Cartridge-based design for portable and fixed computers
First Claim
1. A computer system comprising:
- a first chassis having at least one user interface module coupled to a first bus;
a second chassis, different than said first chassis, having at least one user interface module coupled to a second bus; and
a cartridge having a core processor and memory coupled to a third bus;
wherein said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said first bus of said first chassis to form a first functional system, or said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said second bus of said second chassis to form a second functional system;
wherein said first, second, and third buses each comprise a plurality of buses; and
wherein said plurality of buses of said first bus connects to said plurality of buses of said third bus through separate first connectors, and said plurality of buses of said second bus connects to said plurality of buses of said third bus through separate second connectors.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computer system includes a chassis and a cartridge having separate functional components that interface with one another over a common bus. The chassis includes a plurality of user interface modules, which are generally designed and packaged according to a particular application/work mode, each coupled to a first bus. The cartridge, on the other hand, includes components that can be shared among the various applications/work modes. Specifically, the cartridge has a core processor and memory coupled to a second bus, and at least one slot for housing a communication module that is coupled to the second bus. In addition, the cartridge may be designed to be configured by the user to have a first form and a second form. The cartridge of the first form may be utilized for portable computer processing systems such as laptop, notebook and sub-notebook systems. The cartridge of the second form may be designed to be narrow enough to be utilized in smaller portable computer processing systems, such as hand-held systems.
-
Citations
60 Claims
-
1. A computer system comprising:
-
a first chassis having at least one user interface module coupled to a first bus; a second chassis, different than said first chassis, having at least one user interface module coupled to a second bus; and a cartridge having a core processor and memory coupled to a third bus; wherein said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said first bus of said first chassis to form a first functional system, or said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said second bus of said second chassis to form a second functional system; wherein said first, second, and third buses each comprise a plurality of buses; and wherein said plurality of buses of said first bus connects to said plurality of buses of said third bus through separate first connectors, and said plurality of buses of said second bus connects to said plurality of buses of said third bus through separate second connectors.
-
-
2. A computer system comprising:
-
a first chassis having at least one user interface module coupled to a first bus; a second chassis, different than said first chassis, having at least one user interface module coupled to a second bus; and a cartridge having a core processor and memory coupled to a third bus; wherein said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said first bus of said first chassis to form a first functional system, or said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said second bus of said second chassis to form a second functional system; wherein said cartridge can be configured by a user of said computer system to have a first form and a second form; and wherein said cartridge comprises a first portion connected to a second portion by at least one hinged connector.
-
-
3. A computer system comprising:
-
a first chassis having at least one user interface module coupled to a first bus; a second chassis, different than said first chassis, having at least one user interface module coupled to a second bus; and a cartridge having a core processor and memory coupled to a third bus; wherein said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said first bus of said first chassis to form a first functional system, or said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said second bus of said second chassis to form a second functional system; wherein said cartridge can be configured by a user of said computer system to have a first form and a second form; and wherein said cartridge of said first form comprises a first portion connected to a second portion by a first connector, and said cartridge of said second form comprises said first portion connected to said second portion by a second connector different than said first connector.
-
-
4. A computer system comprising:
-
a first chassis having at least one user interface module coupled to a first bus; a second chassis, different than said first chassis, having at least one user interface module coupled to a second bus; and a cartridge having a core processor and memory coupled to a third bus; wherein said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said first bus of said first chassis to form a first functional system, or said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said second bus of said second chassis to form a second functional system; and wherein said cartridge comprises at least one slot for housing a module that is coupled to said second bus. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A computer system comprising:
-
a first chassis having at least one user interface module coupled to a first bus, wherein said first chassis is optimized for use in a first mode; a second chassis having at least one user interface module coupled to a second bus, wherein said second chassis is optimized for use in a second mode different from said first mode; and a cartridge having a core processor and memory coupled to a third bus; wherein said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said first bus of said first chassis to form a first functional system, or said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said second bus of said second chassis to form a second functional system; and wherein said cartridge can be configured by a user of said computer system to have a first form and a second form. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
-
-
47. A computer system comprising:
-
a first chassis having at least one user interface module coupled to a first bus, wherein said first chassis is optimized for use in a first mode; a second chassis having at least one user interface module coupled to a second bus, wherein said second chassis is optimized for use in a second mode different from said first mode; and a cartridge having a core processor and memory coupled to a third bus; wherein said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said first bus of said first chassis to form a first functional system, or said third bus of said cartridge is detachably connected to said second bus of said second chassis to form a second functional system; and wherein said cartridge comprises at least one slot for housing a module that is coupled to said second bus. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
-
Specification