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

• US 8,444,423 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2012
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• 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:
  US13/585,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20120309231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 439/76.1, 439/660, 439/946, 361/737
• US Class Current: 439/76.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence

Abstract

A USB plug receptacle includes a connector substrate having a tongue portion having a first set of electrical contact pins disposed on a top surface of the tongue portion, a second set of a plurality of electrical pins disposed on a bottom surface of the tongue portion, a third set of electrical contact pins disposed on an opposite end of the tongue portion. The USB plug receptacle further includes a metal case made of a sheet of electrically conductive metal plate by blanking the sheet into a generally tubular shape to receive and enclose the connector substrate. When the connector substrate is inserted into the metal case, the third set of electrical contact pins are exposed outside of the metal case and the third set of electrical contact pins can be mounted on first and second sets of electrical contact pads of a printed circuit board assembly.

Claims

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

a connector substrate having a tongue portion having a first set of plurality electrical contact pins disposed on a top surface of the tongue portion and a second set of a plurality of electrical pins disposed on a bottom surface of the tongue portion, wherein the first and second sets of electrical contact pins disposed on the tongue portion are used to connect another USB plug connector of an external device, and wherein the connector substrate further comprises a third set of electrical contact pins disposed on an opposite end of the tongue portion, each of the third set of electrical contact pins is electrically coupled to one of the first and second sets of the electrical contact pins respectively; and

a metal case made of a sheet of electrically conductive metal plate by blanking the sheet into a generally tubular shape to receive and enclose the connector substrate, wherein when the connector substrate is inserted into the metal case, the third set of electrical contact pins are exposed out side of the metal case, wherein the third set of electrical contact pins can be mounted on a first and second sets of electrical contact pads of a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly (PCBA) respectively, the PCBA having a flash controller and one or more flash memory devices disposed thereon, wherein the metal case further includes one or more mounting brackets to be mounted on a surface of the PCBA.

2. The plug receptacle of claim 1, wherein the third set of electrical contact pins are arranged in a single row that can be surface mounted on the surface of the PCBA.

3. The plug receptacle of claim 2, wherein the third set of electrical contact pins can be attached to a plurality of wires of a cable, each corresponding to one of the electrical contact pins, enclosed by a cable outer jacket.

4. The plug receptacle of claim 3, wherein the metal case further comprises:

an upper metal case having one or more slots; and

a lower metal case having one or more tabs, wherein the upper and lower metal cases are snapped together by snapping the one or more tabs into the one or more slots to enclose the connector substrate.

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

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

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

a connector substrate having a tongue portion having a first set of plurality electrical contact pins disposed on a top surface of the tongue portion and a second set of a plurality of electrical pins disposed on a bottom surface of the tongue portion, wherein the first and second sets of electrical contact pins disposed on the tongue portion are used to connect another USB plug connector of an external device, and wherein the connector substrate further comprises a third set of electrical contact pins disposed on an opposite end of the tongue portion, each of the third set of electrical contact pins is electrically coupled to one of the first and second sets of the electrical contact pins respectively, and

a metal case made of a sheet of electrically conductive metal plate by blanking the sheet into a generally tubular shape to receive and enclose the connector substrate, wherein when the connector substrate is inserted into the metal case, the third set of electrical contact pins are exposed outside of the metal case, wherein the third set of electrical contact pins are mounted on the first and second sets of electrical contact pads of the PCBA respectively, wherein the metal case further includes one or more mounting brackets to be mounted on a surface of the PCBA.

6. The USB storage device of claim 5, wherein the third set of electrical contact pins are arranged in a single row that can be surface mounted on the surface of the PCBA.

7. The USB storage device of claim 6, wherein the third set of electrical contact pins can be attached to a plurality of wires of a cable, each corresponding to one of the electrical contact pins, enclosed by a cable outer jacket.

8. The USB storage device of claim 7, wherein the metal case further comprises:

an upper metal case having one or more slots; and

a lower metal case having one or more tabs, wherein the upper and lower metal cases are snapped together by snapping the one or more tabs into the one or more slots to enclose the connector substrate.