Connectors having a USB-like form factor for supporting USB and non-USB protocols

• US 7,182,646 B1
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corporation
• Original Assignee: Super Talent Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Edward W., Chou, Horng-Yee, Chiou, Ren-Kang
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilman; Alexander
• Application Number:
  US10/938,691
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 439/660, 439/382, 439/535, 439/76.1, 710/301, 710/300, 710/31, 710/74, 361/685, 235/492
• 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 24/62 Sliding engagements with one side only, e.g. modular jack coupling devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/02 for simultaneous co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts

Abstract

An extended Universal-Serial Bus (USB) plug and extended Universal-Serial Bus (USB) socket are disclosed. The extended Universal-Serial Bus (USB) plug includes an extended pin substrate, the extended pin substrate and at least some of a plurality of contacts thereon being dimensioned to be mechanically compatible with an industry-standard USB socket. The extended USB plug further lacks an industry-standard cover associated with an industry-standard USB plug, thereby causing the extended USB plug to be thinner than the industry-standard USB plug. The extended Universal-Serial Bus (USB) socket, which includes an extended cavity having an extended cavity length longer than a length of a cavity of an industry-standard USB connector socket. The extended cavity and at least some of a plurality of pins therein are dimensioned to be mechanically compatible with an industry-standard USB connector plug.

Claims

1. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) plug, comprising:

an extended pin substrate having an extended substrate length longer than a length of a pin substrate of an industry-standard Series A USB plug, said length of said pin substrate of said industry-standard Series A USB plug being about 12 mm, said extended pin substrate and at least some of a plurality of contacts thereon being dimensioned to be mechanically compatible with an industry-standard Series A USB socket, said industry-standard Series A USB socket including a cavity having a length being about 9 mm, said extended USB plug further lacking an industry-standard cover associated with said industry-standard Series A USB plug, thereby causing said extended USB plug to be thinner than said industry-standard Series A USB plug, said plurality of contacts including a plurality of USB connector contacts arranged in a first row in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said extended USB plug, said plurality of USB connector contacts being disposed on said extended pin substrate and configured to carry USB signals and a plurality of non-USB connector contacts arranged in a second row parallel to said first row, said plurality of non-USB connector contacts being configured to carry non-USB signals, and wherein said plurality of non-USB connector contacts being disposed in one of a first position and a second position relative to said plurality of USB connector contacts, said first position representing a longitudinally separate position relative to said plurality of USB connector contacts, said second position representing a position that is on the opposite substrate side relative to said plurality of USB connector contacts.

2. The extended USB plug of claim 1 wherein said plurality of contacts include:

a plurality of non-USB connector contacts arranged in a first row in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said extended USB plug, said plurality of non-USB connector contacts being configured to carry non-USB signals.

3. The extended USB plug of claim 2 wherein said non-USB signals represent one of a set of PCI Express signals, a set of SATA signals, a set of SAS signals and a set of 1394 signals.

4. The extended USB plug of claim 1 wherein said first row and said second row are disposed on a first side of said extended pin substrate.

5. The extended USB plug of claim 4 wherein said non-USB connector contacts in said second row are recessed below a surface of said first side.

6. The extended USB plug of claim 5 wherein said second row is disposed further toward a distal end of said extended pin substrate than said first row.

7. The extended USB plug of claim 5 wherein said non-USB connector contacts include 4 contacts.

8. The extended USB plug of claim 5 wherein said non-USB connector contacts include 6 contacts.

9. The extended USB plug of claim 5 wherein said non-USB connector contacts include 8 contacts.

10. The extended USB plug of claim 4 wherein said non-USB connector contacts in said second row are recessed below a surface of said first side, thereby preventing said non-USB connector contacts from electrically coupling with USB socket contacts configured to carry said USB signals in said industry-standard Series A USB socket when said extended USB plug is fully inserted into said industry-standard Series A USB socket, said first row being positioned on said extended pin substrate so as to enable said plurality of USB connector contacts to electrically couple with respective ones of said USB socket contacts when said extended USB plug is fully inserted into said standard USB socket.

11. The extended USB plug of claim 10 wherein said non-USB connector contacts are configured to be electrically coupled to a first socket-residing row of non-USB socket contacts in an extended USB socket having two socket-residing rows of contacts when said extended USB plug is fully inserted into said extended USB socket, said first socket-residing row of non-USB socket contacts being configured to carry said non-USB signals, a second socket-residing row of said two socket-residing rows of contacts represent USB socket contacts configured to carry said USB signals, said plurality of USB connector contacts being configured to be electrically coupled with said USB socket contacts when said extended USB plug is fully inserted into said extended USB socket.

