Portable computer

• US 20050036285A1
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Published: 02/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Cheon-Moo, Jang, Eun-Sik
• Application Number:
  US10/831,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20050036285A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations

Abstract

A portable computer system including a main body having a network controller controlling a network connection, a first Hard Disk Drive (HDD), and a first disk switching part for disconnecting the first HDD from the system. A docking unit is detachably attached to the main body, and a network switching part is installed in the docking unit. The network switching part allows the network controller to selectively access either an inner network or an outer network. A switching controller is installed in a side of either the main body or the docking unit, and controls the network switching part to access either the inner network or the outer network, and controls the first disk switching part to disconnect the first HDD from the system if the network controller accesses the outer network.

Claims

1. A portable computer comprising:

a main body having a network controller controlling a network connection, a first Hard Disk Drive (HDD), and a first disk switching part for disconnecting the first HDD from a system;

a docking unit detachably attached to the main body;

a network switching part installed in the docking unit to selectively access an inner network and an outer network; and

a switching control part installed at either the main body or the docking unit and which controls the network switching part to allow a network controller to individually access the inner network and the outer network, and controls the first disk switching part to disconnect the first HDD from the portable computer if the network controller accesses the outer network.

2. The portable computer according to claim 1, further comprising a second HDD provided in the docking unit which is connected to the main body when the docking unit is installed at the main body.

3. The portable computer according to claim 2, further comprising a second disk switching part controlled by the switching control part when the docking unit is installed at the main body, and which connects the second HDD to the main body if the network controller accesses the outer network, and disconnects the second HDD from the main body if the network controller accesses the inner network.

4. The portable computer according to claim 2, wherein the second HDD and the main body are connected to each other through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface.

5. The portable computer according to claim 3, wherein the switching control part further comprises a user authentication part to control the network switching part to enable the network controller to access the inner network if the inner network is selected in the user authentication part.

6. The portable computer according to claim 3, wherein the switching control part comprises a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) program performing a POST (Power On Self Test), and the BIOS program controls the network switching part to enable the network controller to individually access either the inner network and the outer network based on an authentication signal recognized during the POST.

7. The portable computer according to claim 6, wherein the BIOS program provides an authentication interface to receive the authentication signal during the POST.

8. The portable computer according to claim 7, wherein the BIOS program controls the network switching part to enable the network controller to access the inner network if the authentication signal input through the authentication interface and an authentication signal registered in advance are identical.

9. The portable computer according to claim 8, wherein the BIOS program controls the first disk switching part to disconnect the first HDD from the system if the authentication signal input through the authentication interface and the authentication signal registered in advance are not identical.

10. The portable computer according to claim 9, wherein the BIOS program controls the network switching part to enable the network controller to access the outer network if the authentication signal input through the authentication interface and the authentication signal registered in advance are not identical.

11. The portable computer according to claim 1, wherein the first disk switching part controls power supplied to the first HDD to disconnect the first HDD from the system.

12. A portable computer comprising:

a network controller controlling a network connection;

a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) ROM (Read Only Memory) storing a BIOS program performing a POST (Power On Self Test);

a first HDD (Hard Disk Drive);

a network switching part to allow a network controller to selectively access either an inner network and an outer network; and

a disk switching part disconnecting the first HDD from the portable computer if the network controller accesses the outer network;

wherein the BIOS program controls the network switching part to enable the network controller to independently access the inner network and the outer network based on an authentication signal recognized during the POST.

13. The portable computer according to claim 12, wherein the BIOS program provides an authentication interface to receive the authentication signal during the POST.

14. The portable computer according to claim 13, wherein the BIOS program controls the network switching part to enable the network controller to access the inner network if the authentication signal input through the authentication interface and an authentication signal registered in advance are identical.

15. The portable computer according to claim 13, wherein the BIOS program controls the disk switching part to disconnect the first HDD from the the portable computer if the authentication signal input through the authentication interface and an authentication signal registered in advance are not identical.

16. The portable computer according to claim 15, wherein the BIOS program controls the network switching part to enable the network controller to access the outer network if the authentication signal input through the authentication interface and an authentication signal registered in advance are not identical.

17. The portable computer according to claim 12, further comprising a second HDD, wherein the disk switching part selectively connects the first HDD and the second HDD to the system.

18. The portable computer according to claim 12, further comprising a main HDD storing an OS (Operating System) program to boot up the system.

19. The portable computer according to claim 17, further comprising a main HDD storing an OS (Operating System) program to boot up a system.

20. A security enhancement method in a system including a docking station and a portable computer with a memory capable of being coupled to the docking station, comprising:

establishing a connection to one of a first network and a second network from the docking station when coupled to the portable computer;

establishing a connection to the memory when the connection to the second network is established.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising severing automatically the connection to the memory when the connection to the first network is established.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising establishing an authentication interface to verify a user, wherein:

the establishing the connection to one of a first network and a second network comprises establishing a connection to the second network when the user is verified using data received from the established authentication interface, and

the establishing the connection to the memory comprises establishing a connection to the memory when the user is verified.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising severing automatically the connection to the memory and the second network when the user is not verified using data received from the established authentication interface.

24. A computer readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method of establishing the connection to the first and second networks and the memory as recited by claim 23 performed by a processor.

25. A system comprising:

a docking station and a portable computer with at least one memory capable of being coupled to the docking station;

a plurality of connectors to couple the portable computer and the docking station;

a network switching selector disposed in the docking station to selectively access an inner network and an outer network;

a memory switching selector disposed in the computer to selectively access the memory; and

a controller to control the network switching selector and the memory switching selector, wherein the memory is accessed only when the inner network is accessed.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

an authentication input device that sends signals to the controller, wherein a user is authenticated if a predetermined code is input, and a connection to the inner network and to the secure hard disk drive is established when the user is verified.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the controller is disposed in the docking station.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the controller is disposed in the portable computer.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the memory switching selector removes power to the memory when the controller is setting the network switching selector to access the outer network.

30. The system of claim 25, further comprising a user authentication Basic Input/Output System program on a memory storage unit that controls a processor to send a password entry message to a display of the portable computer when the portable computer is turned on, wherein a user is authenticated if a predetermined code is entered using an input of the portable computer, and a connection to the inner network and to the memory is established when the user is authenticated if the user is authenticated.

31. A system including a portable computer and first and second memories, comprising:

means within the portable computer for authenticating a user to produce an authentication result;

a network switching selector to selectively access an inner network and an outer network;

a memory switching selector to selectively access the first memory and the second memory; and

a controller to control the memory switching selector, wherein the first memory and the second memory are accessed based on the authentication result of the means for authenticating the user.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the controller controls the network switching selector to access the inner network based on the authentication result of the means for authenticating the user.

33. A system including a docking station and a portable computer with at least one memory capable of being coupled to the docking station comprising:

means for interactively coupling said portable computer to said docking station;

means for establishing a user authentication interface within the portable computer to selectively enable access by a user to an inner network and a memory of said portable computer if a predetermined code is entered correctly;

means for selectively accessing an inner network and an outer network;

means for selectively accessing the memory; and

means within the portable computer for automatically disabling the memory and the access to the inner network when the user enters the predetermined code incorrectly;

means for enabling access to the memory only when the inner network is accessed and the user entered the predetermined code correctly; and

means for automatically disabling the memory when the outer network is accessed, regardless of whether the user entered the predetermined code correctly.