ASIC expansion module for PDA

• US 20040243754A1
• Filed: 07/08/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kiyomi Sakamoto
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Kiyomi
• Granted Patent: US 7,058,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/307
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203

Abstract

Once attached to a slot of a personal digital assistant PDA, a card module CM executes an application-specific program and transmits a result obtained thereby to the personal digital assistant PDA. The thus received execution result is outputted from an output part. Accordingly, the output part can be provided for shared use among several card modules CM for output of the execution result.

Claims

1. Data terminal equipment to which a module is attachable, said module comprising:

a first storage operable to store an application-specific program;

a first processing unit operable to execute the application-specific program stored in said first storage;

a first bus operable to transfer an execution result from said first processing unit; and

a first communications controller operable to inquire as to a bit width of a second bus in the data terminal equipment from the data terminal equipment after the application-specific program is executed by said first data processing unit, register the bit width of the second bus returned from the data terminal equipment, adjust a number of bits of the execution result transferred from said first bus based on the registered bit width of the second bus, and transmit the execution result to the data terminal equipment, wherein

the data terminal equipment is to output, from an integral output part, the execution result provided by said first communications controller.

2. The data terminal equipment according to claim 1, wherein

said data terminal equipment is selected from a group including a personal digital assistant, a personal computer, and a portable phone.

3. The game machine to which a module is attachable, said module comprising:

a first storage operable to store a game program;

a first processing unit operable to execute the game program stored in said first storage;

a first bus operable to transfer an execution result from said first processing unit; and

a first communications controller operable to inquire as to a bit width of a second bus in the game machine from the game machine after the game program is executed by said first data processing unit, register the bit width of the second bus returned from the game machine, adjust a number of bits of the execution result transferred from said first bus based on the registered bit width of the second bus, and transmit the execution result to the game machine, wherein

the game machine is to output, from an integral output part, the execution result provided by said first communications controller.

4. The navigation device to which a module is attachable, said module comprising:

a first storage operable to store a navigation program;

a first processing unit operable to execute the navigation program stored in said first storage;

a first bus operable to transfer an execution result from said first processing unit; and

a first communications controller operable to inquire as to a bit width of a second bus in the navigation device from the navigation device after the navigation program is executed by said first data processing unit, register the bit width of the second bus returned from the navigation device, adjust a number of bits of the execution result transferred from said first bus based on the registered bit width of the second bus, and transmit the execution result to the navigation device, wherein

the navigation device is to output, from an integral output part, the execution result provided by said first communications controller.

5. The audio player to which a module is attachable, said module comprising:

a first storage operable to store a program for playing an audio;

a first processing unit operable to execute the program stored in said first storage;

a first bus operable to transfer an execution result from said first processing unit; and

a first communications controller operable to inquire as to a bit width of a second bus in the audio player from the audio player after the program is executed by said first data processing unit, register the bit width of the second bus returned from the audio player, adjust a number of bits of the execution result transferred from said first bus based on the registered bit width of the second bus, and transmit the execution result to the audio player, wherein

the audio player is to output, from an integral output part, the execution result provided by said first communications controller.

6. Data terminal equipment to which a module is attachable, wherein

the module is operable to execute the application-specific program stored therein, to adjust a number of bits of the execution result thereby to a predetermined number, and to transmit the adjusted execution result to the data terminal equipment,

the data terminal equipment comprising:

a reception part operable to receive, from the module, the execution result whose number of bits is adjusted by the module;

a bus operable to transfer the execution result received by said reception part;

a storage operable to store the execution result transferred via said bus; and

a processing part operable to instruct to an integral output part in order to output the execution result stored in said storage;

wherein said integral output part is operable to output the execution result in accordance with said processing part; and

the predetermined number is a bit width of said bus.