US 6,807,597 B2 · Integrated PC Card host controller for the detection and operation of a plurality of expansion cards

Abstract

An integrated controller for the detection and operation of both PC Cards, smart cards and passive smart card adapter cards. In one aspect, the invention detects the presence of standard expansion cards or passive smart card adapters by utilizing the reserved detection and voltage selection signal area defined by the PC Card specification. In another aspect, the invention provides an integrated controller that includes logic to operate either a standard expansion card or a passive smart card adapter by reassigning certain PC Card signal lines to operate a standard expansion card or a passive smart card adapter, thereby eliminating the need to provide pins in addition to those defined by the PC Card specification.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A system for the detection and operation of a Smart Card, comprising:

a socket for receiving a Smart Card;
an integrated controller comprising a first logic set for detecting said Smart Card, a second logic set for operating said Smart Card;
and
a bus interface controller to provide communications with a bus interface and said smart card using conventional PC card communication protocols;
and
a second socket for receiving a PC Card;
said integrated controller further comprising a third logic set to detect and operate said PC Card, said bus interface controller adapted to provide communication between said PC Card and said bus interface using said conventional PC Card communication protocols.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

10/173,245Filed 17 Jun 2002 · continuation

Priority

5 Aug 1999

Published

US 2002/0152047 A117 Oct 2002

Granted

19 Oct 2004

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G06F 13/4068
Device-to-bus coupling: electrical coupling
G06F 13/4081
Electrical coupling: live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging
Y10S 439/945
Electrical connectors: adapter for pcb or cartridge
G06F
Computing and data processing

Family

Application60/147,544Us provisional application · filed 5 Aug 1999

Application60/161,249Us provisional application · filed 25 Oct 1999

Application60/174,948Us provisional application · filed 7 Jan 2000

Application09/536,578Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Mar 2000

US 2002/0152047 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Oct 2002

US 6,470,284 B1Parent of this continuation

US 6,807,597 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Integrated PC Card host controller for the detection and operation of a plurality of expansion cards

Life of this patent

Integrated PC Card host controller for the detection and operation of a plurality of expansion cards

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9