PCMCIA autoconfigure PC card

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: (c) connecting said second voltage sense pin to a cathode of a diode, and further connecting an anode of said diode to a pull-up resistor, such that the PCMCIA standard supported by said adapter can be discerned, and yet said second voltage sense pin appears to said adapter as being open circuited, as expected by said adapter regardless of whether said adapter supports said 16-bit PCMCIA standard or said 32-bit PCMCIA standard; and (d) sensing a voltage level at said anode of said diode to discern which one of said PCMCIA standards is supported by said PCMCIA adapter.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises connecting said first voltage sense pin to said second card detect pin via a switchable circuit element that is open-circuited when a control input of said switchable circuit element is connected to a logical high, and further connecting said control input to a voltage supply pin of said PC card; step (b) further comprises connecting said first voltage sense pin to a cathode of a diode and connecting an anode of said diode to a pull-up resistor, such that the PCMCIA standard supported by said adapter can be discerned, and yet preserving said connected appearance of said second card detect pin and said first voltage sense pin to said adapter, as expected by said adapter if said adapter is supporting said 32-bit PCMCIA standard, as well as preserving said grounded appearance of said second card detect pin and said first voltage sense pin to said adapter, as expected by said adapter if said adapter is supporting said 16-bit PCMCIA standard; said method further comprises step (c) grounding said second voltage sense pin on said PC card such that said second voltage sense pin appears to said adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter regardless of whether said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard or said 16-bit PCMICA standard; and said method further comprises step (c) sensing a voltage level at said anode of said diode to discern which one of said PCMCIA standards is supported by said PCMCIA adapter.

Claim 5

A PCMCIA card, said PC card can act as a 32-bit PC card to an adapter if said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and as a 16-bit PC card to said adapter if said adapter only supports a 16-bit PCMCIA standard, and said PC card can detect which one of said PCMCIA standards is supported by said adapter, comprising: a first card detect pin; a second card detect pin connected to ground such that the second card detect pin appears to an interfacing adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter regardless of whether said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard or a 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a first voltage sense pin; a first connection connecting said first card detect pin and said first voltage sense pin, and a pull-down resister connecting said first connection to ground, such that said first card detect pin and said first voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being connected to each other, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and yet said first card detect pin and said first voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second voltage sense pin; and a diode having an anode and a cathode, where said cathode is connected to said second voltage sense pin, and a pull-up resistor connected to said anode of said diode such that the supported PCMCIA standard of said adapter can be discerned through a voltage level at said anode of said diode, and yet said second voltage sense pin appears to said adapter as being open circuited, as expected by said adapter regardless of whether said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard or said 16-bit PCMCIA standard.

Claim 6

A PCMCIA card, said PC card can act as a 32-bit PC card to an adapter if said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and as a 16-bit PC card to said adapter if said adapter only supports a 16-bit PCMCIA standard, and said PC card can detect which one of said PCMCIA standards is supported by said adapter, comprising: a first card detect pin; a second card detect pin connected to ground such that the second card detect pin appears to an interfacing adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter regardless of whether said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard or a 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a first voltage sense pin; a first connection connecting said first card detect pin and said first voltage sense pin, and a pull-down resister connecting said first connection to ground, such that said first card detect pin and said first voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being connected to each other, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and yet said first card detect pin and said first voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second voltage sense pin; and a diode having an anode and a cathode, where said cathode is connected to said second voltage sense pin, and a pull-up resistor connected to said anode of said diode such that the supported PCMCIA standard of said adapter can be discerned through a voltage level at said anode of said diode, and yet said second voltage sense pin appears to said adapter as being open circuited, as expected by said adapter regardless of whether said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard or said 16-bit PCMCIA standard.

