WO1998007143A1 - A computer system including a removable and transportable storage medium to be utilized in a primary drive of the computer system - Google Patents

A computer system including a removable and transportable storage medium to be utilized in a primary drive of the computer system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1998007143A1
WO1998007143A1 PCT/US1997/013967 US9713967W WO9807143A1 WO 1998007143 A1 WO1998007143 A1 WO 1998007143A1 US 9713967 W US9713967 W US 9713967W WO 9807143 A1 WO9807143 A1 WO 9807143A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
computer system
removable
storage medium
drive
transportable storage
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1997/013967
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Donald Catherine
Original Assignee
Powers & Associates
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 Powers & Associates filed Critical Powers & Associates
Priority to AU39740/97A priority Critical patent/AU3974097A/en
Publication of WO1998007143A1 publication Critical patent/WO1998007143A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
    • G06F1/18—Packaging or power distribution
    • G06F1/183—Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means
    • G06F1/187—Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
    • G06F1/18—Packaging or power distribution
    • G06F1/181—Enclosures
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
    • G06F1/18—Packaging or power distribution
    • G06F1/183—Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means
    • G06F1/184—Mounting of motherboards
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B17/00—Guiding record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor
    • G11B17/02—Details
    • G11B17/04—Feeding or guiding single record carrier to or from transducer unit
    • G11B17/041—Feeding or guiding single record carrier to or from transducer unit specially adapted for discs contained within cartridges

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a computer system and more particularly an improvement in a storage system in such computer systems.
  • the hard drive is one of the components common to personal computers.
  • the hard drive is a primary storage device that is permanently installed as a single unit internal within the computer. In a conventional system, the actual hard drive is not physically accessible, or removable.
  • the hard drive is typically not removable in any standard, personal computer system.
  • the standard hard drive is a single component where the disks are permanently fixed inside of the drive. Since the hard drive is a fixed component in the computer system, it can be easily corrupted either intentionally or unintentionally. For example, in the home, several people may use the computer for a variety of reasons. In a typical family, for example, the husband and/or wife may use the computer for household and business purposes. They may bring confidential information home to work on at night or over the weekend which should not be seen by anyone else. In addition, there may be a need for a particular piece of information or the computer to remain secure because it is sensitive information, financial or otherwise, which must be maintained.
  • a child within the family uses the computer for various games, learning purposes or the like.
  • the child may also utilize the computer for correspondence, or schoolwork or other purposes.
  • the users may use the computer for email, the internet and other online services. All of these various uses can create the possibility that one user may corrupt data that another user requires.
  • the system should be simple to implement and easily adaptable to existing technologies.
  • the present invention addresses such a need.
  • the present invention provides a system for a transportable storage medium which can be utilized in an existing computer.
  • the computer system is configured with a removable and transportable storage medium in a drive.
  • the computer system utilizes a removable disk cartridge as the removable and transportable storage medium.
  • the disk cartridge separates from the drive to allow the owner of the data to remove it from the computer.
  • the drive which includes the removable and transportable medium, is set up to be the primary bootable drive.
  • the drive has the access speed of a standard hard drive. It performs and functions similar to a standard hard drive.
  • Figure 1 is a block diagram of a conventional computer system.
  • Figure 2 is a perspective view of the conventional computer system
  • FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer system in accordance with the present invention.
  • Figure 4 is a perspective view of a computer system in accordance with the present invention.
  • Figure 5 is a perspective view of the computer system of Figure 4 with a disk cartridge partially inserted.
  • Figure 6 is a perspective view of a removable and transportable disk cartridge for use in a computer system of Figure 4.
  • the present invention relates to an improvement in a computer system.
  • the following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements.
  • Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments.
  • the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
  • Figure 1 is a diagram of a conventional computer system 10.
  • Figure 2 is a perspective view of the conventional computer system 10.
  • the computer system 10 comprises a microprocessor 12 which interacts with a hard drive 14, peripheral devices such as a printer 16, a modem 18. Typically the microprocessor also interacts with memory 20.
  • the hard drive 14 typically contains all essential data for operating the computer system. As before-mentioned if the contents of the hard drive are shared between users there may be intentional or unintentional corruption of the data located therein.
  • the hard drive is a primary storage device that is permanently installed as a single unit internal within the computer.
  • Figure 3 is a block diagram of a computer system 100 in accordance with the present invention.
  • Figure 4 is a perspective view of computer system 100, including a keyboard 101.
  • the computer system includes similar components to that of the computer system of Figure 1.
  • the computer system 100 includes a microprocessor 102, which interacts with memory 110 and peripheral devices such as a printer 108 and a modem 110. As is seen, the computer system 100 includes a fixed drive chamber 104 for the removable and transportable cartridge.
  • the drive 104 contains a removable disk cartridge 202 which contains a transportable storage medium.
  • the disk cartridge 202 (shown partially in computer system Figure 5 and shown in Figure 6) is inserted into a slot in the fixed drive chamber 104 to allow the owner of the data to insert and remove the disk cartridge from the computer system. In so doing, access to information within the disk cartridge can be easily controlled by the owner or user of the particular computer system.
  • the disk cartridge is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket.
  • a disk cartridge which can be utilized for such a purpose is, for example, manufactured by Syquest Technology, Inc.
  • the standard disk cartridge manufactured by Syquest has a capacity of 130 MB. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the cartridge could be of any size (as small as 40 MB and as large as 2 Gigabytes or greater) and its use would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
  • the above described disk cartridge has been utilized specifically for backup, and data storage.
  • the manufacturer's installation method for the drive describes utilizing the drive as a backup or secondary storage to a standard hard drive, either external or internal.
  • the removable and transportable disk cartridge after insertion into the drive in accordance with the present invention is setup to be the primary bootable drive. Therefore, if several individuals utilize a particular computer system they each can have their own removable and transportable disk cartridge for use with that system. In so doing, none of the individuals will have to worry about unauthorized access to their confidential and/or personal information.
  • the installation method for the drive is similar to that when installing a standard hard drive, except it is the primary drive in a transport computer system.
  • the drive has the access speed of a standard hard drive.
  • the hard drive which utilizes the removable and transportable disk cartridge performs and functions in a manner similar to a standard hard drive. A typical configuration is shown below.
  • RAM Random Access Memory
  • the computer system's setup and programming utilizes the plug-n-play features of Windows 95.
  • the installation method for Windows 95 is called,
  • a computer system with a removable and transportable storage medium can be setup for use with any compatible computer operating system.
  • the computer system with a removable and transportable storage medium could be utilized with compatible computer network hardware and software.

