DUAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATOR AND HUMAN INTERFACE DEVICE

• US 20110102348A1
• Filed: 10/31/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Modu Limited (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sherman, Itay, Ron, Uri, Bychkov, Eyal, Moran, Dov
• Application Number:
  US12/916,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20110102348A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1607 Arrangements to support accessories mechanically attached to the display housing G06F1/1603, G06F1/1605 take precedence
• 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 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266

Abstract

A communication system, including a modular wireless communicator, including a modem for transmitting and receiving signals wirelessly, and a touch-sensitive display, and a mobile computer, including a housing with a cavity for inserting the modular wireless communicator therein such that the touch-sensitive display is exposed through the housing and accessible for user inputs, and a processor, mounted within the housing, for controlling the modem and for running an operating system that performs computer tasks in response to user inputs detected by the touch-sensitive display, when the modular wireless communicator is inserted in the housing.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a modular wireless communicator, comprising;

a modem for transmitting and receiving signals wirelessly; and

a touch-sensitive display; and

a mobile computer, comprising;

a housing with a cavity for inserting said modular wireless communicator therein such that said touch-sensitive display is exposed through the housing and accessible for user inputs; and

a processor, mounted within said housing, for controlling said modem and for running an operating system that performs computer tasks in response to user inputs detected by said touch-sensitive display, when said modular wireless communicator is inserted in said housing.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said processor interprets user inputs detected by said touch-sensitive display to move a cursor.

3. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said processor interprets user inputs detected by said touch-sensitive display to launch an application.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said mobile computer further comprises a mouse, and wherein said processor uses said touch-sensitive display as a secondary input device when said modular wireless communicator is inserted in said housing.

5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein said processor displays notifications about said mobile computer on said touch-sensitive display, when said modular wireless communicator is inserted in said housing.

6. The communication system of claim 5 wherein the notifications include a power bar indicating whether the mobile computer is being powered from an external source or from an internal battery.

7. The communication system of claim 5 wherein the notifications include a network status indicating whether the mobile computer is connected to a computer network.

8. The communication system of claim 5 wherein the notifications include a storage status, indicating available storage capacity of the mobile computer.

9. A modular wireless communicator, comprising:

a modem for transmitting and receiving signals wirelessly;

a touch-sensitive display; and

an electrical connector, coupled with said modem and with said touch-sensitive display, for connection to a mobile computer, wherein said modem serves as a modem for the mobile computer and the touch-sensitive display serves as a touch-based input device for the mobile computer, when said electrical connector is connected to the mobile computer.

10. A mobile computer, comprising:

a housing with a cavity for inserting a modular wireless communicator therein, the modular wireless communicator including a modem and a touch-sensitive display, wherein the touch-sensitive display is exposed through the housing and accessible for user inputs when the modular wireless communicator is inserted in the housing; and

a processor, mounted within said housing, for controlling the modem and for running an operating system that performs computer tasks in response to user inputs detected by the touch-sensitive display, when the modular wireless communicator is inserted in said housing.

11. The mobile computer of claim 10 wherein said processor interprets user inputs detected by the touch-sensitive display to move a cursor.

12. The mobile computer of claim 10 wherein said processor interprets user inputs detected by the touch-sensitive display to launch an application.

13. The mobile computer of claim 10 further comprising a mouse, and wherein said processor uses the touch-sensitive display as a secondary input device when the modular wireless communicator is inserted in said housing.

14. The mobile computer of claim 10 wherein said processor displays notifications on the touch-sensitive display, when the modular wireless communicator is inserted in said housing.

15. The mobile computer of claim 14 wherein the notifications include a power bar indicating whether the mobile computer is being powered from an external source or from an internal battery.

16. The mobile computer of claim 14 wherein the notifications include a network status indicating whether the mobile computer is connected to a computer network.

17. The mobile computer of claim 14 wherein the notifications include a storage status, indicating available storage capacity of the mobile computer.