Patent Publication Number: US-9425569-B2

Title: Storage device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 103203483, filed on Feb. 27, 2014. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technology Field 
     The present invention relates to a storage device and more particularly relates to a storage device with two connecting interfaces. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     With the development of multimedia technology, storage capacity required for digital data goes larger and larger. The conventional floppy disk in 1.44 MB features in its portable characteristic but still fails to meet the current requirement for large storage capacity. Although the conventional hard disk provides a large storage capacity, it is larger in size and is inconvenient for carrying about. In recent years, with the popularity of the universal serial bus (USB) interface and the decreasing price of the flash memory, many manufacturers have introduced various electronic products relating to flash memory. In particular, portable USB flash memory pen drive is a big success for it has advantages of large storage capacity, high compatibility, high portability, and hot plug function, and can be applied for data transmission between various computers and storage devices. 
     However, the existing electronic devices are equipped with various types of connectors, and the existing pen drives do not have preventive measures such as the so-called ground terminal. Thus, when the pen drive is connected to a corresponding slot of the electronic device through a connector of the pen drive or a conversion connector, electrostatic discharge or electromagnetic noise and interference cannot be prevented. 
     Nothing herein should be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art of any portion of the present invention. Furthermore, citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention, or that any reference forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention provides a storage device having two connecting interfaces, wherein an electrically conductive base is electrically connected to one of the connecting interfaces to prevent electrostatic discharge. 
     The present invention provides a storage device having two connecting interfaces, wherein an electrically conductive base is electrically connected to one of the connecting interfaces, and the base and the connecting interface are both accommodated in a non-electrically conductive case to prevent electrostatic discharge. 
     A storage device of the present invention includes a base and a storage unit. The base is an electrical conductor. The storage unit includes a first connecting interface and a second connecting interface. The storage unit is disposed on the base, and the base is electrically connected to the first connecting interface or the second connecting interface. 
     A storage device of the present invention includes a base, a storage unit, and a case. The base is an electrical conductor. The storage unit includes a first connecting interface and a second connecting interface. The storage unit is disposed on the base, and the base is electrically connected to the first connecting interface or the second connecting interface. The case is a non-electrical conductor. The base and the storage unit disposed on the base are assembled and accommodated in the case. 
     Based on the above, in the storage device of the above embodiments, the storage unit is provided with two connecting interfaces and disposed on the electrically conductive base, and the base is electrically connected to one of the connecting interfaces. Meanwhile, the base and the storage unit disposed thereon are assembled and accommodated in the case that is not electrically conductive. Therefore, when the user holds the storage device with his/her hand and connects the storage device to the external device, the electrical connection relationship between the base and the connecting interface is conducive to preventing damage of electronic components in the storage unit due to electrostatic discharge. 
     It should be understood, however, that this Summary may not contain all of the aspects and embodiments of the present invention, is not meant to be limiting or restrictive in any manner, and that the invention as disclosed herein is and will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to encompass obvious improvements and modifications thereto. 
     To make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention more comprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating another state of the storage device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating a combination of a storage unit and a base of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic exploded diagram of the storage unit and the base of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of the storage device of  FIG. 1  connected with an external device. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic perspective diagram of the storage device and the external device of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram illustrating a storage device connected with an external device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram illustrating a combination of a storage unit and a base according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic exploded diagram of the storage unit and the base of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may comprise any one or more of the novel features described herein, including in the Detailed Description, and/or shown in the drawings. As used herein, “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least on of A, B and C”, “at least one of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together. 
     It is to be noted that the term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating another state of the storage device of  FIG. 1 . Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , in the present embodiment, a storage device  100  includes a storage unit  110 , a base  120 , and a case  130 . The storage unit  110  is manufactured by system in package (SIP). That is, in a chip package  112 , a die or a plurality of dies are included, and one or more of a passive element, a capacitor, a resistor, a connecting interface, an antenna, etc., is added for packaging. 
