Modular assembly of memory module packages

[0001] The present invention relates to a decorative chain having portable semiconductor devices, especially, to a modular linking assembly having a plurality of semiconductor memory module packages.

[0002] A USB thumb drive with built-in memory devices is very popular nowadays. Almost everyone has at least one of them. As it is well known that the prices per unit memory capacity of thumb drives are dropping dramatically and the memory capacities can not be changed nor expanded when you purchase it. A USB slot, for example, only can accept one thumb drive. If you have several thumb drives, either you have to swap them or you have to buy a multiple-port USB unit. Furthermore, the dimension of the thumb drive is getting smaller and smaller. It can easily get lost.

[0003] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a modular linking assembly with electrical and mechanical connections between a plurality of memory module packages. The modular linking assembly has a flexible connector with both ends connecting to memory module packages. Therefore, the memory module packages can be connected as many as possible for being readable and writable for one USB slot without swapping between the memory module packages nor using multiple-port USB units. Moreover, the memory module packages can be connected into a decorative chain for personal carrying such as a necklace, a bracelet or an anklet.

[0004] According to the present invention, a modular linking assembly of memory module packages primarily comprises a plurality of memory module components and at least a flexible connector. Each memory module component includes a substrate, at least a memory chip, and an encapsulant where the substrate has an inner surface, an outer surface, a plurality of USB contact fingers and a plurality of expanding fingers where the USB contact fingers and the expanding fingers are formed on two opposing sides of the outer surface. The memory chip is disposed on the inner surface of the substrate and is electrically connected to the USB contact fingers. The encapsulant is formed on the inner surface of the substrate to encapsulate the memory chip. The flexible connector has a first casing, a second casing and a plastic elastomer flexibly connecting the first casing and the second casing. The first casing has a plurality of first connecting terminals and the second casing the second connecting terminals. The plastic elastomer has a plurality of conductive wiring electrically connecting the first connecting terminals with the second connecting terminals. The first casing is configured for mechanically connecting one end of a memory module component so that the first connecting terminals electrically contact the expanding fingers of the corresponding memory module component. The second casing is configured for mechanically connecting the other end of another memory module component so that the second connecting terminals electrically contact the USB contact fingers of the corresponding memory module component. Eventually, both memory module packages are electrically and flexibly connected to each other through the flexible connector. In another embodiment, at least a dummy component having no electrical transmission can be replaced with one of the memory module components.

[0011] Please refer to the attached drawings, the present invention will be described by means of embodiment(s) below.

[0012] According to the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, a modular linking assembly 10 of memory module packages mainly comprises a plurality of memory module components 100 and at least a flexible connector 200 where both ends of the flexible connector 100 can flexibly connect two memory module components 100 and the memory module components 200 can be electrically connected to each other as many as possible.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, each memory module component 100 comprises a substrate 110, at least a memory chip 120 and an encapsulant 130 where the substrate 110 has an inner surface 111 and an outer surface 112. Normally the substrate 110 is a doubt-sided printed circuit board where a plurality of USB contact fingers 113 and a plurality of expanding fingers 114 are formed on two sides of the outer surface 112. The USB contact fingers 113 can plug into any device with a USB slot having four terminals. The expanding fingers 114 are inversely configured and are electrically connected to the USB contact fingers 113 of another memory module component 100. Normally, the expanding fingers 114 and the USB contact fingers 113 may look the same.

[0014] The memory chip 120 is disposed on the inner surface 111 of the substrate 110 and is electrically connected to the USB contact fingers 113. In the present embodiment, the memory chip 120 is a flash memory which stored data will not be lost when there is no power. Moreover, the memory chip 120 is electrically connected to the substrate 110 by bonding wires. Passive components and/or controllers can be disposed on the inner surface 111 of the substrate 110.

[0015] The encapsulant 130 is formed on the inner surface 111 of the substrate 110 to encapsulate the memory chip 120. In the present embodiment, the encapsulant 130 can be formed by transfer molding so that the outline of the memory module component 100 can be very small such as a small brick.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the plastic connector 200 has a first casing 210, a second casing 220 and a plastic elastomer 230 mechanically and electrically connecting the first casing 210 to the second casing 220. The first casing 210 has a plurality of first connecting terminals 211 to electrically connect to the expanding fingers 114 of one of the memory module components 100. The second casing 220 has a plurality of second connecting terminals 221 to electrically connect to the USB contact fingers 113 of another memory module component 100. The plastic connector 200 further has a plurality of conductive wiring 231 passing through the plastic elastomer 230 to electrically connect the first connecting terminals 211 to the second connecting terminals 221. As shown in FIG. 1B, when the first casing 210 is mechanically connected to one end of memory module component 100 with the expanding fingers 114, the first terminals 211 electrically contact the expanding fingers 114. When the second casing 220 is mechanically connected to one end of another memory module component 100 with the USB contact fingers 113, the second connecting terminals 221 electrically contact the USB contact fingers 113. Accordingly, the two connected memory module components 100 by the plastic elastomer 230 are electrically connected to each other.

[0017] One of the applications of the memory module components 100 is shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 5A, by increasing the number of flexible connectors 200, more memory module components 100 can be electrically connected to one another. Moreover, by plugging the USB contact fingers 113 on one exposed side of the first memory module component 100 into a USB slot in a desktop computer or a notebook computer, the USB contact fingers 113 of the first memory module component 100 will be electrically connected to the terminals of the USB connector, then all the connected memory module components 100 can be shown on the operation system of a desktop computer or a notebook computer, then stored data in all the connected memory module components 100 can be read and written. As shown in FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B, the plastic elastomer 230 of the flexible connector 200 allow the connected memory module components 100 to be flexible between each other without causing the first memory module component under extra loadings to break.

[0018] The memory module components 100 can be mechanically connected to as many memory module components as possible by increase the quantity of the flexible connectors 200.

[0019] Another application of the memory module components 100 is shown in FIG. 6 where the number of the flexible connector 200 can be the same as the one of the memory module components 100. By the plastic elastomer 230, the modular linking assembly 10 can be linked as a decorative chain for personal carrying such as a necklace, a bracelet or an anklet. Both ends of the memory module components 100 are mechanically connected with the first casing 210 at one end and the second casing 220 at the other end by two flexible connectors 200. Preferably, the memory module components 100 are embedded inside two connecting flexible connectors 200 to have better protection. In another embodiment, at least one of the memory module components 100 can be replaced with a dummy component having no electrical transmission, where the dummy component has a dimension the same as the memory module component 100 such that two ends of the dummy component is mechanically connected by the flexible connectors 200.

[0020] The above description of embodiments of this invention is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Other embodiments of this invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art in view of the above disclosure.