Smartconnect universal flash media card adapters

• US 20060264110A1
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MCM Portfolio LLC
• Original Assignee: OnSpec Electronic Incorporated
• Inventors: Jones, Larry Lawson, Venkidu, Arockiyaswamy, Mambakkam, Sreenath
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/630
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/00 Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts for dissimilar contact members H01R13/35; supported only by co-operation with a counterpart H01R31/00; with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/90
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/02 for simultaneous co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/945 Adapter for pcb or cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/946 Memory card cartridge

Abstract

A multi-memory media adapter comprised of a first planar element having an upper surface and a lower surface, a second planar element having an upper surface and a lower surface, and formed from a single material. The two planar elements form at least one port, each port capable of receiving one or more types of a memory media card. The adapter has at least one set of contact pins protruding from the lower surface of the first planar element or the upper surface of the second planar element such that the at least one set of contact pins are disposed within the port. The at least one set of contact pins are capable of contacting the contacts of a memory media card inserted into the port. For one embodiment a controller chip is embedded within the single material forming the multi-memory media adapter.

Claims

1. A multi-memory media adapter comprising:

a first planar element having an upper surface and a lower surface;

a second planar element having an upper surface and a lower surface, the first planar element and the second planar element disposed such that a port is formed between the lower surface of the first planar element and the upper surface of the second planar element, the port capable of receiving a memory media card;

at least one set of contact pins protruding from the lower surface of the first planar element or the upper surface of the second planar element such that the at least one set of contact pins are disposed within the port, the at least one set of contact pins capable of contacting a set of memory media card contacts, wherein the contact pins are integrated within the molded plastic; and

a controller chip operable to differentiate a pin configuration based on an inserted memory media card.

2. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 wherein the first planar and the second planar are formed in a single piece of molded plastic.

3. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 wherein the one or more different types of memory media cards include xD, standard MMC/SD, standard Memory Stick, SmartMedia, miniSD, RSMMC, and MMCISD, Duo, and a flash memory cards having a form factor similar thereto.

4. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 having a standard system connector surface-mounted thereon, the standard system connector electrically connected to the at least one contact pin set.

5. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 4 wherein the standard system connector is selected from the group consisting of a PCMCIA, USB, WiFi, Firewire, IDE, serial ATA connector, an IDE, and a CompactFlash connector.

6. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 wherein one or more ports contain multiple registrations, each registration corresponding to a particular memory media card type.

7. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 2 wherein the contact pins are integrated within the molded plastic.

8. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 wherein the contact pins are formed such that contact pin resiliency is retained.

9. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 wherein the contact pins are formed such that the terminal end of the contact pin is pushed away from the memory media card contact thereby helping to prevent the contact pin from being damaged during removal of the memory media card.

10. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 2 having 18 contact pins configured to accommodate an xD, standard MMCISD, standard Memory Stick, SmartMedia, miniSD, RSMMC, and MMCISD, Duo, and a flash memory card having a form factor similar thereto.

11. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 2 wherein the controller chip is embedded in the single piece of molded plastic forming the multi-media adapter.

12. A system comprising:

a multi-memory media adapter capable of reading data from each of a plurality memory media, the multi-memory media adapter having at least one port formed between an upper portion and a lower portion of the multi-memory media adapter, each port capable of receiving a memory media card;

at least one set of contact pins protruding from the upper portion or the lower portion, the at least one set of contact pins capable of contacting a set of memory media card contacts; and

a controller integrated into the multi-memory media adapter for differentiating a pin configuration for each of the plurality of memory media.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the plurality of memory media include xD, standard MMCISD, standard Memory Stick, SmartMedia, miniSD, RSMMC, and MMCISD, Duo, and a memory media having a form factor similar thereto.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the multi-memory adapter is formed in a single piece of molded plastic.

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising a standard system connector, the standard system connector electrically connected to the at least one contact pin set.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the standard system connector is selected from the group consisting of a PCMCIA, USB, WiFi, Firewire, IDE, serial ATA connector, an IDE, and a CompactFlash connector.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein one or more ports contain multiple registrations, each registration corresponding to a particular memory media card type.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the contact pins are integrated within the molded plastic and formed such that contact pin resiliency is retained.

19. The system of claim 12 having eighteen contact pins configured to accommodate an xD, standard MMCISD, standard Memory Stick, SmartMedia, miniSD, RSMMC, and MMCISD, Duo, and a flash memory card having a form factor similar thereto.