[0001] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

[0002] The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:

[0003] Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to data transfer among external removable storage devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method to facilitate simultaneous transfer of data among various removable external storage devices through mobile computing devices having OTG (On-The-Go) enabled USB port, without the aid of a personal computer.

[0004] Background of the invention

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is the most widely deployed digital wired connection interface on PCs, mobile phones, printers, digital still cameras, portable music players, monitors, gaming consoles and other digital consumer electronics products. USB is also a standard communication channel in most of the medical and industrial applications. USB allows consumers to easily establish high-speed connection between products to transfer data or multimedia content such as photos, videos etc. As these products increase in popularity, there is a growing need for them to communicate both with USB peripherals and directly with each other when a PC is not available. The USB On-The-Go addresses these scenarios by allowing portable devices and non-PC hosts to have the enhancements such as targeted host capability to communicate with selected other USB peripherals .

[0005] The USB OTG is an extension of the USB 2.0 specification for USB devices such as digital audio players or mobile phones to act as a host allowing other USB devices such as USB flash drive, mouse, or keyboard to be attached. For example, a digital camera can connect to a PDA (personal digital assistant), or a mobile phone can connect to a printer or a scanner, as long as all the controlling device is USB OTG-enabled. USB OTG grew from the increasing need for portable devices to be able to communicate with each other as the culture of technology moves away from a PC-centric world. Though the OTG enabled device provide an extended compatibility among a number of external devices but doesn't provide a system for simultaneous data transfer among removable external storage devices.

[0006] The United States publication No. US20110087825 describes a USB flash drive for removable connection to another device such as a cell phone, camera, computer, gaming system and photo printer, for example. In one embodiment, a cell phone having a USB port is provided wherein the USB flash drive is configured to connect into a slot in the cell phone housing. A user may then quickly transfer data downloaded to the USB flash drive when connected to the cell phone, and another device such as a photo printer, for example. One or more optional additional functionality is incorporated into the USB flash drive such as, for example, a camera, internet card and MP3 player. This invention doesn't provide the capability to connect to more than one USB at a time and also doesn't have facility to transfer data from one USB to another without using a personal computer or a laptop.

[0007] Another US publication No.US 20100248775 highlights a mobile phone capable of accessing external storage devices, such as USB flash drives. The mobile phone in this invention incorporates e-mail functionality, allowing the user to attach files stored on the external storage device to outgoing emails and store files attached to incoming e-mails on the external storage device. There is provided a mobile phone that includes a data port attached to the mobile phone housing and configured to connect with an external storage device. A processor is included inside the housing for processing wireless communication signals to and from the mobile phone and for communicating with the external storage device. This invention also doesn't provide the capability to connect to more than one USB at a time and also doesn't have facility to transfer data from one USB to another without using a personal computer or a laptop.

[0008] Yet another US publication No. I-PEN (US20110213914) consists of a USB flash drive that includes two USB connectors at the ends of the main body that perform different functions. The utility model of the I-PEN has a male USB connector and a female USB connector, which allow the transfer of information between two pendrives regardless of the use of a computer. This utility model patent belongs to the field of the processing, transmission and storage of information that so far was possible by using a pendrive, among other media. The I-PEN consists of an electronic Universal Serial Bus (USB) storage device, also called "USB flash drive" or "pendrive", which allows the processing and mass storage of information in electronic storage units called files, which may be of different sizes. The processing of the information may be done from a computer, from the device itself or from another FLASH storage drive. Finally, in the patent application there appears an LCD, LED or similar display that enable the user to see and locate the different text files stored in the electronic USB flash drive or pendrive, among other functions. This invention also doesn't have the capability to connect to more than one USB at a time and also doesn't have facility to transfer data from one USB to another without using a personal computer or a laptop.

[0009] Hence what is needed is a system and method for simultaneous data transfer among removable external storage devices using any mobile device such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a digital camera, a music player, a smart watch or a gaming console while completely eliminating the need of a computer or a laptop for transfer of data.

[0010] Summary of the invention

[0011] The present invention relates to a system and method for simultaneous data transfer among removable external storage devices using any mobile device such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a digital camera, a music player, a smart watch or a gaming console while completely eliminating the need of a computer or a laptop for transfer of data.

[0012] It is one objective of the present invention to provide a device having capability to enable transfer of data among plurality of external storage devices using any OTG enabled mobile device.

[0013] It is another objective of the present invention to provide a device having facility of connecting to a plurality of storage devices to a mobile device simultaneously and allows viewing or processing of the data.

[0014] It is yet another objective of the invention to provide a method for simultaneous data transfer among plurality of the storage devices without resorting to the use of conventional personal computers.

