Abstract:
An apparatus and method for storing at least one interchangeable module within an existing storage space is disclosed. The apparatus includes a core layer having two substantially parallel planar faces and a layer thickness approximately as large as a module thickness of an interchangeable module between the planar faces, the core layer being shaped for receiving an interchangeable module. The apparatus further includes a plurality of side pieces sized to substantially cover the core layer and the opening formed in the core layer such that when the side pieces are disposed against the planar faces the side pieces enclose the opening on sides parallel with the planar faces with an only access point to the opening being in the first edge of the core layer. A securing component joins the side pieces to the core layer.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM  
       [0001]    This invention claims priority from United States Provisional Application No. 60/341,162 filed Dec. 15, 2001. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to storage containers, and more specifically, to an apparatus for storing interchangeable electronics modules used with personal electronic devices.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Personal electronic devices such as notebook computers, personal digital assistants, handheld computers, digital cameras, cellular telephones, and other devices increasingly are becoming more powerful and more prevalent. The proliferation of these devices has been made possible by the ever-improving price-performance of microelectronic components. The improved price-performance of components ranging from microprocessors to memory chips and from storage units to communications units allows personal electronic devices to be more useful and more user friendly. As a result, users of personal electronic devices are becoming increasingly more dependent on these personal electronic devices.  
           [0004]    The proliferation of these devices has created an increasing demand for personal electronic devices to be more versatile. To name one example, users no longer want to be limited to the built-in memory storage in their digital cameras. Users want to be able to swap out a storage module and replace it with another to record more images. This is analogous to film-based cameras, wherein users can change rolls of film without having to stop to upload stored images to a computer or, other device. Similarly, digital camera users might wish to couple interchangeable storage modules in a computer or a printer for viewing or printing previously-captured images, respectively, without having to upload the image data from the camera to the other device.  
           [0005]    To name a second example, users of personal digital assistants want to be able to swap out modules storing data and software applications, and want to add hardware functionality to their handheld computers, such as camera modules just as computer users can add functions by adding cards or boards to a motherboard. Also, people who use personal digital assistants and cellular telephones want those devices to be able to interact. For example, BlueTooth® enabled devices allow phone numbers or text messages to be wirelessly transmitted from handheld computers to a cellular telephone, and then telephonically sent to another user.  
           [0006]    These functions are supported by today&#39;s small yet powerful digital modules, such as SD (secure digital) cards, smart media cards, memory sticks, and similar interchangeable modules. SD cards, smart media cards, and memory sticks can augment the functionality of portable electronic devices in many ways. For example, these modules can be used for adding memory for storage of applications and data applications. Data can be swapped in and out simply by inserting and removing modules from an appropriate socket on the personal electronic device. Similarly, these modules provide for read-only memory (ROM) program storage to add applications to personal digital assistants. In addition, communications capability, such as BlueTooth® enabling modules or other telecommunications devices, can be added to a handheld computer through the insertion of an SD card into an appropriate socket on the handheld device. These modules greatly enhance the versatility, upgradeability, and convenience of personal electronic devices.  
           [0007]    However, interchangeability of SD cards, smart media cards, and memory sticks presents a concern. A user may have multiple small interchangeable SD cards, smart media cards, and memory sticks which, because of their small size, are susceptible to loss or damage. The SD cards, smart media cards, and memory sticks can easily be stored in a pocket, purse, or other form of personal storage, but dropping an SD card, smart media card, or a memory stick in such a receptacle does nothing to protect the module from accidentally being dropped from that receptacle or damaged while inside that receptacle. Cases for digital devices may provide storage pockets for these modules, but having to carry the cases may make carrying the digital devices more cumbersome, impairing the enjoyment of the devices.  
           [0008]    Thus, there is an unmet need in the art for an apparatus for storing and protecting SD cards, smart media cards, memory sticks, or similar modules for a personal electronic device, without requiring users to carry along an additional carrying case for the personal electronic device.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The present invention is an apparatus for storing and protecting small electronics modules such as secure digital (SD) cards, smart media cards, and memory sticks, and a method for making the same. One embodiment of the present invention is an approximately credit-card sized body comprised of a conjoined core layer and side pieces having at least one opening formed in the core layer which can slidably receive a small electronics module such as an SD card, smart media card, or a memory stick. The resulting apparatus can thereby safely store the small electronics module in a credit-card sized storage slot in a wallet, purse, briefcase, organizer or other carrying device the user of a personal digital device making use of the modules might carry. Thus, the user can protect small electronics modules without having to carry a separate storage case.  
