Extended USB plug, USB PCBA, and USB flash drive with dual-personality for embedded application with mother boards

• US 8,297,987 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2011
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• 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:
  US13/211,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20110300724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 439/76.1, 439/660, 439/946, 361/736, 361/737, 361/752
• US Class Current: 439/76.1
• 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

Abstract

An extended universal serial bus (USB) storage device is described herein. According to one embodiment, an extended USB storage device includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) having a flash memory device and a flash controller mounted thereon, and an extended USB connector plug coupled to the PCBA for providing a USB compatible interface between an external device and the flash memory device and the flash controller, wherein the extended USB connector plug includes a first end used to couple to the external device and a second end coupled to the flash memory device and the flash controller. The extended USB connector plug includes multiple communication interfaces. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. An extended universal serial bus (USB) storage device, comprising:

a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) having a flash memory device and a flash controller mounted thereon, the PCBA having a plurality of plug standard metal contact pads compatible with a standard USB connector plug and the PCBA having a plurality of plug extended metal contact pads compatible with an extended USB connector plug, wherein the plurality of plug standard metal contact pads are disposed as a first row of metal contact pads along a first edge on a first surface of the PCBA, wherein the plurality of plug extended metal contact pads are disposed as a second row of metal contact pads in parallel of the first row along the first edge on the same surface of the PCBA,

wherein the plurality of plug standard metal contact pads and plug extended metal contact pads include a first pair having a first pad and a second pad corresponding to a first differential serial bus for transmitting signals, the first pad being associated with a positive polarity of the signals being transmitted and the second pad being associated with a negative polarity of the signals being transmitted, and

wherein the plurality of plug standard metal contact pads and plug extended metal contact pads further include a second pair having a third pad and a fourth pad corresponding to a second differential serial bus for receiving signals, the third pad being associated with a positive polarity of the signals being received and the fourth pad being associated with a negative polarity of the signals being received; and

a header receptacle coupled to the PCBA for providing a USB compatible interface to the flash memory device and the flash controller, the header receptacle having a first end and a second end,

wherein the first end of the header receptacle includes a first set of pins coupled to the plurality of plug standard metal contact pads of the PCBA and a second set of pins coupled to the plurality of plug extended metal pads of the PCBA respectively, wherein the first set of pins are disposed as a first row of pins and the second set of pins are disposed as a second row of pins parallel to the first row of pins, wherein the plurality of pins of the first end is disposed on a first surface of the PCBA, wherein the flash controller is disposed on the first surface of the PCBA, and wherein the flash memory device is disposed on a second surface of the PCBA,

wherein the first row of pins are surface mounted onto the first row of metal contact pads on the first surface of the PCBA and the second row of pins are surface mounted onto the second row of metal contact pads on the second surface of the PCBA along the first edge of the PCBA, such that the first row of pins and the second row of pins of the header sandwich the first edge of the PCBA,

wherein the second end of the header receptacle includes a plurality of plugs formed in two rows in parallel, each corresponding to and extended from a respective one of the first and second sets of pins, and wherein the second end of the header receptacle can be inserted into and/or removed from a socket disposed on a motherboard of a computer, wherein the second end of the header includes two rows of pin receiving openings with only four pins in one of the rows; and

a housing having a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion and the bottom portion of the housing are attached to each other to enclose the PCBA having the flash controller and flash memory disposed thereon, leaving the header receptacle exposed outside of the housing to be inserted/removed into/from the socket of the motherboard of the computer, wherein the flash memory device and the flash controller are integrated into a chip-on-board (COB) package.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein when the header receptacle attached with the PCBA is inserted into the socket disposed on the motherboard of the computer, a surface of the PCBA is in a parallel orientation with respect to a surface of the motherboard of the computer.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first set of pins of the first end of the header receptacle comprises 4 pins and the second set of pins of the first end of the header receptacle comprises 5 pins.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the plugs of the second end of the header receptacle comprises 9 plugs disposed in two rows, each corresponding to one of the first and second sets of pins of the first end.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the top and bottom portions of the housing comprises an opening cut out for weight reduction and/or air flow.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein at least one of the top and bottom portions of the housing comprises a plurality of perforations for the weight reduction and/or air flow.