Dual-personality extended-USB plug and receptacle with PCI-Express or Serial-At-Attachment extensions

• US 7,021,971 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corporation
• Original Assignee: Super Talent Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Ben Wei, Chou, Horng-Yee, Chiou, Ren-Kang
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, PHUONG K
• Application Number:
  US10/708,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20050059301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 439/660, 439/608, 439/218, 439/607
• US Class Current: 439/660
• 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: H01R 12/725 containing contact members presenting a contact carrying strip, e.g. edge-like strip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/26 Pin or blade contacts for sliding co-operation on one side only for modular jack type connectors H01R24/62
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/658 High frequency shielding arrangements, e.g. against EMI [Electro-Magnetic Interference] or EMP [Electro-Magnetic Pulse] coaxial coupling devices specially adapted for high frequency H01R24/40; for flat or ribbon cable connectors H01R12/774; for coaxial cable H01R9/05

Abstract

An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) connector plug and socket each have a pin substrate with one surface that supports the four metal contact pins for the standard USB interface. An extension of the pin substrate carries another 8 extension metal contact pins that mate when both the connector plug and socket are extended. The extension can be an increased length of the plug'"'"'s and socket'"'"'s pin substrate or a reverse side of the substrate. Standard USB connectors do not make contact with the extension metal contacts that are recessed, retracted by a mechanical switch, or on the extension of the socket'"'"'s pin substrate that a standard USB connector cannot reach. Standard USB sockets do not make contact with the extension metal contacts because the extended connector'"'"'s extension contacts are recessed, or on the extension of the connector pin substrate that does not fit inside a standard USB socket.

Claims

1. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) connector plug for insertion into an extended USB socket or into a standard USB socket, the extended USB connector plug comprising:

an extended pin substrate that has an extended length that is longer than or equal to a standard length of the pin substrate of the standard USB connector plug;

plug standard metal contact pins on the pin substrate, wherein when the standard pin substrate of the extended USB connector plug is inserted into a cavity of the standard USB socket, the standard metal contact pins make physical and electrical contact with plug standard metal contact pins on a plug pin substrate;

plug extended metal contact pins on the extended pin substrate;

wherein when the extended pin substrate of the extended USB connector plug is inserted into a cavity of the extended USB socket, the plug extended metal contact pins on the extended pin substrate make physical and electrical contact with socket extended metal contact pins on the extended USB socket;

a set of ribs on the extended pin substrate, adjacent to the plug extended metal contact pins of the extended USB connector plug;

wherein set of ribs prevents the plug extended metal contact pins from making contact with a standard metal cover when the extended USB connector plug is inserted into the standard USB socket with the standard metal cover,

whereby the set of ribs prevents shorting to the standard metal cover of the standard USB socket and whereby the plug extended metal contact pins make contact when the extended USB connector plug is inserted into the extended USB socket, but do not make contact when inserted into the standard USB socket.

2. The extended USB connector plug of claim 1 wherein the plug extended metal contact pins are recessed into the extended pin substrate of the extended USB connector plug,

wherein the plug extended metal contact pins do not make contact to a standard metal cover when the extended USB connector plug is inserted into the standard USB socket with the standard metal cover,

whereby recessing the plug extended metal contact pins prevents shorting to the standard metal cover of the standard USB socket.

3. The extended USB connector plug of claim 1

wherein the plug standard metal contact pins carry standard USB signals during an initialization phase after insertion that includes a switch command sequence to switch to an extended mode;

wherein the plug extended metal contact pins carry extended-mode signals after the switch command sequence is sent over the plug standard metal contact pins

wherein the extended-mode signals are PCI-Express signals. Serial-AT-Attachment signals, Serial Attached Small-Computer System Interface (SCSI), or IEEE 1394 signals.

4. The extended USB connector plug of claim 1 wherein the plug extended metal contact pins comprise 8 pins;

wherein the plug standard metal contact pins comprise 4 pins.

5. The extended USB connector plug of claim 1 wherein the plug extended metal contact pins comprise a single row of pins or two rows of pins.

6. A dual-personality connector plug comprising:

a housing for gripping by a user when inserting into a standard socket or into a dual-personality socket, the housing having wires passing there-through;

a pin substrate made from non-conducting material, extending outward from the housing along an insertion axis;

a metal cover, extending outward from the housing and wrapping around the pin substrate with sides parallel to the insertion axis and an opening perpendicular to the insertion axis at an end opposite the housing;

wherein the pin substrate has an insertable portion near the opening, wherein the insertable portion is for inserting into the standard socket or into the dual-personality socket;

plug standard metal contacts formed on a first surface of the insertable portion of the pin substrate, the plug standard metal contacts connected to the wires passing through the housing; and

plug extended metal contacts formed on the insertable portion of the pin substrate, the plug extended metal contacts connected to the wires passing through the housing;

wherein the plug extended metal contacts do not electrically contact a metal cover or socket metal contacts of the standard socket when inserted, but the plug standard metal contacts make electrical contact with socket metal contacts of the standard socket when inserted;

wherein the plug extended metal contacts electrically contact socket metal contacts of the dual-personality socket when inserted, and the plug standard metal contacts make electrical contact with socket metal contacts of the standard socket when inserted.

7. The dual-personality connector plug of claim 6 wherein the plug extended metal contacts are formed on a second surface opposite the first surface of the insertable portion of the pin substrate, the plug extended metal contacts being recessed into the second surface so that the plug extended metal contacts do not electrically contact the metal cover of the standard socket when inserted.

8. The dual-personality connector plug of claim 6 wherein the plug extended metal contacts are formed on a second surface opposite the first surface of the insertable portion of the pin substrate;

wherein the second surface is a moveable surface that retracts when the insertable portion is inserted into the standard socket.

9. The dual-personality connector plug of claim 6 wherein the plug extended metal contacts are also formed on the first surface of the insertable portion of the pin substrate, the plug extended metal contacts being located farther from the opening than the plug standard metal contacts.

10. The dual-personality connector plug of claim 6 wherein the standard socket is a Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) socket and wherein the plug extended metal contacts carry PCI-Express signals, serial ATA signals, Serial Attached Small-Computer System Interface (SCSI), or Firewire IEEE 1394 signals.

11. The dual-personality connector plug of claim 6 wherein the plug standard metal contacts carry standard Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) signals during an initialization phase after insertion tat includes a switch command sequence to switch to an extended mode;

wherein the plug extended metal contacts carry extended-mode signals after the switch command sequence is sent over the plug standard metal contacts.

12. The dual-personality connector plug of claim 11 wherein the extended-mode signals comprise a transmit differential pair and a receive differential pair that each carry uni-directional signals, while the standard USB signals comprise a single differential pair that carried bi-directional data.