BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 are sketch diagrams of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the process of duplication.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for duplicating data of a source medium to a plurality of target media through a duplicator. FIG. 2 shows the duplicator 10, which includes a source connector 12 and four target connectors 141˜144. The source medium 16 may be connected to the source connector 12 and four target media 181˜184 are detachably connected to the target connectors 141˜144 respectively. The media may be flash memory cards, hard disks, floppy disks, compact disks (CD), digit video disks (DVD) or other types of mass storage devices or the combination of above. In the drawings, the source medium 16 and the target media 181˜184 are Secure Digital Card (SD card).
As shown in FIG. 2, before duplication, user has to connect the source medium 16 to the source connector 12 of the duplicator 10 first, and then connect the first target medium 181 to the first target connector 141. When the duplicator 10 detects the first target connector 141 connected, it will start the duplicating process automatically. The duplicator 10 transfers data of the source medium 16, in a way of broadcasting, to the first target medium 181 through the first target connector 141 repeatedly and in a predetermined order. We assume that the source medium 16 has a hundred data, and we define them as no. 1 datum, no. 2 datum . . . , and no. 100 datum. The duplicator 10 transfer no. 1 datum to no. 100 datum in sequence to the target medium 181, and after that the duplicator 10 transfers no. 1 datum to no. 100 datum repeatedly.
The duplicator 10 records a first comparing datum S1 which is the first datum that the first target medium 181 receives from the source medium 16. In this moment, the first comparing datum S1 is the no. 1 data. In the same time, the duplicator 10 writes the no. 1 data into a corresponding address of the first target medium 181. In the next moment, the duplicator 10 transfers no. 2 datum of the source medium 16 to the first target medium 181, and the duplicator 10 compares the no. 2 datum with the first comparing datum S1. If they are different, the duplicator 10 writes the no. 2 datum into a corresponding address of the first target medium 181. This step is to check whether the entire data of the source medium 16 had been copied to the target medium 181? If the datum transferring to the target medium 181 is as same as the comparing datum S1, it means the duplicator 10 had transferred the entire data of the source medium 16 to the target medium 181. If they are different, it means there still are data not transferring to the target medium 181.
The second target medium 182 will start to receive the data from the source medium 16 automatically soon after it is connected to the second target connector 142. As shown in FIG. 3, we assume that user connects the second target medium 182 to the second target connector 142 just before the duplicator 10 transfers no. 12 datum. It means the second target medium 182 receives the first datum from the source medium 16 is no. 12 datum that the duplicator 10 records no. 12 in a second comparing datum S2 and writes the no. 12 datum to a corresponding address of the second target medium 182. For the same principle, we assume that user connects the first and fourth target media 183, 184 just before the duplicator 10 transfers no. 26 datum and no. 40 datum respectively, and the duplicator 10 records no. 26 datum and no. 40 datum in the third and fourth comparing data S3 and S4 respectively, as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 also shows the duplicator 10 transferring no. 76 data to the target media 181˜184.
It is noted that the comparing data S1˜S4 record the addresses of the first data that target media 181˜184 receive from the source medium 16 after that target media 181˜184 are connected to the target connectors 141˜144 of the duplicator 10. Because the duplicator 10 transfers the data of the source medium 16 in sequence and repeatedly, it means the entire data of the source medium 16 had been copied to the target medium 181˜184 when the duplicator 10 finds that the address of the datum from the source medium 16 had been written with datum, in other words, the address of datum from the source medium 16 is as same as the comparing datum S1˜S4. Any method that may identify whether the entire data of the source medium 16 had been copied to the target media 181˜184 may be utilized in the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the duplicator 10 had transferred all of the 100 data of the source medium 16 to the target media 181˜184, and then it will repeat to transfer no. 1 datum again. In the meantime, the duplicator 10 will find the entire data of the source medium 16 had been copied to the target medium 181 by means of comparing the address of the datum transferring to the target medium 181 with the first comparing datum S1, and finding they are the same. The duplicator 10 will stop transferring data to the first target connector 141 and request user to replace the target medium 181 with a new target medium 201 by an alarm.
As shown in FIG. 6, we assume that the target medium 201 is connected to the first target connector 141 just before no. 8 datum, so that the first comparing datum records the address of no. 8 datum. When the duplicator 10 transfers no. 12 datum and finds the address of no. 12 datum is as same as the second comparing datum S2, the duplicator 10 will stop transferring data to the second target connector 142 and alarm user to replace the target medium 182 with a new target medium 202.
Repeat the steps above, user may replace the target media that had completed the duplicating process one by one in various time. In the process of replacement the target medium, the rest target media keeps the duplicating process independently without any interruption by the replacement of the target medium.
The duplicator 10 will stop transferring data of the source medium 16 under two conditions, one of which is that the duplicator 10 detects no target medium connected, and the other of which is that no target medium is replaced when all of the target media had completed the duplicating process.
In conclusion, the duplicating process of each target medium starts and finishes in different time that the replacement of each target medium will not overlap. When the target medium is replaced, the rest target media are duplicating data independently without any interruption by the replacement the target medium. The new target medium may enter the data broadcasting in any time and start duplication. With all of the characters above, the method of the present invention may shorten the time delay by replacement of target media.
Patent Application
20080016302
