U.S. patent application number 13/415841 was filed with the patent office on 2012-09-13 for dock for portable devices.
This patent application is currently assigned to I O INTERCONNECT, LTD.. Invention is credited to Gary Kung.
Application Number | 20120233369 13/415841 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46797004 |
Filed Date | 2012-09-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120233369 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kung; Gary |
September 13, 2012 |
DOCK FOR PORTABLE DEVICES
Abstract
Another embodiment of the invention provides a dock for
connecting to a portable device. The dock includes a charging
module, a backup program and a controller. The controller controls
the dock to operate at a first mode or a second mode. When the dock
operates at the first mode, the controller controls the charging
module to charge the portable device, and when the dock operates at
the second mode, the controller controls the charging module to
charge the portable device and the backup program is executed to
backup data of the portable device simultaneously.
Inventors: |
Kung; Gary; (Santa Ana,
CA) |
Assignee: |
I O INTERCONNECT, LTD.
|
Family ID: |
46797004 |
Appl. No.: |
13/415841 |
Filed: |
March 9, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61451024 |
Mar 9, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
710/304 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 11/1456 20130101;
G06F 11/1469 20130101; G06F 11/1464 20130101; G06F 11/2012
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
710/304 |
International
Class: |
G06F 13/00 20060101
G06F013/00 |
Claims
1. A dock for connecting to a portable device, comprising: a
charging module; a backup program; and a controller to control the
dock to operate at a first mode or a second mode, wherein when the
dock operates at the first mode, the controller controls the
charging module to charge the portable device, and when the dock
operates at the second mode, the controller controls the charging
module to charge the portable device and the backup program is
executed to backup data of the portable device simultaneously.
2. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging module
connects to an AC voltage source and transforms an AC voltage into
a DC voltage for charging the portable device.
3. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dock further
comprises a storage medium and the data of the portable device is
backed up in the storage medium.
4. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dock backs up the
data of the portable device to a backup server via an internet
network.
5. The dock as claimed in claim 5, wherein when the backup program
is executed, the backup program executes the following steps:
establishing a first transmission path, by the controller, between
the dock and the backup server, wherein the first transmission path
represents that the dock directly backs up data of the portable
device to the backup server; establishing a second transmission
path, by the controller, between the dock and the backup server,
wherein the second transmission path represents that the dock backs
up data of the portable device to the backup server via a third
party; establishing a third transmission path, by the controller,
between the dock and the backup server, wherein the third
transmission path represents that the dock backs up data of the
portable device to the backup server via a router or a wireless
access point; and selecting one of the first transmission path, the
second transmission path and the third transmission path according
to a select signal.
6. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the dock operates
at the second mode, the control of the portable device is
transferred to the dock.
7. The dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the dock operates
at the second mode, the backup program is downloaded to the
portable device and executed by a processor of the portable
device.
8. The dock as claimed in claim 7, wherein the controller is
controlled by the processor of the portable device.
9. The dock as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
communication interface for connecting to an internet network via a
wired/wireless connection mechanism.
10. An electronic system, comprising: a portable device; and a dock
for physically connecting to the portable device, wherein the dock
comprises: a charging module; a backup program; and a controller to
control the dock to operate at a first mode or a second mode,
wherein when the dock operates at the first mode, the controller
controls the charging module to charge the portable device, and
when the dock operates at the second mode, the controller controls
the charging module to charge the portable device and the backup
program is executed to backup data of the portable device
simultaneously.
11. The electronic system as claimed in claim 10, wherein when the
dock operates at the second mode, the backup program is downloaded
to the portable device and executed by a processor of the portable
device, and the controller is controlled by the processor of the
portable device
12. The electronic system as claimed in claim 10, wherein when the
dock operates at the second mode, the control of the portable
device is transferred to the dock.
13. The electronic system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the
charging module connects to an AC voltage source and transforms an
AC voltage into a DC voltage for charging the portable device.
14. The electronic system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the dock
further comprises a storage medium and the data of the portable
device is backed up in the storage medium.
15. The electronic system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the dock
backs up the data of the portable device to a backup server via an
internet network.
