Patent ID: 7440286

Claim:
An extended Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) dual-personality card reader having a connector plug that is compatible with both a standard USB socket and an extended multiple pin USB socket having both four standard USB contacts and a plurality of dual-personality contacts, said card reader comprising: a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) including: a printed circuit board (PCB) having opposing first and second surfaces, a plurality of metal contacts disposed on the first surface of the PCB, the plurality of metal contacts including four standard USB contact pads and a plurality of extended purpose contact pads, a dual-personality communication integrated circuit (IC) mounted on the second surface, and a plurality of conductive traces formed on the PCB such that each conductive trace is electrically connected between at least one of said plurality of metal contacts and said a dual-personality communication IC; a plurality of first extended-use contact structures and a plurality of second extended-use contact structures disposed on the first surface of the PCB such that the first extended-use contact structures are disposed between the second extended-use contact structures and the standard USB contact pads, wherein each of said first and second extended-use contact structures is connected to a corresponding contact pad of said plurality of extended purpose contact pads; and an external housing mounted over the first surface of the PCB, wherein said standard USB contact pads and said plurality of first extended-purpose contact structures are disposed outside of said housing and form said connector plug arranged such that each of said standard USB contact pads is contacted by a corresponding standard USB contact of said extended multiple pin USB socket and each of said first extended-purpose contact structures is contacted by a corresponding dual-personality contact of said extended multiple pin USB socket when said connector plug is inserted into said extended multiple pin USB socket, and wherein said external housing includes a socket for detachably receiving a flash memory device such that each contact pad of the flash memory device contacts a corresponding one of said second extended-use contact structures, thereby enabling communication between said flash memory device and said dual-personality communication IC.