Backward compatible extended USB plug and receptacle with dual personality

• US 8,073,985 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corporation
• Original Assignee: Super Talent Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Ni, Jim Chin-Nan, Chow, David Q., Yu, Frank I-Kang, Ma, Abraham C., Shen, Ming-Shiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): RHU, KRIS M
• Application Number:
  US11/864,696
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1416 by checking the object accessibility, e.g. type of access defined by the memory independently of subject rights G06F12/1458 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07354 by biometrically sensitive means, e.g. fingerprint sensitive fingerprint sensors in general G06V40/12; biometrically activated access control G07C9/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

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) socket comprising:

an extended socket pin substrate made of non-conducting material, having an upper socket-substrate portion and a lower socket-substrate portion forming a cavity between, the cavity being an opening sized to accept a standard connector pin substrate or an extended connector pin substrate, where the standard connector is a standard USB connector plug, wherein the extended connector is an extended USB connector plug;

an extended socket metal cover that partially surrounds the extended socket pin substrate, wherein an upper gap between the upper socket-substrate portion and an upper portion of the extended metal cover is sized to accept a standard connector metal cover or an extended connector metal cover, the extended socket metal cover having an opening to allow the standard connector pin substrate or the extended connector pin substrate to fit through when being inserted into the cavity;

standard metal contact pins, mounted on the upper socket-substrate portion, located to make physical and electrical contact with metal contact pins of the standard connector when inserted; and

extended metal contact pins, mounted on the socket pin substrate without making physical and electrical contact with the standard connector metal cover and the metal contact pins of the standard connector when the standard connector is inserted,

wherein the extended metal contact pins make physical and electrical contact with metal contact pins of the extended connector when the extended connector is inserted.

2. The extended USB socket of claim 1, wherein the extended metal contact pins comprise 5 pins;

and wherein the standard metal contact pins comprise 4 pins.

3. The extended USB socket of claim 1 wherein the extended metal contact pins are arranged into a single row of pins.

4. The extended USB socket of claim 1 wherein the 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 extended metal contact pins carry extended-mode signals after the switch command sequence is sent over the standard metal contact pins.

5. The extended USB socket of claim 4 wherein the extended-mode signals comprise one or more transmit differential pairs and one or more receive differential pairs that each carry uni-directional signals, while the standard USB signals comprise a single differential pair that carried bi-directional data.

6. The extended USB socket of claim 5 wherein the extended-mode signals include one or more of modified PCI-Express generation 0 signals, Serial-AT-Attachment signals, modified PCI-Express generation 1 signals, modified PCI-Express generation 2 signals, and modified PCI-Express generation 3 signals.

7. An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) connector plug compatible with an extended USB socket and 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 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,

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 plug standard metal contact pins carry standard USB signals during an initialization phase after receiving a switch command sequence to switch to an extended mode,

wherein the plug standard metal contact pins carry extended-mode signals after the switch command sequence is received, and

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

8. The extended USB plug of claim 7 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.

9. The extended USB plug of claim 7, wherein the plug extended metal contact pins comprise 5 pins;

wherein the plug standard metal contact pins comprise 4 pins.

10. The extended USB plug of claim 7, wherein the plug extended metal contact pins are arranged into a single row.