Extended USB PCBA and device with dual personality

• US 7,440,287 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corporation
• Original Assignee: Super Talent Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Ni, Jim Chin-Nan, Yu, Frank I-Kang, Shen, Ming-Shiang, Ma, Abraham C., Chow, David Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reichard; Dean A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Levi; Dameon E.
• Application Number:
  US11/871,103
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 361728-730, 361/767, 361/736, 361/752, 739 5051- 5053, 439/76.1, 439/945, 439/946, 439/951, 439/660
• US Class Current: 361/752
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7175 Light emitting diodes (LEDs)
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/62 Sliding engagements with one side only, e.g. modular jack coupling devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/00 Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts for dissimilar contact members H01R13/35; supported only by co-operation with a counterpart H01R31/00; with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/90
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/945 Adapter for pcb or cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/951 PCB having detailed leading edge

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) device having a connector plug compatible with an extended USB socket and a standard USB socket, the extended USB device comprising:

a plastic housing;

a USB metal plug;

a plug substrate having one or more top tabs and one or more side tabs; and

a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly (PCBA) having a USB plug portion and a component portion formed on a single PCB, wherein the USB plug portion comprises

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 plug standard metal contact pins make physical and electrical contact with socket standard metal contact pins on a socket pin substrate, and

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, and wherein 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,

wherein the component portion of the PCBA includes one or more electrical contact pads disposed on at least one surface of the PCB to enable at least one USB compatible circuit surface mounted on the one or more electrical contact pads,

wherein the PCBA is secured on the plug substrate via the one or more top tabs, wherein the plug substrate having the PCBA is inserted into the USB metal plug, and wherein the USB metal plug having the plug substrate inserted therein is inserted into the plastic housing and secured via the one or more side tabs of the plug substrate.

2. The extended USB device 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.

3. The extended USB device of claim 1, wherein the plug extended metal contact pins comprise 5 pins, and wherein the plug standard metal contact pins comprise 4 pins.

4. The extended USB device of claim 3, further comprising a lead frame chip connector surface mounted on the plug extended metal contact pins.

5. The extended USB device of claim 3, further comprising lead frame terminals surface mounted on the plug extended metal contact pins.

6. The extended USB device of claim 3, wherein the at least one USB compatible circuit includes a flash memory integrated circuit (IC) and a flash controller IC.

7. The extended USB device of claim 6, wherein the flash memory IC and the flash controller IC are surface mounted on a surface of the PCB opposite to a surface having the plug extended metal contact pins.

8. The extended USB device of claim 7, further comprising a housing having a top case and a bottom case for enclosing the flash memory IC and the flash controller IC, wherein the top case and the bottom case are attached to each other using a snap together process or via an ultrasonic sealing process.

9. The extended USB device of claim 6, wherein the PCBA is implemented as a chip-on-board (COB) package having the flash memory IC and the flash controller IC disposed therein, and wherein an external surface of the COB includes the plug extended metal contact pins disposed thereon.

10. The extended USB device of claim 9, further comprising a housing having a U-shape form factor for housing the COB, wherein the external surface of the COB having the plug extended metal contact pins is used as a wall covering an opening of the U-shape form factor of the housing.

11. The extended USB device of claim 10, further comprising a thermal adhesive film deposited between the COB and the housing.

12. The extended USB device of claim 6, wherein the flash memory IC comprises a multi-level cell (MLC) compatible flash memory and the flash controller IC comprises an MLC compatible flash controller.

13. The extended USB device of claim 1, further comprising:

a metal tubing having a front end and a rear end; and

a rear cover, wherein the plastic housing comprises an upper cover and a lower cover,

wherein the PCBA is mounted on the plug substrate and secured by the top tabs of the plug substrate to form a sub-assembly, and wherein the sub-assembly is inserted into the front end of the metal tubing, secured by the rear cover at the rear end of the metal tubing, and snap-coupled by a locking structure of the upper and lower covers of the plastic housing to form an enclosure shell enclosing the sub-assembly.

14. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) device having a connector plug compatible with an extended USB socket and a standard USB socket, the extended USB device comprising:

a plastic housing;

a plug substrate having one or more top tabs and one or more side tabs; and

a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly (PCBA) having a USB plug portion and a component portion formed on a single PCB, wherein the USB plug portion comprises

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 plug standard metal contact pins make physical and electrical contact with socket standard metal contact pins on a socket pin substrate, and

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, and wherein 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,

wherein the component portion of the PCBA includes one or more electrical contact pads disposed on at least one surface of the PCB to enable at least one USB compatible circuit surface mounted on the one or more electrical contact pads,

wherein the PCBA is secured on the plug substrate via the one or more top tabs, wherein the plug substrate having the PCBA is inserted into the plastic housing and secured via the one or more side tabs of the plug substrate.

15. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) device having a connector plug compatible with an extended USB socket and a standard USB socket, the extended USB device comprising:

a plastic housing having a plurality of slots;

a USB metal plug having a plurality of snap-in tabs; and

a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly (PCBA) having a USB plug portion and a component portion formed on a single PCB, wherein the USB plug portion comprises

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 plug standard metal contact pins make physical and electrical contact with socket standard metal contact pins on a socket pin substrate, and

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, and wherein 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,

wherein the component portion of the PCBA includes one or more electrical contact pads disposed on at least one surface of the PCB to enable at least one USB compatible circuit surface mounted on the one or more electrical contact pads,

wherein the PCBA is inserted into the USB metal plug, and wherein the USB metal plug having the PCBA inserted therein is inserted into the plastic housing and secured by forcing the plurality of snap-in tabs of the USB metal plug into corresponding ones of the plurality of slots of the plastic housing.

16. The extended USB device of claim 15, further comprising a pin attached on the plastic housing and a key ring disposed through a hole of the pin, wherein the key ring is suitable to be used to chain one or more keys of a user of the extended USB device.

17. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) device having a connector plug compatible with an extended USB socket and a standard USB socket, the extended USB device comprising:

a plastic housing a having a tray form factor; and

a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly (PCBA) having a USB plug portion and a component portion formed on a single PCB, wherein the USB plug portion comprises

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 plug standard metal contact pins make physical and electrical contact with socket standard metal contact pins on a socket pin substrate, and

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, and wherein 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,

wherein the component portion of the PCBA includes one or more electrical contact pads disposed on at least one surface of the PCB to enable at least one USB compatible circuit surface mounted on the one or more electrical contact pads,

wherein the PCBA is deposited into the housing and insulated by a thermal adhesive film.

18. The extended USB device of claim 17, further comprising a lid to cover the housing and enclosing the PCBA therein, but exposing the plug standard metal contact pins and the plug extended metal contact pins of the PCBA.