Abstract

The present invention provides a system for a transportable storage medium which can be utilized in an existing computer. The computer system (100) includes a hard drive (104) which includes a removable and transportable storage medium (202). In a preferred embodiment, the computer system (100) utilizes a disk cartridge to comprise the removable and transportable storage medium (202). The disk cartridge (202) separates from the computer system (100) to allow the owner of the data to remove it from the computer. The drive (104) which includes the removable and transportable storage medium (202) is set up to be the primary bootable drive. The drive (104) has the access speed of a standard hard drive. It performs and functions in a manner that is similar to a standard hard drive.

Description

A COMPUTER SYSTEM INCLUDING A REMOVABLE AND TRANSPORTABLE
STORAGE MEDIUM TO BE UTILIZED IN A PRIMARY
DRIVE OF THE COMPUTER SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a computer system and more particularly an improvement in a storage system in such computer systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional Computers & Standard Hard Drives
Typically, conventional personal computers are configured with common hardware components. The hard drive is one of the components common to personal computers. The hard drive is a primary storage device that is permanently installed as a single unit internal within the computer. In a conventional system, the actual hard drive is not physically accessible, or removable. The hard drive is typically not removable in any standard, personal computer system. The standard hard drive is a single component where the disks are permanently fixed inside of the drive. Since the hard drive is a fixed component in the computer system, it can be easily corrupted either intentionally or unintentionally. For example, in the home, several people may use the computer for a variety of reasons. In a typical family, for example, the husband and/or wife may use the computer for household and business purposes. They may bring confidential information home to work on at night or over the weekend which should not be seen by anyone else. In addition, there may be a need for a particular piece of information or the computer to remain secure because it is sensitive information, financial or otherwise, which must be maintained.
On the other hand, a child within the family uses the computer for various games, learning purposes or the like. The child may also utilize the computer for correspondence, or schoolwork or other purposes. In addition, the users may use the computer for email, the internet and other online services. All of these various uses can create the possibility that one user may corrupt data that another user requires.
It is known to provide passwords and the like to restrict access to information on a computer. However, this is cumbersome to the user because it requires remembering the password and also unauthorized individual can enter the computer by either stealing the password of the user as well as determining the password by intuitive or random selection. The use of a password also adds to the overall complexity of the computer.
Hence what is needed is a system for allowing a variety of users to use a common computer without the potential for conflicts that are above-described.
The system should be simple to implement and easily adaptable to existing technologies. The present invention addresses such a need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a system for a transportable storage medium which can be utilized in an existing computer. The computer system is configured with a removable and transportable storage medium in a drive. In a preferred embodiment, the computer system utilizes a removable disk cartridge as the removable and transportable storage medium. The disk cartridge separates from the drive to allow the owner of the data to remove it from the computer. The drive, which includes the removable and transportable medium, is set up to be the primary bootable drive. The drive has the access speed of a standard hard drive. It performs and functions similar to a standard hard drive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a block diagram of a conventional computer system.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the conventional computer system
Figure 3 is a block diagram of a computer system in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a computer system in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the computer system of Figure 4 with a disk cartridge partially inserted.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a removable and transportable disk cartridge for use in a computer system of Figure 4.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improvement in a computer system. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
Figure 1 is a diagram of a conventional computer system 10. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the conventional computer system 10. The computer system 10 comprises a microprocessor 12 which interacts with a hard drive 14, peripheral devices such as a printer 16, a modem 18. Typically the microprocessor also interacts with memory 20. The hard drive 14 typically contains all essential data for operating the computer system. As before-mentioned if the contents of the hard drive are shared between users there may be intentional or unintentional corruption of the data located therein.
In a conventional computer system, the hard drive is a primary storage device that is permanently installed as a single unit internal within the computer.
In a conventional system, the actual hard drive is not physically accessible, or removable. The hard drive is typically not removable in conventional computer systems. The standard hard drive is a single component where the disks are permanently fixed inside of the drive. In a system and method in accordance with the present invention, a hard drive which utilizes a removable and transportable storage medium is utilized in place of the conventional hard drive. The removable and transportable storage medium is inserted into the drive which is then configured to be utilized as the primary drive. To more particularly describe the features of the present invention refer now to Figure 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a block diagram of a computer system 100 in accordance with the present invention. Figure 4 is a perspective view of computer system 100, including a keyboard 101. The computer system includes similar components to that of the computer system of Figure 1. The computer system 100 includes a microprocessor 102, which interacts with memory 110 and peripheral devices such as a printer 108 and a modem 110. As is seen, the computer system 100 includes a fixed drive chamber 104 for the removable and transportable cartridge. The drive 104 contains a removable disk cartridge 202 which contains a transportable storage medium.
