Device interfaces with non-mechanical securement mechanisms

• US 20060145663A1
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shiff, Victor E., Friedman, Jonathan D., Tham, Christopher C.L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,775,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/125
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/24 resilient; resiliently-mounted
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6205 Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet

Abstract

A number of device interfaces that may use magnetic forces to secure different devices together are disclosed. The device interfaces may include magnetic material positioned in between parallel rows of electrical contact elements in the devices. Magnetic forces may be exerted on and from the electrical contact elements to cause mutually cooperating elements from the devices to be substantially attracted and drawn towards each other. Once the contact elements make contact and are engaged, their mutual attractive forces may cause them to resist being separated. Additionally, the distal ends of the contact elements may have mutually cooperating male and female engagement surface configurations.

Claims

1. At least one device comprising:

at least one first electronic signal transfer interface that can be engaged and disengaged from at least one second electronic signal transfer interface of at least another device; and

at least one material that can exert attractive forces on the at least one first electronic signal transfer interface to resist disengaging from at least one engaged second electronic signal transfer interface.

2. The at least one device of claim 1 further comprising at least one device component being coupled to the at least one first electronic signal transfer interface and being capable of implementing functionalities relating to the electronic signal transfer.

3. The at least one device of claim 1 further comprising the at least one material being at least one of either positioned substantially nearby the at least one first electronic signal transfer interface or positioned substantially in between substantially parallel rows of the at least one first electronic signal transfer interface.

4. The at least one device of claim 1 further comprising the at least one material being at least one of either neodymium or any other magnetic material.

5. The at least one device of claim 1 further comprising the magnetic material being polarized opposite to the polarization of any other attractive forces from at least one second electronic signal transfer interface.

6. The at least one device of claim 1 wherein the at least one first electronic signal transfer interface comprises a plurality of electrical contacts suitable for transferring electrical energy.

7. The at least one device of claim 6 wherein the electrical energy comprises at least one of either data encoded in electrical signals, electrical power for charging a battery power supply, or any other form of electrical energy.

8. At least one first electronic signal transfer interface coupled to one or more components in a device that can implement functionalities relating to electronic signal transfer involving one or more other devices, the at least one device interface comprising:

electrical contact elements being suitable for electrical signal transfer and being positioned substantially nearby magnetic material in the device; and

engagement surfaces being formed substantially near distal ends of the electrical contact elements from which attractive forces exerted from the nearby magnetic material resist disengaging at least one engaged second electronic signal transfer interface from one or more other devices.

9. The at least one electronic signal transfer interface of claim 8 further comprising the engagement surfaces being magnetized by attractive forces having a first polarization that is substantially opposite to a second polarization of any other attractive forces from at least one second electronic signal transfer interface.

10. The at least one electronic signal transfer interface of claim 9 further comprising the magnetized engagement surfaces being magnetically attracted to other mutually corresponding magnetized engagement surfaces on other electrical contact elements from other devices.

11. The at least one electronic signal transfer interface of claim 8 further comprising the electrical contact elements being arranged on surfaces of the device in mutually cooperating configurations which correspond to the configurations of other electrical contact elements from other devices.

12. The at least one electronic signal transfer interface of claim 11 further comprising the electrical contact elements being arranged in at least one of male, female or any other mutually cooperating configurations on any of the devices.

13. The at least one electronic signal transfer interface of claim 8 further comprising the engagement surfaces being at least one of either substantially convex, substantially concave or any other surface configuration.

14. The at least one electronic signal transfer interface of claim 8 further comprising the electrical contact elements being arranged in rows that substantially surround the nearby magnetic material.

15. The at least one electronic signal transfer interface of claim 8 further comprising the electrical contact elements being suitable for electrical signal transfer involving at least one of either data encoded in electrical signals, electrical power for charging one or more battery storage mechanisms or any other form of electrical energy.

16. At least one device with one or more exterior surfaces concealing internal components that can implement functionalities relating to electronic signal transfer involving one or more other devices, the at least one device comprising:

electrical contact elements being suitable for transferring electrical energy to the internal components;

engagement surfaces being formed substantially near distal ends of the electrical contact elements to be engaged and disengaged from other mutually cooperating engagement surfaces from other devices; and

magnetic material being positioned substantially in between rows of the electrical contact elements within the device and being capable of exerting attractive forces on the electrical contact elements.

17. The at least one device of claim 16 further comprising the engagement surfaces and the mutually cooperating engagement surfaces being mutually attracted towards each other based on opposite polarizations of their respective attractive forces.

18. The at least one device of claim 16 further comprising the engagement surfaces and the mutually cooperating engagement surfaces being mutually repelled away from each other based on the their respective attractive forces having the same polarization.

19. The at least one device of claim 16 further comprising one or more of the internal components being configured to use electrical energy transferred through the electrical contact elements to perform at least one of either data communication or battery storage mechanism recharge.

20. The at least one device of claim 16 further comprising one or more other internal components being configured to perform other functionalities relating to processing radio signals.