WO1997018507A1 - Adapter and method of connecting devices - Google Patents

Adapter and method of connecting devices Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1997018507A1
WO1997018507A1 PCT/US1996/017264 US9617264W WO9718507A1 WO 1997018507 A1 WO1997018507 A1 WO 1997018507A1 US 9617264 W US9617264 W US 9617264W WO 9718507 A1 WO9718507 A1 WO 9718507A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
connectors
port
adapter
housing
devices
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1996/017264
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Mahesh Chandra Rao
Original Assignee
Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc. filed Critical Mitsubishi Chemical America, Inc.
Publication of WO1997018507A1 publication Critical patent/WO1997018507A1/en

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Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/002Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R27/00Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts
    • H01R27/02Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts for simultaneous co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F2213/00Indexing scheme relating to interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units
    • G06F2213/0004Parallel ports, e.g. centronics

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a method and apparatus for connecting a plurality of devices for communication with each other.
  • Computers are typically connected to peripheral devices by means of cables extending between the computer and the devices and between the devices themselves.
  • Various connectors and interface protocols have developed over the years, thus making it necessary to provide adapters for converting from one protocol to another.
  • a lap top computer may be provided with only a parallel port, and the need may arise to connect an optical disk drive that has only a SCSI port.
  • the prior art teaches the use of dedicated cables having appropriate connectors at its ends and being provided with an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) to perform the protocol conversion.
  • ASIC application specific integrated circuit
  • the problem associated with the prior art is that the cable, having only two ends, is limited to connecting a computer to a single device. Furthermore, the flexibility of the cable makes it inherently unreliable, the relative movement between the cable and the connectors at its ends frequently resulting in cable break down. Since the cables are dedicated to perform a specific conversion process from one interface protocol to another and are provided with ASIC chips, their cost is invariably significantly higher than that of a general purpose cable performing no protocol conversion.
  • the present invention seeks to provide a solution to the above problems.
  • an adapter for connecting a plurality of devices comprising a support structure; at least three connectors connected to the support structure, each connector being configured to operate in accordance with a pre- determined interface protocol; conversion means connected to the connectors for converting from one interface protocol associated with one of the connectors to at least one other interface protocol corresponding to the protocols associated with the other connectors.
  • the support structure can comprise a housing.
  • the housing can have an external surface and at least one of the connectors can be arranged relative to the external surface for engagement with a complementary connector on an associated one of the devices.
  • the housing can include engagement means on its extemal surface and at least one of the devices can have complementary engagement formations complementarily engagable with the engagement means of the housing to securely retain said at least one device with the engagement formations relative to the housing.
  • the conversion means may include an application specific integrated circuit chip.
  • the connectors can include an SCSI port, a wide SCSI port, a fast SCSI port, a serial port, a parallel port, an RS232 port, an Ethernet port, a 10 Base T port, an IPI port, an IDE port, an EIDE port, a TCPIP port, or a coaxial cable port. At least one of the connectors can comprise a wireless connector port.
  • the wireless connector port can comprise an infrared port or a radio frequency port.
  • the devices can include a computer, a memory device, a printer, or a modem.
  • the memory device can comprise a read-only memory or a read-and-write memory, such as a ROM chip set, a RAM chip set, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, a removal hard disk drive, a tape drive, or a CD family drive.
  • the adapter can comprise a storage means for temporarily storing information received by the connectors.
  • an adapter for connecting a plurality of devices comprising a housing defined by an outer wall; a plurality of connectors secured to the outer wall of the housing, each connector being configured to operate in accordance with a pre-determined interface protocol, and conversion means mounted relative to the housing for converting from one interface protocol associated with one of the connectors to at least one other interface protocol associated with the other connectors.
  • the adapter can include two connectors.
  • the housing can have an external surface and at least one of the connectors can be arranged relative to the external surface for engagement with a complementary connector on an associated one of the devices.
  • a memory system for a computer comprising a memory module and an adapter module
  • the memory module includes a memory housing
  • the adapter module includes an adapter housing, the housings having complementary communication ports for electrical communication between the two modules, and one of the housings having cartridge retaining means on an outer surface of the housing for retaining at least one memory disk or cassette, the disk or cassette serving to store information and facilitate the read of such information by the memory module.
