TABLET COMPUTING DEVICE WITH THREE-DIMENSIONAL DOCKING SUPPORT

• US 20030235029A1
• Filed: 06/19/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Motion Computing Incorporated (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Doherty, John, Steigerwald, Todd W., Altounian, David, Leveridge, Philip, West, Jefferson Blake, Cutherell, David
• Granted Patent: US 6,856,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a tablet computer and a docking station assembly. This docking station comprises a docking assembly for positioning with three degrees of freedom and having a data connector for mechanically supporting and interfacing with the tablet computer. A support member couples the docking assembly to an expansion base. The base includes a number of ports for interfacing with a variety of peripheral devices or power supplies. These varieties of ports mount to a printed circuit board contained within the expansion base. A flexible printed circuit (FPC) combines the signal pathways for the variety of ports, allowing the signal pathways to travel from the printed circuit board and to the data connector. The tablet computing device has a plurality of contact or touch points positioned on the right and left edges of the tablet to facilitate aligning the tablet to the docking assembly in either a landscape or portrait mode.

Claims

1. A docking station for a tablet computer, said docking station comprising:

a docking assembly operable for positioning with three degrees of freedom, bearing a data connector for interfacing with said tablet computer;

a support member for coupling said docking assembly to a base assembly, wherein said base assembly comprises a plurality of ports for interfacing with at least one peripheral device, and further wherein said plurality of ports are mounted on a printed circuit board;

a flexible printed circuit for combining signal pathways for said plurality of ports and associating with said printed circuit board and said data connector.

2. The docking station of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of contact points positioned on an edge of said tablet computer for aligning said portable computing device to said docking assembly.

3. The docking station of claim 2, wherein said support member attaches to said base assembly with first joint and further wherein said support member attaches to said docking assembly with a second joint.

4. The docking station of claim 3, wherein said first joint comprises a hinge, and for supporting a movable brace support member.

5. The docking station of claim 3, wherein said second joint comprises a rotating socket.

6. The docking station of claim 3, wherein said flexible printed circuit routes through said first joint and said second joint.

7. The docking station of claim 3, wherein said docking assembly comprises a channel for receiving said portable computing device.

8. The docking station of claim 7, wherein said docking assembly forms an “

L”

, “

J”

, or “

U”

shape.

9. The docking station of claim 8, wherein an upright tapered channel of said “

L”

, “

J”

, or “

U”

shape receives an upright edge of said portable computing device, when said computing device is operated in a landscape mode.

10. The docking station of claim 8, wherein a horizontal tapered channel of said “

L”

, “

J”

, or “

U”

shape receives a lower edge of said portable computing device, when said computing device is operated in a landscape mode.

11. The docking station of claim 1, wherein a display of said portable computing device reorients upon rotation of said docking assembly.

12. The docking station of claim 11, wherein said display of said portable computing device automatically reorients upon rotation of said docking assembly by 90 degrees.

13. The docking station of claim 1, wherein said display of said portable computing device reorients when a user activates a function key on said portable computing device.

14. The docking station of claim 6, wherein said flexible printed circuit association with said docking generates minimal tearing stresses as said first and second joint flex.

15. The docking station of claim 1, wherein separation zones prevent cross-contamination of signals within said flexible printed circuit.

16. The docking station of claim 15, wherein said signals within said flexible printed circuit comprise a plurality of signals.

17. The docking station of claim 16, wherein said plurality of signals comprise signals selected from the group consisting essentially of:

DC power, AC power, VGA, USB, analog audio, digital audio, analog video, digital video, LAN, WAN, and IEEE 1394.

18. A flexible printed circuit pathway, comprising:

a first leg of flexible printed circuit oriented in a first plane, wherein signal traces within said first leg run parallel to said first leg of flexible printed circuit;

a second leg of flexible printed circuit, wherein signal traces within said second leg run parallel to said second leg of flexible printed circuit;

a first bend, coupling said first leg to said second leg and wherein signal traces within said first bend curve to match a curvature of said first bend;

a third leg of flexible printed circuit oriented in a second plane, wherein signal traces within said third leg run parallel to said third leg of flexible printed circuit;

a second bend, coupling said third leg to said second leg and wherein signal traces within said second bend curve to match a curvature of said second bend; and

a spiral object formed by said second leg, wherein said second plane twists about a center of said spiral object without placing a tearing stress on said flexible printed circuit.

19. The flexible printed circuit of claim 18, wherein said first leg and/or third leg comprise at least one elbow, wherein said elbow divides said first leg and/or third leg into at least two sections oriented in different planes.

20. The flexible printed circuit of claim 19, wherein a section of said third leg is oriented in a plane parallel to a section of said first leg, and wherein said third leg rotates within said plane parallel to a section of said first leg by twisting said spiral object.

21. The flexible printed circuit of claim 18, further comprising electrical connectors coupling said signal traces on said first and third legs to external circuits.