16. The electronic system as claimed in claim 15, wherein when the
backup program is executed, the backup program executes the
following steps: establishing a first transmission path, by the
controller, between the dock and the backup server, wherein the
first transmission path represents that the dock directly backs up
data of the portable device to the backup server; establishing a
second transmission path, by the controller, between the dock and
the backup server, wherein the second transmission path represents
that the dock backs up data of the portable device to the backup
server via a third party; establishing a third transmission path,
by the controller, between the dock and the backup server, wherein
the third transmission path represents that the dock backs up data
of the portable device to the backup server via a router or a
wireless access point; and selecting one of the first transmission
path, the second transmission path and the third transmission path
according to a select signal.
17. The electronic system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the
select signal is generated according to a network link quality or a
transmission speed of the first transmission path, the second
transmission path and the third transmission path.
18. An operation method of a dock, comprising: determining whether
a log file exists in a portable device; backing up files from the
portable device to a backup server according to the log file when
the log file exists; determining to charge the portable device or
not according to the log file; and when the log file does not
exist, only charging the portable device.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/451,024, filed Mar. 9, 2011, the entirety of
which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a data saving method, and
more particularly to a data saving method for a portable device via
a third party.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Portable electronics have become a necessity for consumers
both for personal and business use. With the growth of the usage of
the portable device, some problems have been raised when backing up
data of the portable device and charging the portable device. Due
to the characteristics of small size, thin and lightweight, the
capacity of the memory storage device and the battery embedded in
the portable device may be limited. Furthermore, once the smart
phone is damaged, the data stored in the smart phone may not to be
retrieved and this may cause inconvenience to the consumer.
Therefore, demand for backing up data of the portable device, such
as the smart phone has increased, leading to problems concerning
backing up of data of the portable device.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An embodiment of the invention provides a dock for
connecting to a portable device. The dock comprises a charging
module, a backup program and a controller. The controller controls
the dock to operate at a first mode or a second mode. When the dock
operates at the first mode, the controller controls the charging
module to charge the portable device; and when the dock operates at
the second mode, the controller controls the charging module to
charge the portable device and the backup program is executed to
backup data of the portable device simultaneously.
[0007] Another embodiment of the invention provides an electronic
system comprising a portable device and a dock. The dock physically
connects to the portable device via a connection cable, a socket or
a slot. The dock comprises a charging module, a backup program and
a controller. The controller controls the dock to operate at a
first mode or a second mode. When the dock operates at the first
mode, the controller controls the charging module to charge the
portable device, and when the dock operates at the second mode, the
controller controls the charging module to charge the portable
device and the backup program is executed to backup data of the
portable device simultaneously.
[0008] Another embodiment of the invention provides an operation
method of a dock. The method comprises determining whether a log
file exists in a portable device; backing up files from the
portable device to a backup server according to the log file when
the log file exists; determining to charge the portable device or
not according to the log file; when the log file does not exist,
only charging the portable device.
[0009] A detailed description is given in the following embodiments
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The present invention can be more fully understood by
reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with
references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 shows a backup system for a portable device.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a dock according to
an embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a backup mechanism for a
portable device according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a backup method according to an
embodiment of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system
including a portable device and a dock according to an embodiment
of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The following description is of the best-contemplated mode
of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the
purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and
should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention
is best determined by reference to the appended claims.
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a backup system for a portable device. The
portable device 11 may be a smart phone, a personal digital
assistant (PDA), a PDA phone or other similar device. The dock 12
is designed to provide external I/O interfaces for the portable
device 11. The portable device 11 comprises a backup program to
store the data of the portable device 11 to the backup server 13.
The backup program is automatically activated when the portable
device 11 connects to the dock 12.
[0018] When the backup program transmits and stores data of the
portable device 11 to the backup server 13, three transmission
paths are provided for data transmission. First, the data to be
stored can be transmitted to the backup server 13 via a third party
15. Second, the data to be stored can be transmitted to the backup
server 13 via a router 14. Third, the data to be stored can be
transmitted directly to the backup server 13. The backup program
selects at least one transmission path to transmit the data to be
stored to the backup server 13. The backup program may transmit
data to the backup server 13 via the described three transmission
path simultaneously and the backup server 13 will select one
transmission path that has the best network link quality to receive
the data according to a select signal.
