Super Talent Electronics, Inc.

Ma Laboratories, Inc.

Super Light Wave Corp.

Ma Labs, Incorporated

Tzu-Yih Chu

Abraham C Ma

Ren-Kang Chiou

Edward W Lee

Sun-Teck See

Chi Au

Charles Chung Lee

Horng-Yee Chou

Shyang Chang

Ming-Shiang Shen

Ben Wei Chen

David Q Chow

Frank Yu

Jim C Ni

Kuang-Yu Wang

Ching-Jong Su

Hao Yin

A multi-partition Universal Serial Bus (USB) device has a flash memory with multiple partitions of storage. Some partitions are for different operating systems and store OS images. Another partition has a control program while a user partition stores user data and user configuration information. The control program can test the multi-partition USB device and instruct the host computer BIOS to mount a partition from its flash memory as a drive of the host computer. The host computer can then be rebooted. The OS image from the flash memory is loaded into main memory during rebooting, and the host computer executes a new operating system using the new OS image. The user can press buttons on the multi-partition USB device to select which OS to load, and to begin rebooting. Virus removal programs in the alternate OS can help recover from a virus in the primary OS.

Multi-partition USB device that re-boots a PC to an alternate operating system for virus recovery

A slimmaleUniversal-Serial-Bus (USB) connector fits on only one side of the connector substrate in a standard female USB connector. Wobble or vertical play is reduced by locking depressions in the slimmaleUSB connector that engage metal springs on a metal case that surrounds the female USB connector, locking the two connectors together. Between metal contacts on the slim USM connector are dividers that help fill in gaps when the two connectors are connected together, further reducing play. End rails on the slim USB connector fill in gaps on the sides. The connector substrate of the slimmaleUSB connector can be separate or can be integrated with a circuit board that holds a flash memory chip and a USB controller chip. The connector is wider than the standard width for a better fit. A slim female USB connector for assemblyusewith the slim male USB connector is also disclosed.

Assembly including slim female USB connector and slim male USB connector with spring-engaging depressions, stabilizing dividers and wider end rails

A multi media card (MMC) is disclosed. The MMC includes a flash controller and at least one flash memory device. The flash controller increases the throughput of the at least one flash memory device to match the speed of a host bus coupled to the MMC. The flash controller increases the throughput by performing one or more of performing a read-ahead memory read operation, performing a write-ahead memory write operation, increasing the size of a page register of the at least one flash memory device, increasing the width of a memory data bus, performing a dual-channel concurrent memory read operation, performing a dual-channel concurrent memory write operation, performing a write-cache memory write operation, and any combination thereof.

Flash memory system with a high-speed flash controller

A multi-light-emitting diode (LED) display for a USB flash drive produces a visually dazzling display. When accessed, a USB flash controller drives pulses onto an activity signal that increments a counter on a pattern-decoding generator. The pattern-decoding generator decodes the count and drives signals to data outputs. The data outputs connect to LED's, turning LED's on and off according to a display pattern. The pattern can be programmed by the USB flash controller into the pattern-decoding generator, or can be a hardwired pattern. Marquee patterns having a lit LED appearing to move down a line of LED's have more visual appeal than single LED indicators. Each data line can drive two LED's in different parts of a dual display, reducing costs. Multi-color LED's can be used to improve variety. The multiple LED's and the pattern-decoding generator can be mounted on a flexible PCB.

USB flash-memory drive with dazzling marquee-pattern driver for multi-LED display

An optical system and associated method are provided. Included is a first branch capable of allowing light to pass therethrough in a forward direction and a reverse direction. The first branch includes a first medium with a first refractive index (n), and a first end and a second end. Also included is a second branch capable of allowing light to pass therethrough in the forward direction. The second branch includes a second medium with a second refractive index (n, with n&#x3c;n), and a first end and a second end. The second end of the second branch is further coupled to the first branch to form an angle (&#x3b8;). In use, &#x3b8;&#x2266;sin(n/n) in order to prevent the light passing through the first branch in the reverse direction from passing into the second branch, where &#x3b8;is the incident angle of the light passing in the reverse direction from the first branch to the second branch.

