Abstract:
A card reader with multiple slots to convert data stored in electronic cards in different format into the interface format of Express Card™ and to output the converted data to a computer includes an insulation casing, two slots, one Express Card™ connector, and data relay unit to convert the data storage format of an electronic card into the interface format of Express Card™ and to output the converted data through the Express Card™ connector; each slot being divided into multiple terminal sets to respectively connect to multiple electronic cards for reducing the space of the card reader, facilitating portability, and better adapting to expansion medium used by mobile commerce or traveler.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    (a) Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention is related to an improved construction of a card reader with multiple slots, and more particularly, to a single insulation casing segregated into two slots with a partitioning wall to receive insertion of one or a plurality of electronic card while converting data storage format of the electronic card into the interface format of Express Card™. 
         [0003]    (b) Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    To upgrade data storage volume, electronic cards of exclusive format are externally crated for electronic products including digital camera and digital video camera for replacement in time. Electronic cards in different formats including Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO), eXtreme Digital (xD), Secure Digital (SD), Multi Media Card (MMC), Reduced-Sized Multi Media Card (RS MMC), Multi Media Card plus (MMC plus), Multi Media Card mobile (MMC mobile), Memory Stick Duo (MS Duo) and Mini Secure Digital (mini SD) are generally available in the market. To cope with the compact design for electronic products, electronic cards in even smaller size have been introduced into the market in recent years, e.g., MICRO Multi Media Card (MICRO MMC), MICRO Memory Stick (MICRO MS) and MICRO Secure Digital (MICRO SD); accordingly, card reader adaptable to those cards for data readout must be provided with card insertion mechanism in the format compliant with that of the electronic card to connect the electronic card to the electric circuit for data transmission. 
         [0005]    However, as electronic cards differ in width and length depending on the format, a card reader with a single slot is not applicable to any electronic card in different format. As a result, the practicability and utility of the card reader are compromised. Therefore, design of the card reader of new generation is heading for a universal one that is compatible to various formats of electronic cards and it is expected that with the best simplified structural design and the most reliable structural strength to maintain accuracy of the insertion and the stability of the connection between the card reader and the card. 
         [0006]    Each manufacturer of digital product gives every effort to promote its in-house developed memory card. Note Book computer (NB) and Personal digital assistant (PDA) have the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) specification published earliest in 1989 as the mainstream; and practically all NBs in the market are provided with one or a plurality of PCMCIA slot. Three types of thickness are defined for each PCMCIA slot, respectively, Type I, Type II, and Type III essentially applied to memory card, NB interface card, sound card, digital card, networking deices, and devices externally connected to hard disk. PCMCIA further formulates in recent years the Express Card™ interface format. Therefore, should reading terminal interfaces of various types of memory card be integrated in a more compact space to meet expansion needs of the Express Card™ for easy portability of NB or portable electronic facilities, the card reader should answer more to the current trend. However, the Express Card reader is usually provided with only one slot to give limited practicability and utility since it fails to allow use of electronic cards in different formats. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved structure of card reader with multiple slots in one that is capable of reading ten or more of data storage interfaces integrated in two slots of a same insulation casing and finally outputting the data via the interface of Express Card™. 
         [0008]    To achieve the purpose, the present invention to convert and output data stored in electronic cards of different formats to the format of Express Card™ interface includes an insulation casing, an Express Card™ connector, and a data conversion unit to convert and output the data storage format of an electronic card into Express Card™ interface format through the connector. A portioning wall is disposed in the insulation casing to define a first slot and a second slot. The first slot is further divided into a first, a second, and a third terminal sets; and the second slot, a fourth, and a fifth terminal sets for respective connection by xD, SD, MMC, RS MMC, MM C plus, MMC mobile, MS Duo, and Mini SD electronic cards while all terminal sets are integrated in the same insulation casing. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a local part of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is perspective view of a local part of another preferred embodiment of the present invention 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a card reader  1  comprised of an outer casing  11 , an insulation casing  12 , an Express Card™ connector  13 , and a data relay unit  14 . Wherein, the outer casing  11  is approximately related to a rectangular box plastic casing including an upper casing  111  and a lower casing  112  connected to each other, and both of the upper and the lower casings  111 ,  112  when connected to each other defines a space to accommodate other elements. 
         [0015]    The insulation casing  12  includes a base plate  121  and a sidewall  122  extending upward from the outer edge of the base plate  121 . The insulation casing  12  contains a portioning wall  123  to divide it into a first slot  124  and a second slot  125 . The first slot  124  is further divided into a first, a second, and a third terminal sets  2 ,  3 ,  4 ; and the second slot  125 , a fourth and a fifth terminal sets  5 ,  6 . All these terminal sets are disposed in a terminal sink  126 . A socket side  127  is disposed to the insulation casing  12  and is located at the base plate  121  on the opposite side of the sidewall  122 . Two sockets  128  respectively connected through both slots are disposed on the socket side  127 . 
         [0016]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , those five terminal sets includes the first, the second, and the third terminal sets  2 ,  3 ,  4  disposed in each corresponding terminal sink  126  in the first slot  124 , and the fourth and the fifth terminal sets disposed in each corresponding terminal sink  126  in the second slot  125 . Each conduction terminal  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60  of each terminal set is provided with fingers  21 ,  31 ,  41 ,  51 ,  61  for connecting electronic cards inserted to the slots  124 ,  125 . 
