# US 7,476,105 B2 · Super-digital (SD) flash card with asymmetric circuit board and mechanical switch > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,476,105 B2 - Document ID: US7476105B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/846,725 - Filed: 2007-08-29 - Published: 2008-01-03 - Granted: 2009-01-13 - Earliest claimed: 2004-08-06 - Assignees: Super Talent Electronics, Inc. - Inventors: Jim Chin-Nan Ni; Abraham C. Ma; Paul Hsueh; Ming-Shiang Shen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7476105B2 ## CPC - G06K 19/07743: {External electrical contacts} - G06F 12/1416: {by checking the object accessibility, e.g. type of access defined by the memory independently of subject rights (G06F12/1458 takes precedence)} - G06F 21/32: using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints - G06F 21/78: to assure secure storage of data (address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00) - G06K 19/07: with integrated circuit chips - G06K 19/07354: {by biometrically sensitive means, e.g. fingerprint sensitive (fingerprint sensors in general G06V40/12; biometrically activated access control G07C9/25)} - G06K 19/077: Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier - G06K 19/07732: {the record carrier having a housing or construction similar to well-known portable memory devices, such as SD cards, USB or memory sticks (housings for electrical equipment in general, see H05K5/02)} - G06V 40/1365: {Matching; Classification} - G07C 9/257: {electronically (G07C9/26 takes precedence)} - H05K 1/117: {Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors} - H05K 1/118: {specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions} - H05K 3/284: {for encapsulating mounted components (H05K1/185 takes precedence)} - A45C 2011/188: {Media card holders, e.g. memory cards, SIM cards} - H05K 1/189: characterised by the use of flexible or folded printed circuits - H05K 3/4691: {Rigid-flexible multilayer circuits comprising rigid and flexible layers, e.g. having in the bending regions only flexible layers} - H05K 2201/091: Locally and permanently deformed areas including dielectric material - H05K 2201/10159: Memory - H05K 2203/1527: Obliquely held PCB - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - A45C: PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS ## Abstract A flash-memory device has a printed-circuit board assembly (PCBA) with a PCB with a flash-memory chip and a controller chip. The controller chip includes an external Secure-Digital (SD) interface, and a processing unit to read blocks of data from the flash-memory chip. The PCBA is encased inside an upper case and a lower case, with SD contact pads on the PCB that fit through contact openings in the upper case. Dividers between openings in the upper case that expose the SD contact pads also support the PCB at a slanted angle to the centerline of the device. The PCB slants upward at the far end to allow more thickness for the chips mounted to the bottom surface of the PCB. A user-slidable switch may be slanted to compensate for the PCB slant. The PCB may have a flex section to facilitate the slant without a slanted switch. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device comprising: an upper case; a lower case; a printed-circuit board assembly (PCBA) that comprises: a circuit board having wiring traces; a flash-memory chip mounted to a first surface of the circuit board; a controller chip mounted to the first surface of the circuit board, the controller chip having a input/output interface circuit for interfacing to an external computer, and a processing unit for accessing the flash-memory chip in response to commands from the external computer received by the input/output interface circuit; a switch, mounted to the circuit board, having a sliding tab protruding through the upper case, the sliding tab being slidable by a user to indicate to the controller chip to prevent writing to the flash-memory chip; contact pads formed on a second surface of the circuit board, the contact pads for connecting the controller chip to the external computer; wherein the second surface is opposite the first surface; wherein the upper case is attached to the lower case during assembly with the PCBA between the upper case and the lower case, with the contact pads exposed through contact-pad openings between the upper case and the lower case, the upper and lower cases encapsulating the circuit board; and supporting dividers formed on the lower case between pairs of the contact-pad openings, the supporting dividers supporting the circuit board at a slanting angle to a primary surface the upper case, wherein the first surface of the circuit board and the primary surface of the upper case are non-parallel at the slanting angle, wherein the flash-memory chip is block-addressable and not randomly-addressable. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 1 wherein the upper case has an upper exterior surface that is a largest external surface on the upper case; wherein the lower case has a lower exterior surface that is a largest external surface on the lower case; wherein the upper exterior surface is substantially parallel to the lower exterior surface; wherein the first surface and the second surface of the circuit board are parallel to each other, but are not parallel to the upper exterior surface or to the lower exterior surface; wherein the circuit board is mounted within the upper case and lower case at the slanting angle; wherein the switch is mounted to the circuit board at an inverse angle, the inverse angle being an inverse of the slanting angle; wherein the sliding tab slides in a plane that is substantially parallel to the upper exterior surface due to the switch being mounted at the inverse angle to compensate for the slanting angle of the circuit board. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 2 further comprising: end supporting ribs formed on the lower case, for further supporting the circuit board at the slanting angle within the lower case; wherein the contact pads are on an insertion end of the circuit board and the contact-pad openings are on an insertion end of the upper case and the lower case; wherein the end supporting ribs are formed on the insertion end of the lower case; wherein the first surface of the circuit board faces the lower case and is supported at the slanting angle by the end supporting ribs contacting the first surface of the circuit board. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 3 wherein a far-end spacing from a far end of the circuit board to the lower exterior surface of the lower case is greater than an insertion-end spacing from the insertion end of the circuit board to the lower exterior surface of the lower case, whereby spacing is increased at the far end by the slanting angle of the circuit board. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 4 wherein the flash-memory chip is mounted to the first surface closer to the far end than to the insertion end of the circuit board; wherein the far end of the circuit board is tilted upward by the slanting angle to increase space for the flash-memory chip between the circuit board and the lower case, whereby space for the flash-memory chip is increased by the slanting angle of the circuit board. