JP2000251021A - Pc card adapter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a miniaturized PC card adapter with which one part of an adapter or memory card is not considerably protruded outside in the case of use for a card slot. SOLUTION: Concerning the PC card adapter which can be inserted to a card slot 4A of electronic equipment in place of a PC card and can exchange information with the IC memory of a loaded memory card MC through a pin connector part 2A, this PC card adapter is provided with a main body 3A of adapter prepared so as to have width almost equal with the said PC card in the state of having the pin connector part 2A at the top end while forming a housing space for housing the memory card MC on the upper surface of a rear end side, plural contacts 6A for connecting the pin connector part 2A and the said IC memory while being located inside a housing space 5A so as to touch a contactor on the base of the memory card MC and a lid 8 supported by the main body 3A of adapter so as to be freely opened/closed with a hinge shaft 7 at the rear end of the main body 3A of adapter as a center for covering the upside of the memory card MC dropped into the housing space.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a PC card adapter used for a card slot for a PCMCIA card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a recent personal computer, a card slot is prepared for exchanging information with a standardized PCMCIA card (hereinafter, referred to as a PC card). For the purpose of using a memory card such as a smart card, a PC card adapter as shown in FIG. 6 has been developed.

[0003] This PC card adapter has a slot insertion portion A having the same thickness as that of a PC card and having a thickness equal to that of the PC card. At the end of the slot insertion portion A, a pin connector that can be connected to a pin connector in a card slot is provided. A part B is provided. At the rear end of the slot insertion portion A, an enlarged card mounting portion E forming a mounting groove D into which a memory card C containing an IC memory can be inserted is integrally formed.

In other words, a plurality of contacts G that can contact the contactor F of the memory card C are exposed inside the mounting groove D, and these contacts G are internally connected to the above-described pin connector portion B, Information is exchanged between the IC memory of the memory card C and the personal computer via the unit B.

[0005] However, such a conventional PC card adapter is used by mounting the memory card C in the mounting groove D and inserting the slot insertion portion A into the card slot. When the adapter is mounted, the card mounting portion E and the memory card C are located outside the card slot. That is, the card mounting portion E and the memory card C
Is in an overhang state, not only hindering the operation of other peripheral devices, but also has a problem that the memory card C is bent by an external force.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional PC card adapter, the object of the present invention is to use a part of the adapter or a memory card when using it in a card slot. An object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized PC card adapter which does not protrude.

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a pin connector which can be inserted into a card slot of an electronic device instead of a PC card, and transfers information to and from an IC memory of a mounted memory card. In the PC card adapter which can be carried out through the PC card, the width of the PC card is made substantially equal to that of the PC card with the pin connector portion at the front end, and a storage space for housing the memory card is formed on the upper surface on the rear end side. An adapter body, a plurality of contacts located in the storage space so as to be able to contact a contactor on a bottom surface of the memory card, and connecting between the pin connector portion and the IC memory; The adapter card is openable and closable about a hinge axis at a rear end of the adapter body so as to cover an upper part of the memory card. P and a supported lid in
It proposes a C card adapter.

In the following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, 1) the rear end side of the adapter main body and the lid are the PC
A memory card having a width substantially equal to a memory card having a width substantially equal to the card, and a storage space having a height substantially equal to a thickness of the memory card is formed between the rear end and the lid; 2 A plurality of elastic claws capable of elastically holding the memory card are integrally formed on a lower surface of the lid, and a protruding window through which the memory card held by the elastic claws can protrude is provided on the lid corresponding to the contact. 3) In a PC card adapter which can be inserted into a card slot of an electronic device instead of a PC card and can transmit and receive information to and from an IC memory of a mounted memory card via a pin connector portion. And a housing for accommodating the memory card which is made to have a width substantially equal to that of the PC card with the pin connector portion at the front end and which is inserted from the rear end surface. A structure comprising: an adapter having a space formed therein; and a plurality of contacts located in the storage space so as to be able to contact a contactor on a bottom surface of the memory card and connecting between the pin connector portion and the IC memory. 4) The rear end of the adapter has a width substantially equal to a memory card having a width substantially equal to the PC card, and the rear end has the storage space having a height substantially equal to the thickness of the memory card. At the same time, a flange larger than the width of the memory card is integrally formed at the rear end of the adapter,
A description will be given of a structure in which a cutout is formed in the flange so that the inserted memory card can be picked out.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 1 to 3 show a PC card adapter 1A according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The PC card adapter 1A in this embodiment has an adapter main body 3A which is resin-molded with a pin connector 2A at the tip. It has.

