JP2003157416A - Memory card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a memory card having writable/unwritable setting means easy for setting operation, and can design the body of the memory card in a compact and thin design. SOLUTION: A memory card has a memory card body having a semiconductor memory 10 in which at least the storage content is rewritable, and a terminal 9 which is integrally formed with the memory card and electrically-connected to equipment, and also has a writable/unwritable setting piece 4 at a cut-out portion 3 formed at the side portion of the memory card body. The memory card body is designed in a laminate structure having an upper body 1 and a lower body 2, and at least one of the bodies is equipped with an elastic guide 6 formed inside the cut-out portion 3. The writable/unwritable setting piece 4 is freely slidably engaged with the elastic guide 6, and pinched between the upper and lower bodies 1, 2. A part of the writable/unwritable setting piece 4 is selectively disposed so as to and face the cut-out portion 3 of the memory card body cover a part of the cut-out portion.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a memory card equipped with a write enable / disable setting means for preventing accidental deletion or rewriting of stored contents.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a memory card writable / unwritable setting means using a reflection sheet, a switch, or a setter that is largely exposed from a main body.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a conventional memory card provided with a write enable / disable setting means using a reflection sheet.
In FIG. 12, 31 is a memory card body, 32 is a terminal integrally provided on the memory card body 31, and 33 is a reflection sheet.

Inside the memory card main body 31, a semiconductor memory (not shown) whose contents can be rewritten is provided, and a device (not shown) electrically connected to the semiconductor memory via a terminal 32. The stored contents are read and rewritten from. In this example, the reflection sheet 33 is used as the write enable / disable setting means. Whether or not writing is possible is set by attaching or peeling off the reflection sheet 33 at a predetermined position of the memory card main body 31. In the device, the setting is detected by detecting the reflection state at a predetermined position of the memory card body 31 with a photo coupler or the like.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a conventional memory card provided with a write enable / disable setting means by a switch. In FIG. 13, 41 is a memory card main body, 42 is a terminal integrally provided in the memory card main body 41, and 43 is a switch.

Inside the memory card main body 41, a rewritable semiconductor memory (not shown) is provided, and a device (not shown) electrically connected to the semiconductor memory via a terminal 42. The stored contents are read and rewritten from. In this example, the switch 43 is used as the write enable / disable setting means. Switch 4 is available for writing
It is set by switching 3 and the setting is electrically detected in the device through the terminal 42.

[0007]

In such a memory card, the memory card body is made smaller and thinner,
Simultaneous simplification of the write enable / disable setting operation is required.

The conventional memory card provided with the write enable / disable setting means using the reflection sheet does not have a mechanical structure for the write enable / disable setting means. Therefore, it is effective for making the memory card body smaller and thinner. However, since the writability is set by attaching and peeling the reflection sheet, the writability setting operation is inconvenient.

Further, in the conventional memory card provided with the write enable / disable setting means by the switch, write enable / disable is set by switching the switch, so that the write enable / disable setting operation is simple. However, since the switch is built in the memory card body, there is a limit to the size and thickness reduction of the memory card body.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a memory card having a writable / unwritable setting means which allows easy setting operation and enables the memory card body to be made smaller and thinner.

[0011]

In order to solve this problem, the memory card of the present invention has at least a semiconductor memory capable of rewriting the recorded contents and integrally has a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and a device. A memory card body provided with a memory card body, and a memory card body having a write enable / disable setting element in a notch formed in a side portion of the memory card body, wherein the memory card body includes an upper body and a lower body. At least one of the superposed structures is provided with an elastic guide formed inside the cutout portion, and the write enable / disable setter is slidably fitted to the elastic guide and the upper and lower main bodies. Between the elastic guide of the memory card main body and the write enable / disable setting element, and a portion of the memory card main body is sandwiched between the elastic guide of the memory card main body and the write enable / disable setting element. Is provided with an engaging portion for locking the sliding position of the write enable / disable setting element with respect to the elastic guide, and by selecting the position where the notch is covered by the sliding of the write enable / disable setting element, the memory It is possible to set whether or not data can be written to the card.

