Credit Card Sized USB Flash Drive

• US 20070252010A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Corporation (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Miller, Robert C., Gonzalez, Carlos, LaPedis, Ronald, Jacobs, Joel, Cuellar, Edwin J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,344,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07732 the record carrier having a housing or construction similar to well-known portable memory devices, such as SD cards, USB or memory sticks housings for electrical equipment in general, see H05K5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07733 the record carrier containing at least one further contact interface not conform ISO-7816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07769 the further communication means being a galvanic interface, e.g. hybrid or mixed smart cards having a contact and a non-contact interface
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/0488 in boxes or containers comprising additional sound reproducing or activating means

Abstract

A flash memory mass storage drive stores user files in a convenient credit card sized drive. Embodiments function as both a credit card and a mass storage drive. Communication may be through a host interface connector such as a USB connector, a magnetic interface, a smart card interface, and/or a near field communication interface. In certain embodiments the drive comprises a portion that is sufficiently thin to be swiped through a standard credit card, ATM, or point of sale device. The USB connector of the drive can easily be plugged into even a crowded receptacle of a host computing device.

Claims

1. A flash memory drive comprising:

a re-programmable non-volatile flash memory;

a body having a peripheral edge around the body and two principal faces, the faces having a length and a width of a credit card;

a member extendable some distance away from the body of the card, the member comprising a USB connector on a distal portion of the member,

a portion of the body having a thickness acceptable for insertion into a standard credit card reader; and

means for distancing the member away from the body such that the connector on the distal portion can be inserted into a host device.

2. The flash memory drive of claim 1, wherein the member is extendable some distance away from the two principal faces of the card, such that is distanced from the plane of the faces.

3. The flash memory drive of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the portion of the body having a thickness acceptable for insertion into a standard credit card reader is less than about 1.0 mm.

4. The flash memory drive of claim 1 wherein the flash drive further comprises a magnetic stripe, the magnetic stripe located on the portion of the body having a thickness acceptable for insertion into a standard credit card reader.

5. A flash memory drive comprising:

a re-programmable non-volatile flash memory; and

a body having a perimeter and two principal faces, the faces having a length and a width of a credit card such that there is a long side and a short side of the body,

a member extendable some distance away from the body of the card, the member comprising a USB connector on a distal portion of the member,

the member rotating about an axis of rotation at a proximal end of the member,

the axis of rotation operable to change location within the perimeter of the body.

6. The flash memory drive of claim 5, wherein the axis of rotation can be moved by a user in order to change to the position of the member before insertion of the member into a host device.

7. The flash memory drive of claim 5, wherein the member is able to extend away from two or more substantially perpendicular sides of the perimeter in a direction other than perpendicular to both of the two ore more substantially perpendicular sides.

8. The flash memory drive of claim 5, wherein the perimeter further comprises one or more corners, the member operable to change angle about the axis and extend away from the one or more corners.

9. A credit card system comprising:

a body having the width of a standard credit card;

a mass storage non volatile memory that is operably connected to transfer data between the memory and outside of the card with a first set of contacts commonly accepted by a female receptacle of host computing devices; and

a cover carried by the card and rotatable by hand between at least first and second positions about an axis extending across a width of the card, the first set of contacts being covered when the cover is in the first position and exposed for insertion into the female receptacle when the cover is in the second position.

10. The credit card system of claim 9, wherein the cover is rotatably connected with the card through a pair of double-axis hinges, the hinges being rotatable about one axis on the card and another axis on the cover.

11. The credit card system of claim 10, wherein the relative shapes of the hinges and of the card and cover provide a manually overridable latch of the cover in at least an open position.

12. The credit card system of claim 11, wherein the relative shapes of the hinges and of the card and cover include mating surface relief patterns on at least one side of the individual hinges and on inside surfaces of the card and cover.

13. The credit card system of claim 12, wherein the mating surface relief patterns include a plurality of ridges and a plurality of matching channels.

14. The credit card system of claim 9, wherein the cover is rotatable by one-hundred eighty degrees between the first and second positions.

15. The credit card system of claim 9, wherein the axis of rotation moves with respect to the card as the cover is rotated between the first and second positions.

16. An enclosed electronic circuit card, comprising:

a first portion having a predominately rectangular shape with the width of a credit card and a length;

a second portion rigidly connected to the first portion and having a rectangular shape with a width less than that of the first portion, a set of contacts positioned on an outside surface thereof at an end of the second portion; and

a cover hinged to the first portion of the memory card in a manner to be rotatable by hand about an axis extending across the width of the card between at least a first position that covers the second set of contacts and a second position that exposes the second set of contacts.