     The storage unit  110  has a first connecting interface T 1  and a second connecting interface T 2  of different specifications. The first connecting interface T 1  and the second connecting interface T 2  are disposed at two opposite ends of the chip package  112  and are electrically connected with each other correspondingly, which can be converted and connected by a switching circuit in the chip package  112  (not shown here). In the present embodiment, the first connecting interface T 1  conforms to the connection standard of micro universal serial bus (Micro-USB) while the second connecting interface T 2  conforms to the connection standard of universal serial bus (USB). Nevertheless, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The designer may make any modification as appropriate according to the conditions of use of the storage device  100 . Further, although the terminals described in the present embodiment conform to the current USB2.0 standard, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. In another embodiment not illustrated here, the formed connecting interfaces may also be applicable to a connection terminal conforming to the USB3.0 standard. 
     In addition, the case  130  of the present embodiment is a non-electrical conductor, and a material of the case  130  is plastic, for example. The case  130  includes a first case body  132  and a second case body  134 , wherein the second case body  134  is pivoted to and held in the first case body  132 . The storage unit  110  is disposed in the second case body  134 , which allows the user to easily drive the second case body  134  and the first case body  132  to rotate with respect to each other around an axis C 1  for switching to a state that the first connecting interface T 1  or the second connecting interface T 2  serves to connect the storage device  100  to an external device (not shown). 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating a combination of the storage unit and the base of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 4  is a schematic exploded diagram of the storage unit and the base of  FIG. 3 . Referring to  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 4 , in the present embodiment, the base  120  is an electrical conductor. A material of the base  120  is metal, for example. After the storage unit  110  is assembled on the base  120 , this assembly is disposed to be accommodated in the second case body  134  of the case  130 , such that the electrically-conductive base  120  is in contact with and between the storage unit  110  and the non-electrically conductive second case body  134 . 
     The base  120  includes a plate body  122  and a pair of first locking portions  124  disposed opposite to each other, wherein each of the first locking portions  124  extends from the plate body  122  and is disposed upright at an edge E 1  of the plate body  122 . When the storage unit  110  is assembled to the base  120 , the chip package  112  is carried on the plate body  122 , and the first connecting interface T 1  is locked between the first locking portions  124 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . In terms of the structure, a root portion of the micro universal serial bus connector is locked between the first locking portions  124 . In other words, based on the above, the base  120  which serves as the conductor is electrically connected to the first connecting interface T 1 , and further electrically connected to the second connecting interface T 2  through the first connecting interface T 1 . However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. 
     Specifically, with reference to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the first connecting interface T 1  has a connecting portion T 1 A and a pair of ribs T 1 B. The ribs T 1 B are located at two opposite edges of the connecting portion T 1 A and are correspondingly locked to the first locking portions  124  respectively (due to the perspective, only one rib is illustrated in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 ), such that the connecting portion T 1 A is held between the first locking portions  124 . Further, the first locking portions  124  are a pair of bent elastic arms, and each of the bent elastic arms extends backward the first connecting interface T 1  that the first locking portions  124  abut. The first locking portions  124  form a pair of L-shaped profiles with recesses  124   a  facing each other. That is, take the first locking portion  124  on the right side of  FIG. 4  as an example, after extending from the plate body  122  in a positive Z-axis direction, the first locking portion  124  further extends in a negative Y-axis direction and in a negative X-axis direction (i.e. away from an extending direction of the first connecting interface T 1 ). When the storage unit  110  is assembled to the base  120 , the ribs T 1 B are correspondingly locked to the recesses  124   a  of the L-shaped profiles. 
