1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable, hand-held, device for transferring data to and from a data processing system via a graphical user interface, and, more particularly, to a hand-held data storage device that generates graphical user input signals to facilitate data transfer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, there are a variety of devices and networks to move data from one data processing system (e.g., a personal computer system) to another data processing system. These include diskettes (e.g., magnetic and optical), local area hardwired networks, various wireless transmission networks, and semi-conductor memory cards.
More specifically to this invention, U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,493 issued to Moreno et al. (Moreno '493) describes a method and apparatus for transporting data from one device to another. In Moreno '493, data is transferred from a processor system to a portable card in which data is electronically stored, modified, and transferred to another processor system. Moreno '493 transports data by means of a hand-held device, but the device does not provide a user interface to facilitate the transfer (upload or download) of the data.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,871, issued Nov. 14, 1987, to Martin et al. (Martin '871) describes a portable data entry device in which a user keys in data, which is stored in the device until a later time when the data is uploaded to a computer system. The portable data entry device is wholly contained within a small housing. The device includes an electronic memory capable of storing a plurality of multiple character records and includes manually operable controls for sequencing through the memory for review and updating of previously entered data. A connector is provided on the housing by which the device can be directly connected to a data system for the readout of the stored data. The device is self powered and contains circuitry operative to conserve available energizing power.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,757, issued to Downing et al. (Downing '757), describes an apparatus for transporting information captured at a coin counter to a computer. The system is comprised of a discrete machine event counting module which records and stores a count of machine operation and can include means for recording the time of some selected event or events. The module also stores an identification code for the particular machine. The module can be connected directly through a microprocessor to a central processing center, or it can be located at a machine or at a group of machines.
The transfer unit can then be transported to access means for the central processing center and the information that was obtained from the module will be transferred to centers for processing and tabulation.
Of course, graphical user interfaces which allow a user to generate computer commands by means of a graphical icon display and display pointer are well known and widely used in the art (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,947 and the materials referenced therein). Notwithstanding, in the prior art there is no generally applicable, simple way to transfer data among diverse systems.