Portable computer system for docking to an expansion base unit

• US 5,488,572 A
• Filed: 05/04/1994
• Issued: 01/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Belmont, Brian V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ellis B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick J.
• Application Number:
  US08/237,778
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 364/514, 364/708.1, 395/500, 395/800, 395/275, 395/325, 361/683, 361/681, 361/686, 360/69, 360/99.06, 439/374, 439/296
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0216 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405

Abstract

A notebook computer system for docking to a motorized expansion base unit. Before the actual docking event occurs, the notebook computer system communicates with the expansion base unit via a sense signal, which is provided by the notebook computer to indicate the power state of the notebook computer. If the expansion base unit determines that the notebook computer is in a proper state for docking, it activates its motor to load the notebook computer. Once docked, the notebook computer runs a resource conflict check routine to determine if resource conflicts occur. A fatal conflict occurs when the resource requirements of bus devices connected to the expansion base unit conflict with the resource requirements of a video controller or hard disk drive connected to the notebook computer. When such a fatal conflict occurs, the notebook computer issues a software eject request to expansion base unit. In response, the expansion base unit undocks the notebook computer. A non-fatal conflict occurs when the resource requirements of the expansion base unit devices conflict with the resource requirements of PCMCIA cards inserted into the PCMCIA slots of the notebook computer. Unlike the case of a fatal conflict, the notebook computer responds to a non-fatal conflict by disabling the offending devices in the expansion base unit.

Claims

1. A portable computer system for docking to an expansion base system, wherein the expansion base system includes an expansion bus for connection to expansion bus devices having resource requirements, a docking connector connected to the expansion bus, a device being coupled to the expansion bus and having resource requirements, and means responsive to certain of the portable computer system signals for docking and undocking the portable computer system, the portable computer system comprising:

a system bus;

a device being coupled to said system bus and having resource requirements;

an expansion connector connected to said system bus for connecting to the docking connector when the portable computer system is docked in the expansion base system;

means coupled to said system bus for determining if said resource requirements of said portable computer system bus device and the expansion bus device in the expansion base system conflict; and

means coupled to said conflict determining means and said system bus for transmitting an eject request signal to the expansion base system when said conflict is determined, wherein said eject request signal causes the expansion base system to undock the portable computer system.

2. The portable computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

an additional device coupled to said portable computer system bus, wherein said additional device has unique resource requirements, wherein said conflict determining means determines if the resource requirements of said additional device and the expansion bus device conflict, and wherein said eject request means transmits said eject request signal to the expansion base system if said conflict occurs.

3. The portable computer system of claim 2, wherein said portable computer system device is a hard disk drive and said portable computer system additional device is a video controller.

4. The portable computer system of claim 1, wherein said portable computer system device is a video controller.

5. The portable computer system of claim 1, wherein said portable computer system device is a hard disk drive.

6. The portable computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

said portable computer system device being disabled when said conflict determining means is in operation.

7. The portable computer system of claim 1, wherein the portable computer system can be placed into one of a plurality of states, wherein said plurality of states include a standby state, wherein said eject request means transmits said eject request signal only if said portable computer system is in said standby state.

8. A docking computer system, comprising:

a portable computer system, including;

a system bus having a plurality of signals;

a device being coupled to said system bus and having resource requirements;

an expansion connector connected to said system bus; and

an expansion base system for docking and undocking said portable computer system, wherein said expansion base system includes;

an expansion bus;

a device being coupled to said expansion bus and having resource requirements;

a docking connector connected to said expansion bus for connecting to said expansion connector when said portable computer system is docked in said expansion base unit;

controller means coupled to said expansion bus; and

means responsive to said controller means for docking and undocking said portable computer system,

wherein said portable computer system further includes;

means coupled to said portable computer system bus for determining if a conflict occurs between said resource requirements of said portable computer system device and said expansion base system device; and

means coupled to said conflict determining means and said portable computer system bus for transmitting an eject request signal to said controller means when said conflict occurs, wherein said eject request signal causes said controller means to activate said means to undock said portable computer system.

9. The docking computer system of claim 8, wherein said portable computer system further includes:

an additional device coupled to said portable computer system bus, wherein said additional device has unique resource requirements, wherein said conflict determining means determines if said resource requirements of said additional device and said expansion base system device conflict, and wherein said eject request means transmits said eject request signal to said controller means if said conflict occurs.

10. The docking computer system of claim 8, wherein said portable computer system device is a hard disk drive and said portable computer system additional device is a video controller.

11. The docking computer system of claim 8, wherein said expansion base system further includes:

an expansion slot coupled to said expansion base system expansion bus for receiving an expansion device, wherein said expansion device expansion bus system device.

12. The docking computer system of claim 8, wherein said expansion base system further includes:

means coupled to said expansion base system expansion bus for disabling said expansion base device; and

wherein said portable computer system further includes;

means coupled to said portable computer system bus for programming said disabling means to disable said expansion base unit device, wherein said resource requirements of said disabled expansion base unit device are ignored by said conflict determining means.

13. The docking computer system of claim 8, wherein said portable computer means further includes:

means for generating a signal indicative of one of a plurality of states of said portable computer system, wherein said plurality of states include a standby state; and

electrical contacting means connected to said indicating signal;

wherein said expansion base unit further includes;

electrical contacting means coupled to said controller means for contacting said portable computer system electrical contacting means; and

wherein said controller means responds to said eject request signal to activate said means to undock said portable computer system only if said indicating signal indicates said portable computer system is in said standby state.

14. The docking computer system of claim 8, wherein said portable computer system device is a video controller.

15. The docking computer system of claim 8, wherein said portable computer system device is a hard disk drive.

16. The docking computer system of claim 8, wherein said expansion base system means for docking and undocking is motorized.