22. The flexible printed circuit of claim 18, wherein said signal traces carry a plurality of signals selected from the group consisting of:

DC power, AC power, VGA, USB, analog audio, digital audio, analog video, digital video, LAN, WAN, and IEEE 1394.

23. The flexible printed circuit of claim 18, wherein separation zones between said signal traces prevent cross-contamination of signals.

24. The flexible printed circuit of claim 18, wherein said flexible printed circuit comprise:

a lower and upper poly layer that sandwich a ground trace layer and signal trace layer electrically separated by an insulating layer.

26. The flexible printed circuit of claim 19, wherein said ground trace layer and signal trace layer thin locally to increase said flexible printed circuits flexibility.

27. The flexible printed circuit of claim 19, wherein said ground trace layer comprises a mesh to increase said flexible printed circuits flexibility.

25. The flexible printed circuit of claim 25, wherein said ground trace layer and signal trace layer comprise 1 oz, ¾

oz, or ½

oz copper.

28. A docking station for a portable computing device, said docking station comprising:

a docking assembly operable to be positioned with three degrees of freedom, bearing an electrical connector that interfaces with said portable computing device, wherein said docking assembly comprises a channel to receive said portable computing device, and wherein a plurality of contact points positioned on an edge of said portable computing device facilitate alignment of said portable computing device to said docking assembly;

a support member coupling said docking assembly to a base assembly, wherein said support member attaches to said base assembly with a first joint and wherein said support member attaches to said docking assembly with a second joint, wherein said base assembly comprises a plurality of ports that can interface with at least one peripheral device or power supply, and wherein said plurality of ports are mounted on a printed circuit board;

a flexible printed circuit operable to combine signal pathways for said plurality of ports wherein said flexible printed circuit couples to said printed circuit board and said electrical connector.

29. The docking station of claim 28, wherein said first joint comprises a hinge.

30. The docking station of claim 28, wherein said second joint comprises a spiral joint.

31. The docking station of claim 28, wherein said flexible printed circuit is routed internally within said base assembly, through said first joint, support member and said second joint, to said docking assembly.

32. The docking station of claim 28, wherein said docking assembly forms an “

L”

, “

J”

, or “

U”

shape.

33. The docking station of claim 32, wherein an upright channel of said “

L”

, “

J”

, or “

U”

shape receives an upright edge of said portable computing device, when said computing device is operated in a landscape mode.

34. The docking station of claim 32, wherein a horizontal channel of said “

L”

, “

J”

, or “

U”

shape receives a lower edge of said portable computing device, when said computing device is operated in a landscape mode.

35. The docking station of claim 28, wherein a display of said portable computing device reorients when said docking assembly is rotated.

36. The docking station of claim 35, wherein said display of said portable computing device automatically reorients when said docking assembly is rotated 90°

.

37. The docking station of claim 28, wherein said display of said portable computing device reorients when a user activates a function key on said portable computing device.

38. The docking station of claim 37, wherein said flexible printed circuit encounters no tearing stresses as said first and second joint flex.

39. The docking station of claim 28, wherein said flexible printed circuit comprises:

a base leg of flexible printed circuit internal to said base assembly, wherein signal traces within said base leg run substantially parallel to said base leg of flexible printed circuit;

an elbow or hinge joint coupling said base leg to a support leg of flexible printed circuit oriented in a plane of said support member internal to said support member, wherein signal traces within said first leg run parallel to said first leg of flexible printed circuit;

a second leg of flexible printed circuit, wherein signal traces within said second leg run parallel to said second leg of flexible printed circuit, and wherein a spiral object is formed by said second leg internal to a pivot joint;

a first bend, coupling said first leg to said second leg and wherein signal traces within said first bend curve to match a curvature of said first bend;

a third leg of flexible printed circuit oriented in a second plane, wherein signal traces within said third leg run parallel to said third leg of flexible printed circuit, wherein said second plane twists about said pivot joint without placing a tearing stress on said flexible printed circuit;

a second bend, coupling said third leg to said second leg and wherein signal traces within said second bend curve to match a curvature of said second bend.

40. The docking station of claim 39, wherein said signal traces carry a plurality of signals selected from the group consisting of:

DC power, AC power, VGA, USB, analog audio, digital audio, analog video, digital video, LAN, WAN, and IEEE 1394.

41. The docking station of claim 40, wherein separation zones between said signal traces prevent cross-contamination of signals.

42. The docking station of claim 39, wherein said flexible printed circuit comprise:

a lower and upper poly layer that sandwich a ground trace layer and signal trace layer electrically separated by an insulating layer.

43. The docking station of claim 42, wherein said ground trace layer and signal trace layer comprise 1 oz, ¾

oz, or ½

oz copper.

44. The docking station of claim 43, wherein said ground trace layer and signal trace layer thin locally to increase said flexible printed circuits flexibility.

45. The docking station of claim 43, wherein said ground trace layer comprises a mesh to increase said flexible printed circuits flexibility.