# US 11,907,150 B2 · Multi-protocol IO infrastructure for a flexible storage platform > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,907,150 B2 - Document ID: US11907150B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/316,385 - Filed: 2021-05-10 - Published: 2021-08-26 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2015-05-08 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Fred Worley; Harry Rogers; Sreenivas Krishnan; Zhan Ping; Michael Scriber - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11907150B2 ## CPC - G06F 13/385: {for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices} - G06F 13/4022: {using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network (G06F13/4009 takes precedence)} - G06F 13/4282: {on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A flexible storage system. A storage motherboard accommodates, on a suitable connector, a storage adapter circuit that provides protocol translation between a host bus interface and a storage interface, and that provides routing, to accommodate a plurality of mass storage devices that may be connected to the storage adapter circuit through the storage motherboard. The storage adapter circuit may be replaced with a circuit supporting a different host interface or a different storage interface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a storage board; a first storage circuit in communication with the storage board, the first storage circuit configured to support a first storage interface for communicating with a first storage device; and a second storage circuit in communication with the storage board, the second storage circuit configured to support a second storage interface for communicating with a second storage device, wherein the first storage interface is a multi-protocol interface that is different from the second storage interface, and wherein at least one of the first storage circuit or the second storage circuit is configured to: determine, according to a physical connector of the first storage device or the second storage device, a storage protocol used by the first storage device or the second storage device that is different from a storage protocol used by a host interface; and modify a communication, received according to the storage protocol used by the host interface, based on the different storage protocol used by the first storage device or the second storage device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage interface comprises at least one of a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) interface or a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface, and the second storage interface comprises a Non Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) interface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-protocol interface is compatible with at least two from among SATA, SAS, or NVMe over Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-protocol interface is compatible with the first storage interface and a third storage interface that is different from the first storage interface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the first storage interface is a SATA interface and the third storage interface is a SAS interface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first storage circuit comprises a first routing circuit configured to route data access requests to the first storage device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the first routing circuit comprises at least one of a router, a switch, an expander, or a hub. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the first storage circuit further comprises a host bus adapter configured to translate between a protocol of a host bus and a protocol of the first storage device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the first storage circuit further comprises a second routing circuit configured to route data access requests to a third storage device configured with a protocol different from that of the first storage device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the storage board comprises a multi-protocol storage interface connector connected to the first storage circuit, and configured to mechanically connect to the first storage device and a third storage device configured with a protocol different from that of the first storage device. ### Claim 11 A storage adapter circuit, comprising: a first storage circuit in communication with a storage board, the first storage circuit configured to support a first storage interface for communicating with a first storage device; and a second storage circuit in communication with the storage board, the second storage circuit configured to support a second storage interface for communicating with a second storage device, wherein the first storage interface is a multi-protocol interface that is different from the second storage interface, and wherein at least one of the first storage circuit or the second storage circuit is configured to: determine, according to a physical connector of the first storage device or the second storage device, a storage protocol used by the first storage device or the second storage device that is different from a storage protocol used by a host interface; and modify a communication, received according to the storage protocol used by the host interface, based on the different protocol used by the first storage device or the second storage device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The circuit of claim 11, wherein the first storage interface comprises at least one of a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) interface or a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface, and the second storage interface comprises a Non Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) interface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The circuit of claim 11, wherein the multi-protocol interface is compatible with at least two from among SATA, SAS, or NVMe over Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe). ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The circuit of claim 11, wherein the multi-protocol interface is compatible with the first storage interface and a third storage interface that is different from the first storage interface. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The circuit of claim 14, wherein the first storage interface is a SATA interface and the third storage interface is a SAS interface. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first storage circuit comprises a first routing circuit configured to route data access requests to the first storage device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The circuit of claim 16, wherein the first routing circuit comprises at least one of a router, a switch, an expander, or a hub. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The circuit of claim 16, wherein the first storage circuit further comprises a host bus adapter configured to translate between a protocol of a host bus and a protocol of the first storage device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The circuit of claim 16, wherein the first storage circuit further comprises a second routing circuit configured to route data access requests to a third storage device configured with a protocol different from that of the first storage device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The circuit of claim 11, wherein the first storage circuit is configured to communicate with the first storage device and a third storage device configured with a protocol different from that of the first storage device through a multi-protocol storage interface connector of the storage board configured to mechanically connect to the first storage device and the third storage device.