Enhanced digital data collector for removable memory modules

For use in transferring data between a digital camera flash memory module and a user's computer, a portable, hand-held, digital data transfer and repository device embodied in a housing operatively connectable to a user's notebook or desktop computer and which is of a size which can be held in a user's palm, said repository device comprising:

• a hand-held housing of a size to be held in the palm of a user's hand and including a plurality of ports, at least one of said plurality of ports for receiving digital camera memory data including a copy of the contents of a memory of a digital camera containing picture image data previously captured by a digital camera, and at least one of said ports for coupling said portable repository device to a user's computer,
• a hard disk drive having a storage capacity of at least one gigabyte contained within said hand-held housing and operatively coupled to receive and store digital data from a digital camera memory said copy of the contents of a memory of a digital camera containing picture image data previously captured by a digital camera, said hard disk drive storing JPEG files and audio data and being accessible for data transfer between said portable repository device and a user's computer;
• processing circuitry contained within said hand-held housing for controlling the transfer of data stored in a digital flash memory module to said hard disk drive,
• an LCD display device embodied in said hand-held housing for displaying JPEG graphical images,
• at least one user interface key embodied in said housing including a copy key for initiating the copying of the contents of a memory of a digital camera containing picture image data previously captured by said digital camera from said memory of said digital camera to said mass storage device;
• and
• an input/output interface, coupled to said hard disk drive, for use in transferring data between said hard disk drive and said user's computer, said input/output interface being compatible with an interface of said user's computer.

A method of operating a portable, hand-held digital camera picture image data transfer and repository device, said data transfer and repository device including within a hand-held housing which can be comfortably held in a user's palm:

• a port for coupling said portable repository device to a user's computer, a hard disk drive having a storage capacity of at least one gigabyte for storing picture image data, an input/output interface coupled to said hard disk drive for use in transferring image data between said hard disk drive and said user's computer, at least one user interface key including a copy key for initiating the copying of the contents of a memory of a digital camera containing picture image data previously captured by said digital camera from said memory of said digital camera to said hard disk drive device and an LCD display, said method comprising the steps of:
• receiving picture image data previously captured from a digital camera and stored in a digital camera memory;
• storing said picture image data in said hard drive embodied within said repository device in response to a user actuating said copy key embodied in said hand-held housing of said digital camera picture image data transfer and repository device;
• determining whether a request has been made to transfer picture image data from a user's computer to said hard drive;
• transferring picture image data from a user's computer to said hard disk drive within said repository device in response to said request;
• displaying picture image data on an LCD display embodied within said repository device;
• and
• controlling operations involving picture image data in response to a user actuating keys embodied in said hand-held housing.