Mobile Device Emulation as Local Mass Storage for Wireless Data Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems face challenges in efficiently sharing data between mobile devices acting as mass storage devices over wireless networks, as they often require extensive networking protocols and software, limiting direct data exchange and security.
Innovation Solution
A method is disclosed where mobile devices are enumerated as locally attached mass storage devices, allowing them to communicate using protocols like ATAPI or SCSI, and a network translates data to facilitate plug-in file sharing, enabling secure data exchange without extensive protocol stacks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If mobile devices use extensive networking protocols and software for data exchange, then data sharing capability is improved, but device complexity and security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the mass storage device interface in the mobile device, allowing it to emulate locally-attached storage behavior over wireless networks. This copying approach enables the mobile device to present itself as a simple storage device rather than requiring complex networking protocol stacks, thus resolving the contradiction between data sharing capability and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a network storage server as an intermediary that handles the complex networking and protocol translation. The mobile device communicates with this intermediary through simplified protocols, while the intermediary manages the complexity of network communication, file system operations, and device enumeration, thereby reducing the protocol stack complexity on the mobile device
2Reliability
If mobile devices are enumerated as locally attached mass storage devices, then security is improved by reducing protocol exposure, but network compatibility requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal mass storage interface emulation that works across different network types (WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular) and operating systems. By standardizing on the widely-supported mass storage device enumeration protocol, the system achieves broad network compatibility while maintaining security through the simplified, well-understood storage interface rather than exposed networking protocols
3Adaptability or versatility
If data is shared over wireless networks with extensive protocols, then connectivity flexibility is improved, but data exchange efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex networking protocol stack from the data path, separating it into two layers: a simplified transport layer that handles wireless connectivity flexibly, and an efficient storage-layer protocol layer that handles data exchange. This extraction allows the efficient mass storage protocols to operate over flexible wireless networks without the overhead of extensive networking protocols, thus resolving the contradiction between connectivity flexibility and data exchange efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
First data is received from a network. The first data includes data stored by a mass storage device. The first data is sent to a first mobile communication device via a first wireless communication link. The first mobile communication device is enumerated by a first computer system as a first locally attached mass storage device. The first mobile communication device communicates the first data to the first computer system as data that was stored on the first locally attached mass storage device. The first data is sent to a second mobile communication device via a second wireless communication link. The second mobile communication device is enumerated by the second computer system as a second locally attached mass storage device. The second mobile communication device communicates the first data to the second computer system as data that was stored on the second locally attached mass storage device.