# US 5,708,545 A · Recording device with electrical contacts > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,708,545 A - Document ID: US5708545A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/367,200 - Filed: 1995-05-03 - Granted: 1998-01-13 - Earliest claimed: 1992-07-23 - Assignees: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt GmbH - Inventors: Klaus Goken; Jens Spille; Hans-Joachim Platte; Ernst F. Schroder - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5708545A ## CPC - B44C 5/00: Processes for producing special ornamental bodies - G06K 19/06028: {using bar codes} - G06K 19/067: Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards {also with resonating or responding marks without active components} - G06K 19/07743: {External electrical contacts} - G11B 23/08714: {Auxiliary features (sensing such features G11B15/06)} - G11B 23/0875: {Indicating means, e.g. quantity of tape} - G11B 23/40: Identifying or analogous means applied to or incorporated in the record carrier and not intended for visual display simultaneously with the playing-back of the record carrier, e.g. label, leader, photograph - G11B 27/11: by using information not detectable on the record carrier - G11B 27/34: Indicating arrangements {(indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D)} - G11B 2220/655: Memory in cassette [MIC] - G11B 2220/90: Tape-like record carriers - B44C: PRODUCING DECORATIVE EFFECTS (processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces, in general B05D; shaping of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29C; printing processes to produce transfer pictures B41M3/12; thermographic duplication or marking methods B41M5/00); MOSAICS; TARSIA WORK (imitation of mosaic or tarsia work patterns B44F11/04); PAPERHANGING {(labels G09F; multi-step processes for making paper labels or tags B31D1/02)} - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract Electrical contact surfaces, especially when connected to a chip, are designed to be purely functional. However, according to the present disclosure, the contact surfaces are designed so that their external shape is that of a visible letter or symbol with a meaningful content. These contact surfaces may, e.g., be placed on cassette casings for recognition. In a stripe or bar code unit consisting of several code components, i.e., bars, individual bars are electrically conductive to facilitate additional coding. The electrically conductive bars or the contact surfaces are preferably connected to the terminals of an integrated circuit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Recording cassette or diskette comprising: means, arranged on a housing, for providing electrical contacts which include a plurality of electrically conductive contact elements which are constructed, at least partially with respect to one another, to be electrically insulated from one another, the external shape of the contact elements being designed as a pre-known graphic character(s), as parts of these graphic character(s), or as the interspaces within these graphic character(s), the contact elements either being coupled to circuit means in which information relating to the recording cassette or diskette is contained and/or can be stored, and/or some of the contact elements are coupled to other contact element(s) so that the type of these connections codes information on the recording cassette or diskette, wherein said information relating to one of the recording cassette or diskette includes information which is different from the information which is represented by said pre-known graphic characters. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 1, wherein the contact elements are arranged in a labeling field of the recording cassette or diskette. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 2, wherein the integrated circuit is an EEPROM memory. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 2, wherein the recording cassette is a video or audio cassette. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 2, wherein the external shape of the contact elements is designed as parts of a barcode unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is a memory of an EEPROM. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 6, wherein the recording cassette is a video or audio cassette (8). ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 6, wherein the external shape of the contact elements is designed as parts of a barcode unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 1, wherein the recording cassette is a video or audio cassette. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 9, wherein the external shape of the contact elements is designed as parts of a barcode unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) Recording cassette or diskette according to claim 1, wherein the external shape of the contact elements is designed as parts of a barcode unit.