That is, the resin molded adapter body 3A has a width L1 substantially equal to the width of a PC card (not shown).
That is, the storage space is formed to have a width slightly smaller than the corresponding width L2 of the card slot 4A, but on the rear end side surface of the adapter body 3A, a memory card MC having a thickness sufficiently smaller than the thickness of the PC card can be stored. 5A are formed. A memory card M accommodated in the accommodation space 5A is provided substantially at the center of the rear end side surface of the adapter body 3A.
A plurality of contacts 6A that can resiliently contact the C contactor are located, and these contacts 6A are electrically connected to corresponding contacts of the pin connector portion 2A.

A hinge shaft 7 extending in the width direction of the adapter body 3A is supported at the rear end of the adapter body 3A. The hinge shaft 7 is resin-molded into a plate having the same width as the adapter body 3A. The lid 8 is attached so as to be openable and closable. A locking claw 10 that falls into the recess 9 of the adapter main body 3A is integrally formed at the tip of the lid 8 that can cover the storage space 5A, and the engagement between the locking claw 10 and the recess 9 is performed. As a result, the lid 8 is kept closed.

On the lower surface of the lid 8, a plurality of small elastic claws 11A, 11B, 11C, 1 substantially located at four corners thereof are provided.
1D are integrally formed, and these elastic claws 11A, 11B,
The memory card MC can be elastically held by 11C and 11D. A protruding window 12 is formed on the surface of the lid 8 so as to substantially coincide with the contact 6A. A fingertip is inserted into the protruding window 12 and elastic claws 11A, 11B, 11C,
The memory card MC held in 11D can be protruded.

[0013] PC card adapter 1 according to the first embodiment
A has the above-described structure. As shown in FIG. 3, the lid 8 is opened about the hinge shaft 7 and the elastic claw 1 is opened.
Memory card M for 1A, 11B, 11C, 11D
When C is held elastically and the lid 8 is closed, the storage state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is obtained. In this case, if the memory card MC is mounted on the lid 8 in an inverted state, the contactor of the memory card MC can be seen through the window 12 with the lid 8 closed, so that it is immediately known that the memory card MC is incorrectly mounted. Can be.

Therefore, after the lid 8 is closed, the front end of the adapter body 3A is inserted into the card slot 4A first.
By inserting the C card adapter 1A, processing of data stored in the IC memory of the memory card MC can be performed. However, when the PC card adapter 1A is in use, as shown in FIG. Since only a part of 1A is protruded from the card slot 4A, the memory card MC is not bent by an external force or obstructs the keyboard. Of course, in order to remove the used memory card MC from the PC card adapter 1A, the lid 8 is slightly opened with respect to the adapter body 3A around the hinge shaft 7, and the fingertip is applied to the protruding window 12 to lower the memory card MC downward. If you press it on the elastic nails 11A, 1 easily
The memory card MC comes off from 1B, 11C and 11D.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a PC card adapter 1B according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The PC card adapter 1B is composed of an adapter 3B which is injection-molded as a unit with an electrically insulating resin. . That is, the adapter 3B having a width L3 substantially equal to the width of the memory card MC to be used has a pin connector portion 2B which can be connected to a pin connector inside the card slot 4B at the front end thereof. However, a storage space 5B for accommodating the memory card MC is formed at the rear end side of the adapter 3B. In the storage space 5B, a plurality of contacts 6B capable of contacting a contactor of the memory card MC are provided.
These contacts 6B are electrically connected to the corresponding contacts of the pin connector portion 2B as in the case of the first embodiment.