  • the housings can have complementary connection means for physically connecting the housings to each other.
  • the disk retaining means can comprise rails for slidably receiving the at least one disk or cassette.
  • the adapter module can include a plurality of electrical connectors mounted on the housing. At least two of the connectors can be configured to operate in accordance with different interface protocols, and the adapter module can include conversion means connected to the connectors for converting from one interface protocol associated with one of the connectors to at least one other interface protocol corresponding to the protocols associated with the other connectors.
  • the memory system can further comprise a storage means for temporarily storing information received by the connectors.
  • a method of connecting a plurality of devices for information interchange between the devices wherein at least two of the devices operate in accordance with different interface protocols comprising providing a housing having at least two connectors mounted on the housing, at least two of the connectors being associated with different interface protocols, and connecting the plurality of devices to the housing, wherein the housing contains conversion means for converting between the interface protocols associated with the connectors.
  • At least one of the devices can be connected to the housing by means of a standard cable, the cable can have connectors at its ends associated with a single interface protocol.
  • the housing and at least one of the devices can be provided with complementary connectors and the housing and the at least one device can be shaped to permit direct engagement between the complementary connectors, and can further comprise connecting said at least one device directly to the housing.
  • At least one device connected directly to the housing can be retained relative to the housing by means of complementary engagement formations located on the housing and said at least one device.
  • Fig. 1 is an isometric view of an optical disk drive and adapter module in accordance with the invention
  • Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of the adapter module of Fig. 1 ;
  • Fig. 3 is an end view of the adapter module of Fig. 2;
  • Fig. 4 is an end view from the opposite end of the adapter module of Fig. 2;
  • Fig. 5 is a plan view of the adapter module of Fig. 2;
  • Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of a printed circuit board for use in an adapter module of the invention, and
  • Fig. 7 is an end view of the optical disk drive of Fig. 1 .
  • the present invention seeks to eliminate the problems associated with the prior art.
  • the present invention proposes an adapter in the form of a module connectable either directly or by means of a standard cable to a computer and peripheral devices operating under different interface protocols.
  • standard cable will be used to refer to a cable having connectors at its ends that are related to a single interface protocol, and wherein the cable performs no protocol conversion.
  • This is to be distinguished from a dedicated cable known in the art in which the cable is provided with different connectors at its ends, each connector being associated with a different protocol, and the cable having an ASIC chip for performing a protocol conversion.
  • an adapter module in accordance with the invention is connected directly to an optical disk drive and connected by means of a standard cable to a lap top computer.
  • the adapter module is further provided with a number of other parts or connectors for connecting further peripheral devices to the computer.
  • the invention is not limited to the connection of computers to memory devices such as read-only or read-and-write memory devices, including hard disk drives, optical disk drives, removable hard disk drives, tape drives, CD family drives like CDR, CDI, and CDE, jukeboxes, or ROM or RAM chip sets, etc.
  • the present invention is equally applicable to other peripheral devices such as printers, modems, etc.
  • the invention is not to be read as being limited to the specific electrical connectors and protocols discussed but applies equally to any other connector and protocol such as serial ports, parallel ports, RS232 ports, SCSI ports, wide SCSI ports, fast SCSI ports, Ethernet ports, 10 Base T ports, IPl ports, IDE ports, EIDE ports, TCPIP ports, coaxial cable ports, and wireless ports such as infrared or radio frequency connectors, to name but a few.
  • Fig. 1 shows an isometric view of an optical disk drive 1 0 and an adapter 1 2 in accordance with the invention.
  • the adapter module 1 2 is typically connected by means of a standard cable (not shown) to a computer, and serves to convert from one interface protocol adopted by the computer to a second protocol adopted by the disk drive.
  • the adapter module 1 2 is illustrated in greater detail in Figs., 2-5.
  • Fig. 2 shows a sectional side view of the adapter module 1 2.
  • the one side 1 which in this example corresponds to the computer side and is show in detail in Fig. 3, includes a DB25 connector serving as a parallel port for connection to a parallel port of a computer.
  • the side 1 4 further includes an SCSI 36 pin connector 1 8 and two micro SCSI connectors 20, 21 .
  • a DC jack 22 is also provided. It will be appreciated that this is merely an illustrative example and that the module 1 2 could have a different number and different types of connectors.