         [0017]    Those multiple terminal sinks  126  of the first terminal set  2  are disposed on the base plate  121  adjacent to the socket side  127 . Multiple fingers  21  of each conduction terminal  20  are provided to connect an xD electronic card (not illustrated). 
         [0018]    Those multiple terminal sinks  126  of the second terminal set  3  are segregated and disposed on the sidewall  122 . Multiple fingers  31  of each conduction terminal  30  of the second terminal set  3  are provided to connect an MMC electronic card, an RS MMC electronic card or an SD electronic card (not illustrated). 
         [0019]    Those multiple terminal sinks  126  of the third terminal set  4  are segregated and disposed on the sidewall  122 . Multiple fingers  41  of each conduction terminal  40  of the third terminal set  4  are provided in conjunction with the second terminal set  3  to connect an MMC plus electronic card or an MMC mobile electronic card (not illustrated). 
         [0020]    Those multiple terminal sinks  126  of the fourth terminal set  5  are disposed on the base plate adjacent to the socket side  127 . Multiple fingers  51  of each conduction terminal  50  of the fourth terminal set  5  are provided to connect an MS Duo electronic card (not illustrated). 
         [0021]    Those multiple terminal sinks  126  of the fifth terminal set  6  are segregated and disposed on the sidewall  122 . Multiple fingers  61  of each conduction terminal  60  of the fifth terminal set  6  are provided to connect a Mini SD electronic card (not illustrated). 
         [0022]    The first slot  124  is further disposed with a sixth terminal set  7  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Multiple terminal sinks  126  of the sixth terminal set  7  are segregated and disposed on the sidewall  122 . Multiple fingers  71  of each conduction terminal  70  of the sixth terminal set  7  are provided to connect an MS electronic card or an MS PRO electronic card (not illustrated). Therefore, all the terminal sets disposed in the first and the second slots  124 ,  125 . 
         [0023]    A detection terminal set  8  is disposed in the second slot  125  in a direction perpendicular to the conduction terminal  70  of the sixth terminal set  7  and includes a first and a second detection terminals  81 ,  82  disposed in parallel adjacent to the front and the rear of the detection terminal set  8 . In the preferred embodiment, an accommodation slot  1221  to receive the detection terminal set  8  is further disposed in the sidewall  122 . An opening  1222  is disposed to the accommodation slot  1221  and the first detection terminal  81  is further disposed with a retaining end  811  that is curved and extends into the second slot  125 . A retaining portion  821  is provided protruding from the second detection terminal  82  at where in relation to the retaining end  811  of the first detection terminal  81 . The function of the detection terminal set  8  is to detect whether an electronic card inserted to the second slot  125  is secured in position against those fingers. When the electronic card is inserted into the second slot  125 , it touches the retaining end  811  and the retaining portion  821  in sequence while transmitting the contract signals to a circuit board. Of course, the detection terminal set may be disposed in the first slot  124  or two detection terminal sets may be respectively disposed in the first and the second slots  124 ,  125 . 
         [0024]    The Express Card™ connector  13  is provided in relation to an expansion connector provided on a Notebook; however, this connector  13  for not being included in the characteristics of this preferred embodiment is not elaborated herein. 
         [0025]    The data relay unit  14  is provided with a circuit board  141  and a control chip  142  soldered to the circuit board  141 . Both ends of the circuit board  141  are respectively coupled to those terminal sets  2 ˜ 7  of the insulation casing  12  and the Express Card™ connector  13 . The control chip  142  is capable of picking up data transmitted from those terminal sets  2 ˜ 7  and convert the data for output in Express Card™ interface format. 
         [0026]    It is to e noted that this preferred embodiment is capable of integrating eight or ten types of electronic card and interfaces related to their series without having to separately provide those terminal sets  2 ˜ 7 . The present invention accommodates all those terminal sets  2 ˜ 7  in different slots of the same insulation casing  12  thus to reduce the space of the entire card reader. Meanwhile the present invention is capable of coping with change in data storage format to perfectly meet the current appeal for a compact size. The preferred embodiment is particularly suitable for adaptation to a computer for expansion purpose. To facilitate portability, miniaturization is a must. 
         [0027]    As described above, the prevent invention includes eight or ten types of electronic card terminal sets  2 ˜ 7  otherwise to be separately provide in different slots within the same insulation case  12  to integral for reduced space, easier portability, and providing the ability to convert ten data formats into that can be applied by Express Card™ interface for expansion purpose of a Notebook. 
         [0028]    Furthermore, the card reader  1  contains a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector  15  as illustrated in  FIG. 5  corresponding to a USB plug disposed to a Notebook for the card reader  1  to be adapted to, so that the card reader  15  may have the USB connector  15  as the format for signal transmission. 
         [0029]    The prevent invention provides an improved structure of a card reader, and the application for a utility patent is duly filed accordingly. However, it is to be noted that the preferred embodiments disclosed in the specification and the accompanying drawings are not limiting the present invention; and that any construction, installation, or characteristics that is same or similar to that of the present invention should fall within the scope of the purposes and claims of the present invention.