Cartridge for a game machine

• US 6,628,529 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Takamoto, Junji, Kitano, Yasuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THANH Y
• Application Number:
  US10/224,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20030040353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• Field of Search: 361/752, 361/753, 361/800, 361/818, 361/816, 361/714, 361/728, 361/727, 361/737, 361/748, 361/730
• US Class Current: 361/800
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards

Abstract

A cartridge, including a housing, a substrate, a semiconductor element (e.g., a memory), and a shielding element, is detachably mountable to a game machine having a connector and a grounding terminal, and a recess. The substrate within the housing has an external connection terminal exposed through the open end, a circuit pattern, and a ground electrode. The shielding element within the housing substantially covers at least one principal face of the substrate and electrically connected to the ground electrode. The housing has an opening in a principal face facing the ground electrode on the substrate and the shielding element, through which the shielding element is partly exposed. The shielding element has a protruding shield convex exposed through the opening. When the cartridge is mounted in the recess, the shield convex is electrically connected to the ground electrode through the opening to remove unwanted radiation of electromagnetic waves on the substrate.

Claims

1. A cartridge for a game machine, the cartridge being detachably mountable to a game machine having a connector and a grounding terminal in connection with a recess for receiving the cartridge, the cartridge comprising:

a housing including an upper half and a lower half, the housing having an open end face at which to mount the cartridge to the connector in the game machine;

a substrate accommodated in the housing, the substrate having an external connection terminal exposed through the open end face, a circuit pattern, and a ground electrode;

a semiconductor element mounted on the substrate; and

a shielding element accommodated within the housing, the shielding element covering a substantial portion of at least one principal face of the substrate and being electrically connected to the ground electrode,

wherein the housing has an opening in a principal face facing the ground electrode on the substrate and the shielding element to allow the shielding element to be partly exposed through the opening,

the shielding element has a shield convex, the shield convex protruding and being exposed through the opening, and

when the cartridge is mounted in the recess, the shield convex is electrically connected to the ground electrode through the opening, thereby removing unwanted radiation of electromagnetic waves occurring on the substrate.

2. The cartridge according to claim 1,

wherein the opening in the housing has a substantially band-like shape extending along a side of the housing, and

the shield convex is shaped so as to correspond to the substantially band-like shape of the opening.

3. The cartridge according to claim 1,

wherein the shielding element is formed of a plate metal of a conductive material, a portion of which is bent to integrally form the shield convex.

4. The cartridge according to claim 1,

wherein the opening and the shield convex are formed near a leading end of the cartridge with respect to a direction of inserting the cartridge into the recess, such that the opening and the shield convex extend along a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction.

5. The cartridge according to claim 1,

wherein the housing includes at least one positioning member on the inside of at least one of the upper and lower halves, the at least one positioning member being for positioning the substrate and the shielding element.

6. The cartridge according to claim 1,

wherein the cartridge further comprises:

a further shielding element being accommodated on the inside of another principal face of the housing so as to face the substrate,

wherein the shielding element and the further shielding element are electrically connected to each other within the housing.

7. The cartridge according to claim 1,

wherein the open end face of the housing is dimensioned so that the housing has a width which is substantially the same as a width of the substrate and that the housing has a thickness which is greater than a thickness of the substrate, and

the cartridge further comprises a spacer, the spacer being accommodated within the housing to enclose the open end face where the open end face has a thickness greater than the thickness of the substrate.