Patent Application
20100265649
This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to co-pending Indian Patent Application No. 914/DEL/2010 filed on Apr. 16, 2010, Indian Patent Application No. 998/CHE/2009 filed on Apr. 29, 2009, Indian Patent Application No. 936/CHE/2009 filed on Apr. 22, 2009, and Indian Patent Application No. 899/CHE/2009 filed on Apr. 20, 2009. The entire disclosure of the prior applications is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The embodiments herein relate, in general, to storage devices. More particularly, the embodiments relate to miniature-sized storage devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drives are more common these days than any other portable storage devices. However, conventional USB flash drives are larger in size, which adds to inconvenience of end users. Whenever an attempt to miniaturize a USB flash drive is made, light indicators are sacrificed due to inherent complexity of the process of manufacturing miniaturized USB flash drives, as well as to reduce size. Additionally, conventional encapsulation techniques often encapsulate various components of the USB flash drive in a non-hermetic seal leading to loss of data due to rough handling of the USB flash drive. This makes such USB flash drives unsuitable for storing important data reliably. A light indicator typically indicates whether the USB flash drive is functioning properly, whether data is being accessed or not, etc. Removal of the light indicator causes inconvenience to the end users, who remain unaware of the state of the USB flash drive.
In light of the foregoing discussion, there is a need for a storage device that is small in size to provide ease of handling and use. In addition, the storage device should be highly reliable, shock resistant, water resistant and robust. Further, a light indicator should also be incorporated in the storage device for the convenience of end users. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the printing apparatus according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of printing a material profile of desired dimensions.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of printing apparatuses now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved printing apparatus, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved printing apparatus and system which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a material profile which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
An embodiment relates to a storage device that is miniature in size, and is easy to handle and use, compared to conventional storage devices.
Another embodiment relates to a storage device that is highly reliable, shock resistant, water resistant and robust, compared to conventional storage devices.
Embodiments herein provide a miniature-sized storage device that includes one or more electrical components, at least one light source electrically connected to at least one of the electrical components, and an encapsulating material encapsulating the electrical components and the light source. At least one of the electrical components is capable of storing data. The encapsulating material encapsulates the light source in a manner that the light source is partially visible. The encapsulating material encapsulates the electrical components and the light source hermetically, thereby enabling water-resistance, shock-resistance, robustness and high reliability in the miniature-sized storage device.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, the length of the miniature-sized storage device ranges from 20 mm to 30 mm, the width of the miniature-sized storage device ranges from 10 mm to 13 mm, and the height of the miniature-sized storage device ranges from 1 mm to 2.5 mm.
In addition, the miniature-sized storage device may be designed in several forms, due to its miniature size and robustness. In one embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device may be designed in the form of a chip that may be carried in a wallet. In another embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device may be designed in the form of a key ring that is easy to carry.
In an embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device is configured to be attached to a portable object.
In an embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device is a Chip-On-Board (COB) type device.
In an embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
Embodiments herein will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the claims, wherein like designations denote like elements, and in which:
As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term “a light source” may include a plurality of light sources unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Embodiments herein provide a miniature-sized storage device. In the description of the embodiments herein, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of components and/or mechanisms, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments herein. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment herein can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments herein.
Base substrate: A base substrate is a substrate that provides mechanical support. The base substrate may, for example, be an electronic substrate that provides electrical connectivity. Examples of the base substrate include, but are not limited to, Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), hybrid microcircuits, and extended PCBs. An extended PCB is a PCB including one or more conductive strips capable of facilitating a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection.
Electrical component: An electrical component is a component of a storage device, and is placed on appropriate slots on a base substrate to achieve the objective of the storage device.
Light Source: A light source is a source of light. An example of the light source is a Light-Emitting Diode (LED). A light source may, for example, be used to indicate a current state of a storage device, in accordance with an embodiment herein.
Encapsulating material: An encapsulating material is a material used to encapsulate various electrical components and/or a light source of a storage device, so as to protect the storage device from external factors, such as heat, moisture and scratches. The encapsulating material may, for example, include epoxy resin.
Chip-On-Board (COB) type storage device: A COB type storage device is a storage device manufactured by a COB process. A COB process includes directly placing a bare semiconductor die on an electronic substrate, and electrically connecting the bare semiconductor die to appropriate bond pads on the electronic substrate.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, a miniature-sized storage device includes one or more electrical components, at least one light source electrically connected to at least one of the electrical components, and an encapsulating material encapsulating the electrical components and the light source. At least one of the electrical components is capable of storing data. The encapsulating material encapsulates the light source in a manner that the light source is partially visible. The encapsulating material encapsulates the electrical components and the light source hermetically, thereby enabling water-resistance and robustness in the miniature-sized storage device.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, the length of the miniature-sized storage device ranges from 20 mm to 30 mm, the width of the miniature-sized storage device ranges from 10 mm to 13 mm, and the height of the miniature-sized storage device ranges from 1 mm to 2.5 mm.