Optical isolator, attenuator and polarizer system and method for integrated optics

A memory module has a two-plate heat sink attached by rivets. A front plate contacts the flat surfaces of memory chips on a front surface of the module printed-circuit board (PCB) substrate, while another back plate contacts chips on the back surface of the substrate. The plates contact the substrate along the top edge opposite the connector edge, and along the upper half of the substrate's side edges. Holes in the substrate allow for rivets or other fasteners to pass through to firmly attach the plates to the substrate, prevent wobble. Four top-edge slots are cut in the plates near the top edge, between the rivets along the top edge. The top-edge slots allow air to flow underneath the plates, in small gaps between memory chips, and between the plate and the substrate. The added air flow underneath the plates helps cool the heat-sink plates, reduce hot spots and failures.

Heat sink riveted to memory module with upper slots and open bottom edge for air flow

A low-profile Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) connector includes a substantially flat base structure that is received in the lower section of a conventional female USB connector, and includes metal contacts formed on an upper surface of the base structure. Wobble or vertical play is reduced by rails extending along side edges of the base structure that are partially inserted into gaps formed between the metal case and base structure of the female USB connector. Between metal contacts on the low-profile USB connector are raised ribs (dividers) that prevent undesirable damage or contamination to the metal contacts. The connector base structure of the low-profile USB connector can be separate or can be integrated with a circuit board that holds a flash memory chip and a USB controller chip.

Low-profile USB connector without metal case

A flash-card exchanger has two modes of operation. When a host personal computer (PC) is connected to a Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) connector, the flash-card exchanger operates in a card reader mode, allowing the host to read data from removable flash-memory cards inserted into connector slots of the flash-card exchanger. When the host PC is not connected, a USB flash-memory thumb or key-chain drive can be inserted into a second USB connector. A USB dual-mode microcontroller acts as a USB host, reading data from the removable flash-memory card and writing the data to the USB-memory key drive using USB packets. Since the USB-memory key drive is small and removable, the user can upgrade to larger storage capacities by plugging in a larger-capacity USB-memory key drive. A flash-exchanger program executing on the USB dual-mode microcontroller copies data from an input-output bus and generates USB packets to the USB-memory key drive.

Dual-mode flash storage exchanger that transfers flash-card data to a removable USB flash key-drive with or without a PC host

Memory chips are assembled into a stack with an insertion-pin frame between pins of two stacked memory chips. The insertion-pin frame is not bent or formed into 3-dimensional shapes but is flat, improving use in standard surface-mount processes such as solder printing onto the insertion-pin frame. Flat insertion pins held to the flat insertion-pin frame by necks are soldered to top shoulders of pins on a lower chip. Then bottom feet of pins of an upper chip are soldered to the insertion pins. The necks are punched away or broken to release the insertion-pin frame from the insertion pins that are soldered to the assembled stacked chips. An insulated wire jumper can be placed under the pins to jumper chip-select connections, or a bridge between insertion pins can be formed from the insertion-pin frame. Holding tabs to the bridge are removed with the insertion pins or by punching.

Stacking memory chips using flat lead-frame with breakaway insertion pins and pin-to-pin bridges

A flash-drive or flash-card reader connects to a personal computer (PC) through a serial link such as a Universal-Serial-Bus (USB), IEEE 1394, SATA, or IDE. A local CPU acts as the bus master of a CPU bus that connects to slave ports on a flash-memory controller, a serial engine, and a RAM buffer. A second bus in parallel to the CPU bus connects a second slave port on the RAM buffer to a master port on the flash-memory controller and to a master port on the serial engine. The flash-memory controller or the serial engine can use their master ports to transfer data to and from the RAM buffer using the second bus, allowing the CPU to retain control of the CPU bus. The second bus is a flash-serial buffer bus that improves data transfer rates. The flash-memory controller can prefetch into the RAM buffer.