[0019] In another embodiment, the backup program uses a
peer-to-peer file sharing mechanism to transmit the data via the
described three transmission paths. For example, the backup program
divides a first file into a plurality of data segments and then
transmits the segments to the backup server 13 via the described
three transmission paths. Due to the network link quality, the
original transmission path chosen by the backup server 13 may not
always have the best network link quality. Thus, the backup server
13 may monitor the status of data transmission (or the network link
quality or the transmission speed) of the other two transmission
path, and once the backup server 13 finds that the other
transmission path (second transmission path) has a better network
link quality than the current transmission path, the backup changes
the current transmission to the second transmission path and
receives the remaining data segments via the second transmission
path. Then, the backup server 13 combines all the data segments
into the first file.
[0020] In a second embodiment, the backup program first transmits a
test data to the backup server via the described three transmission
paths to test the network link quality or transmission speed. When
the backup server 13 receives the test data, the backup server 13
transmits an acknowledge information back to the portable device
11. The portable device determines the network link quality of the
three transmission paths according to the receiving time of the
acknowledge information. The backup program may also record a label
of priority of each transmission path. For example, the
transmission path passing through the third party 15 is the first
path and the priority is 2, the transmission path passing through
the router 14 is the second path and the priority is 3, and the
transmission path directly to the backup server 13 is the third
path and the priority is 1. If the portable device 11 finds that
the first path and the second path are available for transmitting
data, the portable device 11 will chose the first path to transmit
data. If the portable device finds that the first and the third
path are available for transmitting data, the portable device 11
will chose the third path to transmit data.
[0021] In a third embodiment, the backup program transmits a first
data to the backup server 13 simultaneously via the described three
transmission paths and the backup program or the backup server 13
determines which transmission path is adopted according to some
parameters during the data transmission, such as the network link
quality or the transmission speed. Once the transmission path is
determined, the backup program transmits the data via the adapted
transmission path only.
[0022] In another situation, the router 14, the portable device 11
and the backup server 13 are at the same local area network (LAN)
or a private network, and the third party 15 is at another network.
The backup program will prefer to transmit the data via the router
14 or directly to the backup. Therefore, the transmission paths
used by the proposed backup method comprise two parts, intranet
transmission paths and internet transmission path, and the intranet
transmission path is preferred. For example, a user using the
portable device 11 is at his home or company and the backup server
13 is also at his home or company. A local area network, wired or
wireless network, covering the portable device 11, the router 14
and the backup server 13 is provided. When a user wants to backup
the data of the portable, the backup program will select to
transmit and store data to the backup server 13 directly or via the
router 14. In another situation, a wireless access point (AP)
providing the wireless network covering the portable device 11, the
router 14 and the backup server 13 is provided. The backup program
may transmit and store data to the backup server 13 via the AP.
[0023] The described embodiments are illustrated with the situation
that the backup program is built in the portable device 11. In
another situation, the backup program is built in the dock 12, and
is activated when the portable device connects to the dock 12. The
operation of the backup program built in the dock 12 is similar to
the described backup program built in the portable device 12, and
not described here for brevity. In another embodiment, the backup
program is downloaded to the portable device 12 and executed by a
processor of the portable device 12.
[0024] Furthermore, the dock 12 may physically connect to a storage
medium, such as a USB flash memory device, SD card, memory card or
an external hard disk. The backup program built in the dock 12 will
automatically backup the data of the portable device 11 to the
storage medium when the portable device connects to the dock 12.
Furthermore, the dock 12 may comprise an adapter and when the
portable device 11 connects to the dock 12, the dock 12 can backup
the data of the portable device 11 and charge the portable device
simultaneously.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a dock according to
an embodiment of the invention. The dock 20 comprises a controller
21, a first connector 22, a second connector 23, a charge module
24, a backup program 25 and a communication interface 26. The first
connector 22 connects to a portable device and may be implemented
by a USB connector. The second connector 23 connects to a storage
medium, such as an external hard drive, a SD memory card, a micro
SD memory card, a CF memory card or other similar storage device.