Claim 7

A PCMCIA card, said PC card can act as a 32-bit PC card to an adapter if said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and as a 16-bit PC card to said adapter if said adapter only supports a 16-bit PCMCIA standard, and said PC card can detect which one of said PCMCIA standards is supported by said adapter, comprising: a first card detect pin connected to ground such that the first card detect pin appears to an interfacing adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter regardless whether said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard or a 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second card detect pin; a first voltage sense pin connected to ground such that the first voltage sense pin appears to an interfacing adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter regardless whether said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard or a 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second voltage sense pin; a power supply pin; a switch connected to said power supply pin; a first connection connecting said second card detect pin to said switch, a second connection connecting said second voltage sense pin to said switch, and a pull-down resister connecting said first connection to ground, such that said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being connected, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and yet both of said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 16-bit PCMCIA standard; and a diode having an anode and a cathode, where said cathode is connected to said second connection, and a pull-up resistor connected to said anode of said diode, such that the supported PCMCIA standard of said adapter can be discerned through a voltage level at said anode of said diode, and yet preserving said connected appearance of said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin to said adapter if said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard, as well as preserving said grounded appearance of said second card detect pin and aid second voltage sense pin to said adapter if said adapter supports said 16-bit PCMCIA standard.

Claim 8

A PCMCIA card, said PC card can act as a 32-bit PC card to an adapter if said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and as a 16-bit PC card to said adapter if said adapter only supports a 16-bit PCMCIA standard, and said PC card can detect which one of said PCMCIA standards is supported by said adapter, comprising: a first card detect pin connected to ground such that the first card detect pin appears to an interfacing adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter regardless whether said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard or a 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second card detect pin; a first voltage sense pin connected to ground such that the first voltage sense pin appears to an interfacing adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter regardless whether said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard or a 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second voltage sense pin; a power supply pin; a switch connected to said power supply pin; a first connection connecting said second card detect pin to said switch, a second connection connecting said second voltage sense pin to said switch, and a pull-down resister connecting said first connection to ground, such that said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being connected, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and yet both of said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 16-bit PCMCIA standard; and a diode having an anode and a cathode, where said cathode is connected to said second connection, and a pull-up resistor connected to said anode of said diode, such that the supported PCMCIA standard of said adapter can be discerned through a voltage level at said anode of said diode, and yet preserving said connected appearance of said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin to said adapter if said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard, as well as preserving said grounded appearance of said second card detect pin and aid second voltage sense pin to said adapter if said adapter supports said 16-bit PCMCIA standard.

Claim 9

A PCMCIA card, said PC card can act as a 32-bit PC card to an adapter if said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and as a 16-bit PC card to said adapter if said adapter only supports a 16-bit PCMCIA standard, and said PC card can detect which one of said PCMCIA standards is supported by said adapter, comprising: a first card detect pin connected to ground such that the first card detect pin appears to an interfacing adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter regardless whether said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard or a 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second card detect pin; a first voltage sense pin; a diode having an anode and a cathode, where said cathode is connected to said first voltage sense pin, and a pull-up resistor connected to said anode of said diode such that the supported PCMCIA standard of said adapter can be discerned through a voltage level at said anode of said diode, and yet said first voltage sense pin appears to said adapter as being open circuited, as expected by said adapter regardless of whether said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard or said 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second voltage sense pin; and a first connection connecting said second card detect pin to said second voltage sense pin, and a pull-down resister connecting said first connection to ground, such that said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being connected to each other, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and yet said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 16-bit PCMCIA standard.

Claim 10

A PCMCIA card, said PC card can act as a 32-bit PC card to an adapter if said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and as a 16-bit PC card to said adapter if said adapter only supports a 16-bit PCMCIA standard, and said PC card can detect which one of said PCMCIA standards is supported by said adapter, comprising: a first card detect pin connected to ground such that the first card detect pin appears to an interfacing adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter regardless whether said adapter supports a 32-bit PCMCIA standard or a 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second card detect pin; a first voltage sense pin; a diode having an anode and a cathode, where said cathode is connected to said first voltage sense pin, and a pull-up resistor connected to said anode of said diode such that the supported PCMCIA standard of said adapter can be discerned through a voltage level at said anode of said diode, and yet said first voltage sense pin appears to said adapter as being open circuited, as expected by said adapter regardless of whether said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard or said 16-bit PCMCIA standard; a second voltage sense pin; and a first connection connecting said second card detect pin to said second voltage sense pin, and a pull-down resister connecting said first connection to ground, such that said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being connected to each other, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 32-bit PCMCIA standard, and yet said second card detect pin and said second voltage sense pin appear to said adapter as being grounded, as expected by said adapter if said adapter supports said 16-bit PCMCIA standard.