At the right rear end of the adapter 3B, a flange 3a having an outer width larger than that of the memory card MC is integrally formed.
B, and a slot 13 is formed.
3, the memory card MC can be inserted into the storage space 5B. Further, a semi-circular notch 14 is formed at the center of the flange 3a, and the memory card MC exposed at the semi-circular notch 14 can be picked up and the memory card MC can be taken out of the adapter 3B. Although not shown, if a protrusion window 12 similar to that of the first embodiment is formed on the front wall of the adapter 3B on the side opposite to the contact 6B, the memory card loaded in an incorrect state is formed. MC can be checked visually.

PC Card Adapter 1 According to Second Embodiment
B has the structure described above, so that the memory card MC
From the slot 13 of the flange 3a to the adapter 3B
5, the memory card MC is completely accommodated inside the adapter 3B, and a state is obtained in which the contact 6B elastically contacts the contactor of the memory card MC as shown in FIG. Therefore, information of the IC memory of the memory card MC can be exchanged only by holding the adapter 3B by hand and inserting the end of the adapter 3B into the card slot 4B. However, as shown in FIG.
When the adapter 3B is attached to the memory card M,
C is almost completely accommodated in the adapter 3B, and only a part of the adapter 3B is exposed outside the card slot 4B. The adapter 3B protruding from the slot 4B does not hinder keyboard operation or the like.

[0018]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the memory card to be used is almost completely housed inside the PC card adapter, so that the memory card is not easily applied by the external force applied. Since the memory card is less likely to be damaged, and when the PC card adapter is attached to the card slot, only a part of the PC card adapter protrudes slightly outside the card slot, the loaded PC The card adapter does not obstruct the keyboard operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view of a PC card adapter according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the PC card adapter taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the PC card adapter with a lid opened.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of a PC card adapter according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the PC card adapter taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a conventional PC card adapter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1A, 1B PC Card Adapter 2A, 2B Pin Connector 3A Adapter Body 3a Flange 3B Adapter 4A, 4B Card Slot 5A, 5B Storage Space 6A, 6B Contact 7 Hinge Shaft 8 Lid 11A to 11D Elastic Claw 12 Projection Window 13 Slot 14 Semicircle notch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A PC card adapter that can be inserted into a card slot of an electronic device instead of a PC card and can transmit and receive information to and from an IC memory of a mounted memory card via a pin connector. The adapter body, which has a width substantially equal to that of the PC card in the state where it is held at the front end and has a storage space for housing the memory card on the upper surface on the rear end side, and a contactor on the bottom surface of the memory card. A plurality of contacts located in the storage space for connecting between the pin connector portion and the IC memory, and the adapter so as to cover an upper part of the memory card dropped into the storage space. And a lid supported on the adapter body so as to be openable and closable about a hinge shaft at a rear end of the body. Card adapter. 2. The rear end of the adapter main body and the lid are formed to have a width substantially equal to a memory card having a width substantially equal to the PC card, and the memory card is provided between the rear end and the lid. 2. The PC card adapter according to claim 1, wherein the storage space having a height substantially equal to the thickness of the PC card adapter is formed. 3. A plurality of elastic claws capable of elastically holding the memory card are integrally formed on a lower surface of the lid, and a projecting window through which the memory card held by the elastic claws can be protruded is formed on the contact. The PC card adapter according to claim 1, wherein the PC card adapter is formed substantially at the center of the corresponding lid. 4. A PC card adapter which can be inserted into a card slot of an electronic device instead of a PC card and can transmit and receive information to and from an IC memory of a mounted memory card via a pin connector. An adapter having a storage space for accommodating the memory card inserted into the adapter from the rear end surface and having a width substantially equal to that of the PC card in a state of being held at the front end, and a contactor on the bottom surface of the memory card can be contacted. A plurality of contacts that are located in the storage space and connect between the pin connector and the IC memory. 5. The rear end of the adapter has a width substantially equal to a memory card having a width substantially equal to the PC card, and the rear end has a height substantially equal to a thickness of the memory card. A space is formed, a flange larger than the width of the memory card is integrally formed at the rear end of the adapter, and a cutout is formed in the flange so that the inserted memory card can be picked out. The PC card adapter according to claim 4, wherein