Flash Memory Business Card with Slit USB Connector
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital business cards require a special card reader for accessing electronic information, and prior designs fail to maintain a standard business card form factor and thickness, leading to unreliable electrical connections.
Innovation Solution
A flash memory device with a non-volatile NAND memory and a slit creating an elastically bendable portion that connects directly to a standard USB socket, maintaining contact without a reader, ensuring compatibility with standard computing devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a special card reader is used to read electronic information on the business card, then the electronic information can be accessed, but the device complexity increases and requires additional hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The business card is designed with a USB connector that enables it to function with standard USB devices (computers, smartphones, tablets) rather than requiring a specialized card reader. This universal interface allows the same card to be read and written to on any standard USB device, eliminating the need for special hardware and reducing overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the card uses flexible material to double thickness for connector insertion, then the connector can be inserted into receptacle, but the electrical contact reliability deteriorates as the card bends and elevates from the connector part
Solution Approach 1:
The card is divided into distinct functional segments: a rigid housing portion that maintains structural integrity and electrical contact stability, and a flexible portion that enables insertion. The USB connector is integrated into the rigid housing, ensuring stable electrical contact during insertion while the flexible portion accommodates the mechanical insertion motion without compromising connector reliability.
3Shape
If the card maintains standard business card dimensions, then the form factor is preserved for compatibility with existing holders and scanners, but the device complexity increases to accommodate electronic components
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic components (USB connector, flash memory chip, circuit board) are nested within the card structure. The USB connector is embedded in the housing, the flash memory is integrated into the circuit board, and the entire assembly is contained within the standard business card dimensions. This nesting approach allows complex functionality to be packed into the familiar form factor without increasing external dimensions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables digital information on a business card to be accessed and updated directly through a standard USB connection, maintaining the card's standard size and thickness while ensuring reliable electrical contact.
Implementation Method 1
at least one slit is located within the housing to provide a somewhat elastically bendable portion within the housing
Data Source
AI summary
A flash memory device including a housing, having a form factor of a business card bearing printed information, a non-volatile memory within the housing, for storing digital information, and a connecting mechanism within the housing for a direct operational connection of the non-volatile memory to a host, such that the digital information stored in the non-volatile memory is accessible to the host via the connecting mechanism. At least one slit located within the housing provides a somewhat elastically bendable portion within the housing that includes the connecting mechanism. The scope of the invention also provides configuring the non-volatile memory to allow only an authorized party to access personal information stored in the non-volatile memory.