Alternative Hosts for Multiple Adapters and Multiple Consumer Electronic Devices

• US 20080164226A1
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: McCoy, Richard A., LeClear, Douglas D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,898,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 211/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/028 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/12 Arrangements of compartments additional to cooling compartments; Combinations of refrigerators with other equipment, e.g. stove
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/06 Refrigerators with a vertical mullion
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/02 for simultaneous co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/06 Intermediate parts for linking two coupling parts, e.g. adapter with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/94

Abstract

A modular system comprises multiple hosts, each having a common service interface, multiple consumer electronic devices, each having a service interface that is different from each other and from the common service interface of the hosts, and multiple adapters, each corresponding to one of the consumer electronic devices, to couple the service interfaces of the host and the corresponding consumer electronic device to supply at least one service between the host and the corresponding consumer electronic device.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A modular system comprising:

multiple hosts providing dissimilar services, wherein at least a first of the multiple hosts is an appliance performing a useful physical cycle of operation and at least a second of the multiple hosts is a portable surface mountable host, each of the multiple hosts having a common standardized host service interface;

multiple consumer electronic devices, each having a standardized service interface that is different from each other and different from the common standardized host service interface of the multiple hosts; and

multiple adapters comprising a corresponding adapter for each of the multiple consumer electronic devices to couple the standardized service interface of the multiple consumer electronic devices to the common standardized host service interface of the multiple hosts such that at least one service can be supplied between at least one of the multiple hosts and at least one of the multiple consumer electronic devices.

30. The modular system of claim 29, wherein the common standardized host service interface of the multiple hosts provides at least one electrical service to at least one of the multiple consumer electronic devices through at least one of the multiple adapters.

31. The modular system of claim 30, wherein the at least one service supplied between the more than one of the multiple adapters is at least one of different from and the same as the at least one service supplied between the at least one of the multiple hosts and the at least one of the multiple consumer electronic devices.

32. The modular system of claim 29, wherein one of the multiple hosts and one of the multiple consumer electronic devices provides the at least one service and the other of the one of the multiple hosts and the one of the multiple consumer electronic devices receives the at least one service.

33. The modular system of claim 32, wherein one of the multiple adapters provides at least one service in addition to the at least one service provided by the one of the multiple hosts and the one of the multiple consumer electronic devices.

34. The modular system of claim 33, wherein the at least one service provided by the one of the multiple adapters is different from the at least one service provided by the one of the multiple hosts and the one of the multiple consumer electronic devices.

35. The modular system of claim 29, wherein one of the multiple adapters mechanically couples one of the multiple consumer electronic devices to one of the multiple hosts.

36. The modular system of claim 29, wherein the common standardized service interface of the multiple hosts is integral with at least on of the multiple hosts;

and removable format least one of the multiple hosts.

37. A modular system for use with multiple consumer electronic devices, each having a standardized service interface that is different from each other, the modular system comprising:

multiple hosts, wherein at least a first of the multiple hosts is an appliance performing a useful physical cycle of operation and at least a second of the multiple hosts is a portable surface mountable host,, each host having a common standardized service interface different from at least one of the standardized service interfaces of the multiple consumer electronic devices; and

multiple adapters comprising a corresponding adapter for each of the multiple consumer electronic devices to couple the standardized service interface of the multiple consumer electronic devices to the common standardized service interface of the multiple hosts such that at least one service can be supplied between each of the multiple hosts and at least one of the multiple consumer electronic devices by at least one of the adapters.

38. The modular system of claim 37, wherein the common standardized service interface of the multiple hosts and the standardized service interface of the multiple consumer electronic devices are incompatible to form the difference between them.

39. A modular system for coupling with a consumer electronic device having a standardized service interface and for supporting it adjacent a vertical surface, the modular system comprising;

a portable host having a standardized host service interface different the standardized service interfaces of the consumer electronic device and capable of providing a mechanical support service and at least one electrical service to the consumer electronic device;

a mechanical mounting system capable of mounting the portable host adjacent a vertical surface, an adapter capable of coupling with the portable host to receiving the mechanical support service and the at least one electrical service from the portable host and capable of coupling with the consumer electronic device to supply the consumer electronic device with a mechanical support service supporting the consumer electronic device adjacent the vertical surface and further to supply the consumer electronic device with at least one electrical service.

40. The modular system of claim 39 further comprising multiple adapters, each being capable of providing mechanical and electrical service from the portable host to a different type of consumer electronic device.

41. The modular system of claim 39 wherein the standardized host service interface is provided on an upper horizontal surface of the portable host when it is mounted adjacent a vertical surface.

42. The modular system of claim 39 wherein the adapter comprises a main body having a horizontal portion and a connector extending downwardly from the horizontal portion for engagement with the standardized host interface.

43. The modular system of claim 39 wherein the adapter further comprises a holder extending downwardly from the horizontal portion, the holder being capable of removably holding the consumer electronic device.