  • the opposite side, which in this example, corresponds to the disk drive side 24 supports a 50 pin SCSI connector 26 which is illustrated more clearly in Fig. 4. It also supports a DC plug 28. Again, the invention is not limited to the type of connectors illustrated in this embodiment and could include different types of connectors and more or less than two connectors.
  • Mounted within the housing 30 of the adapter module 1 2 is a printed circuit board 32 that supports an ASIC chip 34 as illustrated in Fig. 6.
  • the chip 34 is connected by means of bus Iines (not shown) to edge connectors 36 for connection to various connectors on sides 14 and 24 of the module 12.
  • the ASIC chip 34 serves to perform protocol conversions from one connector to another.
  • Such ASIC chips are commonly known in the art and are readily available from companies such as
  • the printed circuit board also supports a temporary storage means 35.
  • the temporary storage means can consist of a number of RAM chips, which serve as a buffer for information sent to the module 1 2 via the various connectors or ports. It will be appreciated that a buffer or cache could equally well be connected externally instead of being mounted on the PC board.
  • the disk drive 10 is provided with a 50 pin SCSI connector 40 (as illustrated in Fig. 7) for complimentarily engaging the connector 26 of the adapter module 1 2.
  • the side 38 of the drive 1 0 further includes a DC socket 42 for receiving the DC plug 28 of the adapter module 1 2.
  • the disk drive 10 also includes a slidable cover 43 (Fig.
  • the drive 10 includes slidably mounted legs 44 to support the disk drive more securely on its edge.
  • Another feature included to enhance the compactness of the system as a whole is the provision of rails 46 for slidably receiving portable storage media such as optical disks or cassettes. This allows extra disks or cassettes to be secured to the body of the drive 10.
  • the invention is not limited to rails. Any suitable attachment means, for example clips, could be provided on the drive 10, or on the adapter module 12.
  • the adapter module is simply connected to the end 38 of the drive 10 and is held in place by virtue of the connector 26, which engages the connector 40.
  • Resilient retaining hooks 48 on the module 1 2 (Fig. 1 ) engage complementary recesses 50 (Fig. 7) in the end 38 of the drive 10 to securely mount the adapter module 1 2 on the device 1 0.
  • the module 1 2 is, in turn, connected either directly to the computer, such as a lap top computer, or by means of a standard connector cable extending from the parallel port of the computer to the DB 25 connector 1 6 of the module 1 2.
  • the connectors 1 8, 20, 21 can be connected to other peripheral devices thereby allowing the computer to communicate with such other devices.
  • a further 50 pin SCSI connector can be provided for connecting another identical optical disk drive to the adapter module.
  • several peripheral devices can be connected to a computer and several memory devices could, for example, be daisy chained together.
  • the adapter module could, for example, support SCSI, wide SCSI, fast SCSI RS232, serial, parallel, Ethernet,
  • Base T IPI, IDE, EIDE, TCPIP, coaxial cable or wireless connectors such as radio frequency or infrared connectors.
  • a variety of devices could be connected to a computer or daisy chained together.
  • memory devices including read-only and read- and-write memory devices, such as ROM or RAM chip sets, jukeboxes, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, removable hard disk drives, tape drives, CD family drives such as CDR, CDI, and CDE, etc. and other devices such as printers or modems, to name a few, could be connected to a computer or to each other.

Abstract

A method and apparatus for connecting a computer to one or more peripheral devices includes providing an adapter module (12) connectable directly or by means of standard cabling to a peripheral device (10). The adapter module (12) includes a plurality of electrical connectors configured to operate in accordance with predetermined interface protocols. A conversion means provided in the module (12) in the form of an ASIC chip performs protocol conversions. By providing three or more connectors on the adapter module (12), several devices can be connected to a computer having a single port.

Description

ADAPTER AND METHOD OF CONNECTING DEVICES
FIELD OF THE INVENTtON
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for connecting a plurality of devices for communication with each other.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Computers are typically connected to peripheral devices by means of cables extending between the computer and the devices and between the devices themselves. Various connectors and interface protocols have developed over the years, thus making it necessary to provide adapters for converting from one protocol to another. For example, a lap top computer may be provided with only a parallel port, and the need may arise to connect an optical disk drive that has only a SCSI port. The prior art teaches the use of dedicated cables having appropriate connectors at its ends and being provided with an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) to perform the protocol conversion.