The charging module 24, implemented by hardware circuits, connects
to an AC voltage source, and when the first connector 22 connects
to a portable device, the charge module 24 charges the portable
device. The communication interface 26 provides wired and/or
wireless network connection ways for the dock 20. In an embodiment,
the communication interface 26 comprises a connector for connecting
to a network cable. The backup program 25 is executed by the
controller 21 to determine how to backup the data of the portable
device. In another embodiment, the backup program 25 is executed by
a processor of the portable device, and the controller 21 is then
controlled by the processor of the portable device.
[0026] When the first connector 22 connects to a portable device,
the controller 21 first identifies the portable device and acquires
the information of the magnitude of charging voltage and charging
current of the portable device. Then, the controller 21 controls
the output voltage and current of the charging module 24. The
charging module 24 connects to an AC voltage source and transforms
an AC voltage into a DC voltage according to the control of the
controller 24. In another embodiment, the charging module 24
outputs a fixed voltage to the first connector 22 according to the
specification of the first connector 22 or the standard of the
interface of the first connector 22. For example, the supplied
voltage for a USB device is 5V, and the magnitude of the supplied
current is 500 mA. Thus, the output voltage of the charging module
24 is 5V and the magnitude of the output current is 500 mA.
[0027] The second connector 23 connects to an external memory card
and the memory card is controlled by the controller 21 and the
backup program 25. In another embodiment, the external memory card
may be control by the portable device connects to the first
connector 22. When the first connector 22 connects to a portable
device, the controller 21 executes the backup program 25 and
controls the charging module to charge the portable device. The
backup program 25 first determines whether the data of the portable
device needs to be backed up. If the data of the portable device
does not need to be backed up, the function of the dock 20 is
similar to an adapter for charging the portable device. If the data
of the portable device needs to be backed up, the backup program 25
then determines the data of the portable device to be backed up in
the storage medium connecting to the second connector 23 or another
backup device.
[0028] When the data of the portable device is backed up to the
storage medium connected to the second connector 23, the backup
program 25 generates a log file that contains the information of
the backed up files. The log file may comprise the format, the file
name, the establish date and the size of the backed up files. Since
the dock 20 may connect to different portable devices, the log file
may further comprise unique information of the portable device,
such as a device ID of the portable device. The log file is stored
in a memory device of the dock 20 and the when the portable device
connects to the dock 20 again, the controller 21 first acquires the
unique information of the portable device and finds the
corresponding log file. The backup program 25 then only stores the
unstored files to the storage medium according to the log file.
[0029] When the data of the portable device is backed up to a back
up server, three transmission paths between the dock 20 and the
backup server are provided. In the first path, the data of the
portable device can be transmitted to the backup server via a third
party. According to the second path, the data to be stored can be
transmitted to the backup server via a router or a wireless access
point (AP). In the third path, the data of the portable device is
transmitted directly to the backup server. The backup program 25
selects one transmission path according to the stability, network
quality, or transmission speed of the three paths.
[0030] In this embodiment, the backup program 25 first transmits a
test data to the backup server via the described three transmission
paths to test the network link quality or transmission speed. When
the backup server receives the test data, the backup server
transmits an acknowledge packet back to the portable device. The
portable device determines the network link quality of the three
transmission paths according to the receiving time of the
acknowledge packet. In another embodiment, a user can set the
priority of the three transmission paths via an application program
installed in the portable device when the portable device connects
to the dock 20. In another situation, when the portable device
connects to the dock 12, the control of the portable device is
transferred to the dock 20, i.e., the portable device can be
regarded as a peripheral device connecting to the dock 20. Thus,
the backup program 25 shows a window for setting the priority on
the display device of the portable device, and a user can set the
priority of the three transmission paths via the input means of the
portable device, such as a keyboard or touch panel. When the priory
is set, the backup program 24 does not test the network link
quality or transmission speed of the three transmission paths until
the dock 20 is reset or receives another control signal for
re-selecting the transmission path.
