Capacitive interface for coupling between a music chip and audio player

A data transfer apparatus for transfer of serial data between a semiconductor music chip having encoded data indicative of prerecorded music stored thereon and an audio player adapted to decode said encoded data and output said prerecorded music, said apparatus comprising:

• input address shift register disposed on said audio player for receiving address data generated from said audio player and serially outputting said address data;
• first and second output drivers coupled to said input address shift register adapted to differentially output said address data received from said input address shift register;
• first differential amplifier disposed on said music chip adapted to receive said address data that is differentially output from said first and second output drivers;
• output address shift register coupled to said first differential amplifier for serially receiving said address data from said differential amplifier;
• first set of plates coupled to output terminals of said first and second output drivers and a second set of plates coupled to input terminals of said first differential amplifier, wherein said first and second set of plates are alignable in close proximity to thereby capacitively couple said output terminals of said output drivers to said input terminals of said first differential amplifier;
• input data shift register disposed on said music chip for receiving stored data from said music chip and serially outputting said stored data;
• third and fourth output drivers coupled to said input data shift register adapted to differentially output said stored data received from said input data shift register;
• second differential amplifier disposed on said audio player adapted to receive said stored data that is differentially output from said third and fourth output drivers;
• output data shift register coupled to said second differential amplifier for serially receiving said stored data from said differential amplifier;
• and
• third set of plates coupled to output terminals of said third and fourth output drivers and a fourth set of plates coupled to input terminals of said second differential amplifier, wherein said third and fourth set of plates are alignable in close proximity as said first and second set of plates to thereby capacitively couple said output terminals of said third and fourth output drivers to said input terminals of said second differential amplifier.

A contactless data transfer arrangement between a semiconductor music chip having digital data representative of prerecorded music stored thereon and an audio player adapted to interpret said digital data and output said prerecorded music, said arrangement comprising:

• a semiconductor music chip having a first plurality of capacitive plates mounted essentially flush on a single surface thereof;
• at least one chip receptacle disposed on said audio player adapted to receive said music chip, said receptacle including a second plurality of corresponding capacitive plates adapted to align in close proximity with said first plurality of capacitive plates of said music chip when said music chip is inserted within said receptacle, thereby creating a capacitive coupling between said music chip and said receptacle of said audio player for contactless transfer of data, wherein at least two of said first and second plurality of capacitive plates couple together to enable the differential transfer of addressing information from said audio player to said music chip and at least another two of said first and second plurality of capacitive plates couple together to enable the differential transfer of data between said music chip and audio player, said music chip further including,
• a plurality of metallic contacts adapted to mate with corresponding contacts in said receptacle, said contacts adapted to provide a predetermined voltage, ground and clock signal to said music chip.