           [0010]    One exemplary embodiment of the present invention for storing at least one interchangeable module within an existing storage space includes a core layer. The core layer features two substantially parallel planar faces and a layer thickness substantially as large as a module thickness of an interchangeable module between the planar faces. The core layer is shaped for receiving an interchangeable module. The apparatus further includes a plurality of side pieces sized to substantially cover the core layer and the opening formed in the core layer. When the side pieces are disposed against the planar faces, the side pieces enclose the opening on sides parallel with the planar faces with an only access point to the opening being in the first edge of the core layer. A securing component joins the side pieces to the core layer.  
           [0011]    Embodiments of the present invention may have one or more openings, and the openings each may be large enough to accommodate secure digital cards, smart media cards, BlueTooth® cards, memory sticks, or other interchangeable modules. The core layer and the side pieces each may be composed of a same material, such as a vinyl plastic, or the core and side pieces may be composed of different materials. The core layer and the side pieces may be joined by a glue, a sheet adhesive, or by welding. Text and/or images may be imprinted on outward-facing surfaces of one or both of the side pieces. In one embodiment, the assembled apparatus is sized to fit in an existing storage space designed to accommodate a credit card. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    The preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective diagram of sheets of core material sheet and adhesive material used in forming of an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1B is a perspective diagram of a sheet of core material to which sheets of adhesive material have been attached;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1C is the perspective diagram of FIG. 1B with the joined sheets of core material and adhesive material shown in FIG. 1B with openings cut from the joined sheets;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1D is an exploded perspective diagram of the joined and cut sheets of FIG. 1C with sheets of side piece material positioned to be attached;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1E is a perspective diagram of the joined and cut sheets of FIG. 1C to which the side piece material sheets have been attached;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1F is a perspective diagram of the joined sheets of FIG. 1E with an apparatus of the present invention cut from the joined sheets;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2A is a perspective diagram of an assembled apparatus of an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2B is a top view of an assembled embodiment of an apparatus;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2C is a side view of an assembled embodiment of an apparatus; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]    According to one presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, forming an apparatus of the present invention commences a sheet of core material  110  and sheets of adhesive material  140  as shown in FIG. 1A. A thickness of the edge  120  of the core material  110  must be approximately as thick as a module which the apparatus will store. As will be appreciated, the core material  110  has to be approximately as thick as the module to be stored by the apparatus so that the module can fit in the opening formed by internal sides of the core material  110  and the side pieces  170  (FIGS. 1D, 1E, and  1 F). At the same time, it may be desired for the core material  110  to have a thickness slightly less than a module thickness such that the side pieces  170  (FIGS. 1D, 1E, and  1 F) will engage sides of the modules to secure the modules in the apparatus to prevent them from falling out. As far as the choice of the core material  110 , for example, one embodiment of the present invention which suitably is used to store one or more secure digital (SD) cards (not shown), the core material is a sheet of vinyl plastic having a thickness at the edge  120  of 60 mils. A variety of materials can be used as core material, including other plastics, lightweight metals, heavyweight papers, ceramics, or other materials, which may be selected on the basis of weight, rigidity, or other result-oriented concerns.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1A also shows two sheets of double-faced adhesive  140 . In one presently preferred embodiment, the adhesive sheets are comprised of 3M® 468 double-sided adhesive. The sheets of double-sided adhesive material  140  are used to join sections of the core material  110  to side pieces  170  (FIGS. 1C, 1D, and  1 E) as will be explained below. The sections of core material  110  could also be joined to the side pieces  170  using liquid adhesives, such as glues or epoxies, or by welding suitable materials together, such as by heat welding if suitable plastics are used for the core material  110  and the side pieces  170 .  
         [0025]    In one presently preferred embodiment, backing sheets (not shown) of the adhesive material  140  are removed from inward-facing sides  160  of the adhesive material  140  which face planar faces  130  of the core material  110 . The inward-facing sides  160  of the adhesive material  140  are applied to the planar faces  130  of the core material  110 . The resulting joined sheets are shown in FIG. 1B. For the time being, backing sheets (not shown) on an outward-facing sides  160  of the adhesive material  140  are left in place to facilitate further handling of the joined sheets of core material  110  and adhesive material  140 .  