[0015] To achieve these and other objectives, the present invention provides a system for simultaneous data transfer among removable external storage devices using mobile computing device. The system comprises a multi USB adapter further comprising at least one USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector at one end and a plurality of USB ports at the opposite end for simultaneously connecting the storage device USB connectors of plurality of removable external storage devices. The system essentially includes at least one host mobile computing device having at least one OTG (On The Go) enabled USB port for connecting the USB male connector of the multi USB adapter. Using the mobile computing device, the data is transferred from one removable external storage device to another removable external storage device connected to the USB port without resorting to the use of conventional personal computers. In the present invention, the mobile computing device may be cellular phone, a tablet, a gaming console, a digital camera, a smart watch, a music player or a mobile device wherein each mobile computing device is having a display. The removable external storage device is a USB flash drive, an external hard drives or a memory card reader for reading flash memory cards.

[0016] The system includes means for causing transfer of data to or from one external storage device to another external device using a host mobile computing device wherein the means further includes a menu driven user interface to facilitate data transfer among plurality of removable external storage devices.

[0017] In another embodiment, the invention provides a method for simultaneous data transfer among plurality of removable external storage devices connected to a mobile computing device. The method comprises the steps of displaying list of all connected storage devices on a user interface on the mobile computing device, obtaining path of the source location and displaying the content of source storage device as selected by the user, receiving a request to copy the selected data file from source storage device, displaying the contents of target storage device for storing the copied file, receiving a request to transfer the copied data file from source storage device to at least one target storage device and transferring the data files from source storage device to at least one target storage device. The data files are transferred from one removable external storage device to another removable external storage device without resorting to the use of conventional personal computers.

[0018] The source device included in the present method is a mobile computing device further comprising at least one of a cellular phone, a tablet, a gaming console, a digital camera, a smart watch, a music player or a mobile device wherein each mobile computing device is having a display and is OTG enabled. In present embodiment, the target storage device is at least one of USB flash drive external hard drives or a memory card reader for reading flash memory cards.

[0019] Advantages

[0020] The present invention facilitates the simultaneous data transfer among various removable storage devices without the aid of a personal computer. The data transfer takes place within minimum time and with minimal procedural steps as compared to conventional methods. The device is capable of transferring the data without necessitating the use of externally powered hubs.

[0021] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following details description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

[0022] Brief description of the drawings:

[0023] The foregoing and other features of embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements.

[0024] FIG 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the system for simultaneous data transfer among removable external storage devices using mobile computing device according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0025] FIG 2 illustrates the process flow for the method of simultaneous data transfer among plurality of removable storage devices according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0026] FIG 3a illustrates the exemplary user interface displaying available storage devices in the computer application for simultaneous data transfer among plurality of external storage devices.

[0027] FIG 3b illustrates the exemplary user interface displaying data in the opened storage device in the computer application according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0028] FIG 3c-illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying list of storage devices in the computer application according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0029] FIG 3d illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying contents of the first target storage device according to one embodiment of invention.

[0030] FIG 3e illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying contents of the second target storage device according to one embodiment of invention.

[0031] FIG 3f illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying copying of the data to the first target storage device according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0032] FIG 3g illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying copying of the data to second target storage device according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0033] Detailed description of the invention:

Reference will now be made in detail to the description of the present subject matter, one or more examples of which are shown in figures. Each example is provided to explain the subject matter and not a limitation. Various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the invention.

[0034] The term "removable external storage device" is used frequently in the description which means a device which is not permanently connected to the device accessing it, such as USB flash drive which can be classified as any drive that uses a USB connection to connect to a computer and flash memory to store information. Removable external storage device also include external hard drives that do not use flash memory and are, essentially, internal computer hard drives preferably converted to a USB and used as portable storage devices. Other types of removable external storage devices may include memory card readers having flash memory cards inserted inside and typically having a USB interface, for accessing the data on a memory card such as a CompactFlash (CF), Secure Digital (SD) or Multi Media Card (MMC). Most card readers also offer write capability, and together with the card, this can function as a flash drive.

[0035] FIG 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the system for simultaneous data transfer among removable external storage devices using mobile computing device according to one embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the system for simultaneous data transfer among removable external storage devices using mobile computing devices is disclosed. The system mainly comprises a multi USB adapter having at least one USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector (102) at one end. The USB connector (102) is adapted to be connected to the host USB port (101) of the host mobile computing device (100). The multi USB adapter includes a plurality of USB ports (105) at the opposite end for simultaneously connecting the storage device USB connectors (107) of at least two removable external storage devices as shown in the figure. The mobile computing device (100) has at least one OTG (On The Go) enabled USB port (101) for connecting USB connector (102) of the multi USB adapter. In most preferred embodiment, the USB connector (102) is a micro USB connector or a Mini USB (5-pin) B-type connector. The storage device USB port (105) disposed at the opposite end of the multi USB adapter may be suitable for standard USB Type A connector to enable establishing connection with commonly used standard USB storage devices having USB Type A male connectors. The external storage devices allow the processing and mass storage of information in electronic storage units.

