Patent Application
20090301909
This invention relates to electronics carriers, and more particularly to wallet-sized carriers for carrying small flash-memory cards.
Small flash-memory cards have become wildly popular and have replaced floppy disks for data transport. Falling prices and advances in technology for flash-memory chips have allowed for larger memory capacities in multiple, diverse form factors, while advances in chip packaging have allowed for smaller physical sizes of flash-memory cards.
A flash-memory chip may be soldered to a printed-circuit board (PCB) or a flex carrier substrate that is then encased in a plastic shell that exposes metal contacts. The metal contacts make contacts with a connector plug when the flash-memory card is plugged into a host, such as a personal computer (PC), cell phone, digital camera, or other computing device. A flash controller may be integrated with the flash-memory chip, or may be a separate chip soldered to the PCB or flex carrier. For writes, the flash controller receives commands, address, and data carried from the host over a host bus to the metal contacts, and sends corresponding control, address, and data signals to the flash-memory chip.
A number of protocols are used for the host bus, and standards have been developed that specify the physical dimensions of the device as well as the host-bus protocol. Older standards such as compact-flash (CF) specified large, thick devices, while more recent standards such as Secure Digital (SD) and Sony's Memory Stick significantly reduced the device thickness.
Further improvements in packaging and device construction have enabled even smaller flash-memory cards. An extension of SD known as microSD yields a flash-memory card about the size and thickness of a US dime coin, although the microSD card is rectangular and lighter than the dime. An extension of Sony's Memory Stick, known as a Memory Stick Micro (M2) is similar in size and thickness.
Memory Stick 38 is a Memory Stick Duo or PRO Duo flash-memory card. SD card 36 and Memory Stick 38 are mid-generation devices and are larger in size, being roughly an inch in length and about 2 mm in thickness.
Newer-generation devices include Memory Stick Micro 32 (M2) and microSD card 34. These devices are about a quarter of the size of earlier-generation cards, such as SD card 36 and Memory Stick 38. MicroSD card 34 has a reduced thickness of only 1 mm, while Memory Stick Micro 32 is 1.2 mm in thickness. Metal contacts 16 are smaller, and may have longer contacts for power and ground to connect power and ground before other signals are connected during insertion.
Loss of a flash memory card is quite undesirable, not just due to the cost of the flash device itself. The data stored on the flash memory card may be critical data. Loss of such critical data may lead to identity theft or compromised trade secrets. Address and phone lists of customers could be useful to a competitor. A spammer may use a list of email addresses found on a lost flash-memory card, to the embarrassment of the owner of the lost flash-memory card.
MicroSD card 34 could be inserted into an adapter for a larger format, such as an adapter between microSD card 34 and SD card 36. However, the size of SD card 36 is still somewhat small. Credit-card-sized carriers are available for carrying a car key in a person's wallet for emergencies, and a similar carrier could be used for carrying SD card 36 in a wallet. However, the many standards for micro flash-memory cards make a multi-standard wallet carrier more desirable.
What is desired is a multi-standard carrier that fits in a person's wallet. A multi-standard carrier that can carry multiple kinds of flash-memory cards is desirable. A multi-standard carrier that has a size similar to a credit card is desirable so that the carrier could be placed into a person's wallet in place of a credit card. A credit-card-sized carrier is desirable for transporting micro flash-memory cards so that the micro flash-memory cards are not lost during transport.
The present invention relates to an improvement in flash-memory-card wallet carriers. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention as provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be apparent to those with skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments shown and described, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features herein disclosed.
The thickness of the multi-standard flash-memory card carrier is greater than the thickness of a credit card so that the multi-standard flash-memory card carrier can carry flash-memory cards that are up to 2 mm thick. For example, the multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier may be 3 or 4 mm thick, and still fit within a wallet.
The multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier has three larger bays 46, 46′, 48 and four micro bays 44, 44′, 42, 42′, allowing up to 7 flash-memory cards to be carried at one time. Carrier spine 50 is sandwiched between bottom plate 70 and top plate 30 (not shown). Carrier spine 50 has seven openings that form bays 46, 46′, 48, 44, 44′, 42, 42.
SD card bays 46, 46′ are each sided to accept SD card 36, while Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo bay 48 is sided to accept Memory Stick 38. One side of the multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier can thus accept up to 3 of the larger flash-memory-card.
MicroSD bays 44, 44′ are each sized to accept microSD card 34, while Memory Stick Micro (M2) bays 42, 42′ are each sized to accept Memory Stick Micro 32. Up to four micro flash-memory cards can be carried at one time by the multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier. The larger credit-card size of the multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier helps prevent inadvertent loss of the tiny microSD card 34 or Memory Stick Micro 32, and allows for convenient transport in a person's wallet, along with other credit cards, ID cards, family photographs, or other items carried in a wallet.