[0031] In another embodiment, the backup program 25 transmits a
first data to the backup server simultaneously via the described
three transmission paths and the backup server determines which
transmission path is adopted according to some parameters during
the data transmission, such as the network link quality or the
transmission speed. Once the transmission path is determined, the
backup program 25 transmits the data via the adapted transmission
path only.
[0032] When the backup program 25 detects that the backup server
cannot be reached, the backup program 25 backs up the data of the
portable device via a third party. The backup program 25 first
transmits and stores data of the portable device to the third party
and a command. The storage command is suited for the third party
and the third party transmits the backed up data to the backup
server according to the command. The third party may continuously
or periodically monitor the status of the backup process server,
and once the backup server can be accessed, the third party
transmits the backed up data to the backup server according to the
command generated by the backup program 25. The command may further
designate the backup data to be stored in a specific folder of the
backup process server. In another embodiment, the third party
leaves an offline instruction to the backup server and when the
backup server re-connects to the internet network, the backup
server responds with an acknowledge packet to the third party. The
third party then transmits and stores the backup data to the backup
server.
[0033] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a backup mechanism for a
portable device according to an embodiment of the invention. The
portable device 31 comprises a first application program 33 and a
first storage device 34, such as an SD card, CF card or flash
memory. The backup device 32, which is connected to the dock 12 of
FIG. 1, comprises a second storage device 35 and a controller 36.
When a user wants to backup files stored in the first storage
device 34, the user uses the first application program 33 to select
and mark files to be backed up and the first application program 33
then outputs a log file indicating which files have to be backed
up.
[0034] When the backup device 32 is electrically connected to the
portable device 31, the backup device 32 reads the log file of the
portable device 31 to know which files have to be backed up. Then,
the backup device 32 acquires and stores the files to be backed up
in the second storage device 35. When the backup device 32 is
connected to the portable device 21, the control of the portable
device 31 is transferred to the controller 36 of the backup process
device 32. After the backup device 32 finishes the file storing
procedure, the backup device 32 creates and stores a host log file
in the portable device 31. The host log file records the status of
the file storing process. Finally, the backup device 32 is
disconnected from the portable device 32, and the first application
program 33 reads the host log file.
[0035] The present data backup procedure mainly comprises three
parts. First, before the portable device 31 is connected to the
backup device 32, the first application program 33 is executed to
select and mark files to be backed up by a user. The first
application program 23 then creates and stores a log file. The log
file contains the information of the files to be backed up. The
information may comprise file names of the file to be backed
up.
[0036] Second, when the portable device 31 is connected to the
backup device 32, the control of the portable device 31 is
transferred to the backup device 32. In other word, the portable
device 31 can be regarded as a peripheral device of the backup
device 32. The backup device 32 reads the log file and stores the
files to be backed up to the second storage device 35. After
finishing storing data, the backup device 32 creates and stores a
host log file in the portable device 31, and breaks down the
connection to the portable device 32.
[0037] Third, the first application program 33 is executed and
reads the host log file to know the status of the backup
process.
[0038] According to the present embodiment of the invention, the
log file may not only record the information of the files to be
backed up, but also a destination folder or path that the files
have to be stored.
[0039] In another embodiment, the log file contains a timestamp and
the backup device 32 also stores the log file from the portable
device 31. When the backup device 32 accesses the log file from the
portable device 31, the backup device 32 also reads a previous log
file stored in the backup device 32, and the backup device 32 only
stores the unstored files according to the log file and the
previous log file. The backup device 32 comprising a first log file
database stores the log files generating from the portable device
32, and the portable device 31 comprises a second log file data
storing the host log files created by the backup device 32. Each
time the portable device 21 backs up the data or files to the
backup device 32, the first application program 33 or the backup
device 32 can find a previous host log file or a previous log file
to determine which files are new to backup. That also can be
applied to the restore mechanism.
[0040] The host log file also contains a timestamp, and when the
first application program 33 creates the log file, the first
application program 33 will check a previous host log file to see
whether the current selected files have been stored in the backup
device 32. If yes, the current log file will exclude the stored
files from the current log file. It is noted that, if the
destination folder of the destination path of the previously stored
files is different from the current destination folder of the
destination path, the stored files will still be stored in the
current destination folder of the destination path.