With this, while keeping the thin shape of the card without having any protrusions from the side portion, the write enable / disable can be changed by simply changing the notch portion by simply sliding the write enable / disable setting element. Can be set, and moreover, the writable / unwritable set can be securely held in the memory card body. Further, by providing the notch portion and the write enable / disable setting element on the side portion of the memory card body, it is possible to increase the ratio of the effective area in which the semiconductor memory or the like can be incorporated, and to reduce the size of the entire memory card.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention has at least a semiconductor memory capable of rewriting recorded contents and integrally provided with a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and a device. A memory card main body and a memory card provided with a write enable / disable setting element in a notch formed in a side portion of the memory card main body, wherein the memory card main body comprises:
An upper main body and a lower main body are stacked on each other, and at least one of the main bodies is provided with an elastic guide formed inside the cutout portion, and the write enable / disable setter is slidably fitted on the elastic guide. And the elastic guide of the memory card body, which is sandwiched between the upper and lower bodies and is arranged so that a part thereof faces the notch portion of the memory card body and covers a part of the notch portion. Between the write enable / disable setting
By providing an engaging portion for locking the sliding position of the write enable / disable setting element with respect to the elastic guide and selecting a position for covering the notch by sliding of the write enable / disable setting element, The writability of the data can be set, and only the simple operation of sliding the writable / unwritable setting element while maintaining the thin shape of the card without having any protrusions from the side part. The write enable / disable setting can be set by changing the cutout portion, and the write enable / disable setting element can be securely held in the memory card body. Further, by providing the notch portion and the write enable / disable setting element on the side portion of the memory card body, it is possible to increase the ratio of the effective area in which the semiconductor memory or the like can be incorporated, and to reduce the size of the entire memory card. Have an effect.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the first aspect, the engaging portion has a convex portion formed substantially at the center of the elastic guide in the sliding direction of the write enable / disable setting element. The writable / unwritable setting element is configured to go over this convex portion and be locked to both sides of the elastic guide to select the position covering the notch of the writable / not writable setting element. Since the setter can be configured without affecting the size of the main body of the memory card, the entire memory card can be made smaller and thinner.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the first aspect, the engaging portion forms a first engaging portion composed of a convex portion or a concave portion on the elastic guide, and writing is permitted. The elastic guide-corresponding surface of the setter is provided with a second concave or convex portion.
Of the write enable / disable setting element to form the engaging portion of
The second engagement portion is locked to the engagement portion of, so as to select the position that covers the notch of the write enable / disable setting element. This has the effect of giving the structure a degree of freedom in operation.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the first aspect, the elastic guide formed on the memory card main body has a slit formed inside a notch of at least one main body, The embeddability setting element is configured to be fitted in the slit, which makes it easier to apply an elastic force as an elastic guide.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the fourth aspect, the writable / not writable set covers the notch portion to perform writable / writable setting and serves as a manual switching knob. The write enable / disable setter includes an operating portion, a retaining portion fitted into the slit, and a sliding contact portion that connects the operating portion and the retaining portion and is in contact with an elastic guide to slide. A structure in which one body having a slit is fitted and the upper surface is covered by the other body, and the sliding contact portion is slidably held between the elastic guide and the other body. With this, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the write enable / disable setter from coming off with a simple configuration.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the fourth aspect, the memory card main body has a concave groove formed in the other main body at a position facing a slit formed in the one main body, The writable / unwritable setter is configured to be fitted in the slit and the concave groove, thereby more reliably preventing the writable / writable settler from falling off, and the writable / writable settler to be used in the memory card. It has an effect that it can be easily fitted to the main body and can be stably slid.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the fourth aspect, the main surface of the memory card in which the slits are formed is a label sticking region that covers the slits. Thus, there is an effect that the label can be attached to the main body of the memory card and the writing can be performed without impairing the slidability of the write enable / disable setter.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the first aspect, the elastic guide formed in the memory card body has a groove formed inside a notch of at least one of the body, The writable / unwritable setting element is configured to be fitted in the above-mentioned groove so that the memory card body can be made thin and elastic without impairing the design of the surface of the memory card body. It has the effect of being able to.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the first aspect, the elastic guides formed in the memory card main body are formed with concave grooves inside the notches of the upper and lower main bodies, respectively. The embeddability setting element is configured to be fitted in the both concave grooves of the upper and lower main bodies, and by this,
Without damaging the design of the surface of the memory card body,
It has an effect that the memory card body can be made thin to give elasticity more reliably.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory card main body having at least a semiconductor memory capable of rewriting recorded contents and integrally provided with a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and a device, and the memory card body. A memory card having a write enable / disable setting element in a notch formed in a side portion of a card body, wherein the memory card body has a structure in which an upper body and a lower body are superposed on each other, and at least one of the bodies is provided. Is provided with an elastic guide formed inside the notch, and a switch is provided inside the notch. The write enable / disable setter is slidably fitted to the elastic guide, and the upper and lower bodies are separated from each other. And an operating portion for operating the operating portion of the switch, which is disposed so as to partially face the cutout portion of the memory card body and cover the cutout portion. An engaging portion is provided between the elastic guide of the memory card main body and the writable / unwritable setting element for locking the sliding position of the writable / unwritable setting element with respect to the elastic guide. By selecting the position that covers the cutout portion by the movement, the memory card body is electrically switched, and whether or not data can be written to the memory card can be set. This has the effect that the permission / prohibition can be set.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a memory card main body having at least a semiconductor memory capable of rewriting recorded contents and integrally provided with a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and a device, and this memory. A memory card having a write enable / disable setting element in a notch formed in a side portion of a card body, wherein the memory card body has a structure in which an upper body and a lower body are superposed on each other, and at least one of the bodies is provided. Is provided with an elastic guide formed inside the notch, and a contact is provided inside the memory card main body, and the writable / incapable setter is slidably fitted to the elastic guide. A contact piece that is sandwiched between the upper and lower bodies and that contacts the contact is provided on the write enable / disable setting element at a position corresponding to the contact, and a part of the contact piece faces the notch of the memory card body. Between the elastic guide of the memory card body and the write enable / disable setting element for locking the sliding position of the write enable / disable setting element with respect to the elastic guide. By setting the joint part and selecting the position that covers the notch by sliding the writable / not writable setter, the memory card body is electrically switched and the writable / unwritable of data to the memory card is set. By configuring as possible, there is an effect that the write enable / disable setter can be provided with the function of the switch component and easily configured.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the eleventh aspect, the contact point is formed on a printed circuit board on which a semiconductor memory provided inside the memory card body is mounted. This has the effect of enabling a configuration that does not require.

