Flash memory card expander

#The present invention relates generally to device memory, and more particularly to a method and system for expanding the memory capacity of devices that use memory cards.

#Removable flash memory storage cards such as Multi Media Card (MMC) and Secure Digital (SD) cards are increasingly being used in portable devices to obtain more storage for digital data, such as programs and content. Electronic devices such as smart cell phones, multimedia phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), MP3 players, digital still cameras and digital video recorders provide build-in slots for insertion of removable memory storage cards such as MMCmobile, MMCmicro, miniSD and microSD cards. These reduced-size form factor cards are preferred because a typical portable device must be lightweight and small in size to fit in a user's hand. Due to very tight spacing, the slot available inside a device typically is designed to use the smallest card available in the market. While this keeps the host device size small, the smallest form factor cards usually cannot provide as much memory density as the larger, standard size cards, and thus have less memory. Currently the smallest form factor cards in the market are the microSD and the MMCmicro cards that are about the size of a fingernail.

#Although these miniaturized cards can allow a small and thin portable electronic device to use a small space for the insertion slot, the cards themselves are limited in the amount of flash memory they can carry. Currently, for instance, the maximum capacity of a standard MMC card is 4 gigabytes (GB); for the miniaturized MMCmicro, the maximum capacity is only 512 megabytes (MB) or 1 GB. Similarly, the capacity of the microSD card currently is 1 GB, compared to 2 GB for standard size SD cards. Although nonvolatile flash memory semiconductor IC chips will continue to increase in memory capacity as the transistor process parameters shrink in size (die-shrink) and hence offers more memory capacity per unit die area, the miniaturized micro memory cards will always lag behind their larger sibling cards in total capacity, due to the physical limit in size and thickness. The number of IC chips and sizes that can fit inside small cards are limited compared to the larger cards.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art mobile device having a miniaturized flash memory card slot and a flash memory card for insertion into the slot;

#FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a host mobile device and two subassemblies of the present invention, the flexible insert adaptor and card connector;

#FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of an assembled subassembly of the expander assembly of the present invention, including a flexible capable adaptor connected to a card connector, and a flash memory card;

#The present invention relates generally to device memory, and more particularly to a method and system for expanding the memory capacity of devices that use memory cards. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiments and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.

#The memory card expander device of the present invention uses the existing memory card slot in a host device and enables expansion of the memory capacity of the host device by connecting to an external card connector that is attachable to the host device without substantially altering the physical form, fit, and function of the host device. Through the use of an external cord connector, larger-sized memory cards having higher memory capacity and lower cost may be used interchangeably with the host device, thereby offering instant access to higher capacity memory cards instead of requiring the user to pay a premium for a miniaturized card or wait for the next generation of IC die-shrink and memory capacity increase to be available.

#The present invention provides an expander having an external connector/adaptor for standard size memory cards. This offers flexibility; for example, any type of SD and MMC cards and their respective adaptors (for MMCmobile, miniSD, etc.) can be inserted into the expander connector. A user can replace a memory card with another fresh memory card, e.g., after having filled the memory capacity of the original memory card.