Flash drive/reader with serial-port controller and flash-memory controller mastering a second RAM-buffer bus parallel to a CPU bus

A slim Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) connector fits on only one side of the connector substrate in a standard female USB connector. Wobble or vertical play is reduced by locking depressions in the slim USB connector that engage metal springs on a metal case that surrounds the female USB connector, locking the two connectors together. Between metal contacts on the slim USM connector are dividers that help fill in gaps when the two connectors are connected together, further reducing play. End rails on the slim USB connector fill in gaps on the sides. The connector substrate of the slim USB connector can be separate or can be integrated with a circuit board that holds a flash memory chip and a USB controller chip. The connector is wider than the standard width for a better fit. A slim female USB connector for use with the slim male USB connector is also disclosed.

Slim USB connector with spring-engaging depressions, stabilizing dividers and wider end rails for flash-memory drive

A memory module has memory chips in stacks. The lower memory chip in a stack has pins that are soldered to pads on the module substrate. A hollowed printed-circuit board (PCB) has a hollow opening on the bottom with about the same width, length, and depth as the top cap of the lower memory chip. The hollowed PCB fits over the top cap of the lower memory chip and has lower pads on its lower surface but outside of the hollow opening. The lower pads are soldered to the top shoulders of the pins of the lower memory chip. An upper memory chip has pins that are soldered to pads on the upper surface of the hollowed PCB. The hollowed PCB has a metal trace that re-routes a second bank-select signal from a no-connect pin of the lower memory chip to a bank-select pin of the upper memory chip.

Dual-bank memory module with stacked DRAM chips having a concave-shaped re-route PCB in-between

An integrated optical device has two waveguide layers that are patterned to provide 2-dimensional interconnected networks of waveguides. A filter layer between the two waveguide layers is made by sputter deposition of thin films with alternating indexes of refraction. Light traveling vertically through the filter layer experiences an interferometric effect. A deflecting bump is formed in the plane of the lower waveguide layer. The bump is isotropicly etched, undercutting a photo-mask over the bump, producing a rounded, concave profile to the bump. High-index material is deposited over the bump and patterned to form a waveguide that has light deflected by the bump upward. The filter is formed over the bump to receive the deflected light. The filter reflects some light back down to the bump to another waveguide in the first layer. Light transmitted vertically up through the filter is bent to the horizontal plane of the upper waveguide layer.

Integrated 3-dimensional multi-layer thin-film optical couplers and attenuators

Optical logic gates are constructed from Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) optical circuits. A multi-mode interference (MMI) splitter divides a continuous-wave input into two branches of the interferometer. Each branch has a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). When a logic input having a logic-high power level is applied to one of the SOA's, cross-phase modulation occurs in the SOA. The phase shift increases through the SOA. The branch coupled to the logic input has a relative phase shift of &pgr; compared with the other branch. When two branches with the &pgr; phase difference are combined, destructive interference occurs, producing a logic low. An MMI combiner or an equivalent phase shifter is used to combine the two branches. The MMI splitter adds a phase shift of &pgr;/ to the upper branch but not to the lower branch, while the MMI combiner also adds &pgr;/ shifts.

All optical logic using cross-phase modulation amplifiers and mach-zehnder interferometers with phase-shift devices

A novel semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) can operate as an optical inverter as well as a power-restoring device. Together, an optical-OR and the optical inverter can provide a wide variety of high speed optical logic gates and functions. The optical inverter uses cross-gain modulation (XGM) to invert a modulated signal on a first input, to produce an inverted output. The inverse of the modulation is transferred from a first wavelength of the modulated first input to a second wavelength of a continuous-wave second input. A filter can then block the first wavelength, allowing the inversely-modulated second wavelength to be output as the inverted output. The first and second wavelengths are swapped in alternate inverters in a logic path. The Y-junction can be implemented as a Multi-Mode Interference (MMI) device.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Tzu-Yih Chu