The invention described in claim 13 is the same as claim 11,
12. The memory card according to 12, wherein the elastic force of the elastic guide acts on the write enable / disable set in the contact direction at the position where the contact piece of the write enable / disable set contacts the contact. Thus, there is an effect that the contact piece is surely brought into contact with the contact portion.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the memory card according to the first aspect, the memory card main body has a slide hole formed by the upper and lower main bodies inside the notch, and at least the inside of the slide hole is formed. A groove is formed on one of the main bodies, and this groove is used as an elastic guide, and the write enable / disable setter has a fitting portion that is inserted into the sliding hole and fitted therein, and the fitting portion is a maximum width portion. Is formed to have a size larger than the width of the sliding hole so as to fit in the groove formed in the main body, and the memory card main body has the engaging portion formed in the groove. The memory card body is elastically deformed so that the writable / unwritable setting element is positioned when it slides. Can be fitted while elastically deforming the main body, and also the upper and lower body At the time of joining, there is an effect that the write enable / disable setters can be overlapped without worrying about the fitting state of the write enable / disable setters and the write enable / disable setters are not accidentally fixed by welding at the time of joining. .

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the fourteenth aspect, the writability setting element is formed such that the width of the tip of the fitting portion is smaller than the width of the sliding hole. The writable / not-writable setting element has an inclined surface that is inclined toward the maximum width portion of the fitting portion, and when the fitting portion is fitted into the sliding hole, the inclined surface of the fitting portion is formed. By forcibly inserting into the sliding hole, the sliding hole is expanded and fitted into the memory card main body, so the upper and lower main bodies are expanded and fitted while being elastically deformed. Even if there is a dimensional variation, it is possible to easily fit them.

