1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the use of integrated circuit cards and, more particularly, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus of removably securing an adaptor to an integrated circuit memory card.
2. State of the Art
In the field of computer technology, multimedia applications have a steadily growing market share. A medium known in the art for retrofitting various electronic devices for such multimedia applications is the memory card. Examples of various memory cards in the market include the MultiMedia Card (“MMC”), SmartMedia, Miniature Card and Memory Stick.
The memory card is generally a substantially rectangular, thin, planar card containing a memory chip and integrated circuitry sealed therein. The memory card typically includes packaging of a thermoset resin with a plurality of terminals in a line exposed on a face and proximate an edge of the memory card. One corner of the memory card is typically beveled so as to prevent the card from being inserted incorrectly into an electronic system.
There are various types of electronic devices that incorporate the memory card, such as personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), cell phones, digital cameras, printers and desk-top and lap-top computers. Different brands of such electronic devices utilize particular types of memory cards, each such electronic device including a memory card socket configured to receive a corresponding memory card with corresponding dimensions. For example, the dimensions of the MMC is 24×32×1.4 (mm). The memory card socket in an electronic device, such as a digital camera, made to receive the MMC corresponds to the dimensions of such MMC. The same is true for the SmartMedia card with dimensions of 37×45×0.76 (mm), the Miniature Card with dimensions of 38×33×3.5 (mm), and the Memory Stick with dimensions of 50×21.5×2.8 (mm).
One of the advantages of the memory card is its interchangeability in being utilized in different types of electronic devices. For example, a digital camera configured to receive the MultiMedia Card may be configured to store digital photographs. That same card may then be inserted into a computer or a device that is itself then inserted or connected to a computer to download the digital photographs, or such memory card may be utilized in a cell phone for one function and then transferred to another electronic device such as a personal data assistant for a second function. Thus, the success of the memory card in the market has been largely due to the interchangeability of the memory card from one electronic device to another.
Recently, some of the more ultra compact electronic devices, such as cell phones, digital cameras, etc., have introduced memory card sockets dimensioned as half-sized sockets for inserting a half-sized memory card, such term also encompassing a memory card with reduced dimensions, which is not necessarily half the size of the standard memory card. Such a half-sized memory card is being developed by EEMS in Rieti, Italy, and is referred to as an RS-MMC. Although such a half-sized memory card provides a much more compact card for use with an ultra compact electronic device, the half-sized memory card is not practical in its interchangeability in those electronic devices configured to receive the standard-sized memory card. For example, the half-sized memory card may be functional in the standard-sized memory card socket; however, the standard-sized socket may not be configured to allow easy removability of the half-sized memory card from such standard-sized socket. In other words, the half-sized memory card may be inserted into the socket and function properly, but because of its reduced size, the standard-sized socket may not release the half-sized memory card so that it is removable from the electronic device, or may prevent easy access to the half-sized memory card for removal from the socket.
This problem has been recognized by EEMS of Rieti, Italy, which has been developing an adaptor for attaching to their half-sized memory card. The half-sized memory card includes three connector recesses in an end portion thereof. Each connector recess includes a male protrusion projecting from a surface in the recess. The male protrusion is configured to correspond and lock to the adaptor. Due to the already limited size of the memory card, such a male protrusion is extremely small and, therefore, the male protrusion is susceptible to breaking. Failure of the male protrusion may result from fatigue due to reoccurring cycles of removing and reattaching the adaptor with the half-sized memory card when interchanging between electronic devices equipped with half-sized sockets and standard-sized sockets. For example, due to the minute size of the male protrusion, it is anticipated that such a male protrusion may only have a cyclic life of about one or two cycles. Furthermore, replacing the half-sized memory card due to male protrusion fatigue and failure is expensive in comparison to the cost of replacing, for example, the adaptor.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a fatigue-resistant locking mechanism between a half-sized memory card and an adaptor to accommodate the potential for numerous cycles of interchanging the adaptor with the half-sized memory card. It would also be advantageous to provide a locking mechanism configuration wherein the least potential for failure is in the half-sized memory card.