ORIENTATION AND PRESENCE DETECTION FOR USE IN CONFIGURING OPERATIONS OF COMPUTING DEVICES IN DOCKED ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20100081473A1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gilmour, Nicholas R., Martin, Larry W., Corbridge, Mark, Chatterjee, Manjirnath, Matsuoka, Yoshimichi, Townsend, Karl, Liu, Eric, Grange, William Justin
• Granted Patent: US 8,385,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/559
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A mobile computing device (‘MCD’) and docking station (‘dock’) are individually equipped with features and components that enable charging/power signals to be communicated from the dock to the MCD without use of connectors. Other embodiments provide for the MCD or the dock to identify an orientation of the MCD as retained on the docking station. As an addition or alternative, magnetic coupling may be used to maintain and/or orient the two devices in a mated position.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a mobile computing device configured to inductively transmit or receive at least one of a power or data signal; and

an accessory device that is configured to inductively communicate with the mobile computing device in order to transmit or receive the at least one power or data signal.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein each of the mobile computing device and the accessory device include one or more coils that enable inductive transmission or reception of the at least one of the power or data signals.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device and the accessory device inductively communicate a signal that carries both power and data.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device and the accessory device inductively communicates separate signals for power and data.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device and the accessory device are configured to inductively communicate data that is used to enable a subsequent data exchange between the mobile computing device and the accessory device.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device and the accessory device are configured to inductively communicate credential information that is used to pair the two devices for subsequent wireless communications between the two devices.

7. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the mobile computing device and the accessory device are configured to inductively communicate the data that is used to enable the subsequent data exchange by modulating the power signal communicated from one of the mobile computing device or the accessory device to the other of the mobile computing device or accessory device.

8. A mobile computing device comprising:

an inductive element;

a signal handling module that is configured to inductively receive at least one of a power or data signal from another device using the inductive element.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the inductive element includes a coil provided within a housing of the mobile computing device.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the signal handling module is configured to inductively transmit at least one of the power or data signal to another device.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of electronic components, including a central processor and a battery;

circuit elements to supply power from the power signal to one or more of the plurality of electronic components.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the signal handling resource is configured to handle a modulated power signal and to identify data from the modulated power signal.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 8, further comprising a signal processor that extracts data from the modulated power signal, and uses the extracted data to initiate communication with the other device using a different data communication medium.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the signal processor and/or a central processor use the extracted data to enable a subsequent local wireless communication link between the mobile computing device and the other device.

15. A mobile computing device comprising:

a housing shell that defines at least a portion of an exterior of the mobile computing device;

one or more conductive elements that are provided without a connector structure on the exterior as part of the shell, wherein the one or more conductive elements form at least a portion of a conductive path that passes through a thickness of the shell and extends into the recharging circuit; and

a signal handling resource that receives one or more signals communicated from another device to the mobile computing device using the one or more conductive elements, wherein the one or more signals carry both power and data.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of components contained within the housing, the plurality of components including (i) a battery that is rechargeable with application of a charge provided through a recharging circuit, and (ii) one or more processors;

and wherein the signal handling component uses the power to recharge the batter and identifies the data for use by at least one of the one or more processors.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein the one or more conductive elements are provided as at least a part of a character of a logo on the shell.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 17, wherein one or more characters of the logo individually (i) provide a signal path, and (ii) comprise a plurality of conductive elements.

19. An accessory device for a mobile computing device, the accessory device comprising:

an inductive element;

a signal handling module that is configured to inductively transmit at least one of a power or data signal to another device using the inductive element.

20. The accessory device of claim 19, wherein the inductive element includes a coil provided within a housing of the mobile computing device.

21. A computing system comprising:

a mobile computing device;

a docking station to receive the mobile computing device;

a connector-less set of components that are distributed on the mobile computing device and the docking station to enable communication of both data and power from or between the mobile computing device and the docking station.

22. A computing system comprising:

a mobile computing device;

a docking station that is configured to (i) physically retain the mobile computing device, and (ii) communicate one or more signals to the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is retained;

wherein the docking station is structured to enable the mobile computing device to occupy any one of a plurality of orientations when the mobile computing device is retained on the docking station;

wherein at least one of the mobile computing device or docking station is structured to identify an orientation of the mobile computing device as retained on the docking station; and

wherein at least the docking station is configured to perform one or more operations that are selected, by either the docking station or the mobile computing device, based art least in part on the identified orientation of the mobile computing device.

23. A mobile computing device comprising:

a housing that includes a surface for being placed on a docking surface;

one or more processors;

a plurality of detectors that detect position information about a detected orientation of the mobile computing device when the surface of the housing is placed on the docking surface;

wherein the position information is indicative of one orientation of a plurality of possible orientations; and

wherein the one or more processors (i) associate a mode or functionality with two or more of the possible orientations, and (ii) are implement a mode or functionality associated with the detected position information in response to receiving the position information.

24. A system comprising:

a mobile computing device;

an accessory device having a receiving surface;

wherein at least one of the mobile computing device or accessory device includes a magnetic component to retain the other of the mobile computing device or accessory device in one or more orientations.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein only one of the mobile computing device or accessory device includes the magnetic component, and the other of the mobile computing device or accessory device has material that is attracted to the magnetic component when the mobile computing device is in the one or more orientations.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the accessory device includes the magnetic component, the magnetic component comprising a plurality of magnets that are provided within corresponding openings formed in the receiving surface.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein one or more of the corresponding openings include receiving structures to hold a corresponding one of the plurality of magnets, the receiving structure being formed from material that focuses a magnetic field that is provided by the corresponding magnet that is held in the receiving structure.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein at least one of the mobile computing device or accessory device is pre-configured to automatically perform (i) a first operation when the mobile computing device has a first one of the plurality of discrete position, and (ii) a second operation when the mobile computing device has a second one of the plurality of the discrete positions.