The problem associated with the prior art is that the cable, having only two ends, is limited to connecting a computer to a single device. Furthermore, the flexibility of the cable makes it inherently unreliable, the relative movement between the cable and the connectors at its ends frequently resulting in cable break down. Since the cables are dedicated to perform a specific conversion process from one interface protocol to another and are provided with ASIC chips, their cost is invariably significantly higher than that of a general purpose cable performing no protocol conversion.
The present invention seeks to provide a solution to the above problems.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an adaptor for interface protocol conversions, which is less susceptible to break down. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a rigid support for a plurality of different connectors and an ASIC chip for performing protocol conversions between the various connectors. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of using standard non-dedicated cables and performing protocol conversions independently of the cables.
It is yet another object of the invention to mount the various connectors of the adaptor on a housing and to include three or more connectors thereby permitting a plurality of external devices to be data chained together.
According to the invention there is provided an adapter for connecting a plurality of devices, comprising a support structure; at least three connectors connected to the support structure, each connector being configured to operate in accordance with a pre- determined interface protocol; conversion means connected to the connectors for converting from one interface protocol associated with one of the connectors to at least one other interface protocol corresponding to the protocols associated with the other connectors. The support structure can comprise a housing. The housing can have an external surface and at least one of the connectors can be arranged relative to the external surface for engagement with a complementary connector on an associated one of the devices.
The housing can include engagement means on its extemal surface and at least one of the devices can have complementary engagement formations complementarily engagable with the engagement means of the housing to securely retain said at least one device with the engagement formations relative to the housing. The conversion means may include an application specific integrated circuit chip. The connectors can include an SCSI port, a wide SCSI port, a fast SCSI port, a serial port, a parallel port, an RS232 port, an Ethernet port, a 10 Base T port, an IPI port, an IDE port, an EIDE port, a TCPIP port, or a coaxial cable port. At least one of the connectors can comprise a wireless connector port. The wireless connector port can comprise an infrared port or a radio frequency port.
The devices can include a computer, a memory device, a printer, or a modem. The memory device can comprise a read-only memory or a read-and-write memory, such as a ROM chip set, a RAM chip set, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, a removal hard disk drive, a tape drive, or a CD family drive.
The adapter can comprise a storage means for temporarily storing information received by the connectors. Further, according to the invention there is provided an adapter for connecting a plurality of devices, comprising a housing defined by an outer wall; a plurality of connectors secured to the outer wall of the housing, each connector being configured to operate in accordance with a pre-determined interface protocol, and conversion means mounted relative to the housing for converting from one interface protocol associated with one of the connectors to at least one other interface protocol associated with the other connectors. The adapter can include two connectors. The housing can have an external surface and at least one of the connectors can be arranged relative to the external surface for engagement with a complementary connector on an associated one of the devices.
Still further, according to the invention there is provided a memory system for a computer, comprising a memory module and an adapter module, wherein the memory module includes a memory housing, and the adapter module includes an adapter housing, the housings having complementary communication ports for electrical communication between the two modules, and one of the housings having cartridge retaining means on an outer surface of the housing for retaining at least one memory disk or cassette, the disk or cassette serving to store information and facilitate the read of such information by the memory module.
The housings can have complementary connection means for physically connecting the housings to each other. The disk retaining means can comprise rails for slidably receiving the at least one disk or cassette.
The adapter module can include a plurality of electrical connectors mounted on the housing. At least two of the connectors can be configured to operate in accordance with different interface protocols, and the adapter module can include conversion means connected to the connectors for converting from one interface protocol associated with one of the connectors to at least one other interface protocol corresponding to the protocols associated with the other connectors.
The memory system can further comprise a storage means for temporarily storing information received by the connectors. Still further, according to the invention is a method of connecting a plurality of devices for information interchange between the devices wherein at least two of the devices operate in accordance with different interface protocols, comprising providing a housing having at least two connectors mounted on the housing, at least two of the connectors being associated with different interface protocols, and connecting the plurality of devices to the housing, wherein the housing contains conversion means for converting between the interface protocols associated with the connectors.