(First Embodiment) The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
The form will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of the assembled state of the memory card according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the lower body in a cutaway state, and FIG. 3 is a partially disassembled state. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of the upper main body cut away, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of a write enable / disable setter, and FIG. It is a setting detection explanatory drawing of a permission / inhibition setter.

1 to 5, reference numeral 1 is a memory card upper main body, 2 is a memory card lower main body, and the upper and lower main bodies 1 and 2 are stacked to form a memory card main body. Reference numeral 3 denotes a cutout portion provided on a side portion of the memory card upper main body 1. The planer shape of the memory card upper main body 1 has a rectangular recess, and the write enable / disable setter 4 is slidable in the cutout portion 3. It is arranged in. That is, the elastic guide 6 formed by the slit 5 is provided in the upper main body 1 of the memory card inside the cutout 3, and the lower main body 2 of the memory card at a position facing the slit 5 is provided with the groove 7, Groove 7
The write enable / disable setter 4 is slidably fitted to the elastic guide 6, and the write enable / disable setter 4 is sandwiched between the upper and lower memory card main bodies 1 and 2. The write enable / disable setting part 4 is arranged so that a part thereof faces the cutout part 3 of the memory card upper body 1 and covers a part of the cutout part 3, and the sliding position covers the cutout part 3. Is to be selected.

The writable / unwritable setter 4 covers the notch 3 to set writable / not writable, and an operating part 4a serving as a manual switching knob, and a retaining part 4b fitted in the slit 5 and the groove 7. And a sliding contact portion 4c which connects the operation portion 4a and the retaining portion 4b and is in contact with the elastic guide 6 to slide.
And form. The write enable / disable setter 4 is fitted to the memory card upper main body 1 having the slit 5 and covered with the memory card lower main body 2 having the groove 7 so that the retaining portion 4b has the slit 5 and the groove. 7 and the sliding contact portion 4c is slidably held and sandwiched between the elastic guide 6 and the memory card lower main body 2.

The elastic guide 6 provided on the main body 1 of the memory card is formed with an engaging portion consisting of a convex portion 6a at substantially the center thereof, and the convex portion 6a is a sliding contact portion of the write enable / disable setter 4. Four
The position of covering the cutout portion 3 of the write enable / disable setter 4 is selected by c being overridden and locked on both sides of the elastic guide 6. That is, the main body 1 on the memory card
An engaging portion is provided between the elastic guide 6 and the writable / unwritable setting element 4 for locking the sliding position of the writable / unwritable setting element 4 with respect to the elastic guide 6. This allows
A click feeling in sliding of the write enable / disable setting element 4 and locking of the write enable / disable setting are possible at the same time, and the click feeling can be adjusted by changing the amount of protrusion of the protrusion 6a. Here, the engaging portion formed of the convex portion 6a forms the first engaging portion formed of a convex portion or a concave portion on the elastic guide 6, and corresponds to the elastic guide 6 in the sliding contact portion 4c of the write enable / disable setter 4. A second engaging portion formed of a concave portion or a convex portion is formed on the surface, and the second engaging portion is locked to the first engaging portion by sliding of the write enable / disable setting element 4. It may be configured to. Further, the respective shapes are not limited to this as long as they can be engaged and disengaged.

The memory card main body is integrally provided with a terminal 9 for electrically connecting to a device in a slit 8 portion formed on the lower side of the memory card main body 2, and the contents are rewritten in the inside thereof. It has a substrate 11 on which a possible semiconductor memory 10 is mounted. In the semiconductor memory 10, the stored contents are read and rewritten from a device (not shown) electrically connected through the terminal 9. Here, for rewriting, a write enable / disable setting means described later is provided to prevent accidental deletion or overwriting of stored contents.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a label sticking area, which is formed in a concave shape on the surface of the main body 1 of the memory card. As shown in FIG. 5, a predetermined display item of the memory card is printed on the label sticking area 12. The label 12a is attached. Here, the stopper portion 4b of the write enable / disable setter 4 is
By forming the slits 5 so as not to project slightly from the edges, the label 12a is prevented from peeling off, and the concave groove 7 of the memory card lower main body 2 is formed into a groove shape instead of a slit shape. By sticking the label 12a, the guide property is not impaired, the unevenness of the visible portion is eliminated, and the appearance is not impaired.

