IP Library Patent Application 15455736
Patent Application
App. No. 15/455,736

MASS STORAGE DEVICE IOT SIDEBAND

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
15/455,736
Abstract

A mass storage device and a method for wirelessly transmitting a first information by a mass storage device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the mass storage device includes one or more memory devices and a mass storage device controller communicatively coupled to the one or more memory devices. The mass storage device controller includes one or more controller processors and a wireless sideband interface. The wireless sideband interface is configured to wirelessly transmit the first information retrieved by an interface processor of the wireless sideband interface from one of the controller processors or one of the memory devices. In one embodiment, the interface processor is an internet-of-things (IoT) processor.

Claims (58)

1 . A mass storage device comprising:

one or more memory devices; and

a mass storage device controller communicatively coupled to the one or more memory devices, the mass storage device controller including one or more controller processors and a wireless sideband interface, wherein

the wireless sideband interface includes an interface processor in communication with at least one of the controller processors, and the wireless sideband interface is configured to wirelessly transmit a first information retrieved by the interface processor from one of the controller processors or one of the memory devices.

2 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , further comprising

one or more sensors in communication with the at least one of the controller processors or the wireless sideband interface, wherein

the at least one of the controller processors or the wireless sideband interface is configured to gather the first information from the one or more sensors.

3 . The mass storage of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first power source and a second power source, wherein

the first power source is configured to provide power to the mass storage device, and

the second power source is configured to provide power to the wireless sideband interface.

4 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein

the wireless sideband interface is further configured to wirelessly receive a second information, and

the interface processor is configured to communicate the second information to one of the controller processors.

5 . The mass storage device of claim 4 , wherein

the second information includes one or more instructions, and

one of the controller processors is configured to execute the one or more instructions.

6 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein the interface processor is an internet-of-things (IoT) processor.

7 . The mass storage device of claim 4 , wherein the wireless sideband interface is configured to encapsulate the first information in accordance with a wireless network protocol, and to decapsulate the second information in accordance with the wireless network protocol.

8 . The mass storage device of claim 7 , wherein the wireless network protocol is a Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol, a Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), or a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

9 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein the first information includes input/output (I/O) statistics of the mass storage device.

10 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein the first information includes error information of the mass storage device.

11 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein the first information includes a temperature information or a power consumption information of the mass storage device.

12 . A method of wirelessly transmitting a first information by a mass storage device, the method comprising:

initializing a wireless sideband interface of a mass storage device controller of the mass storage device, the wireless sideband interface having an interface processor in communication with one or more controller processors of the mass storage device controller;

retrieving, by the interface processor, the first information from one of the controller processors within the mass storage device controller or one or more memory devices communicatively coupled to the mass storage device controller;

processing, by the interface processor, the first information for wireless transmission; and

wirelessly transmitting, by the wireless sideband interface, the first information.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

wirelessly receiving, by the wireless sideband interface, a second information,

processing, by the wireless sideband interface, the second information, and

communicating, by the interface processor, the second information to one of the controller processors.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

executing, by one of the controller processors, one or more instructions included in the second information.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the step of processing the first information for wireless transmission includes encapsulating the first information in accordance with a wireless network protocol, and the step of processing the second information includes decapsulating the second information in accordance with the wireless network protocol.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the wireless network protocol is a Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol, a Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), or a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the interface processor is an internet-of-things (IoT) processor.

18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first information includes input/output (I/O) statistics of the mass storage device.

19 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first information includes error information of the mass storage device.

20 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first information includes a temperature information or a power consumption information of the mass storage device.

21 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein the mass storage device is a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD).

22 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein,

the wireless sideband interface is further configured to transmit the first information to another mass storage device, and

the first information corresponds to operation characteristics of the mass storage device.

23 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein,

the mass storage device controller further compromises a host interface, and

the host interface is configured to communicate with the external host device, the host interface corresponding to a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interface, a Serial AT Attachment (SATA) interface, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), or a Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface.

24 . The mass storage device of claim 23 , wherein the mass storage device controller is configured to at least transmit information to, or receive information from, an external host device via the host interface.

25 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein the interface processor configured to operate independently of the at least one controller processors.

26 . The mass storage device of claim 1 , wherein the mass storage device controller is configured to at least manage reading from and writing to the one or more memory devices.

27 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the mass storage device is a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD).

28 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the wireless sideband interface wirelessly transmits the first information to another mass storage device.

29 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises: transmitting the first information according to a side-band approach.

30 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises: transmitting a third information according to an in-band approach.

31 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the mass storage device controller configured to at least manage reading from and writing to one or more memory devices communicatively coupled to the mass storage device controller and to transmit information to, or receive information from, an external host device via a host interface of the mass storage device controller.

32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein the method further comprises: transmitting externally, by the host interface, a third information corresponding to data from the one or more memory devices.

33 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the interface processor is operated independently of the one or more controller processors.

34 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first information corresponds to operation characteristics of the mass storage device.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 18, 2018
From: TOSHIBA AMERICA ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS, INC.
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Reel/Frame 046377/0324 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 18, 2018
From: THANGARAJ, SENTHIL MURUGAN; KOTTE, NARASIMHULU DHARANI; BISWAS, CHAYAN; REED, ROBERT; KONDO, HITOSHI
To: TOSHIBA AMERICA ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS, INC.
Reel/Frame 046378/0824 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 1, 2017
From: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043397/0380 →