In addition, the miniature-sized storage device may be designed in several forms, due to its miniature size and robustness. In one embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device may be designed in the form of a chip that may be carried in a wallet. In another embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device may be designed in the form of a key ring that is easy to carry.
In an embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device is configured to be attached to a portable object.
Base substrate 102 may include a plurality of slots (not shown in the figure) to facilitate placing of electrical components 104 and light source 106. In accordance with an embodiment herein, electrical components 104 and light source 106 are placed on the same surface of base substrate 102. Light source 106 is electrically connected to at least one of electrical components 104. Base substrate 102 may include one or more embedded connectors (not shown in the figure) for electrically connecting electrical components 104 and light source 106 in a pre-defined manner. Electrical components 104 and light source 106 may, for example, be thermally and electrically bonded to base substrate 102 using an electrically-conductive paste. In addition, electrical components 104 may be wire-bonded to preset bond pads on base substrate 102 using one or more electrical connectors.
The miniature-sized storage device also includes an encapsulating material 108 molded over electrical components 104 and light source 106. Encapsulating material 108 encapsulates electrical components 104 and light source 106, as shown in
In accordance with an embodiment herein, a portion of light source 106 is cut across a pre-defined plane, such that any traces of encapsulating material 108 left over that portion of light source 106 are removed. This further enhances the transmission of light emitted from light source 106.
Light source 106 may, for example, include at least one LED. In accordance with an embodiment herein, light source 106 is capable of indicating a pre-defined state of the miniature-sized storage device. The pre-defined state may, for example, include at least one of: the miniature-sized storage device being connected to a USB, the miniature-sized storage device being ready to be operated on, the miniature-sized storage device performing data read and/or write, or an occurrence of an error. In addition, light source 106 may indicate different states of the miniature-sized storage device, for example, by emitting light of different colors, or by flickering.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device is a USB flash drive. In such a case, light source 106 may indicate whether the USB flash drive is connected to a USB.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, light source 106 is placed at a preset location on base substrate 102. For example, light source 106 may be located at a periphery associated with base substrate 102, as shown.
It should be noted here that the miniature-sized storage device so manufactured is not limited to a specific shape or size of its components.
Second covering component 312 also includes one or more reflecting surfaces, shown as a reflecting surface 314. Reflecting surface 314 is adapted to reflect light emitted from light source 306 towards a pre-defined view zone 316 through which light reflected from reflecting surface 314 is visible to a viewer, as shown in
Reflecting surface 314 may, for example, be a smooth, polished surface. In addition, reflecting surface 314 may be coated with a reflective material to enhance the reflectivity of reflecting surface 314, in accordance with an additional embodiment herein.
In a specific embodiment herein, casing 302 is made of an opaque material. In such a case, reflecting surface 314 may, for example, be a smooth, polished surface of the opaque material. In such a case, the reflection efficiency of reflecting surface 314 may be approximately equal to 90 percent.
In another specific embodiment herein, casing 302 is made of a translucent material. In such a case, reflecting surface 314 may, for example, be a smooth, polished surface of the translucent material. In such a case, the reflection efficiency of reflecting surface 314 may be approximately equal to 50 percent.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, at least one of first covering component 310 or second covering component 312 includes pre-defined view zone 316. With reference to
In accordance with an embodiment herein, pre-defined view zone 316 is a hole covered with a transparent material, such as glass or plastic. For example, the hole may be covered with a transparent lens. The transparent lens may be coated with an anti-reflective coating, so as to avoid transmission losses due to reflection and/or total internal reflection.
In accordance with another embodiment herein, first covering component 310 is made of a translucent material. In such a case, light reflected from reflecting surface 314 is visible to a viewer through a portion of first covering component 310 that acts as pre-defined view zone 316.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, pre-defined view zone 316 may have a shape that is curved, polygonal, or a combination thereof. The size, the shape and/or the location of pre-defined view zone 316 may be chosen, so as to maximize the ratio of the amount of light viewed at pre-defined view zone 316 and the amount of light emitted from light source 306. Accordingly, the size and/or the shape of pre-defined view zone 316 may depend on at least one of: the size and/or shape of first covering component 310, the location of pre-defined view zone 316 on first covering component 310, or the pre-defined angle at which reflecting surface 314 is inclined, in accordance with an embodiment herein.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, miniature-sized storage device 304 includes one or more recessed portions (not shown in the figure) at the periphery associated with miniature-sized storage device 304, and at least one of first covering component 310 or second covering component 312 includes one or more protruding portions (not shown in the figure) at an inner periphery, such that the recessed portions and the protruding portions engage together mechanically. Accordingly, the shape of the recessed portions and the protruding portions may be chosen in a manner that they substantially complement each other.
