Dual-personality extended USB plugs and receptacles using with PCBA and cable assembly

• US 8,262,416 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corporation
• Original Assignee: Super Talent Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Nguyen, David, Nan, Nan, Ni, Jim Chin-Nan, Yu, Frank I-Kang, Ma, Abraham C., Shen, Ming-Shiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Application Number:
  US12/884,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20110003514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 439/76.1, 439/660, 439/946, 361/737
• US Class Current: 439/660
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence

Abstract

An extended USB plug connector includes a connector substrate including a frontend having a first set of electrical contact pins disposed thereon and a backend having a second set of electrical contact pins disposed thereon. The first set includes a first row of electrical contact pins disposed on a top surface of the connector substrate and a second row of electrical contact pins disposed in parallel with the first row of electrical contact pins and interior to the first row of electrical contact pins, where the second row includes more electrical contact pins than the first row. The second set of electrical contact pins includes a number of electrical contact pins equal to the first row and second row of electrical contact pins in total. The second set of electrical contact pins are used to connect to corresponding electrical contact pads disposed on a printed circuit board assembly having a USB controller and flash memory devices disposed thereon.

Claims

1. An extended universal serial bus (USB) plug connector, comprising:

a connector substrate including a frontend having a first set of a plurality of electrical contact pins disposed thereon and a backend having a second set of a plurality of electrical contact pins disposed thereon, wherein the first set includes a first row of electrical contact pins disposed on a top surface of the connector substrate and a second row of electrical contact pins disposed on the top surface of the connector substrate, the second row of electrical contact pins being disposed near and in parallel with the first row of electrical contact pins and interior to the first row of electrical contact pins, wherein the second row includes more electrical contact pins than the first row, wherein the second set forms a third row of electrical contact pins disposed on the backend of the connector substrate,

wherein the second set of electrical contact pins are electrically coupled to counterpart pins of the first row and second row of electrical contact pins respectively, wherein the second set of electrical contact pins includes a number of electrical contact pins equal to the first row and second row of electrical contact pins in total, wherein the second set of electrical contact pins are used to connect to corresponding electrical contact pads disposed on an edge of a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) having a USB controller and one or more flash memory devices disposed thereon,

wherein each of the electrical contact pins of the second row further includes a spring disposed thereon to provide pressure between the second row and corresponding counterpart pins of the external device for better electrical conductance, wherein the electrical contact pins of the first row are compatible with standard USB specification, and wherein the electrical contact pins of the first row and second row in combination are arranged in compatible with a second communications interface compatible with PCI Express specification,

wherein the first row of the first set comprises four electrical contact pins comprises and the second row of the first set comprises five electrical contact pins, wherein the second set of electrical contact pins comprises nine electrical contact pins, wherein the second set of electrical contact pins are arranged in a single row that can be surface mounted on the corresponding electrical pads of the PCBA, and wherein at any given time, only one of the first set and second set of electrical contact pins is utilized in either a standard USB mode or a PCI-Express mode, respectively; and

a housing for covering the connector substrate, wherein the first row and second row of electrical contact pins are used to provide an electrical interface compatible with a USB specification to an external device to access the flash memory devices using a USB compatible communications protocol.

2. An extended USB storage device, comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly (PCBA) having a flash controller and one or more flash memory devices disposed thereon, wherein the PCBA includes a third set of electrical contact pads compatible with a standard USB specification and a fourth set of electrical contact pads compatible with an extended USB specification; and

an extended USB plug connector coupled to the PCBA, the extended USB plug connector including

a connector substrate including a frontend having a first set of a plurality of electrical contact pins disposed thereon and a backend having a second set of a plurality of electrical contact pins disposed thereon, wherein the first set includes a first row of electrical contact pins disposed on a top surface of the connector substrate and a second row of electrical contact pins disposed on the top surface of the connector substrate, the second row of electrical contact pins being disposed near and in parallel with the first row of electrical contact pins and interior to the first row of electrical contact pins, wherein the second row includes more electrical contact pins than the first row, wherein the second set forms a third row of electrical contact pins disposed on the backend of the connector substrate,

wherein the second set of electrical contact pins are electrically coupled to counterpart pins of the first row and second row of electrical contact pins respectively, wherein the second set of electrical contact pins includes a number of electrical contact pins equal to the first row and second row of electrical contact pins in total, wherein the second set of electrical contact pins are surface mounted onto the third set and the fourth set of electrical contact pads of the PCBA respectively,

wherein each of the electrical contact pins of the second row further includes a spring disposed thereon to provide pressure between the second row and corresponding counterpart pins of the external device for better electrical conductance, wherein the electrical contact pins of the first row are compatible with standard USB specification, and wherein the electrical contact pins of the first row and second row in combination are arranged in compatible with a second communications interface compatible with PCI Express specification,

wherein the first row of the first set comprises four electrical contact pins comprises and the second row of the first set comprises five electrical contact pins, wherein the second set of electrical contact pins comprises nine electrical contact pins, wherein the second set of electrical contact pins are arranged in a single row that can be surface mounted on the corresponding electrical pads of the PCBA, and wherein at any given time, only one of the first set and second set of electrical contact pins is utilized in either a standard USB mode or a PCI-Express mode, respectively, and

a housing for covering the connector substrate.

3. The extended USB storage device of claim 2, wherein the USB controller is disposed on a top surface of the PCBA while the one or more flash memory devices are disposed on a bottom surface of the PCBA.

4. The extended USB storage device of claim 2, wherein the USB controller and the one or more flash memory devices are packaged as a chip-on-board (COB) package disposed on the top surface or bottom surface of the PCBA.