Memory card

• US 6,922,343 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Issued: 07/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Torii, Takashi, Yano, Masayoshi, Sakamoto, Takahiro, Furuta, Noriaki, Nakanishi, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Phuong T.
• Application Number:
  US10/439,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20030198028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 439/188, 439/946, 439/76.1, 439/630, 361/728, 361/736, 361/737, 361/752, 361/760, 361/807, 361/683, 361/684, 361/686, 361/730, 361732-733, 361740-742, 361747-748, 361/756, 361/759, 361801-802, 257678-679
• US Class Current: 361/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• 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 19/07743 External electrical contacts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/945 Adapter for pcb or cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/946 Memory card cartridge

Abstract

A memory card includes: a main body of the memory card in which a notched section is formed; a semiconductor memory; and a write/nonwrite setting element for setting the write/nonwrite state of data in the semiconductor memory, the write/nonwrite setting element being slidably fitted in the notched section, wherein the main body of the memory card includes an upper main body and a lower main body; at least one of the upper main body and the lower main body has an elastic guide formed within the notched section; the write/nonwrite setting element slides along the elastic guide so as to set the write/nonwrite state of the data in the semiconductor memory; and the elastic guide has an engagement portion for engagedly stopping the write/nonwrite setting element so as to select the position of the write/nonwrite setting element with respect to the elastic guide.

Claims

1. A memory card, comprising:

a main body in which a recessed notch is formed on a side surface of its planar shape situated between a too surface and a bottom surface of said main body;

a semiconductor memory in which data can be at least written, the semiconductor memory being mounted on a substrate contained inside the main body;

a terminal provided in the main body of the memory card for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory to an external device; and

a write/nonwrite setting element slidably fitted in the main body at the recessed notch

for setting a write/nonwrite state of the data in the semiconductor memory by selection of any of a first position, where a portion of the write/nonwrite setting element covers a portion of the recessed notch, and a second position, where the portion of the write/nonwrite setting element covers another portion of the recessed notch,

a path extending through said notch from above said top surface to below said bottom surface;

wherein the write/nonwrite setting element and the recessed notch form an indicator of the setting status of the write/nonwrite state of data in the semiconductor memory.

2. A memory card according to claim 1, wherein:

the main body has an elastic guide in the main body at the recessed notch and the elastic guide holds a selection location of the write/nonwrite setting element.

3. A memory card according to claim 2, wherein:

between the elastic guide of the main body and the write/nonwrite setting element, an engagement portion is provided for engagedly stopping the sliding location of the write/nonwrite setting element with respect to the elastic guide.

4. A memory card according to claim 3, wherein:

the engagement portion includes a protrusion which is formed at about center of the elastic guide along the slide direction of the write/nonwrite setting element and the write/nonwrite setting element rides over the protrusion so as to be engagedly stopped at each of the opposite ends of the elastic guide, thereby selecting a position of the recessed notch which is covered with the write/nonwrite setting element.

5. A memory card according to claim 3, wherein:

the engagement portion includes a first engagement portion which is formed by a protrusion or a cavity at the elastic guide,

the write/nonwrite setting element includes a second engagement portion which is formed by a cavity or a protrusion in a surface of the write/nonwrite setting element which faces the elastic guide, and

the second engagement portion is engagedly stopped by the first engagement portion upon the write/nonwrite setting element sliding, whereby the write/nonwrite setting element selects a position of the recessed notch which is covered with the write/nonwrite setting element.

6. A memory card according to claim 1, wherein:

the main body of the memory card includes an elastically deformable slide hole in the main body at the recessed notch, and in the slide hole a fitting groove is formed;

the write/nonwrite setting element is slidably fitted in the fitting groove by inserting the write/nonwrite setting element in the slide hole.

7. A memory card according to claim 6, wherein:

the write/nonwrite setting element has a fitting portion which is inserted and fitted in the slide hole, and the fitting portion is formed a maximum width section thereof which has a width greater than a width of the slide hole such that the fitting portion is fitted in the fitting groove formed in the main body.

8. A memory card according to claim 6, wherein:

the main body includes an engagement portion formed in the fitting groove, the write/nonwrite setting element being engagedly stopped by the engagement portion when the write/nonwrite setting element slides in the slide hole.

9. A memory card according to claim 7, wherein:

the write/nonwrite setting element is formed so that a tip of the fitting portion has a width smaller than that of the slide hole, and an inclined face inclining toward the maximum width section of the fitting portion is provided, and

when the fitting portion of the write/nonwrite setting element is fitted in the slide hole, the inclined face of the fitting portion is forced to insert in the slide hole while the inclined face expands the slide hole until the write/nonwrite setting element is fitted into the main body.