Active solid-state devices (e.g. – transistors – solid-state diode – Housing or package – Smart card package
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-21
2001-08-14
Loke, Steven (Department: 2811)
Active solid-state devices (e.g., transistors, solid-state diode
Housing or package
Smart card package
C257S690000, C257S693000, C257S698000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06274926
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to external storage devices capable of recording and saving various data, a method of producing the external storage devices, and an external storage device unit. More specifically, the invention relates to an external storage device exchangeably used for storage equipment and devices as an external storage medium, a method of readily producing the external storage device, and an effective utilization of the external storage device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Storage devices or memory elements, which are capable of recording and saving various data, have been utilized in two systems. In one system they are incorporated and fixed within storage equipment or devices, and in the other system they are releasably or exchangeably incorporated in the storage equipment or devices. For the external storage devices they may optionally be attached or detached or freely removed from the storage equipment or devices, for example, floppy disk devices can be attached and detached by one touch operation. Therefore, when floppy disks are the recording mediums they can separately be used, depending on the purpose and object, to record and save the data, whereby easier data reduction can advantageously be obtained.
However, a problem arises in the floppy disks described above, when the data occasionally disappears during data recording or saving producing less reliability in addiction to slower access time. In addition, when producing smaller sized floppy disks in response to a miniaturization policy, a storing area of the storage medium is correspondingly smaller to reduce storage capacity, this thus limits practical use thereof.
On the other hand, semiconductor memory devices used as external storage device such as IC memory cards can overcome the drawbacks in floppy disks, because they generally exhibit graded reliability of data recording and saving and relatively rapid access time.
The IC memory cards comprise, a functional circuit in which circuit components containing the semiconductor memory devices or elements are mounted on substrates, a resin casing attached therein with the functional circuit as an inside attachment, a cover for coating and sealing both opening surfaces of the resin casing, and external connection terminals such as two piece connectors which are attached on one edge of the resin casing and electrically connect the functional circuit and the storage equipment/device. However, IC memory cards are assembled with a large amount of components and parts, where a relatively complicated structure is required with limitation to a thickness of the IC memory card. Further, disadvantages arise as a result of lower cost performance or production yields on mass production in addition to the lower releasability for the storage equipment/devices or fluctuated releasability on function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide an external storage device formed a simplified process.
Another object of the invention is to provide an external storage device having a high releasability with a high reliable function as an external storage medium.
Further, another object of the invention is to provide a method of producing a highly reliable external storage device with graded production yields.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an external storage device unit formed by a simplified process.
Still further, another object of the invention is to provide an external storage device unit having a high releasability with a reliable superior function as an external storage medium.
An external storage device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising,
an external storage device molded into a plate shape or a card shape through coating and sealing a storage medium series element containing at least a non-volatile semiconductor memory device by using insulator, and
external connection terminals connected to input/output terminals of the storage medium series element coated, incorporated by the insulator and led and exposed in a concaved or plane manner on a peripheral surface of the external storage device main.
An external storage device unit according to the invention is characterized by comprising:
an external storage device formed into a plate shape through unitarily coating and sealing the storage medium series element containing at least a non-volatile semiconductor memory device by insulator, and an external storage device having external connection terminals connected to the input/output terminals of the storage medium series element coated and incorporated unitarily by the insulator and led and exposed in concaved manner on a peripheral surface of the external storage device main; and
an external storage device unit including, an engaging section contacted and engaged with a concaved surface led and exposed of at least the external connection terminals of the external storage device, and a connection section having electric contacts which are arranged on a mated contact surface of the engaging section and which are resiliently connected and disconnected from the external connection terminals depending on engaging, attaching and detaching of the external storage device for the engaging section.
Alternatively, an external storage device unit according to the invention includes:
an external storage device formed of, an external storage device main molded into a plate shape through unitarily coating and sealing an external medium series element containing at least a non-volatile semiconductor memory device by an insulator, and external connection terminals which are connected to input/output terminals of the storage medium series element coated and incorporated by the insulator and which are led and exposed on a peripheral surface of the external storage device main; and
an external storage device unit main including an engaging section engaged and contacted with a surface led and exposed of at least the external connection terminals of the external storage device, a connection section having electric contacts which are arranged on a mated contact surface of the engaging section and which are resiliently connected or disconnect from the external connection terminals depending on engaging, attaching, or detaching of the external storage device to the engaging section, and a circuit having a control circuit and an interface circuit for the external storage device to be engaged, attached and detached. Here, the external storage device unit main may preferable be formed into a card shape.
A method of producing an external storage device according to the invention is characterized by comprising the steps of: process in which an external medium series element containing at least a non-volatile semiconductor memory device electrically connected with concaved type external connection terminals led outside is arranged in a splitting and assembling type mold provided on its inside walls with protruded shaped terminal protrusions respectively in corresponding to the external connection terminals led outside in way that the external connection terminals and the protruded shaped terminal protrusions opposing each other are registered;
process in which sealing resin is injected into mold arranged and registered of the storage medium series element and both the storage medium series element and the concaved type external connection terminals led outside are coated and sealed unitarily by insulative resin to be formed into a plate shape; and
process in which after molding by the mold, mold pieces of splitting and assembling type are allowed to separate from a plate shaped mold state.
The present invention has cleverly been conceived in that a semiconductor memory device or element is mounted on the conventional substrate, on the other hand, the invention has been achieved in view of the fact that, when a NAND type flash memory device or element (NAND type flash E
2
ROM) comes to have a higher integration than DRAM (dynamic random access memory) with a capacity of 1
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Loke Steven
LandOfFree
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