At least one of the devices can be connected to the housing by means of a standard cable, the cable can have connectors at its ends associated with a single interface protocol.
The housing and at least one of the devices can be provided with complementary connectors and the housing and the at least one device can be shaped to permit direct engagement between the complementary connectors, and can further comprise connecting said at least one device directly to the housing.
At least one device connected directly to the housing can be retained relative to the housing by means of complementary engagement formations located on the housing and said at least one device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is an isometric view of an optical disk drive and adapter module in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of the adapter module of Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3 is an end view of the adapter module of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is an end view from the opposite end of the adapter module of Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the adapter module of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of a printed circuit board for use in an adapter module of the invention, and
Fig. 7 is an end view of the optical disk drive of Fig. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention seeks to eliminate the problems associated with the prior art. In particular, the present invention proposes an adapter in the form of a module connectable either directly or by means of a standard cable to a computer and peripheral devices operating under different interface protocols. For purposes of this application, the term "standard cable" will be used to refer to a cable having connectors at its ends that are related to a single interface protocol, and wherein the cable performs no protocol conversion. This is to be distinguished from a dedicated cable known in the art in which the cable is provided with different connectors at its ends, each connector being associated with a different protocol, and the cable having an ASIC chip for performing a protocol conversion.
A specific embodiment is described in which an adapter module in accordance with the invention is connected directly to an optical disk drive and connected by means of a standard cable to a lap top computer. The adapter module is further provided with a number of other parts or connectors for connecting further peripheral devices to the computer. It will, however, be appreciated, that the invention is not limited to the connection of computers to memory devices such as read-only or read-and-write memory devices, including hard disk drives, optical disk drives, removable hard disk drives, tape drives, CD family drives like CDR, CDI, and CDE, jukeboxes, or ROM or RAM chip sets, etc. The present invention is equally applicable to other peripheral devices such as printers, modems, etc. Furthermore, the invention is not to be read as being limited to the specific electrical connectors and protocols discussed but applies equally to any other connector and protocol such as serial ports, parallel ports, RS232 ports, SCSI ports, wide SCSI ports, fast SCSI ports, Ethernet ports, 10 Base T ports, IPl ports, IDE ports, EIDE ports, TCPIP ports, coaxial cable ports, and wireless ports such as infrared or radio frequency connectors, to name but a few. A specific embodiment is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows an isometric view of an optical disk drive 1 0 and an adapter 1 2 in accordance with the invention. The adapter module 1 2 is typically connected by means of a standard cable (not shown) to a computer, and serves to convert from one interface protocol adopted by the computer to a second protocol adopted by the disk drive. The adapter module 1 2 is illustrated in greater detail in Figs., 2-5. Fig. 2 shows a sectional side view of the adapter module 1 2. The one side 1 , which in this example corresponds to the computer side and is show in detail in Fig. 3, includes a DB25 connector serving as a parallel port for connection to a parallel port of a computer. The side 1 4 further includes an SCSI 36 pin connector 1 8 and two micro SCSI connectors 20, 21 . A DC jack 22 is also provided. It will be appreciated that this is merely an illustrative example and that the module 1 2 could have a different number and different types of connectors. The opposite side, which in this example, corresponds to the disk drive side 24 supports a 50 pin SCSI connector 26 which is illustrated more clearly in Fig. 4. It also supports a DC plug 28. Again, the invention is not limited to the type of connectors illustrated in this embodiment and could include different types of connectors and more or less than two connectors. Mounted within the housing 30 of the adapter module 1 2 is a printed circuit board 32 that supports an ASIC chip 34 as illustrated in Fig. 6. The chip 34 is connected by means of bus Iines (not shown) to edge connectors 36 for connection to various connectors on sides 14 and 24 of the module 12. The ASIC chip 34 serves to perform protocol conversions from one connector to another. Such ASIC chips are commonly known in the art and are readily available from companies such as
Shuttle Technologies, Inc. The printed circuit board also supports a temporary storage means 35. The temporary storage means can consist of a number of RAM chips, which serve as a buffer for information sent to the module 1 2 via the various connectors or ports. It will be appreciated that a buffer or cache could equally well be connected externally instead of being mounted on the PC board. Referring again to Fig. 1 and to Fig. 7, the disk drive 10 is provided with a 50 pin SCSI connector 40 (as illustrated in Fig. 7) for complimentarily engaging the connector 26 of the adapter module 1 2. The side 38 of the drive 1 0 further includes a DC socket 42 for receiving the DC plug 28 of the adapter module 1 2. The disk drive 10 also includes a slidable cover 43 (Fig. 1 ) providing access to dip switches and SCSI identification switches (not shown) . Furthermore, the drive 10 includes slidably mounted legs 44 to support the disk drive more securely on its edge. Another feature included to enhance the compactness of the system as a whole is the provision of rails 46 for slidably receiving portable storage media such as optical disks or cassettes. This allows extra disks or cassettes to be secured to the body of the drive 10. Clearly, the invention is not limited to rails. Any suitable attachment means, for example clips, could be provided on the drive 10, or on the adapter module 12.