Consider, for example, that a semicircular recessed portion is cut from miniature-sized storage device 304. Accordingly, at least one of first covering component 310 or second covering component 312 may be molded with a semicircular protruding portion that substantially complements the semicircular recessed portion. First covering component 310 and second covering component 312 may be molded from, for example, at least one of acrylic, polyurethane, thermoplastic rubber, or plastic in any desired shape and/or size.
In accordance with an additional embodiment herein, first covering component 310 and second covering component 312 are attached to miniature-sized storage device 304 through a gluing process or an ultrasonic welding process.
It should be noted here that casing 302 is not limited to a specific shape or size of first covering component 310 and second covering component 312.
In accordance with a specific embodiment herein, at least one of perforations 408 is capable of facilitating adhesion of the encapsulating material over second surface 406 of base substrate 402.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, at least one of perforations 408 is coated with a coat of an affinitive material. The affinitive material is a material having an affinity for the encapsulating material. Accordingly, a suitable affinitive material may be chosen depending on the encapsulating material to be used. In accordance with an embodiment herein, the encapsulating material includes at least one of: epoxy resin, silicone, acrylic and polyurethane. In accordance with an embodiment herein, the affinitive material includes at least one of: silver, silver alloy, copper, copper alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, palladium, gold, gold alloy, and black oxide.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, perforations 408 are formed at preset locations on base substrate 402. For example, perforations 408 may be located at a periphery of base substrate 402.
In addition, perforations 408 may be formed in any desired shape and/or size. For example, perforations 408 may have a shape that is curved, polygonal, or a combination thereof. With reference to
The size of perforations 408 may depend on the size of base substrate 402. The size of perforations 408 may also depend on the number, the size and the location of various components to be placed on base substrate 402. In addition, the size of perforations 408 may also depend on their location on base substrate 402.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, base substrate 402 is an electronic substrate that includes one or more slots, shown as a slot 410a and a slot 410b, to facilitate placing of electrical components. Slot 410a and slot 410b are hereinafter referred as slots 410. In accordance with an embodiment herein, at least one of slots 410 is formed on first surface 404 of base substrate 402.
In accordance with an embodiment herein, base substrate 402 is an extended PCB that includes one or more conductive strips 412 capable of facilitating a USB connection.
With reference to
In addition, the miniature-sized storage device includes a light source 504 placed at a periphery of base substrate 402, as shown.
Base substrate 402 includes one or more embedded connectors (not shown in the figure) for electrically connecting electrical components 502 and light source 504 in a pre-defined manner, in accordance with an embodiment herein.
Electrical components 502 and light source 504 may, for example, be thermally bonded to base substrate 402 using an electrically-conductive paste. In addition, electrical components 502 may be wire bonded to preset bond pads on base substrate 402 using wires 506, as shown in
With reference to
As mentioned above, the affinitive material has an affinity for encapsulating material 602. Therefore, the coat of the affinitive material enhances the adhesion of encapsulating material 602 to base substrate 402. Consequently, encapsulating material 602 encapsulates electrical components 502 and light source 504 hermetically. Encapsulating material 602 protects electrical components 502 and light source 504 from mechanical and chemical damage, thereby enabling water-resistance, shock-resistance and robustness in the miniature-sized storage device. This makes the miniature-sized storage device highly reliable.
In accordance with a specific embodiment herein, encapsulating material 602 is also molded over second surface 406 of base substrate 402.
It should be noted here that the miniature-sized storage device so manufactured is not limited to a specific shape or size of its components.
Embodiments herein provide a miniature-sized storage device. In an embodiment herein, the miniature-sized storage device has the length ranging from 20 mm to 30 mm, the width ranging from 10 mm to 13 mm, and the height ranging from 1 mm to 2.5 mm. The miniature-sized storage device is easy to handle and use.
In addition, the miniature-sized storage device may be designed in several forms, due to its miniature size and robustness. In one example, the miniature-sized storage device may be designed in the form of a chip that may be carried in a wallet. In another example, the miniature-sized storage device may be designed in the form of a key ring that is easy to carry.
This application may disclose several numerical range limitations that support any range within the disclosed numerical ranges even though a precise range limitation is not stated verbatim in the specification because the embodiments of the invention could be practiced throughout the disclosed numerical ranges. Finally, the entire disclosure of the patents and publications referred in this application, if any, are hereby incorporated herein in entirety by reference.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 899/CHE/2009 | Apr 2009 | IN | national |
| 936/CHE/2009 | Apr 2009 | IN | national |
| 998/CHE/2009 | Apr 2009 | IN | national |
| 914/DEL/2010 | Apr 2010 | IN | national |
