Credit card sized USB flash drive

• US 7,537,169 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Corporation (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Miller, Robert C., Gonzalez, Carlos, LaPedis, Ronald, Jacobs, Joel, Cuellar, Edwin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US11/953,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20080087731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 361736-737, 439/31, 439/103, 439/104, 439131-142, 439/165, 439/261, 439/358, 235/380, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• 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: G06K 19/07769 the further communication means being a galvanic interface, e.g. hybrid or mixed smart cards having a contact and a non-contact interface
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/0488 in boxes or containers comprising additional sound reproducing or activating means

Abstract

A flash memory mass storage drive stores user files in a convenient credit card sized drive. Embodiments function as both a credit card and a mass storage drive. Communication may be through a host interface connector such as a USB connector, a magnetic interface, a smart card interface, and/or a near field communication interface. In certain embodiments the drive comprises a portion that is sufficiently thin to be swiped through a standard credit card, ATM, or point of sale device. The USB connector of the drive can easily be plugged into even a crowded receptacle of a host computing device.

Claims

1. A credit card system comprising:

a body portion having a width of a credit card, the body portion including first and second surfaces located on opposite sides of the body portion and defining a majority of the surface area of the body portion;

a mass storage non volatile memory that is operably connected to transfer data between the memory and outside of the card with a first set of contacts insertable into a female receptacle of host computing devices; and

a cover coupled to the body portion and manually rotatable between at least first and second positions about an axis extending across the width of the body portion, the first set of contacts being covered when the cover is in the first position and exposed for insertion into the female receptacle when the cover is in the second position, the cover including first and second surfaces located on opposite sides of the cover and defining a majority of the surface area of the cover, wherein, when the cover is in the first position, the first and second surfaces of the cover are, respectively, substantially co-planar with the first and second surfaces of the body portion, and wherein, when the cover is in the second position, the first surface of the cover and the first surface of the body portion face each other and the second surface of the cover and the second surface of the body portion face away from each other in opposite directions.

2. The credit card system of claim 1, wherein the cover is rotatably connected with the body portion through a pair of double-axis hinges, the hinges being rotatable about one axis on the body portion and another axis on the cover.

3. The credit card system of claim 2, wherein the relative shapes of the hinges and of the body portion and cover provide a manually overridable latch of the cover in at least an open position.

4. The credit card system of claim 1, wherein the cover is rotatable by one-hundred eighty degrees between the first and second positions.

5. The credit card system of claim 1, wherein the axis of rotation moves with respect to the card as the cover is rotated between the first and second positions.

6. A credit card system comprising:

a body having a width of a credit card;

a mass storage non volatile memory that is operably connected to transfer data between the memory and outside of the card with a first set of contacts commonly accepted by a female receptacle of host computing devices; and

a cover carried by the card and rotatable by hand between at least first and second positions about an axis extending across a width of the card, the first set of contacts being covered when the cover is in the first position and exposed for insertion into the female receptacle when the cover is in the second position,

wherein the cover is rotatably connected with the card through a pair of double-axis hinges, the hinges being rotatable about one axis on the card and another axis on the cover,

wherein the relative shapes of the hinges and of the card and cover provide a manually overridable latch of the cover in at least an open position, and

wherein the relative shapes of the hinges and of the card and cover include mating surface relief patterns on at least one side of the individual hinges and on inside surfaces of the card and cover.

7. The credit card system of claim 6, wherein the mating surface relief patterns include a plurality of ridges and a plurality of matching channels.

8. An enclosed electronic circuit card, comprising:

a first portion having a predominately rectangular shape with a width of a credit card and a length, the first portion including first and second surfaces located on opposite sides of the first portion and defining a majority of the surface area of the first portion;

a second portion rigidly connected to the first portion and having a rectangular shape with a width less than that of the first portion, a set of contacts positioned on an outside surface thereof at an end of the second portion; and

a cover hinged to the first portion of the card in a manner to be manually rotatable about an axis extending across the width of the card between at least a first position that covers the set of contacts and a second position that exposes the set of contacts, the cover including first and second surfaces located on opposite sides of the cover and defining a majority of the surface area of the cover, wherein, when the cover is in the first position, the first and second surfaces of the cover are, respectively, substantially co-planar with the first and second surfaces of the first portion, and wherein, when the cover is in the second position, the first surface of the cover and the first surface of the first portion face each other and the second surface of the cover and the second surface of the first portion face away from each other in opposite directions.

9. The card according to claim 8, wherein the cover is hinged to the first portion of the card by a pair of solid hinges each connected with the first portion of the card at a first axis of rotation and with the cover at a second axis of rotation, wherein the first and second axes of rotation are separated along a length of the card.

10. The card according to claim 8, wherein the set of contacts have dimensions and are arranged according to a published USB plug standard.

11. An enclosed electronic circuit card, comprising:

a first portion having a predominately rectangular shape with a width of a credit card and a length;

a second portion rigidly connected to the first portion and having a rectangular shape with a width less than that of the first portion, a set of contacts positioned on an outside surface thereof at an end of the second portion; and

a cover hinged to the first portion of the card in a manner to be rotatable by hand about an axis extending across the width of the card between at least a first position that covers the set of contacts and a second position that exposes the set of contacts,

wherein the cover is hinged to the first portion of the card by a pair of solid hinges each connected with the first portion of the card at a first axis of rotation and with the cover at a second axis of rotation, wherein the first and second axes of rotation are separated along a length of the card, and

wherein side walls of the solid hinges have;

a surface relief pattern adjacent the first axis of rotation that mates with a surface relief pattern on the first portion of the card to hold the hinges in at least one designated rotatable position with respect to the first portion of the card, and a surface relief pattern adjacent the second axis of rotation that mates with a surface relief pattern on the cover to hold the hinges in at least one designated rotatable position with respect to the cover.