SEPARABLE MOBILE DEVICE HAVING A CONTROL MODULE AND A DOCKING STATION MODULE

• US 20120225622A1
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Published: 09/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Kudrna, Paul John, Finney, Benjamin Michael, Szczypinski, David Kazmierz, Los, Oleg
• Granted Patent: US 10,142,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• 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: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724094 Interfacing with a device worn on the user's body to provide access to telephonic functionalities, e.g. accepting a call, reading or composing a message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

The technology provides a mobile communication device having separable components, including a control module configured for only short-range wireless communication and a docking station module configured for both long-range wireless communication and short-range wireless communication. The control module includes a touch-sensitive display, a short-range wireless transceiver and a processor that electrically couples the touch-sensitive display and the short-range wireless transceiver. The docking station module includes a docking area that receives the control module, a docking short-range wireless transceiver configured to communicate with the control module, a long-range wireless transceiver that is configured to communicate with a. long-range network and a docking processor that electrically couples the docking short-range wireless transceiver and the long-range wireless transceiver. The technology provides a sleek light-weight control module having full functionality of the docking station module.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device comprising:

a control module configured for short-range wireless communication, the control module comprising;

a touch-sensitive display;

a short-range wireless transceiver; and

a processor that electrically couples the touch-sensitive display and the short-range wireless transceiver; and

a docking station module configured for long-range wireless communication and short-range wireless communication, the docking station module comprising;

a docking area that receives the control module;

a docking short-range wireless transceiver configured to communicate control module;

a long-range wireless transceiver that is configured to communicate with a long-range network; and

a docking processor that electrically couples the docking short-range wireless transceiver and the long-range wireless transceiver.

2. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the control module and the docking station module operate in at least one of an undocked state, a partially docked state and a fully docked state.

3. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 2, wherein the partially docked state includes positioning the control module in the docking area to partially overlap the docking area.

4. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 3, wherein the docking station module further comprises at least one of a physical keyboard and a docking navigation tool.

5. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein the control module is adapted to receive at least one of textual entries from the physical keyboard or navigation signals from the docking navigation tool, while the control module is oriented in the partially docked. state.

6. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 2, wherein the control module further comprises a virtual keyboard while oriented in the fully docked state and wherein the control module is adapted to receive textual entries from the virtual keyboard, while the control module is oriented in the fully docked state.

7. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the control module further comprises a. navigation tool.

8. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless transceiver and the docking short-range wireless transceiver transmit wireless signals less than three hundred feet.

9. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 8, wherein the short-range wireless transceiver and the docking short-range wireless transceiver communicate using one of a Bluetooth protocol, an ultra wideband protocol, a ZigBee protocol or a Wi-Fi protocol.

10. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the long-range network includes a cellular network.

11. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the cellular network includes one of a GSM network, a GPRS network, a TDMA network, a CDMA network, a CDPD network, an Ev-DO network or an EDGE network.

12. A mobile communication device having a control module configured for short-range wireless communication, the control module including a touch-sensitive display and a short-range wireless transceiver, the mobile communication device comprising:

a docking station module configured for long-range wireless communication and short-range wireless communication, the docking station module comprising;

a docking area that receives the control module;

a docking short-range wireless transceiver configured to communicate with the control module;

a long-range wireless transceiver that is configured to communicate with a long-range network; and

a docking processor that electrically couples the docking short-range wireless transceiver and the long-range wireless transceiver.

13. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 12, wherein the control module and the docking station module operate in at least one of an undocked state, a partially docked state and a fully docked state.

14. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 13, wherein the partially docked state includes positioning the control module in the docking area to partially overlap the docking area.

15. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 14, wherein the docking station module further comprises at least one of a physical keyboard and a docking navigation tool

16. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 12, wherein the docking short-range wireless transceiver transmits wireless signals less than three hundred feet.

17. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 16, wherein the docking short-range wireless transceiver communicates using one of a Bluetooth protocol, an ultra wideband protocol, a ZigBee protocol or a Wi-Fi protocol.

18. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 12, wherein the long-range network includes a cellular network.

19. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 12, wherein the cellular network includes one of a GSM network, a GPRS network, a TDMA network, a CDMA network, a CDPD network, an Ev-DO network or an EDGE network.

20. The mobile communication device as recited in claim 12, wherein the docking station module further comprises:

a high-capacity battery; and

contacts for charging a battery provided in the control module.