INTERIOR CONNECTOR SCHEME FOR ACCESSORIZING A MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICE WITH A REMOVEABLE HOUSING SEGMENT

• US 20100172090A1
• Filed: 01/04/2010
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Chatterjee, Manjirnath
• Granted Patent: US 8,305,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.580
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

A panel segment is structured to be attachable and detachable from the computing device in order to form a portion of the overall housing for the computing device. The panel segment includes a panel connector, positioned on an interior surface of the panel segment to electrically mate with an interior connector of the computing device when the panel segment is attached. The panel segment includes one or more electrical components that are operable to send an electrical output to, or receive an electrical output from a component of the computing device.

Claims

1. A computing device assembly comprising:

a device that contains a plurality of components, including a processor of the computing device;

a panel segment that is attachable and detachable to the computing device to provide a portion of a housing for the computing device;

a panel connector positioned on an interior surface of the panel segment;

a device connector positioned to form an electrical connection with the panel connector, the device connector being provided on a surface that is encased by the panel segment when the panel segment is attached to the computing device;

one or more electrical components provided within the panel segment, the one or more electrical components being operable to send an electrical output to, or receive an electrical output from the one or more components of the computing device, using the electrical connection formed by the panel connector and the device connector.

8. The computing device assembly of claim 1, wherein the computing device and the panel segment are each configured to send and receive power and data to one another, across the connection formed by the device connector and the panel connector.

9. The computing device assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more electrical components of the panel segment includes an inductive signal interface and a panel processor, and wherein the panel processor and a processor of the computing device are operable to send data to each other about a power level of the computing device.

10. The computing device assembly of claim 9, wherein the panel segment further comprises magnetically attractive material to enable the panel, when attached to the computing device, to magnetically couple to another device.

11. The computing device assembly of claim 1, wherein the panel segment includes a display provided on an exterior surface of the panel segment, and wherein the panel segment receives at least one of power or data from the computing device across the electrical connection formed by the panel connector and the device connector, in order to operate the display.

12. The computing device assembly of claim 1, wherein the panel segment includes a solar panel, and wherein the panel segment sends power to the computing device across the electrical connection formed by the panel connector and the device connector, in order to operate the display.

13. The computing device assembly of claim 1, wherein the panel segment includes an illumination element, and wherein the panel segment receives the power from the computing device across the electrical connection formed by the panel connector and the device connector, in order to operate the display.

14. The computing device assembly of claim 1, wherein the panel segment includes one or more components for providing an altimeter, a speaker, a pulse meter, or an ultrasonic tape measurer.

18. The accessory device of claim 10, wherein the panel segment includes one or more components to signal data along with the power to the computing device.

19. The accessory device of claim 10, wherein the panel segment includes one or more components to receive data from the computing device, wherein said data indicates power consumption or requirement of the computing device.

20. The accessory device of claim 10, further comprising magnetically attractive material to enable the panel segment to attach to a third device when connected to the computing device.

2. The computing device assembly of 1, wherein the one or more electrical components of the panel segment are configured to send power to and/or receive power from the one or more components of the computing device using the electrical connection formed by the panel connector and the device connector.

3. The computing device assembly of 1, wherein the one or more electrical components of the panel segment are configured to send data to and/or receive data from the one or more components of the computing device using the electrical connection formed by the panel connector and the device connector.

4. The computing device assembly of 1, wherein the panel segment is configured to receive power from the computing device using the electrical connection formed by the panel connector and the device connector.

5. The computing device assembly of 1, wherein the computing device and the panel segment are configured to (i) operate in a device power input mode in which the computing device receives power from the panel segment using the electrical connection formed from the device connector and the panel connector;

(ii) operate in a device power output mode in which the computing device sends power to the panel segment using the electrical connection formed from the device connector and the panel connector.

6. The computing device assembly of claim 5, wherein the panel segment is configured to electrically connect to a power supply device when connected to the computing device in order to receive power for the computing device when the computing device and the panel segment operate in the device power input mode.

7. The computing device assembly of claim 5, wherein the panel segment is configured to electrically connect to a third device when the panel is connected to the first device, in order to signal power to the third device (i) from a battery module of the computing device when the panel segment and the computing device operate in the device power output mode, and (ii) using the electrical connection formed by the device connector and the panel connector.

15. An accessory device for a computing device, the accessory device comprising:

a panel segment that is removeable and re-attachable to the computing device to provide a portion of a housing for the computing device;

a panel connector positioned on an interior surface of the panel segment to electrically mate and form an electrical connection with a device connector of the computing device when the computing device and the accessory device are attached;

wherein the panel segment includes one or more components to signal power to and/or receive power from the computing device across the electrical connection formed by the device connector and the panel connector.

16. The accessory of claim 15, further comprising an inductive signal interface provided within the panel segment, the inductive signal interface being operable to receive power from another device, and wherein the panel segment further comprises one or more components that signal the power, received from the other device using the inductive signal interface, to the computing device across the electrical connection formed by the panel connector and the device connector.

17. The accessory device of claim 15, wherein the panel segment includes one or more components to signal sufficient power to the computing device in order to recharge a battery module of the computing device.