REMOVABLE PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT IN A DUAL PERSONAL COMPUTER/PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE

• US 20070213105A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Huber, Gary, Watts, La Vaughn, Shoobe, Howard
• Granted Patent: US 7,526,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/899
• 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 1/1626 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 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An integrated computer system includes a computer system, having at least a display, a chassis, a memory, a power supply and a communication interface, and a personal digital communications (PDC) system, having at least a display, a memory, a battery and a communication interface. The computer chassis is configured to removably retain the PDC system in a docked mode, and when in said docked mode the PDC system is operable to communicate with the computer system through the respective communication interfaces and the computer system is operable to send data from the computer memory to the PDC system. The PDC system is operable to receive said data and store said data in the PDC memory and to display at least a subset of said data on the PDC display when the computer system is powered on or off.

Claims

1. An integrated computing system comprising:

a computer system, including at least a display, a chassis, a memory, a power supply and a communication interface;

a personal digital communications (PDC) system, including at least a display, a memory, a battery and a communication interface;

wherein the computer chassis is configured to removably retain the PDC system in a docked mode, and when in said docked mode the PDC system is operable to communicate with the computer system through the respective communication interfaces and the computer system is operable to send data from the computer memory to the PDC system; and

wherein the PDC system is operable to receive said data and store said data in the PDC memory and to display at least a subset of said data on the PDC display when the computer system is powered on or off.

2. The integrated computing system of claim 1, wherein the communication interfaces are wireless communication interfaces.

3. The integrated computing system of claim 2, wherein the PDC system is further operable to communicate with the computer system through the respective communication interface when not in docked mode.

4. The integrated computing system of claim 1, wherein the communication interfaces are wired communication interfaces.

5. The integrated computing system of claim 1, wherein, when in docked mode, the computer power supply is configured to charge the PDC battery and provide power to the PDC system.

6. The integrated computing system of claim 1, wherein the PDC system is operable to display at least a subset of said data on the PDC display when the computer system is powered off.

7. The integrated computing system of claim 1, wherein the PDC system is operable to display at least a subset of said data on the PDC display when the computer system is powered on.

8. The integrated computing system of claim 1, wherein the PDC system further comprises an antenna for wireless communications.

9. The integrated computing system of claim 1, wherein the PDC system is a personal digital assistant system.

10. An integrated computing system comprising:

a computer system, including a display, a chassis, a memory, a power supply and a communication interface;

a personal digital communications (PDC) system, including a display, a memory, a battery and a communication interface; and

wherein the computer chassis is configured to removably retain the PDC system in a docked mode, and when in said docked mode;

the PDC system is operable to communicate with the computer system through the respective communication interfaces;

the computer system is operable to send data from the computer memory to the PDC system, and wherein the PDC system is operable to receive said data and store said data in the PDC memory; and

the computer power supply is configured to charge the PDC battery and provide power to the PDC system; and

wherein the PDC system is operable to display at least a subset of said data on the PDC display when the computer system is powered off.

11. The integrated computing system of claim 10 wherein the PDC system is operable to display at least a subset of said data on the PDC display when the computer system is powered on.

12. The integrated computing system of claim 10, wherein the communication interfaces are wireless communication interfaces.

13. The integrated computing system of claim 12, wherein the PDC system is further operable to communicate with the computer system through the respective communication interface when not in docked mode.

14. The integrated computing system of claim 10, wherein the communication interfaces are wired communication interfaces.

15. The integrated computing system of claim 10, wherein the PDC system further comprises an antenna for wireless communications.

16. The integrated computing system of claim 10, wherein the PDC system is a personal digital assistant system.