that when said personal data manager is

inserted into said host processor said memory of said

personal data manager becomes a memory device of said

host processor.

16. A system as in claim 15, wherein said personal data manager

further includes: (vi) means for disabling access to said memory by said processor

and for connecting said memory to said platform through

said interface.

17. A system as in claim 16, wherein said means for disabling

access is responsive to the insertion of said personal data manager into a

receptacle of said platform.

18. A system as in claim 15, wherein said interface is a

PCMCIA-standard interface.

19. A system as in claim 15, wherein said receptacle is a

PCMCIA-standard receptacle.

20. A system as in claim 15, wherein said memory is a flash

memory.

21. A system as in claim 15, wherein said personal data manager

includes a housing which conforms to the form factor specifications of the

PCMCIA standard to thereby enable said personal data manager to be

plugged directly into a PCMCIA-standard slot in said platform.