Hot pluggable motherboard bus connection method

Claim 1

A method of connecting an IC card to a motherboard, comprising steps of: (a) providing said IC card with connecting pins of equal lengths; (b) detecting that said IC card has been inserted into a connector located on said motherboard; (c) electrically connecting a power bus of said motherboard to a power bus of said IC card only after it has been detected that the IC card has been inserted into said connector; and (d) connecting a general signal bus of said motherboard to a general signal bus of said IC card only after said power bus of the motherboard has been connected to the power bus of the IC card; wherein, said step (c) includes substeps in the sequence as follows: (c1) allowing only a low current to flow between said power bus of said motherboard and said power bus of said IC card; (c2) waiting for a predetermined period of time, said predetermined period of time corresponding to the time it takes for voltage levels between said motherboard and said IC card to become equalized; and (c3) allowing a full current to flow between said power bus of said motherboard and said power bus of said IC card.

Claim 2

A method of connecting an IC card to a motherboard, comprising steps of: (a) providing said IC card with connecting pins of equal lengths; (b) detecting that said IC card has been inserted into a connector located on said motherboard; (c) electrically connecting a power bus of said motherboard to a power bus of said IC card only after it has been detected that the IC card has been inserted into said connector; and (d) connecting a general signal bus of said motherboard to a general signal bus of said IC card only after said power bus of the motherboard has been connected to the power bus of the IC card; wherein, said step (c) includes substeps in the sequence as follows: (c1) allowing only a low current to flow between said power bus of said motherboard and said power bus of said IC card; (c2) waiting for a predetermined period of time, said predetermined period of time corresponding to the time it takes for voltage levels between said motherboard and said IC card to become equalized; and (c3) allowing a full current to flow between said power bus of said motherboard and said power bus of said IC card.

Claim 3

An apparatus for facilitating disconnection of an IC card, having connecting pins of equal length, from a motherboard, comprising: (a) means for determining that a user wishes to remove an IC card from said motherboard; (b) means for electrically disconnecting a general signal bus of said motherboard from a general signal bus of said IC card only after it has been determined that a user wishes to remove an IC board; (c) means for electrically disconnecting a power bus of said motherboard from a power bus of said IC card after the general bus of the motherboard has been disconnected from the general bus of said IC card; (d) means for indicating to said user, after the power bus of said motherboard has been electrically disconnected from the power bus of the IC card, that it is alright to physically disconnect the card from the motherboard.

Claim 4

An apparatus for facilitating disconnection of an IC card, having connecting pins of equal length, from a motherboard, comprising: (a) means for determining that a user wishes to remove an IC card from said motherboard; (b) means for electrically disconnecting a general signal bus of said motherboard from a general signal bus of said IC card only after it has been determined that a user wishes to remove an IC board; (c) means for electrically disconnecting a power bus of said motherboard from a power bus of said IC card after the general bus of the motherboard has been disconnected from the general bus of said IC card; (d) means for indicating to said user, after the power bus of said motherboard has been electrically disconnected from the power bus of the IC card, that it is alright to physically disconnect the card from the motherboard.