Data card, and data card switching method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10049070-B2
Application number	US-201514959321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Jun 20, 2013
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A data card switching method is provided. The method includes acquiring, by a data card switching apparatus, a port form flag of a data card; and sending, by the data card switching apparatus, the port form flag to the data card, such that the data card switches to a corresponding port form. Also, a data card and a data card switching apparatus are provided. A data card acquires a corresponding port form flag from a data card switching apparatus, and switches to a corresponding port form according to the port form flag, such that mode switching of the data card is performed without the need to upgrade data card software, thereby reducing maintenance costs of the data card.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data card switching method, comprising:
installing, by a data card switching apparatus, a driver on the data card switching apparatus;
setting, by the data card switching apparatus, an operating system descriptor to a flag after the driver is installed on the data card switching apparatus;
acquiring, by the data card switching apparatus, the flag of a data card, wherein the flag is acquired by running the driver of a mode corresponding to the flag to obtain the flag; and
sending, by the data card switching apparatus, the operating system descriptor with the flag to the data card, wherein the data card is configured to use the flag to switch to the corresponding mode, wherein the mode comprises a Remote Network Driver Interface Specification (RNDIS) mode, a modem mode, or a Hilink mode, and wherein the driver comprises an RNDIS driver, a modem driver, or a Hilink driver,
wherein acquiring, by the data card switching apparatus, the flag of the data card comprises acquiring the flag of the data card according to a pre-integrated configuration that is related to the flag, and
wherein sending, by the data card switching apparatus, the operating system descriptor with the flag to the data card comprises sending, by the data card switching apparatus according to an optical disc device mode reported by the data card, the flag to the data card using an optical disc driver when the data card is inserted into the data card switching apparatus.

2. The data card switching method according to claim 1 , wherein sending, by the data card switching apparatus, the operating system descriptor with the flag to the data card comprises sending, by the data card switching apparatus, the operating system descriptor with the flag to the data card after the data card is inserted into the data card switching apparatus.

3. The data card switching method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises receiving, by the data card switching apparatus, another flag from a user.

4. The data card switching method according to claim 1 , wherein sending, by the data card switching apparatus, the operating system descriptor with the flag to the data card comprises:
enabling an attention (AT) command port; and
sending, using an AT command, the flag to the data card for storage, wherein the data card is configured to read the flag to implement switching.

5. The data card switching method according to claim 1 , wherein the flag comprises at least one of a modem flag and a Hilink flag, and wherein the data card comprises at least a modem mode and a Hilink mode.

6. The data card switching method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
uninstalling, by the data card switching apparatus, the driver from the data card switching apparatus;
modifying, by the data card switching apparatus, the operating system descriptor to a different flag; and
sending, by the data card switching apparatus, the operating system descriptor with the different flag to the data card.

7. A data card switching apparatus, comprising:
a memory comprising instructions; and
a computer processor coupled to the memory, wherein the instructions cause the computer processor to be configured to:
install a driver on the data card switching apparatus;
set an operating system descriptor to a flag after the driver is installed on the data card switching apparatus;
acquire the flag of a data card, wherein the flag is acquired by running the driver of a mode corresponding to the flag to obtain the flag;
send the operating system descriptor with the flag to the data card, wherein the data card is configured to use the flag to switch to the corresponding mode, wherein the mode comprises a Remote Network Driver Interface Specification (RNDIS) mode, a modem mode, or a Hilink mode, and wherein the driver comprises an RNDIS driver, a modem driver, or a Hilink driver;
acquire the flag according to a pre-integrated configuration that is related to the flag; and
send, according to an optical disc device mode reported by the data card, the flag to the data card using an optical disc driver when the data card is inserted into the data card switching apparatus.

8. The data card switching apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to be configured to send the operating system descriptor with the flag to the data card after the data card is inserted into the data card switching apparatus.

9. The data card switching apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to be configured to receive another flag from a user.

10. The data card switching apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to be configured to:
enable an attention (AT) command port; and
send, using an AT command, the flag to the data card for storage, wherein the data card is configured to read the flag to implement switching.

11. A data card, comprising:
a memory comprising instructions; and
a computer processor coupled to the memory, wherein the instructions cause the computer processor to be configured to:
acquire an operating system descriptor with a flag from a data card switching apparatus, wherein the flag is acquired by running a driver of a mode corresponding to the flag to obtain the flag, and wherein the flag is obtained after the data card switching apparatus installs the driver;
switch, by the data card, to the corresponding mode according to the flag, wherein the mode comprises a Remote Network Driver Interface Specification (RNDIS) mode, a modem mode, or a Hilink mode, and wherein the driver comprises an RNDIS driver, a modem driver, or a Hilink driver;
acquire the flag according to a pre-integrated configuration that is related to the flag; and
send, according to an optical disc device mode reported by the data card, the flag to the data card using an optical disc driver when the data card is inserted into the data card switching apparatus.

12. The data card according to claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to be configured to read a flag stored in the data card after the data card is inserted into the data card switching apparatus, wherein the flag stored in the data card is written to a memory of the data card by the data card switching apparatus by sending an attention (AT) command through an AT command port when the data card is inserted into the data card switching apparatus.

13. The data card according to claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the computer processor to be configured to:
report an optical disc device after the data card is inserted into the data card switching apparatus;
keep an optical disc mode unchanged; and
receive, using the optical disc mode, an optical disc command that is sent by the data card switching apparatus and comprises the flag.

Assignees

• Huawei Device Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cao Zhiqiang

Classifications

• G06F13/4022 Primary

  using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network (G06F13/4009 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F13/128

  for dedicated transfers to a network (for protocol converters G06F13/387) · CPC title

• G06F13/4286

  using a handshaking protocol, e.g. RS232C link · CPC title

• G06F8/65

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F13/4081

  Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging (current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004) · CPC title