Unusual USB connector pattern

[Fred27]

In the attached photo is two USB memory sticks. They're the tiny Verbatim ones that slot directly onto the USB socket without any metal housing. I recognised the connector pattern on the green one, but what's going on with the purple one?

Uploaded from my phone using Tapatalk, so I hope the image is a sensible size.

[Zbig]

Someone got bored and went for the Optimus Prime logo look: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=optimus+prime+logo&FORM=HDRSC2 ?

[Monkeh]

More than meets the eye.

[ajb]

That shape could be used to detect when the drive is plugged into the slot far enough to make reliable contact (because by that point the D+/- contacts in the socket will short the forward and rear pads on the drive), but it seems kinda iffy to hang that kind of detection circuitry off of a USB interface, particularly one where presumably speed matters.  I guess if you really wanted to know when the drive was about to be yanked out so you could do a graceful shutdown to avoid corrupting the flash it might be worth the trouble?

[cowana]

The only time I've seen it before is on one of those USB touch lamps (which has contacts top and bottom, and works either way up):



There's no USB data comms on that though (only a PWM driver IC) - and it's a slightly different footprint, meaning someone else has come up with the same solution (and likely re-used the pattern on the lamp layout).

I can only imagine it briefly discharges the data contacts to GND as the device is plugged in?

[amyk]

It could be purely stylistic, or perhaps the extra pads may be usable for production/test purposes; reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Differentsmartcardpadlayouts.jpg

[PointyOintment]

It could be purely stylistic, or perhaps the extra pads may be usable for production/test purposes; reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Differentsmartcardpadlayouts.jpg

Why do those all have a center pad that is connected to an edge pad?

[Richard Crowley]

Those extra bits could be useful for "cleaning" the data contacts as the "plug" slides in and out.

[ericloewe]

It could be purely stylistic, or perhaps the extra pads may be usable for production/test purposes; reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Differentsmartcardpadlayouts.jpg

Why do those all have a center pad that is connected to an edge pad?

That's how the spec goes. I think all smart cards I've seen are like that.