In practice, the adapter module is simply connected to the end 38 of the drive 10 and is held in place by virtue of the connector 26, which engages the connector 40. Resilient retaining hooks 48 on the module 1 2 (Fig. 1 ) engage complementary recesses 50 (Fig. 7) in the end 38 of the drive 10 to securely mount the adapter module 1 2 on the device 1 0. The module 1 2 is, in turn, connected either directly to the computer, such as a lap top computer, or by means of a standard connector cable extending from the parallel port of the computer to the DB 25 connector 1 6 of the module 1 2. It will be appreciated that the connectors 1 8, 20, 21 can be connected to other peripheral devices thereby allowing the computer to communicate with such other devices. In another embodiment a further 50 pin SCSI connector can be provided for connecting another identical optical disk drive to the adapter module. Thus by providing 3 or more connectors on the adapter module 1 2, several peripheral devices can be connected to a computer and several memory devices could, for example, be daisy chained together.
As mentioned above, a wide range of connectors could be provided on the adapter module with appropriate printed circuit boards and appropriate ASIC chips being provided for converting from one protocol to another. The adapter module could, for example, support SCSI, wide SCSI, fast SCSI RS232, serial, parallel, Ethernet,
10 Base T, IPI, IDE, EIDE, TCPIP, coaxial cable or wireless connectors such as radio frequency or infrared connectors. Furthermore, a variety of devices could be connected to a computer or daisy chained together. For example, memory devices including read-only and read- and-write memory devices, such as ROM or RAM chip sets, jukeboxes, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, removable hard disk drives, tape drives, CD family drives such as CDR, CDI, and CDE, etc. and other devices such as printers or modems, to name a few, could be connected to a computer or to each other.

Claims

WE CLAIM:
1 . An adapter for connecting a plurality of devices, comprising a support structure; at least three connectors connected to the support structure, each connector being configured to operate in accordance with a pre¬ determined interface protocol; conversion means connected to the connectors for converting from one interface protocol associated with one of the connectors to at least one other interface protocol corresponding to the protocols associated with the other connectors.
2. An adapter of Claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises a housing.
3. An adapter of Claim 2, wherein the housing has an external surface and at least one of the connectors is arranged relative to the external surface for engagement with a complementary connector on an associated one of the devices.
4. An adapter of Claim 3, wherein the housing includes engagement means on its external surface and at least one of the devices has complementary engagement formations complementarily engagable with the engagement means of the housing to securely retain said at least one device with the engagement formations relative to the housing.
5. An adapter of Claim 1 , wherein the conversion means includes an application specific integrated circuit chip.
6. An adapter of Claim 1 , wherein the connectors include an SCSI port, a wide SCSI port, a fast SCSI port, a serial port, a parallel port, an RS232 port, an Ethernet port, a 10 Base T port, an IPI port, an IDE port, an EIDE port, a TCPIP port, or a coaxial cable port.
7. An adapter of Claim 1 , wherein at least one of the connectors comprises a wireless connector port.
8. An adapter of Claim 7, wherein the wireless connector port comprises an infrared port or a radio frequency port.
9. An adapter of Claim 1 , wherein the devices include a computer, a memory device, a printer, or a modem.
10. An adapter of Claim 9, wherein the memory device comprises a read-only memory or a read-and-write memory.
1 1 . An adapter of Claim 10, wherein the memory device comprises a ROM chip set, a RAM chip set, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, a removal hard disk drive, a tape drive, or a CD family drive.