12. The extended USB plug of claim 11 wherein said non-USB connector contacts in said second row are recessed below a surface of said first side, said second row being disposed further toward a distal end of said extended pin substrate than said first row.

13. The extended USB plug of claim 12 wherein said non-USB signals represent one of a set of PCI Express signals, a set of SATA signals, a set of SAS signals and a set of 1394 signals.

14. The extended USB plug of claim 13 wherein said non-USB connector contacts include 4 contacts.

15. The extended USB plug of claim 13 wherein said extended signal contacts include 6 contacts.

16. The extended USB plug of claim 13 wherein said extended signal contacts include 8 contacts.

17. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) socket, comprising:

an extended cavity having an extended cavity length longer than a length of a cavity of an industry-standard Series A USB socket, said length of said cavity of said industry-standard Series A USB socket being about 9 mm, said extended cavity and at least some of a plurality of pins therein being dimensioned to be mechanically compatible with industry-standard Series A USB plug, said industry-standard Series A USB plug including a pin substrate having a length being about 12 mm, said plurality of pins include a plurality of USB socket contacts arranged in a first row in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said extended USB socket, said plurality of USB socket contacts being disposed in said cavity and configured to carry USB signals, and a plurality of non-USB socket contacts arranged in a second row parallel to said first row, said plurality of non-USB socket contacts being configured to carry non-USB signals, wherein said plurality of non-USB socket contacts being disposed in one of a first position and a second position relative to said plurality of USB socket contacts, said first position representing a longitudinally separate position relative to said plurality of USB socket contacts, said second position representing a position that is on the opposite substrate side relative to said plurality of USB socket contacts.

18. The extended USB socket of claim 17 wherein said plurality of pins include:

a plurality of non-USB socket contacts arranged in a first row in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said extended USB socket, said plurality of non-USB socket contacts being disposed in said cavity and configured to carry non-USB signals.

19. The extended USB socket of claim 18 wherein said non-USB signals represent one of a set of PCI Express signals, a set of SATA signals, a set of SAS signals and a set of 1394 signals.

20. The extended USB socket of claim 17 wherein said first row and said second row are disposed on a first interior wall of said extended cavity.

21. The extended USB socket of claim 20 wherein said non-USB socket contacts in said second row are configured to electrically couple with recessed contacts in an extended USB plug when said extended USB plug is fully inserted into said extended USB socket, said recessed contact being recessed below a surface of a pin substrate of said extended USB plug.

22. The extended USB socket of claim 21 wherein said second row is disposed further away from an opening of said extended cavity than said first row.

23. The extended USB socket of claim 21 wherein said non-USB socket contacts include 8 contacts.

24. The extended USB socket of claim 21 wherein said non-USB socket contacts include 6 contacts.

25. The extended USB socket of claim 21 wherein said non-USB socket contacts include 4 contacts.

26. The extended USB socket of claim 20 wherein said non-USB socket contacts in said second row are positioned such that no portion of said industry-standard Series A USB plug would physically contact said second row when said industry-standard Series A USB plus is fully inserted into said extended USB socket, said first row being positioned in said extended cavity so as to enable a plurality of USB contacts of said industry-standard Series A USB plug to electrically couple with respective ones of said USB socket contacts when said industry-standard Series A USB plug is fully inserted into said extended USB socket.

27. The extended USB socket of claim 26 wherein said non-USB socket contacts are configured to be electrically coupled to a first row of non-USB plug contacts on an extended USB plug having two rows of contacts when extended USB plug is fully inserted into said extended USB socket, said first row of non-USB plug contacts being configured to carry said non-USB signals, a second row of said two rows of contacts represent USB plug contacts configured to carry said USB signals, said plurality of USB socket contacts being configured to be electrically coupled with said USB socket contacts when said extended USB plug is fully inserted into said extended USB socket.

28. The extended USB socket of claim 27 wherein said second row of said non-USB socket contacts are-configured to make electrical contact with recessed pins of said first row of said non-USB plug contacts, said second row of said non-USB socket contacts being disposed further away from an opening of said extended cavity than said first row of said USB socket contacts.

29. The extended USB socket of claim 28 wherein said non-USB signals represent one of a set of PCI Express signals, a set of SATA signals, a set of SAS signals and a set of 1394 signals.

30. The extended USB socket of claim 29 wherein said non-USB socket contacts include 4 contacts.

31. The extended USB socket of claim 30 wherein said extended signal contacts include 6 contacts.

32. The extended USB socket of claim 30 wherein said extended signal contacts include 8 contacts.