Abstract:
This present invention is for a new user-friendly, thin, slim, no-metal shell USB male connector that is able to be inserted into a standard USB female receptacle in either orientation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES 
       [0001]    This application incorporates by reference the U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,717 in its entirety. Joseph Lai is the sole inventor of the U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,717 and the invention disclosed in this application. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This present invention is generally related to USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectors, and specifically to providing a more user-friendly connections for new no metal frame type of USB male connectors. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The Universal Serial Bus (USB) has become the standard peripheral interface for many electronic devices, including all modern day computers running Window, Mac, or Linux operating systems. Cost and size for USB devices are getting more competitive, and the thin, slim, no-metal shell USB male connectors are getting more popular. 
         [0004]    These no-metal shell USB male connector based products are very useful for USB dongle type of products. For example, devices such as USB Flash Drives, USB memory card readers, USB software protection dongle keys, and wifi/Bluetooth dongles. These no-metal shell USB male connectors are not suitable for USB cable type of products as there is no shielding and not much holding force to hold them. 
         [0005]    These no-metal shell USB male connectors can be inserted into a USB socket in either orientation, unlike its predecessor conventional USB male connector which can go into the USB female counter part in only one orientation. However, the no-metal shell USB male connector will only work in only one of the two ways it can be plugged in. 
         [0006]    In order to allow the no-metal shell USB male connector to work regardless of which way it is plugged in, a configuration similar to that disclosed by Joe Lai in his U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,717 can be used so that no-metal-shell USB male connectors can be used regardless of which way it is plugged in. However, the no-metal shell USB male connector may short out to the metal housing of the USB type A female receptacle. This might damage the host device and/or the USB peripheral. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    An embodiment of the invention may comprise a USB male connector that includes a connector piece with a plurality of conductive contacts on a first side of the connector piece and on a second side of the connector piece, where for each of the plurality of conductive contacts on the first side there is a corresponding conductive contact on the second side. There may be a first diode coupled to a first conductive contact, and a second diode coupled to a second conductive contact. The first conductive contact may be on the first side of the connector piece and the second conductive contact may be on the second side of the connector piece, and the second conductive contact may be a corresponding conductive contact of the first conductive contact. 
         [0008]    Another embodiment of the invention may comprise a method for making a USB male connector that includes coupling a first diode to a first conductive contact on a first side of a connector piece and coupling a second diode to a second conductive contact on a second side of the connector piece. The connector piece may comprise a plurality of conductive contacts on the first side of the connector piece and a plurality of conductive contacts on the second side of the connector piece, where each of the plurality of conductive contacts on the first side may have a corresponding conductive contact on the second side. The second conductive contact may be a corresponding conductive contact to the first conductive contact. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1A ,  1 B, and  1 C. (Prior Art) Views of conventional thin, slim, no-metal shell USB male connector for peripheral or dongle devices. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2A ,  2 B, and  2 C. New design of thin, slim, no-metal shell, user-friendly USB male connector. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3A and 3B . USB female receptacle for host devices with metal holding tabs on the metal shell. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4A ,  4 B and  4 C. New design of thin, slim, no-metal shell, user-friendly USB male connector schematics diagram with protective diodes. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    One version of the no-metal shell USB male connectors consists of a printed circuit board with four contacts. These four contacts provide power (+5V, ground) and data signals (D+ and D−). 
         [0014]      FIG. 1A  shows an end view of the prior art no-metal shell USB male connector  100 . In  FIG. 1B , a top side  100 A of the no-metal shell USB male connector  100  shows a power contact +5V  101 , a ground contact GND  104 , a data contact D+  103 , and a data contact D−  102 , while in  FIG. 1C , a bottom side  100 B of the no-metal shell USB male connector  100  does not have any electrical contacts. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2A  shows an end view of a user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As can be seen, there is shown a top side  200 A with a power contact +5V  201 , a ground contact GND  204 , a data contact D+  203 , and a data contact D−  202 . There is also shown a bottom side  200 B that has corresponding contacts +5V  211 , a GND  214 , D+  213 , and D−  212 . The corresponding contacts  201  and  211  are electrically shorted to each other, as are each set of the corresponding contacts  202  and  212 ,  203  and  213 , and  204  and  214 . 
