Design Type:  Product - general consumer goods

Designer:  Lunar Design Team Sandisk Design Team

Getting images from a digital camera to a computer via a cable or card reader is inconvenient at best, requiring a card reader or cable. The Ultra II simplifies this task by integrating an SD flash memory card and a USB connector. To transfer files from camera to computer, the user removes the card from the camera, rotates one half of the Ultra II enclosure 90 to 180 degrees exposing the integrated USB connector, and inserts the USB connector end of the card into a USB port on the computer. Achieving this functionality required splitting the product such that a U-shaped segment of the SD card enclosure can rotate about a molded-in hinge, exposing the USB connector which remains in the same plane as the rest of the SD card and enabling it to easily plug into a USB port on a computer – while also maintaining the USB standard’s data transfer rate. As users have come to expect to have an LED to indicate that the USB device was successfully inserted and transferring data, the enclosure wall thickness was reduced over the LED to enable the light to shine through without requiring a separate part to serve as a light window. Eliminating the need for a card reader or cable is a significant environmental benefit. The Ultra II also uses a minimum of material to accomplish its goals. The product uses the same two resins as ordinary SD cards, enabling recycling through any existing SD card recycling stream. As the card is at least as strong as standard SD cards, its useful life is not impacted by its hinging design. In addition, the card itself consumes less power than would a card-and-reader combination, thus reducing energy usage below other alternatives.