Smartconnect universal flash media card adapters

• US 7,295,443 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MCM Portfolio LLC
• Original Assignee: OnSpec Electronic Incorporated
• Inventors: Jones, Larry Lawson, Venkidu, Arockiyaswamy, Mambakkam, Sreenath
• Primary Examiner(s): Reichard; Dean A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Levi; Dameon E.
• Application Number:
  US11/492,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20060264110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 361/737, 361/752, 361/730, 361/736, 439/945, 439/946, 439/638, 235/492
• US Class Current: 361/737
• 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, the first planar element comprising molded plastic;

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, the second planar element comprising molded plastic;

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 at least one set of contact pins are integrated within the molded plastic of the first planar element or the second planar element; and

a controller chip to map at least a subset of the at least one set of contact pins to a set of signal lines or power lines, based on an identified type of a memory media card.

2. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 wherein the memory media card is one of a group comprising of xD, MMC/SD, Memory Stick, miniSD, RSMMC, and MS Duo.

3. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 having a system connector surface-mounted thereon, the system connector electrically coupled to the at least one set of contact pins.

4. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 3 wherein the system connector is selected from the group comprising of a PCMCIA, USB, WiFi, Firewire, IDE, serial ATA connector, an IDE, and a CompactFlash connector.

5. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 wherein the set of contact pins are formed from injected contacts within the molded plastic of the first planar element or the second planar element.

6. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 wherein the contact pins are formed such that a terminal end of a contact pin of the set of contact pins is configured to be oriented away from the set of memory media card contacts during removal of the memory media card.

7. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 having at least 18 contact pins configured to accommodate at least one of a group comprising, an xD, MMC/SD, Memory Stick, miniSD, RSMMC, and MS Duo.

8. The multi-memory media adapter of claim 1 wherein the controller chip is embedded in the molded plastic of the first planar element or the second planar element of the multi-media memory adapter.

9. A system comprising:

a multi-memory media adapter to read data from a plurality of memory media cards, 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, the port to receive a memory media card of the plurality of memory media cards;

a set of contact pins protruding from the upper portion or the lower portion, the set of contact pins to contact a set of memory media card contacts, wherein the set of contact pins are integrated within molded plastic of the upper portion or the lower portion; and

a controller integrated into the multi-memory media adapter to map at least a subset of the set of contact pins to a set of signal lines or power lines, based an identified type of the memory media card.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the memory media card is at least one of a group comprising of xD, MMC/SD, Memory Stick, miniSD, RSMMC, and MS Duo.

11. The system of claim 9 further comprising a system connector, the system connector electrically coupled to the set of contact pins.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the system connector is selected from the group comprising of a PCMCIA, USB, WiFi, Firewire, IDE, serial ATA connector, an IDE, and a CompactFlash connector.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the contact pins are integrated within the molded plastic and formed from injected contacts within the molded plastic of the first upper portion or the lower portion.

14. The system of claim 9 having at least eighteen contact pins configured to accommodate at least one of a group comprising, an xD, MMC/SD, Memory Stick, miniSD, RSMMC, and MS Duo.