Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-29
2001-08-14
Gandhi, Jayprakash N. (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C439S630000, C439S945000, C361S756000, C361S801000, C361S802000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06275383
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention concerns a device for the storage of memory cards.
It is already in common knowledge that so-called multi-media cards are employed as storage media, for instance, for audio-players. These memory cards exhibit electronic storage characteristics of a high degree of density. Because of their small size and their light weight, these cards adapt themselves for use in audio-players very well. Beyond this, every user of a player generally owns so many cards, upon which music is stored, that the said user is allowed insufficient means of indexing the same. The small size of the memory cards contributes to the difficulty of safely transporting them. Besides this, there is a substantial danger of damaging the memory cards during the transport, or in the storage of the cards outside of the audio player.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A principal purpose of the invention is, accordingly, to make possible a safe transport and good storage facility for the memory cards outside of the apparatuses which use the said memory cards. A further purpose is to achieve an easy visual review of contents of a plurality of stored memory cards. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
The purposes will be attained by a device for the storage of memory cards, in particular multi-media cards, whereby guides are provided for the insertion of at least one, advantageously several, memory card(s) into the said device. The guides, to accomplish this purpose, may be oblong in shape and contact the cards only on their outer edges. The guides further might be, for instance, designed as a kind of nub and penetrate into corresponding depressions in the memory card, or in the memory card edges. The invented manner of construction succeeds, by an advantageous design, in combining several memory cards together in one storage unit. This eases the transport thereof and provides to the user an easy and quick review over all of the assembled memory cards. The device serves thus as a card holder and a protective means for both transport and safe storage for such memory cards.
So that the memory cards do not undesirably fall free from the device during transport, the device exhibits retaining means for the memory cards. The retaining means can be brought about by protuberances or nubs, which the device possesses and which penetrate into recesses of the memory cards, which recesses are in both function and shape, complementary to the said protuberances. The retaining means also can be so designed that the memory cards can be taken into one of the recesses only by suffering a slight change of shape, which change, however, is not so large so that the characteristics of the memory card are not damaged upon insertion nor upon withdrawal from said recess. The total effect is, however, that of themselves, the memory cards cannot work themselves out of the retaining means.
It is further advantageous if the device exhibits insertion side openings for the memory cards, these being advantageously formed by top flanging the said guides themselves. By means of the sliding in of the memory cards into the appropriate slot, an easy and quick loading of the device is brought about as well as making possible an advantageous withdrawal of said cards.
In a development of the apparatus, insertion precautions for the memory cards have been provided. “Insertion precautions” are to be understood in the concept of the invented device, as a means which enable the memory cards to be inserted in only one way so as to take only a single, unique position within the storage device. These precautions are to prevent, that the memory cards in relation to their storage, assume differing orientation and position. Such insertion precautions take care, that the memory cards align themselves in a particular, specific position in the invented storage device. This can be accomplished in that the memory cards are so designed asymmetrically, that they, coacting with the said precautionary measures, assume only one unique position in the storage device. Advantageously, in one embodiment of the invention, the precautionary measures can be so designed as to serve in their function simultaneously also the function of secure retention means.
For the protection of the electrical contacts of the memory cards, it is preferable if the device exhibits protective measures for this purpose. These protective measures can be a complete or a partial covering of the electrical contacts by the invented device.
By these protective means, the electrical contacts, as is their memory card, are shielded from harmful mechanical or external action. The protective measures can also possess the characteristics and functions of the insertion and retaining operations.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the card storage device exhibits connection elements, in order to make possible additive combinations with other like devices. In this way, the single device can be consolidated into a greater, unified storage unit. This increases the viewing of the content of a plurality of stored memory cards stored in accord with the invention and increases the application possibilities of the equipment. Moreover, this makes the devices easier to transport. In all, these enumerated characteristics provide a higher degree of application for the user.
In particular, advantage lies therein in that the invented device possesses the width and length of a credit card. Because of this shaping of the device, it can be inserted in many known device storage means, including, for example, Filofax. The small shape of the invented device brings about the achievement, that it can be transported in briefcases, manuals, or luggage, so that for the invented storage device, existing spaces in the said transport means can be used. This again increases the application possibilities of the invented device.
In order to protect the memory cards from dirt and contamination, the said device possesses advantageously a protecting casing, that is, a housing or a box. Because of the design of a closed sheathing of this type of the memory card storage device, the memory cards cannot only be protected from dirt, but also from the action of electromagnetic radiation, in particular, light.
In an additional advantageous embodiment, the invented device is designed as a one-piece unit. By this means, it becomes possible to economically fabricate the said device, since for such fabrication, only a simple manufacturing operation is required. In a favorable form of the invention, it is possible, with only one machine, to make an entire memory card storage device by injection molding. The memory card holder is thereby economical in its manufacture.
A spring and a pressure applicator affixed thereon enables a particularly firm and sure retention of the memory card. This arrangement presses the memory cards against the widening or top flange of the guide, i.e. a slot, between flange and spring surface.
If the memory card is snapped into the memory card storage device, by, for instance, nubs aligned along the sides, a retention means and a guide for the memory card can be created. The edge located nubs, which overlap the memory cards in several places, so act that the memory card is reliably retained. The memory card can be withdrawn from the nubs, since either the invented storage device exhibits an opening, through which the holding power of snapping clips can be released from the memory cards by pressing, or the invented device can possess a trough like opening, with which the memory card can be extracted from the snap device. The nubs can grip either along the sides of the memory cards or, in case of a memory card possesses a penetrating opening, particularly a circular hole, the snap-guide can retain the memory card by circumferentially protruding through this circular opening in the same manner as along the sides.
The invention will be more closely d
Bui Hung
Dority & Manning P.A.
Gandhi Jayprakash N.
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