Portable memory card system

• US 6,618,258 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Goris, Andrew C
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Levi, Dameon E.
• Application Number:
  US09/853,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20020167791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 361/728-731, 361/736-737, 361/788, 361/796, 361/752, 235/493
• US Class Current: 361/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07743 External electrical contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0021 for reading/sensing record carriers having surface contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0034 the connector being capable of simultaneously receiving a plurality of cards in the same insertion slot

Abstract

Portable memory storage cards can be stacked together in a receiver that also serves as a player, allowing for compact and efficient storage and usage of those cards. The portable memory storage cards have at least one contact on both sides, positioned such that the cards are reversible. A receiver for the cards also serves as the player. A set of contacts is provided at one end of a storage cavity, into which an arbitrarily large number of cards may be stacked together, such that their contacts touch to form a bus. The stacked cards are biased against the set of contacts to establish physical contact between the set of contacts in the storage cavity and contacts on the adjacent card. The cards each include at least one alignment guide to restrict the motion of adjacent cards relative to one another when cards are stored in the cavity of the receiver.

Claims

1. A portable memory card, comprising:

a body having a first face and an opposite second face;

a memory storage unit within said body;

at least one contact on each of said first face and said second face electrically connected to said memory storage unit; and

at least one alignment guide defined in said body, wherein said alignment guide comprises;

a substantially linear groove; and

a substantially linear ridge opposite said groove.

2. The card of claim 1, further comprising an electrical interface module between and electrically connected to said memory storage unit and said at least one connector.

3. The card of claim 2, wherein said electrical interface module is a buffer.

4. The card of claim 1, wherein said first face and said second face of said body are substantially parallel to one another.

5. The card of claim 1, further comprising

at least one power contact on each of said first face and said second face electrically connected to said memory storage unit; and

at least one ground contact on each of said first face and said second face electrically connected to said memory storage unit.

6. The card of claim 5, wherein the portable memory card is rotationally symmetrical.

7. The card of claim 1, wherein said contacts on said first face are raised and said contacts on said second face are depressed.

8. A portable memory card comprising:

a body having a first face and an opposite second face;

a memory storage unit within said body;

at least one contact on each of said first face and said second face electrically connected to said memory storage unit; and

two alignment guides defined in said body, wherein each said alignment guide comprises a substantially linear groove and a substantially linear ridge opposite said groove, and wherein said alignment guides are oriented opposite to one another, whereby the groove of one alignment guide faces substantially the opposite direction from the groove of the other alignment guide.

9. A system for storing and accessing portable memory cards, comprising:

a receiver, comprising

a cavity adapted to receive a plurality of portable memory cards, said cavity having a wall; and

a plurality of contacts on said wall; and

a plurality of portable memory cards stacked within said cavity, each said card comprising

a body having face and an opposite second face,

a memory storage unit within said body,

a buffer electrically connected to said memory storage unit, and

at least one contact on each of said first face and said second face electrically connected to said memory storage unit via said buffer;

wherein one said portable memory card in said cavity is adjacent to said cavity wall and electrically connected to said plurality of contracts on said cavity wall; and

wherein said stacked portable memory cards form a data bus connected to said contacts on said cavity wall.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said portable memory cards have two or more different thickness.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein each portable memory card is rotationally symmetrical, whereby each portable memory card may be inserted into said cavity in one of at least two different orientations.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein each portable memory card further comprises at least one alignment guide on each said face, and wherein adjacent said portable memory cards in said stack interlock with one another via said alignment guides.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a retainer extending into said cavity, said retainer biasing said stack against said cavity wall.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein each said contact flexes toward said body of said contact on an adjacent portable memory card.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein each said contact is sufficiently flexible to move to a position substantially flush with the surface of said body when said contact touches another connector on an adjacent portable memory card.

16. A receiver for storing and accessing portable memory cards, each portable memory card including a body having a first face and a second face, a memory storage unit within said body, and at least one contact on each of said first face and said second face electrically connected to said memory storage unit, the receiver comprising:

a cavity adapted to receive a plurality of portable memory cards, said cavity having a wall,

at least one contact on said wall, said at least one contact positioned on said cavity wall to align with and engage the at least one contact of the portable memory card when the portable memory card is adjacent said wall; and

a retainer extending into said cavity, said retainer biasing at least one portable memory card against said cavity wall.

17. The receiver of claim 16, further comprising

a controller electrically connected to said at least one contact on said wall; and

an external connector electrically connected to said controller and adapted for connection to an external information handling system.

18. A method for storing portable memory cards in a receiver and accessing data within the portable memory cards, where each portable memory card includes at least one contact on each of two opposing faces, and where the receiver includes a cavity bounded by a cavity wall on which a plurality of contacts are located, the method comprising:

stacking a plurality of portable memory cards within the cavity, wherein the contacts on adjacent portable memory cards contact one another to form a data bus through the stacked cards;

biasing the stacked cards against the cavity wall, wherein the contacts on the portable memory card adjacent the cavity wall are aligned with and electrically connected to the contacts on the cavity wall to connect said data bus to the receiver; and

transmitting data through said data bus.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein contacts on adjacent portable memory cards contact one another to form a power loop;

further comprising transmitting current through said power loop.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising

transmitting data across said data bus including a memory address to be accessed, data for storage and retrieval, and control information;

an external connector electrically connected to said controller and adapted for connection to an external information handling system.

21. A storage device, comprising:

a body having mutually opposing first and second faces;

a storage element enclosed within the body; and

at least one contact on the first face and at least one contact on the second face, the contacts being electrically connected to the storage device, the body and the contacts being configured so that a plurality of storage devices can be stacked face-to-face and the contacts for the plurality of storage devices touch to form a bus.

22. A content storage apparatus capable of storing and accessing a plurality of portable memory cards, the memory cards having mutually opposing first and second faces and contacts on the first and second faces, the memory cards and contacts being configured so that memory cards can be entered into the content storage apparatus and stacked face-to-face and the contacts of the entered memory cards touch to form a bus, the storage apparatus comprising:

a receiver comprising a plurality of walls that define a longitudinally extending interior cavity adapted to receive at least one portable memory card stacked along the longitudinal axis;

a retainer positioned within the cavity along the longitudinal axis and constraining the at least one stacked portable memory card against a wall of the receiver positioned along and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis so that the contacts of the at least one stacked portable memory card are in electrical contact; and

at least one contact coupled to the receiver and engaging the bus.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

at least one contact coupled to the receiver and capable of coupling to a portion of the bus to form a power loop through the at least one stacked portable memory card.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

at least one contact coupled to the receiver and capable of coupling to a portion of the bus to form a data bus through the at least one stacked portable memory card.

25. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

a contact coupled to the receiver and capable of coupling to a portion of the bus to form a common ground through the at least one stacked portable memory card.

26. The apparatus according to claim 22 wherein the apparatus is a device selected from among a group of devices comprising a storage device, a media player, a standalone device, an information handling system, a automotive audio system, a car stereo, a portable stereo, a digital camera, a portable digital assistant, a wireless telephone, a laptop computer, a home entertainment system, a home theatre system, and a personal computer.