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 1 wherein the upper case has an upper exterior surface that is a largest external surface on the upper case; wherein the lower case has a lower exterior surface that is a largest external surface on the lower case; wherein the upper exterior surface is substantially parallel to the lower exterior surface; wherein the circuit board further comprises: a contact section having the contact pads formed thereon; a main section having the flash-memory chip and the controller chip mounted thereon; and a flex transition section between the contact section and the main section; wherein the second surface of the contact section and the first surface of the main section are substantially parallel to the upper exterior surface or to the lower exterior surface; wherein the flex transition section is bendable and is not parallel to the upper exterior surface. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 6 wherein a first spacing from the first surface of the main section to the lower case is larger than a second spacing from a first surface of the contact section to the lower case, whereby spacing is increased at the main section relative to the contact section by flexibility of the flex transition section. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 7 wherein the main section is formed from a first rigid circuit board that is inflexible; wherein the contact section is formed from a second rigid circuit board that is inflexible; wherein the flex transition section is formed from a carrier substrate that is flexible and thinner than a thickness of the first rigid circuit board. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 7 wherein the contact section is formed from a rigid circuit board that is inflexible; wherein the main section is formed from a carrier substrate that is flexible and thinner than a thickness of the rigid circuit board; wherein the flex transition section is formed from the carrier substrate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 7 wherein the main section is formed from a carrier substrate that is flexible and thinner than a thickness of a rigid circuit board; wherein the flex transition section is formed from the carrier substrate; wherein the contact section is formed from the carrier substrate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 1 wherein the contact pads form a physical interface for a Secure-Digital flash card interface or an extension of a Secure-Digital flash card interface without digital-rights-management support. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 1 wherein the contact pads form a physical interface for a compact flash, serial AT attachment (SATA), PCI Express, ExpressCard, or Firewire (IEEE 1394) interface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The enhanced-internal-spacing flash-memory device of claim 1 further comprising: ultrasonic ridges formed on sidewalls of the upper case; wherein the ultrasonic ridges bond into the lower case in response to frictional heating when the upper case is ultrasonically vibrated with respect to the lower case during assembly to ultrasonically bond the upper case into the lower case; whereby the upper case and the lower case are assembled by an ultrasonic bonding method. ### Claim 14 A thin flash-memory device comprising: upper case means for partially encasing the thin flash-memory device; lower case means for partially encasing the thin flash-memory device; main circuit board means for connecting chips with wiring traces; secondary circuit board means for connecting pads with wiring traces; flash-memory chip means for storing blocks of data, the flash-memory chip means being mounted to a first surface of the main circuit board means, wherein the flash-memory chip means are block-addressable and not randomly-addressable; controller chip means, mounted to the first surface of the main circuit board means, for controlling access to the flash-memory chip means, the controller chip means comprising an input/output interface means for interfacing to an external computer, and processing unit means for accessing the flash-memory chip means in response to commands from the external computer received by the input/output interface means; switch means, mounted on the main circuit board means, having a switch tab that slides, for indicating to the controller chip means to prevent writing to the flash-memory chip means; and contact pad means, formed on a second surface of the secondary circuit board means, for connecting to the external computer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The thin flash-memory device of claim 14 further comprising: slant means, formed on the upper case means, for supporting the main circuit board means at a slanted angle to a centerline between the lower case means and the upper case means, wherein the main circuit board means is slanted and not parallel to the centerline; wherein the main circuit board means and the secondary circuit board means together comprise a rigid printed-circuit board; wherein the upper case means is attached to the lower case means during assembly with the main circuit board means between the upper case means and the lower case means, with the contact pad means passing through a plurality of openings in the upper case means; wherein the switch means further comprises compensating-angle mount means for mounting the switch means to the main circuit board means at a compensating angle, the compensating angle for compensating for the slanted angle of the slant means, whereby compensating-angle mount means compensates for the slanted angle so that the switch tab slides within the switch means in a substantially parallel motion with respect to the upper cases means. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The thin flash-memory device of claim 15 wherein the flash-memory chip means and the controller chip means are located in a first region having the main circuit board means farther above the centerline than the secondary circuit board means, wherein the contact pad means is formed on the secondary circuit board means, whereby the circuit board means is slanted. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The thin flash-memory device of claim 16 wherein the slant means comprises: divider means, formed on the upper case means between the plurality of openings in the upper case means, for supporting the second surface of the circuit board means at a slanted angle to the upper case means. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The thin flash-memory device of claim 14 further comprising: flex transition section means for connecting the main circuit board means to the secondary circuit board means, wherein the flex transition section means comprises a flexible carrier substrate that bends to increase spacing for the flash-memory chip means and the controller chip means to the lower case means. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The thin flash-memory device of claim 18 wherein the main circuit board means and the secondary circuit board means together comprise a rigid printed-circuit board. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The thin flash-memory device of claim 18 wherein the main circuit board means comprises a rigid printed-circuit board; wherein the secondary circuit board means comprises a flexible carrier substrate that is an extension of the flex transition section means. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The thin flash-memory device of claim 18 wherein the main circuit board means comprises a flexible carrier substrate that is an extension of the flex transition section means; wherein the secondary circuit board means comprises a flexible carrier substrate that is an extension of the flex transition section means.