         [0026]    In one presently preferred embodiment, holes  165  are cut through the joined sheets of core material  110  and adhesive material  140  which will form the openings which will receive modules to be stored by the apparatus. As will be explained further below, these holes  165  may have different widths and lengths in the same apparatus or in different production runs of the apparatus to accommodate different sizes of modules to be stored therein. Cutting these holes  165  at this stage of the production of the apparatus simplifies assembly of the apparatus, as will be appreciated below. FIG. 1C shows two holes  165  for an embodiment of the apparatus that suitably receives two modules.  
         [0027]    Different interchangeable modules have different sizes, and thus require different sizes of openings be formed in the core material  110 , and the core material  110  be chosen with an appropriate thickness. For example, a secure digital or multimedia card, such an opening should have dimensions of approximately 24 millimeters by 33 millimeters, and the layer thickness is approximately 30 mils. For a BlueTooth® card, while the thickness is the same, the opening should have dimensions of approximately 24 millimeters by 51 millimeters. For a memory stick, a core material  110  thickness of approximately 90 mils, and an opening of approximately 21.5 millimeters by 50 millimeters is required. For a smart media card, a core material  110  thickness of 20 mils is required, and the opening formed should have dimensions of approximately 45 millimeters by 37 millimeters.  
         [0028]    In a production run for an embodiment of the present invention, the core material  110  and the adhesive material  140  are presented in twelve-inch by eight-inch sheets, each of which can provide for nine credit-card-sized apparatus. However, in FIGS. 1A through 1F, the construction of a single apparatus is shown for clarity of illustration. Also, in one presently preferred embodiment, the holes  165  are die-cut from the joined layers. However, as will be appreciated by one ordinarily skilled in the art, other cutting techniques suitably may be used to form the holes  165 .  
         [0029]    In FIG. 1D, the joined sheets of core material  110  and adhesive material  140  with holes  165  cut therefrom are shown with sheets of side piece material  170  in position to be installed. Although not shown in the figures, one or more of the sheets of side piece material  170  may be imprinted with text and/or images (not shown) for reference, promotional, or other purposes on one or both outer-facing sides  160  of the sheets of side piece material  170 . Similarly, a side piece material  170  may be selected that allows a user of the apparatus to write on it. As previously described, if multiple apparatuses are to be formed at one time, multiple sets of text and/or images suitably are imprinted on the outer-facing sides  160  of the side piece material  170  positioned to fit sides of finished apparatuses. Also, as will be appreciated by one ordinarily skilled in the art, once imprinted, the sheets of side piece material  170  may be layered with a protective sheet or coating (not shown) to protect the imprinted text and/or graphics during remaining phases of manufacture and subsequent distribution.  
         [0030]    To attach the sheets of side piece material  170  to the previously joined sheets of core material  110  and adhesive material  140 , backing sheets (not shown) on outer-facing sides  150  of the sheets of adhesive material  140  are removed. Sheets of side piece material  170  then are guided in place over the outer-facing sides  150  of the sheets of adhesive material  140  then pressed into place. Once pressed into place, the joined sheets of core material  110 , adhesive material  140 , and side piece material  170  appear as shown in FIG. 1E. The holes  165  previously cut into the joined sheets of core material  110  and adhesive material  140  are now closed along the planar faces  130  of the core material by the sheets of side material  170 . As will be appreciated by one ordinarily skilled in the art, the sheets of the side piece material  170  may be guided into place by aligning the sheets against a set of guides before pressing them into place. Also, as previously described, the sheets of side material  170  could be joined to the sheet of core material  110  using other forms of attachment.  
         [0031]    Once all the sheets  110 ,  140 , and  170  have been joined, an apparatus  195  according to an embodiment of the present invention can be cut from the joined sheets. In one presently preferred embodiment, the core layers are cut from the joined sheets  110 ,  140 , and  170  using high pressure water jet cutting. As is understood in the art, the water jets suitably are driven on a computer-controlled water cutting table. High pressure water cutting tends to leave edges  120  of the joined layers smooth, thus diminishing the degree of finishing that would be left if the apparatus  195  were cut from the joined sheets  110 ,  140 , and  170  using other techniques, such as jig-sawing. Nonetheless, other suitable ways of cutting the apparatus from the joined layers  110 ,  140 , and  170  can be used. Also, notches to facilitate removal of modules from the apparatus may be cut along an outer edge of the holes  165  (FIGS. 1C, 1D,  1 E, and  1 F), as described below in connection with FIG. 2B.  