17. The card according to claim 16, wherein the cover is hinged to the first portion of the memory card by a pair of solid hinges each connected with the first portion of the memory card at a first axis of rotation and with the cover at a second axis of rotation, wherein the first and second axes of rotation are separated along a length of the card.

18. The card according to claim 17, wherein side walls of the solid hinges have:

a surface relief pattern adjacent the first axis of rotation that mates with a surface relief pattern on the first portion of the memory card to hold the hinges in at least one designated rotatable position with respect to the first portion of the memory card, and

a surface relief pattern adjacent the second axis of rotation that mates with a surface relief pattern on the cover to hold the hinges in at least one designated rotatable position with respect to the cover.

19. The card according to claim 16, wherein the set of contacts have dimensions and are arranged according to a published USB plug standard.

20. A portable credit card system comprising:

a first element comprising a credit card interface for conducting credit card transactions; and

a second element comprising;

a USB flash memory drive comprising a mass storage flash memory, a memory controller, and a USB connector coupled to the memory controller,

the second element detachable from the first element in order to be connected to a USB port of a host computing device,

the second element attachable to the first element in order to be stored in a wallet, such that when the first and second element are attached, the credit card system has the length and width of a credit card.

21. The credit card system of claim 20, the first element further comprising a first mating connection to connect to the second element.

22. The credit card system of claim 21, the second element further comprising a second mating connection to connect to the first element.

23. The credit card system of claim 22, wherein the first and second mating connection comprise a male and female groove system.

24. The credit card system of claim 23, wherein the second element slides in relation to the first element.

25. The credit card system of claim 24, wherein the second element slides in and out of the second element.

26. The credit card system of claim 22, wherein the second element snaps into and out of the first element.

27. The credit card system of claim 26, wherein the first mating connection comprises a pliable material that is bent in order to insert or extract the second element.

28. The credit card system of claim 20, wherein the second element comprises a pocket that holds the first element.

29. A credit card comprising:

a mass storage flash memory drive comprising a memory controller and flash memory;

a first interface that transmits user information magnetically to a first type of reader;

a second interface comprising data contacts that transmit user information electronically to a second type of reader; and

a third interface comprising data contacts that transmits user files electronically to a third type of reader.

30. The credit card of claim 29, wherein the second interface is a smart card interface and the data contacts are in a pattern of the smart card interface.

31. The credit card of claim 29, wherein the second type of reader is a smart card reader.

32. The credit card of claim 29 wherein the third interface is a USB interface, and the third type of reader is a USB port.

33. The credit card of claim 29, wherein the third interface is coupled to the mass storage flash memory drive and serves to transfer the user files between a user'"'"'s computing device and the credit card.

34. The credit card of claim 33 wherein the first and second interfaces serve to exchange financial and identification data for executing a transaction directly with a merchant device.

35. The credit card of claim 33, wherein the memory controller controls the file storage operations of the drive such that the drive appears as a mass storage class device to the user'"'"'s host computer.

36. The credit card of claim 29, further comprising a fourth interface, the fourth interface comprising a radio frequency transceiver, the fourth interface configured to engage in near field communications.

37. The credit card of claim 36, wherein the near field communication is used to exchange financial and identification data for executing a transaction.

38. The credit card of claim 29, wherein the radio frequency transceiver is further configured to operate with the flash memory drive and transfer user files to and from the credit card.

39. A flash memory drive comprising:

a re-programmable non-volatile flash memory;

a body having a length and a width of a credit card; and

a rigid member comprising a USB connector on a distal portion of the member,

a portion of the body having a thickness acceptable for insertion into a standard credit card reader,

the body capable of bending back upon itself thereby sufficiently exposing the USB connector of the member so that it may be inserted into a USB receptacle.

40. The drive of claim 39, wherein the drive further comprises a near field communications antenna on the body of the drive.

41. The drive of claim 40, wherein the drive further comprises near field communications control circuitry located at the member and coupled to the near field communications antenna on the body.

42. The drive of claim 40, wherein the near field communications antenna is flexible and bends with the body of the card when the body is bent back upon itself.

43. The drive of claim 39, wherein the drive further comprises a clip, the clip latching the body in an unbent position.

44. A flash memory drive comprising:

a re-programmable non-volatile flash memory;

a memory controller;

a USB connector;

a body having a length and a width of a credit card,

the body comprising a flexible substrate, the flexible substrate configured to bend and make the USB connector available for insertion into a USB receptacle.

45. The flash memory drive of claim 44, further comprising a clip that maintains the flexible body in a substantially flat position when it is in the clip and not bent by a user for insertion.

46. The flash memory drive of claim 44, wherein the drive further comprises near field communications circuitry including a near field communications controller and a near field communications antenna.

47. The flash memory drive of claim 44, further comprising a magnetic credit card stripe interface.