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The History of Computer Jump Drives: Who Invented It And When

written by: unsel•edited by: M.S. Smith•updated: 3/3/2011

Who invented the computer jump drive, when was the jump drive invented, whose idea was it and which company actually manufactured the first jump drive? In this article we will look at answers to all these questions.

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    History of Jump Drives

    The computer jump drive is more commonly known as the famous USB Flash Drive that assists users to transfer data from one device to another. With its functionality coinciding with floppy disks, a computer jump drive is available in several storage capacities ranging from hundreds of megabytes to tens of gigabytes. Boasting the absence of any peripheral systems or components, the computer jump drive does not require any form of external power or charging device to operate, thus transforming it into an efficient portable storage device.

    Though almost every individual holding ownership of a laptop or a desktop PC utilizes this product, few know when was the jump drive invented and who invented the computer jump drive. In just a short period of time these portable devices have made their way into our homes and offices and have become an essential part of our everyday life, but who is actually responsible for their creation?

    Unearthing the chronological milestones through which the Computer Jump Drive came into existence, we can conclude that Dov Moran invented the jump drive in 1998. Dov Moran was working on a USB interface termed NAND for his employer M-systems who with the help of his expertise went on to create the first flash drive in Europe named Disgo. Although different from the USB design that welexar JumpDrives  are currently accustomed to, M-systems are the the true harbingers of Computer jump drives.

    In 2000, with the coming of a new era of technology, a Malaysian Electrical Control Engineering student named Pua Khein Seng created a congregation of engineers with whom he went into business. These engineers brought to life the concept placing a USB controller on a chip thus making it possible for us to efficiently utilize the computer jump drives. Due to a shortage of funds and global presence, Seng presented his idea to Toshiba who immediately became the largest shareholders among a flock of other companies enthralled by the device’s conception.

    However, shortly after this, a company by the name of Trek Technology sued other jump drive manufacturers for the unlawful infringement of the copyrights pertaining to their own storage device which was found to be quite similar to the thumb drive Seng had created. The court opposed this insinuation on the basis of the copyright laws being too general. While Trek and M-systems (defunct) were busy with the progress of their jump drives another company called Netac was also developing a similar product which led to another lawsuit being denied on the same clause.

    Obviously, many different engineers at many different companies and organizations were working on ideas similar to the modern USB thumb drive. However, Seng's implementation is usually regarded to be the first.

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