The operation of the memory card configured as described above will be described below.

In order to hold the write enable / disable setter 4 between the upper and lower bodies of the memory card, the upper and lower body 1 of the memory card and the lower body 2 of the memory card are held together with the substrate 11 on which the semiconductor memory 10 is mounted. . Here, the writability setter 4
Is sandwiched in a predetermined position between the upper and lower memory card main bodies 1 and 2 by being guided by the slit 5, the elastic guide 6, and the concave groove 7, and the memory card upper body 1 and the memory other than the cutout portion 3 are held. The outer periphery of the lower card body 2 is welded or adhered.

In this way, the writable / unwritable setter 4 held between the upper and lower memory card main bodies 1 and 2 has the operation section 4 thereof.
a covers a part of the cutout 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the covered portion is about half of either the left or right of the cutout portion 3.
In (a), the left side is covered, and the covered portion is substantially integrated with the outer shape of the memory card upper body 1. About half of the right side that is not covered is a rectangular recess in the plane shape of the memory card body. By sliding the writable / unwritable setter 4 to the right, the sliding contact portion 4c of the writable / unwritable setter 4 gets over the convex portion 6a on the elastic guide 6, and the covered portion is shown in FIG. 6B. As described above, the elastic guide 6 is locked on the right side, but when the user rides over the elastic guide 6, the elastic guide 6 is bent. By selecting the position where the notch 3 is covered by the sliding of the write enable / disable setter 4, the write enable / disable of data to the memory card is set.

To set whether or not data can be written into the memory card, the write enable / disable setter 4 is pressed by pressing the operating portion 4a with fingers.
By sliding to the right and left. At this time, the writable / unwritable setter 4 can be slid with an appropriate click feeling by engaging and disengaging the elastic guide 6 by the convex portion 6a, and at the same time, write inadvertently. The propriety setting element 4 is prevented from sliding. Further, the rectangular recess not covered by the write enable / disable setting element 4 of the cutout portion 3 also has an indicator function, and the setting state of write enable / disable of data can be clearly visually recognized. Further, here, the step portions 4 are provided at both corners of the operation portion 4a of the write enable / disable setting unit 4.
d is provided and a minute recess is formed between the notch 3 and the side edge of the memory card upper body 1 so that the fingers or nails can be easily locked.

Next, a method in which the device to which the memory card is inserted and connected detects the write enable / disable setting of the memory card will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 7 (a), 22 is a device into which the memory card of this embodiment is inserted and connected, and 21 is a device 2
2 is a detection switch provided with a detection unit 23 and a contact 24. Here, the writable / unwritable setter 4 covers the left side of the cutout portion 3 as in FIG. 6A, and the state in which the writable / writable settler 4 is located on the left is writable. Suppose it is a setting. In this writable setting, since the writable / unwritable setting element 4 covers the left side of the cutout portion 3, the detection portion 23 of the detection switch 21 is lifted up and the contact 24 is closed. By detecting the closing of the contact 24, the device 22 can recognize that the memory card is writable.

On the other hand, the state in which the write enable / disable setter 4 shown in FIG. 7B is located on the right is the write disable setting. In this write-disable setting, the left side of the cutout 3 is not covered with the write enable / disable setter 4, so that the detection unit 23 of the detection switch 21 is not lifted up and the contact 24 is opened. By detecting the opening of the contact 24, the device 22 can recognize that the memory card is not writable.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a switch built-in memory card according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the substrate 1 inside the memory card
The switch 13 is mounted on the switch 1, and the operating portion 13a of the switch 13 is configured to protrude toward the write enable / disable setter 4 side. On the other hand, the write enable / disable setter 4 is provided with an operating portion 4e, and the operating portion 4e is arranged so as to be engageable with the operating portion 13a of the switch 13. For this purpose, a space 14 for sliding or moving the operating portion 4e and the operating portion 13a is provided between the memory card upper body 1 and the memory card lower body 2. With such a configuration, it is possible to electrically switch the inside of the memory card main body at the same time as the writing is permitted by sliding the writing permission / prohibition setter 4.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows a sectional view of a memory card with a built-in contact portion according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

The basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the substrate 1 inside the memory card
1 is provided with a contact 15 and the write enable / disable setter 4 is provided with a contact piece holder 4f and a contact piece 4g, and a contact piece holder 4f is provided between the memory card upper body 1 and the memory card lower body 2. And by providing the sliding space 16 of the contact piece 4g, at the same time as the write enable / disable by the sliding of the write enable / disable setter 4,
It is possible to switch electrically.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a portion of the memory card according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, which is provided with the write enable / disable setting unit 4.

The basic structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment,
In place of the slit 5 formed in the memory card upper main body 1 in the first embodiment, a concave groove 17 is formed in that portion. The concave groove 17 and the concave groove 7 formed in the memory card lower main body 2 are The writable / unwritable setting element 4 is adapted to be fitted with the retaining portion 4b.

In each of the embodiments described above, the size of the slit 5, the depth of the concave groove 7 or 17, the thickness of the elastic guide 6, the height of the convex portion 6a, etc., are determined by the upper and lower body 1 of the memory card. 2 and the material of the material such as the synthetic resin forming the write enable / disable setter 4, the elastic strength during sliding,
It can be appropriately set according to the settings such as the click feeling.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 shows a sectional view of a portion including a write enable / disable setting element of a memory card according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

The memory card main bodies 1 and 2 have sliding holes 18 formed inside the notch 3 by the upper and lower main bodies 1 and 2, and the grooves 19 are formed in the memory card main bodies 1 and 2 inside the sliding holes 18. 20 are formed, and the grooves 19 and 20 are used as elastic guides by utilizing elastic deformation of the main bodies 1 and 2 in the vicinity thereof. The memory card main bodies 1 and 2 have a superposed structure in which both main bodies are integrally joined in advance in a state shown in the drawing by ultrasonic welding or the like, and therefore the inside of the notch 3 is opened in the side direction. Of the sliding holes 18 are formed. Reference numeral 21 is an engaging portion formed in the groove 20, and is configured to perform positioning when the write enable / disable setter 4 described later is slid.

Here, the write enable / disable setter 4 has a fitting portion 4h which is inserted into and fitted into the sliding hole 18 formed in the memory card bodies 1 and 2, and the fitting portion 4h is slidable. The width D2 of the maximum width portion 4j is formed larger than the width D1 of the moving hole 18, and the width D3 of the tip portion 4k is formed smaller than the width D1. 4h is the tip 4
An inclined surface 4m that is inclined from k toward the maximum width portion 4j is formed.

The write enable / disable setter 4 thus formed is
As shown in FIG. 11, the memory card body 1 made of an elastic material is forcibly inserted into the sliding hole 18 in the direction of the arrow so that the inclined surface 4m of the fitting portion 4h causes the insertion of the memory card body 1 made of an elastic material. , 2 are pushed in the vicinity of the sliding holes 18 and inserted while elastically deforming, and the fitting portions 4h are fitted into the grooves 19 and 20 (the writable / unwritable setter 4'in the fitted state is indicated by a broken line). Shown). After the fitting, the memory card bodies 1 and 2 are elastically deformed by the engaging portion 21 formed in the groove 20 to position the write enable / disable setter 4 as in the above-described embodiment. Will be possible.

As described above, in this embodiment, the write enable / disable setting element 4 can be fitted while being elastically deformed by simply inserting and fitting it in the sliding hole 18. Further, when the upper and lower bodies 1 and 2 are joined together, the writing enable / disable setter 4 is erroneously fixed by welding or the like without worrying about the fitted state of the writing enable / disable setter 4. Without overlapping, they can be integrated by superimposing them. Further, the writable / unwritable setter 4 is configured such that the slidable surface 4m spreads the sliding hole 18 to fit into the memory card body at the time of insertion.
Since the two are pushed apart and elastically deformed while they are fitted, they can be fitted easily even if there are some dimensional variations.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, the writable / unwritable set is slidably fitted in the notch provided in the side portion of the memory card body, and the writable / unwritable set is slid. By setting the write enable / disable setting by selecting the position that covers the notch with, you can simply slide the write enable / disable setting while keeping the thin shape as a card without any protrusions from the side part. The writability can be set by changing the notch only by a simple operation to move, and the writability set can be securely held in the memory card body. Further, by providing the notch portion and the write enable / disable setting element on the side portion of the memory card body, it is possible to increase the ratio of the effective area in which the semiconductor memory or the like can be incorporated, and to reduce the size of the entire memory card.