In a preferred embodiment, the disk cartridge 202 (shown partially in computer system Figure 5 and shown in Figure 6) is inserted into a slot in the fixed drive chamber 104 to allow the owner of the data to insert and remove the disk cartridge from the computer system. In so doing, access to information within the disk cartridge can be easily controlled by the owner or user of the particular computer system. In a preferred embodiment, the disk cartridge is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket.
A disk cartridge which can be utilized for such a purpose is, for example, manufactured by Syquest Technology, Inc. The standard disk cartridge manufactured by Syquest has a capacity of 130 MB. It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the cartridge could be of any size (as small as 40 MB and as large as 2 Gigabytes or greater) and its use would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Heretofore, the above described disk cartridge has been utilized specifically for backup, and data storage. In fact, the manufacturer's installation method for the drive describes utilizing the drive as a backup or secondary storage to a standard hard drive, either external or internal.
In contrast, the removable and transportable disk cartridge after insertion into the drive in accordance with the present invention is setup to be the primary bootable drive. Therefore, if several individuals utilize a particular computer system they each can have their own removable and transportable disk cartridge for use with that system. In so doing, none of the individuals will have to worry about unauthorized access to their confidential and/or personal information.
In a preferred embodiment, the installation method for the drive is similar to that when installing a standard hard drive, except it is the primary drive in a transport computer system. In a preferred embodiment, the drive has the access speed of a standard hard drive. In addition, in a preferred embodiment the hard drive which utilizes the removable and transportable disk cartridge performs and functions in a manner similar to a standard hard drive. A typical configuration is shown below.
Hardware: To enable the drive, Windows compatible plug-n-play components can be utilized. The following basic components are utilized in the computer system.
Hardware:
Motherboard with Onboard Controllers Video card
Sound card
Modem
Standard 1.44 floppy drive
RAM (Random Access Memory) Fixed Drive Chamber
Transport/Removable Storage Medium (Disk Cartridge)
Software:
The computer system's setup and programming utilizes the plug-n-play features of Windows 95. The installation method for Windows 95 is called,
Customizing Windows through Setup Scripts. The Setup Script Installation requires Windows 95 to be resident on the primary hard drive, within its own directory.
The following MSBATCH program is installed within the Windows 95 directory, and the initiation command is "Setup". MSBATCH.inf Program
[setup]
Product type=l Once the Setup command is initiated, Windows 95 sets itself up by design, and refers back to the Windows 95 resident program for automated configuration and setup instructions.
Although the setup has been described in conjunction with a Windows application, a computer system with a removable and transportable storage medium can be setup for use with any compatible computer operating system. Furthermore, the computer system with a removable and transportable storage medium could be utilized with compatible computer network hardware and software.
Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments and those variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:
1. A computer system comprising: a microprocessor; and a fixed drive chamber that includes a removable and transportable storage medium that interacts with the microprocessor, the drive configured to be the primary drive of the computer system.
2. The computer system of claim 1 in which the removable and transportable storage medium comprises a disk cartridge which is installed in the computer system.
3. The computer system of claim 2 in which the disk cartridge has a capacity of at least 40 MB.
4. The computer system of claim 1 in which the microprocessor comprises an IBM compatible microprocessor.
5. The computer system of claim 4 in which the removable and transportable storage medium includes a Windows operating system.
6. The computer system of claim 5 in which the Windows operating system comprises a Windows 95 operating system.
7. A computer system comprising: an IBM compatible microprocessor; and a fixed drive chamber that includes a removable and transportable storage medium that interacts with the IBM compatible microprocessor, the removable and transportable storage medium including a Windows like operating system, the removable and transportable storage medium being configured to be the primary drive of the computer system.
8. The computer system of claim 7 in which the removable and transportable storage medium comprises a disk cartridge which is installed in the computer system.
9. The computer system of claim 8 in which the disk cartridge has a capacity of at least 40 MB.
10. The computer system of claim 9 in which the Windows like operating system comprises a Windows 95 operating system.
PCT/US1997/013967 1996-08-14 1997-08-12 A computer system including a removable and transportable storage medium to be utilized in a primary drive of the computer system WO1998007143A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU39740/97A AU3974097A (en) 1996-08-14 1997-08-12 A computer system including a removable and transportable storage medium to be utilized in a primary drive of the computer system

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US69668596A 1996-08-14 1996-08-14
US08/696,685 1996-08-14

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1998007143A1 true WO1998007143A1 (en) 1998-02-19

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1997/013967 WO1998007143A1 (en) 1996-08-14 1997-08-12 A computer system including a removable and transportable storage medium to be utilized in a primary drive of the computer system

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU3974097A (en)
WO (1) WO1998007143A1 (en)

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5214550A (en) * 1991-03-22 1993-05-25 Zentek Storage Of America, Inc. Miniature removable rigid disk drive and cartridge system
US5483419A (en) * 1991-09-24 1996-01-09 Teac Corporation Hot-swappable multi-cartridge docking module
US5502604A (en) * 1992-10-08 1996-03-26 Inte/ gral Peripherals, Inc. Disk drive with rail mounting arrangement

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5214550A (en) * 1991-03-22 1993-05-25 Zentek Storage Of America, Inc. Miniature removable rigid disk drive and cartridge system
US5483419A (en) * 1991-09-24 1996-01-09 Teac Corporation Hot-swappable multi-cartridge docking module
US5502604A (en) * 1992-10-08 1996-03-26 Inte/ gral Peripherals, Inc. Disk drive with rail mounting arrangement

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU3974097A (en) 1998-03-06

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