The flash-memory cards carried in the multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier could slip out and still be lost if they were not secured. Spring-clip fingers 54 are formed on carrier spine 50 to secure flash-memory cards being carried. Each spring-clip finger 54 has spring-clip tab 56 formed thereon. Spring-clip tab 56 is a rounded extension or knob that is sized to fit within a notch on the side of microSD card 34 (
Once microSD card 34 is inserted into microSD bay 44, microSD card 34 may be removed by the person pulling microSD card 34 outward, gripping microSD card 34 at micro gripping cutouts 66 with the person's fingers. Memory Stick Micro 32 also has such notches that accept spring-clip tab 56 when Memory Stick Micro 32 is fully inserted into Memory Stick Micro (M2) bay 42.
The larger SD card bays 46, 46′ and Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo bay 48 have spring sides 62 formed around oval cavity 58 in carrier spine 50. Spring-clip tabs 56 move inward into oval cavity 58 as spring side 62 are deformed inward by the straight sides of SD card 36 or Memory Stick 38 until the notch aligns with spring-clip tab 56 and spring side 62 can snap back into a less-deformed position. Thus SD card 36 and Memory Stick 38 are secured into the multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier by spring-clip tab 56 fitting into notches on the flash-memory cards.
SD card 36 may be removed by the person pulling SD card 36 outward, gripping SD card 36 at larger gripping cutouts 64 with the person's fingers. Memory Stick 38 may be removed in a similar manner using larger gripping cutouts 64 in Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo bay 48.
Cover connection points 52 may be a weld joint, glue tab, plastic clip, screw, bolt, alignment hole, or other mechanism to connect carrier spine 50 to bottom plate 70 and/or to top plate 30 (
The sides of spring-clip tab 56 can be tapered to facilitate a person to more easily pull microSD card 34 out of microSD bay 44′.
Since the notch on Memory Stick 38 is only shallow, spring-clip tab 56 on spring side 62 in Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo bay 48 is only shallow, as can be seen in
Several other embodiments are contemplated by the inventors. For example, various indicia or patterns may be printed or formed on bottom plate 70 or top plate 30. A writable area may be formed to allow a person to write information, such as the person's phone number if the multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier is lost. Promotional items may be printed on the carrier. A compass, magnifying glass, or USB device may be added to the carrier. While flash memory cards have been described, the multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier could carry other devices that fit the flash-memory-card form factors, such as WiFi card devices.
While a multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier with two SD card bays 46, 46′ and only one Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo bay 48 has been described, the multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier could have two or three Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo bays 48, or no Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo bay 48 and three SD card bays 46. Likewise, different combinations and arrangements of microSD bay 44 and Memory Stick Micro (M2) bay 42 could be substituted. Bays for other kinds of flash-memory cards could be substituted, such as for future flash-memory-card standards.
While bottom plate 70 has been described as a separate plastic sheet from carrier spine 50, carrier spine 50 and bottom plate 70 could be formed together, such as by being a single molded piece, although spring-clip tabs 56 and spring side 62 in carrier spine 50 need to be movable and not bonded to bottom plate 70 to allow movement of the spring mechanism. While plastic plates have been described, carrier spine 50, bottom plate 70, and top plate 30 could be made from various kinds of plastic, metal, or various combinations. Clear plastic could be used for top plate 30 and/or bottom plate 70, or opaque plastic could be used. Additional pieces could be added. The multi-standard flash-memory-card carrier could be slid into a cover, or could have a removable cover, or attached to a lanyard to be worn as an ID card.
The background of the invention section may contain background information about the problem or environment of the invention rather than describe prior art by others. Thus inclusion of material in the background section is not an admission of prior art by the Applicant.
Any advantages and benefits described may not apply to all embodiments of the invention. When the word “means” is recited in a claim element, Applicant intends for the claim element to fall under 35 USC Sect. 112, paragraph 6. Often a label of one or more words precedes the word “means”. The word or words preceding the word “means” is a label intended to ease referencing of claim elements and is not intended to convey a structural limitation. Such means-plus-function claims are intended to cover not only the structures described herein for performing the function and their structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. For example, although a nail and a screw have different structures, they are equivalent structures since they both perform the function of fastening. Claims that do not use the word “means” are not intended to fall under 35 USC Sect. 112, paragraph 6. Signals are typically electronic signals, but may be optical signals such as can be carried over a fiber optic line.
The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.
