Patent ID: 7628622

Claim:
A portable universal serial bus (USB) storage device, comprising: a core unit having a USB plug connector coupled to one or more multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory devices and an MLC flash controller disposed therein, the MLC flash controller controlling the one or more MLC flash memory devices and the USB plug connector providing an interface for accessing the one or more MLC flash memory devices; a housing having a top housing and a bottom housing for enclosing the core unit, wherein the top housing and the bottom housing when attached together form a front end opening to allow the USB plug connector to be deployed external to the housing; and a core unit carrier for carrying the core unit to slide the USB plug connector in and out via the front end opening of the housing for deploying and retracting the core unit, wherein the core unit carrier includes a slide button disposed on a top surface of the core unit carrier, wherein the top housing further includes a slide button opening, which when the top housing and the bottom housing enclose the core unit carrier carrying the core unit, causes the slide button of the core unit carrier to be exposed external to the top housing via the slide button opening, wherein the exposed button allows a finger of a user to slide the USB plug connector of the core unit in and out of the housing via the front end opening of the housing, wherein when the slide button slides forwardly towards a front end of the housing, the USB plug connector of the core unit is in a deployed position, and wherein when the slide button slides backwardly towards a backend of the housing, the USB plug connector of the core unit is in retracted position by retracting the USB plug connector into the housing.