Portable memory card system

A portable memory card comprising:

• a body having a first face and an opposite second face;
• a memory storage unit within said body;
• at least one contact on each of said first face and said second face electrically connected to said memory storage unit;
• and
• two alignment guides defined in said body, wherein each said alignment guide comprises a substantially linear groove and a substantially linear ridge opposite said groove, and wherein said alignment guides are oriented opposite to one another, whereby the groove of one alignment guide faces substantially the opposite direction from the groove of the other alignment guide.

A system for storing and accessing portable memory cards, comprising:

• a receiver, comprising
• a cavity adapted to receive a plurality of portable memory cards, said cavity having a wall;
• and
• a plurality of contacts on said wall;
• and
• a plurality of portable memory cards stacked within said cavity, each said card comprising
• a body having face and an opposite second face,
• a memory storage unit within said body,
• a buffer electrically connected to said memory storage unit, and
• at least one contact on each of said first face and said second face electrically connected to said memory storage unit via said buffer;
• wherein one said portable memory card in said cavity is adjacent to said cavity wall and electrically connected to said plurality of contracts on said cavity wall;
• and
• wherein said stacked portable memory cards form a data bus connected to said contacts on said cavity wall.

A receiver for storing and accessing portable memory cards, each portable memory card including a body having a first face and a second face, a memory storage unit within said body, and at least one contact on each of said first face and said second face electrically connected to said memory storage unit, the receiver comprising:

• a cavity adapted to receive a plurality of portable memory cards, said cavity having a wall,
• at least one contact on said wall, said at least one contact positioned on said cavity wall to align with and engage the at least one contact of the portable memory card when the portable memory card is adjacent said wall;
• and
• a retainer extending into said cavity, said retainer biasing at least one portable memory card against said cavity wall.

A method for storing portable memory cards in a receiver and accessing data within the portable memory cards, where each portable memory card includes at least one contact on each of two opposing faces, and where the receiver includes a cavity bounded by a cavity wall on which a plurality of contacts are located, the method comprising:

• stacking a plurality of portable memory cards within the cavity, wherein the contacts on adjacent portable memory cards contact one another to form a data bus through the stacked cards;
• biasing the stacked cards against the cavity wall, wherein the contacts on the portable memory card adjacent the cavity wall are aligned with and electrically connected to the contacts on the cavity wall to connect said data bus to the receiver;
• and
• transmitting data through said data bus.

A storage device, comprising:

• a body having mutually opposing first and second faces;
• a storage element enclosed within the body;
• and
• at least one contact on the first face and at least one contact on the second face, the contacts being electrically connected to the storage device, the body and the contacts being configured so that a plurality of storage devices can be stacked face-to-face and the contacts for the plurality of storage devices touch to form a bus.

A content storage apparatus capable of storing and accessing a plurality of portable memory cards, the memory cards having mutually opposing first and second faces and contacts on the first and second faces, the memory cards and contacts being configured so that memory cards can be entered into the content storage apparatus and stacked face-to-face and the contacts of the entered memory cards touch to form a bus, the storage apparatus comprising:

• a receiver comprising a plurality of walls that define a longitudinally extending interior cavity adapted to receive at least one portable memory card stacked along the longitudinal axis;
• a retainer positioned within the cavity along the longitudinal axis and constraining the at least one stacked portable memory card against a wall of the receiver positioned along and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis so that the contacts of the at least one stacked portable memory card are in electrical contact;
• and
• at least one contact coupled to the receiver and engaging the bus.