1 2. An adapter of Claim 1 , further comprising a storage means for temporarily storing information received by the connectors.
1 3. An adapter for connecting a plurality of devices, comprising a housing defined by an outer wall; a plurality of connectors secured to the outer wall of the housing, each connector being configured to operate in accordance with a pre-determined interface protocol, and conversion means mounted relative to the housing for converting from one interface protocol associated with one of the connectors to at least one other interface protocol associated with the other connectors.
14. An adapter of Claim 1 3, wherein the adapter includes two connectors.
1 5. An adapter of Claim 1 3, wherein the housing has an external surface and at least one of the connectors is arranged relative to the external surface for engagement with a complementary connector on an associated one of the devices.
1 6. An adapter of Claim 1 5, wherein the housing includes engagement means on its external surface and at least one of the devices has complementary engagement formations complementarity engagable to the engagement means of the housing to securely retain said at least one device with the engagement formations relative to the housing.
1 7. An adapter of Claim 1 3, wherein the conversion means includes an application specific integrated circuit chip.
1 8. An adapter of Claim 1 3, wherein the connectors include an SCSI port, a wide SCSI port, a fast SCSI port, a serial port, a parallel port, an RS232 port, an Ethernet port, a 1 0 Base T port, an IPI port, an IDE port, an EIDE port, a TCPIP port, or a coaxial cable port.
19. An adapter of Claim 1 3, wherein at least one of the connectors comprises a wireless connector port.
20. An adapter of Claim 1 9, wherein the wireless connector port comprises an infrared port or a radio frequency port.
21 . An adapter of Claim 1 3, wherein the devices include a computer, a memory device, a printer, or a modem.
22. An adapter of Claim 9, wherein the memory device comprises a read-only memory or a read-and-write memory.
23. An adapter of Claim 22, wherein the memory device comprises a ROM chip set, a RAM chip set, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, a removal hard disk drive, a tape drive, or a CD family drive.
24. An adapter of Claim 13, further comprising a storage means for temporarily storing information received by the connectors.
25. A memory system for a computer, comprising a memory module and an adapter module, wherein the memory module includes a memory housing, and the adapter module includes an adapter housing, the housings having complementary communication ports for electrical communication between the two modules, and one of the housings having cartridge retaining means on an outer surface of the housing for retaining at least one memory disk or cassette, the disk or cassette serving to store information and facilitate the reading of such information by the memory module.
26. A memory system of Claim 25, wherein the housings have complementary connection means for physically connecting the housings to each other.
27. A memory system of Claim 25, wherein the disk retaining means comprises rails for slidably receiving the at least one disk or cassette.
28. A memory system of Claim 25, wherein the adapter module includes a plurality of electrical connectors mounted on the housing.
29. A memory system of Claim 28, wherein at least two of the connectors are configured to operate in accordance with different interface protocols, and wherein the adapter module includes conversion means connected to the connectors for converting from one interface protocol associated with one of the connectors to at least one other interface protocol corresponding to the protocols associated with the other connectors.
30. A memory system of Claim 29, further comprising a storage means for temporarily storing information received by the connectors.
31 . A method of connecting a plurality of devices for information interchange between the devices wherein at least two of the devices operate in accordance with different interface protocols, comprising providing a housing having at least two connectors mounted on the housing, at least two of the connectors being associated with different interface protocols, and connecting the plurality of devices to the housing, wherein the housing contains conversion means for converting between the interface protocols associated with the connectors.
32. A method of Claim 31 , wherein at least one of the devices is connected to the housing by means of a standard cable, the cable having connectors at its ends associated with a single interface protocol.
33. A method of Claim 31 , wherein the housing and at least one of the devices are provided with complementary connectors and the housing and the at least one device are shaped to permit direct engagement between the complementary connectors, the method further comprising connecting said at least one device directly to the housing.
34. A method of Claim 33, wherein said at least one device connected directly to the housing is retained relative to the housing by means of complementary engagement formations located on the housing and said at least one device.
PCT/US1996/017264 1995-11-13 1996-11-12 Adapter and method of connecting devices WO1997018507A1 (en)

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US08/556,675 1995-11-13

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