         [0032]    The resulting apparatus  195  is shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and  2 C. FIG. 2A shows a perspective diagram of the apparatus  195 . Cut sections of outer facing sides  180  of the side material  170  (FIGS. 1D, 1E, and  1 F) now comprise sides  210  of the apparatus. Text and/or images previously imprinted on the sheets of side material  170  (FIGS. 1D, 1E, and  1 F) now appear on the sides  210  of the apparatus  195 . The apparatus  195  has a thickness  120  which, as previously described, suitably was chosen to accommodate the modules to be stored by the apparatus  195 . In a front edge  220  of the apparatus  195  according to one presently preferred embodiment of the present invention are two slots  230 , each of which can receive and store an interchangeable module (not shown).  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 2B shows a top view of the apparatus  195  and dimensions of one presently preferred embodiment. The presently preferred embodiment has a length  240  of about 85 millimeters or about 3.375 inches and a width  250  of about 53 millimeters or about 2.125 inches. The length  240  and width  250  correspond approximately with that of a standard credit card. Thus, the apparatus  195  can fit within a storage pocket designed to fit a credit card, such as are commonly found in wallets, purses, briefcases, organizers, and other personal items people commonly carry.  
         [0034]    In one presently preferred embodiment of the apparatus  195 , the module storage slots  230  have a depth  260  of about 33 millimeters or about 1.44 inches. As shown in FIG. 2C, the slots  230  have a width  270  of about 24 millimeters or about 0.98 inches. An interior thickness  275  of the apparatus  295  is 60 mils, which is the thickness  120  of the sheet of core material  110  (FIGS. 1A through 1F). The depth  260 , width  270 , and thickness  275  shown are sufficient to receive interchangeable modules such as a secure digital (SD) card, a multimedia card, or another interchangeable module of like size. In other embodiments, the depth  260 , width  270 , and thickness  275  can be selected to accommodate other interchangeable modules such as compact flash cards, smart media cards, memory sticks, or other media types of other sizes.  
         [0035]    Also, as shown in FIG. 2B, notches  280  may be formed in the side pieces  210  to facilitate the gripping and thus the insertion and/or removal of interchangeable modules from the apparatus. These notches  280  can be cut from the side pieces  210  when the apparatus is being cut from the joined sheets  110 ,  140 , and  170  as described in connection with FIG. 1F.  
         [0036]    It will be appreciated by one ordinarily skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be formed in a wide range of sizes to accommodate other types of modules or other media. The structure of the apparatus  195  can be sized and shaped to fit organizer binders and other binders, business card cases, and other such cases and many other shapes. As also will be appreciated, the slots  230  (FIGS. 2A, 2B, and  2 C) could be arrayed along multiple edges of the apparatus, and one, two, or more slots  230  could be formed in each of the apparatuses  195 , the slots  230  being of equivalent or different sizes in the same apparatus  195 . It also will be appreciated that the apparatus  195  is not limited to storing interchangeable digital media, but could be used for storing any form of small item that it is desired to store securely in storage pockets of larger devices, such as small pieces of toys.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a method  300  for making the storage apparatus previously described is summarized in flowchart form in. At a block  304 , the format of the apparatus, such as its exterior dimensions, what type and thus what size modules it will hold, how many modules, and other parameters. At a block  308 , a core material is chosen for its rigidity and other considerations, and the material is prepared in a sheet form for production of apparatuses. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, at a block  312  adhesive in the form of sheets or liquids is applied to outer facing sides of the sheets of core material. At a block  316 , openings that will form the slots for receiving and storing modules are cut from the core material and adhesive construct.  
         [0038]    With the core material processed to form a core of an apparatus, at a block  320 , sheets of side material are selected and prepared. Side materials may be of different compositions, whether metal, plastic, paper, ceramic, or another material. At a block  324 , the side materials are imprinted as desired with advertising or other information. At a block  328 , the side materials are joined to the core material using adhesives or welding as previously described.  
         [0039]    With the layers assembled, at a block  332  the layers are cut to form one or more apparatuses. At a block  336 , edges of the apparatuses cut from the layers are finished as desired.  
         [0040]    While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.