Mobile Computing Device Dock

• US 20110098087A1
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tseng, Erick
• Application Number:
  US12/914,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098087A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/265 constructional aspects of navigation devices, e.g. housings, mountings, displays G01C21/3688 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3661 Guidance output on an external device, e.g. car radio
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• 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 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 : with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in a system. The system includes a mobile telephone that includes a housing that defines a longitudinal axis that is oriented between a proximal end and a distal end. The mobile telephone includes one or more electrical connections located at the proximal end. The system includes a docking body that defines a recess that is shaped to correspond to at least a portion of the mobile telephone housing. The docking body includes one or more electrical connections for mating with the one or more mobile telephone electrical connections when the mobile telephone is docked. The mobile telephone electrical connections and the docking body electrical connections are shaped so as to provide no substantial lateral resistance to motion of the mobile telephone when the mobile telephone is docked. Lateral resistance is force that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile telephone that includes a housing that defines a longitudinal axis that is oriented between a proximal end and a distal end, and one or more electrical connections located at the proximal end of the housing; and

a docking body that defines a recess that is shaped to correspond to at least a portion of the mobile telephone housing, and includes one or more electrical connections for mating with the one or more mobile telephone electrical connections when the mobile telephone is docked in the recess,

wherein the mobile telephone electrical connections and the docking body electrical connections are shaped so as to provide no substantial lateral resistance to motion of the mobile telephone when the mobile telephone is docked, lateral resistance being force that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the proximal end of the housing physically contacts the docking body when the mobile telephone is docked, and wherein the distal end of the housing does not physically contact the docking body when the mobile telephone is docked.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the proximal end of the housing exposes a female data communication terminal, and wherein a portion of the docking body that corresponds to a location of the female data communication terminal when the mobile telephone is docked does not expose a corresponding male communication terminal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the docking body includes no electrical connections for mating with the mobile telephone other than with the one or more electrical connections of the mobile telephone.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more electrical connections of the mobile telephone include a conductive face that is substantially flush with the housing.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the one or more electrical connections of the docking body include a pin that contacts a conductive face of an electrical connection of the mobile telephone when the mobile telephone is docked.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each pin:

is biased into the recess by a spring, and is shifted, upon docking of the mobile telephone, at least partially into the docking body and out of the recess.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each pin shifts along an axis that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone further includes a display device on a face of the mobile telephone, wherein the display device faces away from the docking body in a first direction when the mobile telephone is docked.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the docking body is free of components that prevent removal of the mobile telephone when force is applied to the distal end of the mobile telephone in the first direction.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the docking body is free of components that prevent removal of the mobile telephone when force is applied to the distal end of the mobile telephone in a second direction that is opposite of the first direction.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone includes a battery, wherein the docking body has a mass that is less than a mass of the mobile telephone, and wherein a frictional force between the mobile telephone and the docking body that resists a removal of the mobile telephone from the docking body is less than a gravitational force that is applied to the docking body.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the frictional force that resists the removal of the mobile telephone from the docking body is less than 0.009625 Newtons.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the docking body is free of rails that engage the mobile telephone to guide an insertion or a removal of the mobile computing device into the docking body.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the docking body and mobile telephone are adapted to permit the removal of the mobile telephone with a grasping of the mobile telephone between two fingers of a user and a pulling of the mobile telephone in a direction away from the docking body, without substantial movement of the docking body when the dock is not physically restrained.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein substantially moving the docking body includes moving the dock more than 0.2 mm.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone electrical connections are shaped so as to provide no force that acts on a surface of the docking body that is parallel to the longitudinal axis when the mobile telephone is being docked or undocked.

18. A dock that is adapted to receive a mobile telephone, the dock comprising:

a docking body that (i) defines a recess that is shaped to correspond to at least a portion of a housing of the mobile telephone, and (ii) includes one or more electrical connections for mating with one or more electrical connections of the mobile telephone when the mobile telephone is docked in the recess of the docking body,

wherein the electrical connections of the mobile telephone are arranged so as to provide no substantial lateral resistance to motion of the telephone when the mobile telephone is removed from the recess of the docking body,

wherein lateral resistance is force that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the mobile telephone that extends from a proximal end to a distal end of the mobile telephone, and

wherein the one or more electrical connections of mobile telephone are arranged at the proximal end of the mobile telephone.

19. A method for undocking a mobile telephone, the method comprising:

removing the mobile telephone from a resting position in a docking body that is adapted to receive the mobile telephone and provide electrical power to the mobile telephone when the mobile telephone is in the resting position,

wherein the docking body includes no electrical connections that laterally resist motion of the mobile telephone when the mobile telephone is removed from the resting position, and

wherein lateral resistance is force that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the mobile telephone that extends between a proximal end and a distal end of the mobile telephone.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein removal of the mobile telephone includes applying only physical contact normal to a rear face of the mobile telephone that is opposite a front face of the mobile telephone, wherein the front face includes a display device that encompasses a majority of the front face.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the docking body is free of components that move in a direction of the physical contact during removal of the mobile telephone is removed.