Further, it is possible to provide a switch for setting write permission / prohibition, a contact portion, etc. in the memory card main body by a simple change in shape, and there is a degree of freedom in the configuration of the entire memory card. Further, by providing the notch portion and the write enable / disable setting element on the side portion of the memory card main body, the ratio of the effective area in which the semiconductor memory and the like can be incorporated can be increased, and the entire memory card can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of an assembled state of a memory card according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the lower body in a cutaway manner.

FIG. 3 is a top side perspective view of the same part in a disassembled state.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the same main body with a part thereof broken away.

5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram of the write enable / disable setter.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of setting detection of the same write enable / disable setter.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a memory card according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a memory card according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a memory card according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a memory card according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a conventional memory card provided with a write enable / disable setting unit using a reflection sheet.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a conventional memory card provided with a write enable / disable setting unit using a switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Memory card main body 2 Memory card lower body 3 notches 4 Write enable / disable setter 4a operation part 4h fitting part 4m slope 5 slits 6 Elasticity guide 6a Envelope for engagement 7,17 concave groove 9 terminals 10 Semiconductor memory 11 board 12 Labeling area side 13 switch 15 contacts 18 Sliding hole 19,20 groove 21 Engagement part

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Noriaki Furuta             1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric             Sangyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takahiro Sakamoto             1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric             Sangyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masayoshi Yano             1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric             Sangyo Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5B017 AA02 BB03 CA14                 5B035 AA13 BA03 BB09 CA38

