EXTENDING DEVICE FUNCTIONALITY AMONGST INDUCTIVELY LINKED DEVICES

• US 20100131691A1
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Grange, William Justin, Cames, Michael, Horowitz, Ronald, Chatterjee, Manjirnath, Matsuoka, Yoshimichi, Liu, Eric, Hornyak, Matthew, Corbridge, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/303
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/22 The load being a portable electronic device
• 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 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0031 for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0075 using inductive coupling transformers or inductances adapted for inductive coupling H01F38/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• 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 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A docking station is provided for a computing device. The docking station may be used by, for example, a mobile computing device, such as a cellular or wireless telephony/messaging device. The docking station includes a housing comprising a receiving surface top receive and retain the mobile computing device. An inductive signal transfer interface is included with the housing to inductively signal at least one of power or data to the mobile computing device. The docking station further provides an output component and processing resources. The processing resources are configured to detect placement of the mobile computing device on the receiving surface. The data is received from the mobile computing device, and an output is signaled to the output component based on the received data.

Claims

1. A docking station for a computing device, the docking station comprising:

a housing comprising a receiving surface to receive and retain a mobile computing device;

an inductive signal transfer interface to inductively signal at least one of power or data to the mobile computing device;

an output component; and

processing resources configured to;

detect placement of the mobile computing device on the receiving surface;

receive data from the mobile computing device; and

signal an output to the output component based on the received data.

2. The docking station of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication port, wherein the processing resources are configured to receive data from the computing device to signal the output using the wireless communication port.

3. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the inductive signal transfer interface is configured to inductively receive or transfer data to the computing device.

4. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the inductive signal transfer interface is configured to inductively receive at least some of the data for signaling the output using the inductive signal transfer interface.

5. The docking station of claim 3, further comprising a wireless communication port, wherein the processing resources are configured to receive data from the computing device to signal the output using the wireless communication port;

and

wherein the inductive signal transfer interface is configured to inductively exchange data with the computing device in order to establish a wireless link with the computing device.

6. The docking station of claim 1, further comprising a housing that includes a receiving surface to receive the computing device, the inductive signal transfer interface being positioned relative to the receiving surface to inductively signal power and to exchange data.

7. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the output device corresponds to or includes one or more speakers, and wherein the output corresponds to an audio stream.

8. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the output device corresponds or includes a projector, and wherein the output corresponds to video or image output.

9. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the output device corresponds or includes a printer.

10. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the docking station communicates an identifier of the docking station to the computing device in order to enable the computing device to configure one or more operations based on information associated with that specific docking station.

11. The docking station of claim 1, further comprising one or more magnets positioned to magnetically couple to a surface of the mobile computing device that includes magnetically attractive material.

12. The docking station of claim 11, further comprising one or more components to detect an orientation of the computing device received on the receiving surface.

13. The docking station of claim 12, wherein the processing resource is configured to perform functionality, or enable functionality on the computing device, that is specific to a detected orientation of the computing device.

14. A docking station for a computing device, the docking station comprising:

a housing comprising a receiving surface to receive and retain a mobile computing device;

one or more magnets positioned to magnetically couple to a surface of the mobile computing device that includes magnetically attractive material;

one or more audio output components; and

a plurality of components contained within the housing, the plurality of components including;

a communication port;

processing resources, the processing resources being configured to;

detect one or more conditions that indicate placement of the mobile computing device on the receiving surface;

responsive to detecting the one or more conditions, establish a wireless link with the mobile computing device using the wireless communication port;

process a media stream received over the communication port; and

signal the one or more audio components to output audio corresponding to the media stream.

15. The docking station of claim 14, wherein the one or more magnets and the receiving surface are arranged to enable the mobile computing device to be coupled to the docking station in a plurality of orientations, including in a portrait orientation and in a landscape orientation.

16. The docking station of claim 14, further comprising a signal transfer interface provided on the docking station to signal power to the mobile computing device.

17. The docking station of claim 16, wherein the signal transfer interface is an inductive interface that is configured to inductively signal power to the mobile computing device.

18. The docking station of claim 16, wherein the inductive interface is configured to inductively signal power and to exchange data with the mobile computing device.

19. The docking station of claim 17,

wherein the one or more magnets and the receiving surface are arranged to enable the mobile computing device to be coupled to the docking station in a plurality of orientations, including in a portrait orientation and in a landscape orientation;

wherein the inductive interface is configured to inductively signal power to the mobile computing device in either the landscape orientation or the portrait orientation.

20. The docking station of claim 19, wherein the processing resources are configured to receive the media stream when the mobile computing device is in either the landscape orientation or the portrait orientation.

21. The docking station of claim 14, wherein the communication port is a local wireless communication port.

22. The docking station of claim 18,

wherein the communication port is a local wireless communication port, and

wherein the docking station inductively exchanges data with the mobile computing device to enable the mobile computing device and docking station to be paired using a communication medium of the local wireless communication port.

23. The docking station of claim 22, wherein the inductively exchanged data includes data that (i) is signaled from the mobile computing device to the docking station to identify the mobile computing device, and/or (ii) is signaled from the docking station to the mobile computing device to identify the docking station.

24. The docking station of claim 22, wherein the inductively exchanged data includes data that establishes an inductive link between the mobile computing device and the docking station under a pre-established inductive communication protocol.

25. The docking station of claim 14, wherein the signal transfer interface is a conductive interface that is configured to conductively signal power to the mobile computing device.

26. A computing system comprising:

a first computing device; and

a second computing device;

wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are configured to inductively communicate with one another;

wherein at least the first computing device signals an identifier of the first computing device to the second computing device; and

wherein the second computing device configures one or more operations based on the identifier of the first computing device.

27. The computing device of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first or second computing device is configured to signal power to the other of the first or second computing device.

28. A computing system comprising:

a first computing device; and

a second computing device;

wherein each of the first and second computing device includes a wireless communication port;

wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are configured to inductively communicate with one another when placed in contact, including to automatically exchange credential information to enable the first and second computing devices to subsequently communicate using the respective wireless communication port of each device.

29. The computing system of claim 28, wherein the first computing device and the second computing device are configured to instantly exchange credential information using an inductive signal interface provided with each computing device.