[0036] In this embodiment, the multi USB adapter simultaneously enables data transfer from one removable external storage device to another removable external storage device by connecting plurality of removable external storage devices (106) to the USB ports (105) of the multi USB adapter and further connecting the host USB connector (102) to the host USB port of the mobile computing device (100) which obviates the need of using a conventional personal computer as is used conventionally.

[0037] In one embodiment the mobile computing device (100) is illustrated as a mobile phone having a USB port, however this is not to be construed as limiting the invention since the use of any mobile computing device having at least one OTG enabled USB port (101) and a display is envisioned. Hence other than a mobile phone, the mobile computing device (100) may be a handheld tablet which is basically a mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a screen. In other embodiments, a mobile computing device (100) may be a digital camera with a display and a USB port, a smart watch having display and a USB port, a gaming console having a display and a USB port, a music player having a display and a USB port or may be any other mobile computing device having a USB port.

[0038] A computer application is embedded in the mobile computing device (100) which provides a menu driven user interface to facilitate data transfer among plurality of removable external storage devices (106). The software application allows the user to locate the contents of the connected storage devices and allows the transfer of content from one storage device to another storage device quickly.

[0039] The novelty of the invention lies in the fact that the data can be transferred simultaneously among plurality of storage devices without resorting to the use of conventional computers.

[0040] FIG 2 illustrates the process flow for the method of simultaneous data transfer among plurality of removable storage devices according to one embodiment of the invention. At least two external storage devices may be attached to the mobile computing device using the multi USB adapter as shown in FIG 1. The software application implementing the method explained below is installed inside mobile computing device to be used for the data transfer. The application builds the user interface displaying the current path, copy/paste buttons and buttons to navigate through the directory hierarchy.

[0041] Initially at step 201, a list of all connected removable storage devices is displayed on the user interface from where the user can select the desired location in the data source storage device from where the data is to be copied.

[0042] At step 202, upon selecting the source storage device, the path of the source location is obtained and the contents of the source storage device are displayed on the user interface.

[0043] At step 203, the user navigates through list of files or folders contained in the source storage device directory structure to select at least one file or folder to be copied to the destination storage devices. The method then receives a request to copy the selected data files.

[0044] At step 204, all available storage devices are again displayed on the user interface. From this list, the user can select one or more than one target storage locations.

[0045] At step 205, the method receives a request to transfer the copied data files from source storage device to at least one target storage device.

[0046] At step 206, the copied data file is transferred from source storage device to at least one target storage device without using a conventional personal computer.

[0047] Hence the method provides the simultaneous transfer of data file from one removable external storage device to another removable external storage device without resorting to the use of conventional personal computers.

[0048] FIG 3a illustrates the exemplary user interface displaying available storage devices in the computer application for simultaneous data transfer among plurality of external storage devices. In order to simultaneously transfer data among plurality of external storage devices, the computer application installed in the mobile computing device is invoked and a multi USB adapter is connected to the OTG enabled USB port of the mobile computing device as shown in the FIG 1. At least two external storage devices are attached to the multi USB adapter. Upon successful connection, a list of all connected removable storage devices is displayed on the user interface of the computer application as shown in the FIG 3a. In this embodiment, "Open" buttons (303, 304, 305) are provided next to the displayed available storage devices (USBDriveA, USBDriveB and USBDriveC). By clicking the respective "Open" button (303,304, 305), a user may explore the contents of the selected storage device. Additionally "Up" button (301) may be provided to navigate to the previous level in hierarchical order of file system. From the list, the user may easily navigate and select data files from the storage device of his/her choice.

[0049] FIG 3b illustrates the exemplary user interface displaying data in the opened storage device in the computer application according to one embodiment of the invention. In the figure, the 'USBDriveA' is selected as source storage device and the contents are displayed on the user interface. The user may navigate through various files or folders contained in the 'USBDriveA' directory structure to select the files or folders to be copied to the destination storage devices. After selecting at least one desired file/folder to be copied, the user may click the "Copy" button (302) which navigates the user to another user interface screen displaying all the connected storage devices. The path of the selected target storage device is obtained and displayed at the bottom portion of the user interface as shown in the figure.

[0050] FIG 3c illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying list of storage devices in the computer application according to one embodiment of the invention. After the user clicks the "Copy" button in FIG 3b, all available storage devices are displayed again on the user interface to aid selection of the target storage location(s). The user may click the "Open" button (304, 305) displayed next to the storage devices (e.g. USBDriveB and USBDriveC) to navigate through respective directory structure.