     Moreover, the base  120  further includes a second locking portion  126  that extends from the plate body  122  and is disposed upright at another edge E 2  of the plate body  122 . The second locking portion  126  is opposite to the first locking portions  124  with the plate body  122  therebetween. Accordingly, when the storage unit  110  is assembled to the base  120 , the first locking portions  124  of the base  120  provide a holding force for holding the storage unit  110  in the Y axis, and furthermore, the first locking portions  124  and the second locking portion  126  provide a holding force for holding the storage unit  110  in the X axis, so as to easily combine and fix the storage unit  110  and the base  120  together. 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of the storage device of  FIG. 1  connected with the external device.  FIG. 6  is a schematic perspective diagram of the storage device and the external device of  FIG. 5 . Here, the aforementioned external device is an external connector  200 , for example. With reference to  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 6 , in the present embodiment, the second case body  134  of the case  130  is formed by assembling an upper case body B 1  and a lower case body B 2 . The second case body  134  further has a through hole  134   a  formed in the lower case body B 2 . The base  120  further includes a bump  128 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , which extends from the plate body  122  in a negative Z-axis direction to be fitted to the through hole  134   a  when the base  120  is assembled to the second case body  134 , so as to fix the components. In addition, the bump  128  is exposed outside the case  130  through the through hole  134   a . When the storage device  100  is electrically connected to the external connector  200  via the second connecting interface T 2 , an elastic arm  210  of the external connector  200  passes through the through hole  134   a  to be electrically connected to the bump  128 , which achieves an effect of grounding. 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic cross-sectional diagram illustrating a storage device connected with an external device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 7 , in a storage device  300  of the present embodiment, a second case body  334  of a case  330  is like the aforementioned second case body  134  and can be divided into an upper case body D 1  and a lower case body D 2  that are assembled to each other. The through hole  134   a  is still formed in the lower case body D 2 . A difference between the present embodiment and the previous embodiment is that: the second case body  334  of the storage device  300  further includes a through hole  134   b  formed in the upper case body D 1 , and correspondingly, the external connector  200  further has an elastic arm  230  to be locked to the through hole  134   b  when the storage device  300  and the external connector  200  are connected to each other, such that the storage device  300  is connected with and fixed to the external connector  200 . 
       FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram illustrating a combination of a storage unit and a base according to another embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 9  is a schematic exploded diagram of the storage unit and the base of  FIG. 8 . With reference to  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , since the case  130  and the storage unit  110  of the present embodiment are the same as those of the previous embodiment, detailed structure of the storage unit  110  and the relationship between the case  130 , the storage unit  110 , and the base  120  are not repeated hereinafter. 
     A difference between the present embodiment and the previous embodiment lies in that: in the present embodiment, the first locking portions  224  are a pair of bent elastic arms extending toward the first connecting interface T 1  that the first locking portions  224  abut. Because the first locking portions  224  are disposed in pair on the plate body, the first locking portion  224  on the right side of  FIG. 8  is taken as an example hereinafter. To be more specific, after extending from the edge E 1  of the plate body  122  in the positive Z-axis direction, the first locking portion  224  extends in the negative Y-axis direction and extends in the positive X-axis direction (i.e. toward the extending direction of the first connecting interface T 1 ). Accordingly, the pair of the first locking portions  224  forms a pair of L-shaped profiles with recesses  224   a  facing away from each other, such that the connecting portion T 1 A of the first connecting interface T 1  is held between the first locking portions  224  when the storage unit  110  is assembled on the base  220 . Moreover, each of the first locking portions  224  has an opening  224   b , which allows the rib T 1 B to pass through and be locked when the storage unit  110  is assembled to the base  220 . Thus, the base  220  fixes the storage unit  110  thereon with the first locking portions  224  to complete the assembly. 
     To conclude the above, in the above embodiments of the present invention, the storage device is provided with two connecting interfaces and the pivot structure of the case of the storage device allows the user to rotate to switch to the required connecting interface. In addition, the case of the storage device is formed of a non-electrical conductor. The storage unit and the base are disposed in the case, wherein the base is an electrical conductor and is electrically connected to one of the connecting interfaces of the storage unit. Specifically, the locking portions that extend from the plate body of the base serve as the structures for electrically connecting the base to the connecting interface of the storage unit, and the locking portions also serve as the structures for combining the base with the storage unit. Therefore, with the configuration of the case of the storage device and the base and the storage unit in the case, the electrical connection relationship between the base and the connecting interface is conducive to preventing damage of the electronic components due to electrostatic discharge. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the invention covers modifications and variations provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.