[0041] The described paragraphs are focused on the backup mechanism
for the portable device 21. A data restore method for the portable
device 31 is discussed in the following. When a user wants to
restore some files from the backup device 32 to the portable device
31, the first application program 33 creates a first log file
indicating which files have to be restored to the portable device
31. When the backup device 32 is connected to the portable device
31, the controller 36 reads the first log file and restores the
requested files to the portable device 31. After the restoring
procedure, the backup device 32 also creates and stores a first
host log file to the portable device 31.
[0042] Via the first application program 33, a user can set data
between two dates to be restored from the backup device 32 to the
portable device 31. For example, if a user wants to restore the
pictures taken from Jan. 1, 2011 to Jan. 10, 2011, a user can input
some parameters, such as the date and the type information, via the
first application program 33 and then the first application program
creates the log file according to the user's inputs. Furthermore, a
user can appoint which type of files is to be backed up via the
first application program. Similarly, this can also be applied to
the restore mechanism.
[0043] In the present embodiment of the invention, the backup
device 32 may also comprise a second application program for
backing up the data of the portable device 11 or restoring the data
from the backup device 32 to the portable device. A wireless
connection mechanism, security mechanism or synchronization
mechanism may also be applied to the portable device 31 and backup
device 32.
[0044] The backup device 32 may communicate with the portable
device 31 via wireless interface, such as Wifi, WiMax, Bluetooth,
IrDa or other wireless interface. When a distance between the
portable device 31 and the backup device 32 is shorter than a
predetermined distance, the backup device 32 automatically mounts
the portable device 32 and backups the files in the portable device
31. Furthermore, the backup device 32 can synchronize with more
than one portable device or other computing device and backup the
data therein within a predetermined range.
[0045] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a backup method according to an
embodiment of the invention. In step S41, the portable device
receives inputs to select and mark the files to be backed up. A
user can input parameters via a touch panel or keypad of the
portable device. Furthermore, voice control may also be applied. In
step S42, a first application program of the portable device
creates a log file according to user's inputs. In step S43, the
backup device mounts the portable device, and the control of the
portable device is then transferred to the backup device. The
backup device reads the log file and stores the files from the
portable device to the backup device according to the log file. In
step S44, when the backup device finishes storing data, the backup
device creates and stores a host log file in the portable device.
In step S45, the backup device dis-mounts the portable device. The
portable device may be physically disconnected from the backup
device or the backup device just transfers the control of the
portable device back to the portable device. In step S46, the
portable device reads the host log file to check the status of the
backed up file.
[0046] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system
including a portable device and a dock according to an embodiment
of the invention. The dock 52 operates at a charge mode and a
backup mode. When the dock 52 operates at the charge mode, the dock
52 directs the electric power from the voltage source 54 to the
portable device 51 for charging. The voltage source 54 may be an AC
voltage source and a corresponding voltage transformer is required
to be embedded in the dock 52. In another embodiment, the voltage
source 54 is an external battery bank that can directly provide the
power to the portable device 51. When the dock 52 operates at the
backup mode, the dock 52 backs up the data of the portable device
51 to the backup device 53. When the dock 52 operates at the backup
mode, the control of the portable device 51 is transferred to the
dock 52 until the backup procedure has been completed. When the
dock 52 operates at the backup mode, the portable device 51 can be
also charged by the voltage source 54. The operating mode of the
dock 52 can be set by a switch or a button of the dock 52.
[0047] Noted that a controller of dock 52 first determines whether
a log file exists in a storage device of a portable device 51, such
as the log file generated by the first application program 33 in
FIG. 3 or the log file created in step S42. If the controller does
not detect the log file, the dock 52 charges the portable device 51
only. If the log file exists, the controller backs up files of
portable device 51 according to the log file. In one embodiment,
the log file contains commands or information for the controller of
the dock 52 and the controller determines to charge the portable
device 51 or not according to the commands or information.
[0048] While the invention has been described by way of example and
in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that
the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the
contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar
arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art).
Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the
broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications
and similar arrangements.
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