[0051] FIG 3d illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying contents of the first target storage device according to one embodiment of invention. Once the user clicks the open button, the contents of the selected first target storage device (USBDriveB) are displayed on the user interface and the user may navigate through various folders in the first target storage device and select the target location as per his/her choice. The path of the selected first target storage device is obtained and displayed at the bottom portion of the user interface as shown in the figure.

[0052] FIG 3e illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying contents of the second target storage device according to one embodiment of invention. Once the user clicks the "Open" button (303), the contents of the selected second target storage device (USBDriveC) are displayed on the user interface and the user may navigate through various folders in the second target storage device and select the target location as per his/her choice. The path of the selected second target storage device is obtained and displayed at the bottom portion of the user interface as shown in the figure. The user may then click "Paste" button (302) from the user interface to initiate simultaneous transfer.

[0053] FIG 3f illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying copying of the data to the first target storage device according to one embodiment of the invention. As the user has initially selected two storage devices (USBDriveB and USBDriveC), after the data is copied to first target storage device (USBDriveB), the same data can be copied to the second target storage device (USBDriveC) selected initially which eliminates the requirement of copying the target locations separately for each connected target storage device as in the prior art. Hence, after the data has been transferred into the first target storage device (USBDriveB), a suitable message is displayed to the user.

[0054] FIG 3g illustrates the exemplary user interface of the computer application displaying copying of the data to second target storage device according to one embodiment of the invention. In the exemplary user interface, the copied data is transferred from the source storage device (USBDriveA) to the target location(Imnt/sdcard/usbstorage/USBDriveC/destOI) in the second target storage device (USBDriveC). The action status comprising path of the source file/folder and destination folder {Copied /mnt/sdcard/usbstorage/USBDriveA/DS3 000335.jpg to /mnt/sdcard/usbstorage/USBDriveC/dest02/) is displayed at the bottom of the user interface as shown in the figure.

[0055] One of the main features of the present invention is that the data once copied from the source storage device, can be transferred to any number of storage devices by simultaneously selecting the desired location using user interface.

[0056] Industrial applications

[0057] The present invention facilitates the simultaneous transfer of data among plurality of removable storage devices through host computing devices without the aid of a personal computer. The data transfer takes place within minimum time and with minimal procedural steps as compared to conventional methods.

[0058] It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

[0059] Claims

[0060] We claim:

1. A system for simultaneous data transfer among removable external storage devices using mobile computing device, the system comprising:

a. a multi USB adapter further comprising:

i. at least one USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector (102) at one end; ii. a plurality of USB ports (105) at the opposite end for simultaneously connecting the storage device USB connectors (107) of plurality of removable external storage devices (106);

b. at least one host mobile computing device (100) having at least one OTG (On The Go) enabled USB port (101) for connecting the USB connector (102) of the multi USB adapter,

wherein using the mobile computing device (100), the data is transferred from one removable external storage device to another removable external storage device connected to the USB port (105) without resorting to the use of conventional personal computers.

2. The system as clamed in claim 1 wherein the mobile computing device (100) is at least one of:

a. a cellular phone;
b. a tablet;
c. a gaming console;
d. a digital camera;
e. a smart watch;
f. a music player; or
g. a mobile device,

wherein each mobile computing device (100) is having a display.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the removable external storage device (106) is at least one of:

a. USB flash drive;
b. external hard drives; or
c. a memory card reader for reading flash memory cards.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the system further includes means for causing transfer of data to or from one external storage device to another external device using a host mobile computing device (100) wherein said means further includes a menu driven user interface to facilitate data transfer among plurality of removable external storage devices (106).

5. A method for simultaneous data transfer among plurality of removable external storage devices connected to a mobile computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

a. displaying list of all connected storage devices on a user interface on the mobile computing device;

b. obtaining path of the source location and displaying the content of source storage device as selected by the user;

c. receiving a request to copy the selected data file from source storage device;

d. displaying the contents of target storage device for storing the copied file;

e. receiving a request to transfer the copied data file from source storage device to at least one target storage device; and

f. transferring the data file from source storage device to at least one target storage device,
wherein the data file is transferred from one removable external storage device to another removable external storage device without resorting to the use of conventional personal computers.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the source storage device is a mobile computing device further comprising at least one of:

a. a cellular phone;
b. a tablet;
c. a gaming console;
d. a digital camera;
e. a smart watch;
f. a music player; or
g. a mobile device,

wherein each mobile computing device is having a display.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the target storage device is at least one of:

a. a USB flash drive;
b. external hard drives; or
c. a memory card reader for reading flash memory cards.