US Patent 7861168 Removable hard disk with display information

A system and method is disclosed for visually communicating disk storage meta information comprising a removable data storage device (RDSD). An RDSD enclosure comprising a disk storage drive, input/output interface, one or more connectors, a storage information module (SIM), a power storage device, and a display is implemented to be connected, disconnected and reconnected to a plurality of predetermined information handling systems. The RDSD is connected to a predetermined information handling system and the SIM gathers information from a plurality of disk information files comprising the RDSD. Once gathered, this information is visually communicated via the SIM to a display comprising the RDSD. When connected to, and powered by, an information handling system, the displayed information is dynamically updated as the operational status of the RDSD changes, but becomes static when RDSD is disconnected. Mechanical switches or a touch sensitive screen are implemented to navigate static and dynamic disk information displayed on the RDSD display. Disk information that was current when the RDSD was last connected to an information handling system is persistently displayed on a display powered by battery.