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A memory card body having at least a semiconductor memory capable of rewriting recorded contents and integrally provided with a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and a device, and formed on a side portion of the memory card body. A memory card having a write enable / disable setting element in the cutout, wherein the memory card main body has a structure in which an upper main body and a lower main body are superposed on each other, and at least one main body is formed inside the cutout. The write enable / disable setting element is slidably fitted to the elastic guide and is sandwiched between the upper and lower bodies, and a part of the notch section of the memory card body is provided. Is arranged so as to cover a part of the notch portion facing the above, and the sliding position of the write enable / disable set element with respect to the elastic guide is locked between the elastic guide of the memory card body and the write enable / disable setting element. Do A memory which is capable of setting whether or not data can be written to the memory card by providing an engaging portion for selecting the position at which the notch is covered by sliding the writable / not writable setter. card. 2. The engagement portion has a convex portion formed substantially in the center of the elastic guide in the sliding direction of the write enable / disable set element, and the write enable / disable set element passes over the convex portion to both sides of the elastic guide. 2. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein a position for covering the notch of the write enable / disable setting element is selected by being respectively locked to the memory card. 3. The engaging portion has a first engaging portion formed of a convex portion or a concave portion on an elastic guide, and a second engaging portion of a concave portion or a convex portion on an elastic guide corresponding surface of the write enable / disable setter. The engagement portion is formed, and the second engagement portion is locked to the first engagement portion by the sliding of the write enable / disable setting element, so that the position at which the notch portion of the write enable / disable setting element is covered is formed. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the memory card is configured to be selected. 4. The elastic guide formed on the main body of the memory card has a slit formed inside the notch of at least one main body, and the write enable / disable setter is fitted in the slit. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the memory card is a memory card. 5. The writable / unwritable setting element covers the cutout portion to perform writable / not writable setting, and is an operating portion serving as a manual switching knob, a retaining portion fitted in the slit, and the operation portion. The write enable / disable setter is fitted to one of the main bodies having the slits and the upper surface thereof is connected to the elastic guide and slides. The cover body is covered with the other main body, and the sliding contact portion is slidably held between the elastic guide and the other main body.
The listed memory card. 6. The memory card main body has a concave groove formed in the other main body at a position opposite to a slit formed in the one main body, and the write enable / disable setter is fitted in the slit and the concave groove. The memory card according to claim 4, which is configured. 7. The memory card according to claim 4, wherein the memory card main body has a main surface position where the slit is formed as a label attaching region which covers the slit. 8. The elastic guide formed on the memory card main body has a groove formed inside the notch of at least one of the main bodies, and the write enable / disable setter is fitted in the groove. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein: 9. The elastic guides formed in the memory card main body are formed with concave grooves inside the notches of the upper and lower main bodies, respectively, and the write enable / disable setter is fitted into both concave grooves of the upper and lower main bodies. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the memory card has a configuration. 10. A memory card main body having at least a semiconductor memory capable of rewriting recorded contents and integrally provided with a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and a device,
A memory card having a write enable / disable setting element in a notch formed in a side portion of the memory card main body, wherein the memory card main body has a structure in which two sheets of an upper body and a lower body are superposed, and at least one of The main body is provided with an elastic guide formed inside the cutout portion, and a switch is provided therein, and the write enable / disable setter is slidably fitted to the elastic guide, and An operating portion that is sandwiched between the main bodies and that operates the operating portion of the switch is provided, and a part of the operating portion faces the cutout portion of the memory card main body and is arranged to cover a part of the cutout portion, An engaging portion is provided between the elastic guide of the memory card body and the write enable / disable setting element for locking the sliding position of the write enable / disable setting element with respect to the elastic guide. Cover the notch by sliding A memory card characterized by being configured to electrically switch the inside of the memory card main body by selecting the position to be set, and whether writing of data to the memory card can be set or not. 11. A memory card main body having at least a semiconductor memory capable of rewriting recorded contents and integrally provided with a terminal for electrically connecting the semiconductor memory and a device,
A memory card having a write enable / disable setting element in a notch formed in a side portion of the memory card main body, wherein the memory card main body has a structure in which two sheets of an upper body and a lower body are superposed, and at least one of An elastic guide formed inside the cutout portion is provided in the main body, and a contact is provided inside the memory card main body, and the write enable / disable setter is slidably fitted in the elastic guide. At the same time, a contact piece that is sandwiched between the upper and lower bodies and that contacts the contact is provided on the write enable / disable setting element at the corresponding position of the contact, and a part of the contact piece faces the notch of the memory card body. It is arranged so as to cover a part of the cutout portion, and for locking the sliding position of the write enable / disable setting element with respect to the elastic guide between the elastic guide of the memory card body and the write enable / disable setting element. The engaging part of By selecting a position where the notch is covered by sliding the writable / not writable setter, it is possible to electrically switch the inside of the memory card main body and set writability of data to the memory card. Memory card characterized by. 12. The memory card according to claim 10, wherein the contact is formed on a printed circuit board on which a semiconductor memory provided inside the memory card main body is mounted. 13. An elastic force of an elastic guide acts on the write enable / disable set in a contact direction at a position where a contact piece of the write enable / disable set contacts the contact. The memory card according to claim 11 or 12. 14. The memory card main body has a slide hole formed by upper and lower main bodies inside the cutout portion, and a groove is formed in at least one main body inside the slide hole, and the groove serves as an elastic guide. The writability setting element has a fitting portion that is inserted into the sliding hole and fitted therein, and the fitting portion is formed such that a maximum width portion thereof is larger than a width of the sliding hole. The memory card main body is configured to fit in a groove formed in the main body, and the memory card main body has the engaging portion formed in the groove so that the memory card main body is elastically deformed so that the write permission / inhibition is possible. The memory card according to claim 1, wherein the memory card is configured to perform positioning when the setting element slides. 15. The writability setting element is formed such that the width of the tip of the fitting portion is smaller than the width of the sliding hole, and is inclined toward the maximum width portion of the fitting portion. The writable / unwritable setting element is formed by forcibly inserting the inclined surface of the fitting portion into the sliding hole when the fitting portion is fitted into the sliding hole. 15. The memory card according to claim 14, wherein the sliding hole is expanded to fit into the memory card body.