         [0016]      FIG. 2B  shows a top side  200 A of the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200 . As can be seen, there is a through via  210  so that each of the contacts  201 ,  201 ,  203 , and  204  can be electrically connected to its corresponding contact  211 ,  212 ,  213 , or  214 . 
         [0017]      FIG. 2C  shows a bottom side  200 B of the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200 . As can be seen, each of the through vias  210  are electrically connected to a corresponding contact  211 ,  212 ,  213 , or  214 . In this way, each contact  211 ,  212 ,  213 , or  214  on the bottom side  200 B can be connected to its corresponding contact  201 ,  201 ,  203 , or  204  on the top side  200 A. 
         [0018]    Accordingly, it can be seen that the +5V, GND, +D, and −D contacts of the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  will make appropriate contact with corresponding +5V, GND, +D, and −D contacts of the standard USB type A female receptacle regardless of the orientation when inserted into a standard USB type A female receptacle. 
         [0019]      FIG. 3A  shows a USB female receptacle  300  for host devices with metal holding tabs on the metal shell. Referring to  FIG. 3B , there is shown a metal shell  301 , a substrate  303  that provides electrical contacts, and metal tabs  305 . The metal tabs  305  act to keep the no-metal shell USB male connector  100  or  200  in place so that a good electrical contact may be made between the no-metal shell USB male connector  100  or  200  and the standard USB type A female receptacle  300 . The metal tabs  305  may also be connected to ground of the host device to which it is connected. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3B  shows an end view of the standard USB type A female receptacle  300 . In addition to the metal shell  301 , the substrate  303 , and the metal tabs  305 , there is also shown a power contact +5V  311 , a ground contact GND  314 , a data contact D+  313 , and a data contact D−  312 . Accordingly, when the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  is plugged in to the standard USB type A female receptacle  300 , there will be an electrical connection between each of the contacts  311 ,  312 ,  313 , and  314  and a corresponding power or data contact of the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  regardless of the orientation in which the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  is plugged in. 
         [0021]    However, when the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  is plugged in, the metal tabs  305  of the standard USB type A female receptacle  300  may short one or more of the contacts on the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  to ground. For example, if the contacts  201 - 204  of the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  are touching the corresponding contacts  311 - 314  of the standard USB type A female receptacle  300 , the metal tabs  305  may touch one or more of the exposed contacts  211 - 214  of the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200 . Accordingly, a safeguard may be needed to prevent shorting of at least the +5V power signal to GND. 
         [0022]      FIG. 4  illustrates two diodes  401  and  402  used to prevent electrical shorting of +5V to ground via the metal tabs  305 . Anodes of the diodes  401  and  402  are connected to the power contacts  201  and  211  of the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200 , respectively. The cathodes of the diodes  401  and  402  are connected to each other at node NODE 1 , which is connected to +5V line of the USB cable to which the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  is connected. 
         [0023]    As illustrated, when the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  is inserted in to the standard USB type A female receptacle  300 , the +5V power may be provided to node NODE 1  via the diode  402 . As can be seen, there may be a short between the +5V contact  201  and the metal tab  305  that is at ground potential. However, because the diode  200  is reverse biased, the node NODE 1  will not be shorted to GND. Similarly, when the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200  is inserted so that the +5V power is received via the diode  401 , diode  402  will prevent the node NODE 1  from being shorted to GND. 
         [0024]    Various embodiments of the invention may use devices such as diodes or diode-configured transistors as diodes  401  and  402 . While various types of diodes may be used, diodes that have low forward voltage drop, such as schottky diodes, may be preferred. This is to reduce the amount of voltage drop at the node NODE  1  with respect to the +5V power provided via the contacts  201  and  211 . However, the specific types of diodes used are design dependent. Additionally, while the node NODE 1  was described as being connected to +5V line of a USB cable, the invention need not be so limited. For example, the node NODE 1  may be connected to a circuit trace if the node NODE 1  is part of a device such as, for example, a FLASH memory that plugs directly in to the standard USB type A female receptacle  300  of a host device. 
         [0025]    There is no need to protect the ground contacts  204  and  214  of the user-friendly no-metal shell USB male connector  200 . Additionally, while there may not generally be a need to worry about protecting the data signals at the D+ and D− contacts  203 / 213  and  202 / 212 , various embodiments of the invention may also provide similar protection for the D+/D− signals. Protection for the data signals may involve more than a simple diode or diode like device. For example, a pull-up or pull-down network may be used to make sure that signal lines are not floating.