Common connector with embedded pins

Details Common connector with embedded pins Common connector with embedded pins

2002-08-16

2004-12-14

Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With indicating or identifying provision

Connection indicating provision

C439S188000, C439S630000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06830474

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a common connector structure, particularly to a common signal connector with embedded pins.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, portable memory devices mainly include magnetic memory products, magnetic disks or optical disks utilizing optical storage technologies, and flash memory products utilizing semiconductor storage technologies. In above 3 categories, flash memory products are the most popular products in the industry, which are often called memory cards or mini-cards, such as PCMCIA ATA Flash Card(PC Card), CompactFlash Card (CF Card), Smart Media Card (SM Card), Multimedia Card (MMC Card), Memory Stick Card (MS Card), and Secure Digital Card (SD Card), etc. The popularity for flash memory cards lies in that this type of cards is far better than the other types mentioned above in portability, power consumption, data storage, data transfer rate, rewriting, shockproof, and moisture-proof features. By now, they have been widely used in consumer electronic products such as DSCs, DVRs, and PDAs as well as in new portable devices such as Smart Phones, Mobile PCs, Mobile Phones, MP3 Players, and GPS products.
With the support and leading of major flash memory card manufacturers and under the trend of rapid growth of consumer electronic products available, the growth potential of flash memory card market is vast. However, Besides inherent benefits and price advantage of portable memory products, the main influential factor to portable memory device market lies in the acceptance of consumers to the products, i.e., the sizes of connectors and the connection between memory cards and connectors have great influence to the popularization of the products in the market. In fact, portable memory devices are originally used in computer systems ‘desktop or notebook’, (PCMCIA interface), and subsequent consumer electronic products such as DSC and PDA (CF, SD/MMC, or MS interface). The relative high price and the inconsistent models/types of above products are a major baffle to the popularization of them.
In order to stimulate the market and the more extensive application of memory cards in terminal products and to consolidate different types of memory cards, some memory card readers capable of accessing various memory cards have appeared.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, an exploded view of a traditional connector, wherein the connector comprises of a top board (
11
) and a bottom board (
12
) and a baseboard (
1
). The baseboard (
1
) enables insertion of 3 different types of memory cards at different times. Top board (
11
) and bottom board (
12
) are fixed on the top surface and the bottom surface of the baseboard (
1
) respectively to correspond to different types of memory cards at the side against the baseboard (
1
). Especially, they have 4 rows of Pins which distribute on the top board (
11
) and bottom board (
12
) in turn. The Pins contact interface jacks on the memory card, which enable insertion of a multiple of types of memory cards.
The Pins are ‘welded’ on the top board (
11
) and the bottom board (
12
). Viewed from the point of manufacturing process and production procedures, such problems as the welding of different types of Pins and assembly of top board and bottom board both make said procedures complicated and increase the cost. Furthermore, leaf springs (
43
and
44
), card detection switches to detect the memory card inserted, and write protection switches (all of them are leaf springs) have to be fixed on both sides of the baseboard, which enlarge the size of such a connector. However, in today's world, large connectors are not suitable for date and information electronic products, while ‘light in weight’, ‘thin in thickness’, and ‘small in size’ are more appreciated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to adapt to the trend of ‘Light’, ‘Thin’, ‘Short’, and ‘Small’ in portable devices, and to make the common connector comply with the standards of various memory cards, the present invention provides a die-molded and low-cost ‘Common (signal) Connector’, in which 3 rows/sets of Pins are embedded on a side board to enable insertion of 4 types of memory cards (SM, SD/MMC, and MS) simultaneously. Such a design not only reduces the size significantly, but also enhances the ruggedness of the device, i.e., when a memory card is inserted, the connector is more tolerant to deformation and enlarged size.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a device that enables SD/MMC cards only through adjusting the horizontal and vertical position of a row of Pins, on the basis of the fact that the intervals between adjacent rows of Pins are similar for SD/MMC cards and SM cards. As a result, a row of Pins in a traditional common connector can be eliminated, and there is no need to devise exclusive Pins respectively according to the interface jacks of the individual memory cards as in the traditional common connector, which reduces the possibility of miss-insertion.


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