Cartridge-based design for portable and fixed computers

• US 5,608,608 A
• Filed: 04/17/1996
• Issued: 03/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pence, William E., Flint, Ephraim B., Karidis, John P., McVicker, Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gandhi, Jayprakash N.
• Application Number:
  US08/634,056
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 361/684-686, 361/728, 361/729, 235/487, 235/488, 235/492, 439/31, 439/79, 439/928.1, 364/708.1
• US Class Current: 361/679.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/183 Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means for buses G06F13/409

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.

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.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said module is an wireless communication module.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said module is a modem.

7. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said module is a wired local area network adapter.

8. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said module is a digital communication module.

9. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said module is an analog communication module.

10. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said module is a data storage device.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said data storage device is a hard disk drive.

12. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said module is a data processing device.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein said data processing device is a video interface adapter.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein said data processing device processes analog signals input to and/or output from the computer system.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein said analog signals are voice signals.

16. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said slot is a PCMCIA standard slot.

17. The computer system of claim 4,

wherein one of said first chassis and said second chassis has an internal connector having a first portion in electrical contact with a first external peripheral device, a second portion in electrical contact with said second external peripheral device and a third portion in electrical contact with a third external peripheral device, said module being associated with one of said first, second and third external peripheral devices;

and

said computer system further comprises an adapter for coupling said module to said internal connector, said adapter having one of a first portion that connects to said first portion of said internal connector, a second portion that connects to said second portion of said internal connector, and a third portion that connects to said third portion of said third portion of said internal connector.

18. The computer system of claim 4,

wherein one of said first chassis and said second chassis has an internal connector having a first portion in electrical contact with a first external peripheral device and a second portion in electrical contact with a second external peripheral device, said module being associated with one of said first external peripheral device and said second external peripheral device;

and

said computer system further comprises an adapter for coupling said module to said internal connector, said adapter having one of a first portion that connects to said first portion of said internal connector and a second portion that connects to said second portion of said internal connector.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein said module is a PCMCIA device.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein said module is a modem and said one of said first and second external peripheral devices is a telephone line.

21. The computer system of claim 18, wherein said module is a wired local area network adapter and said one of said first and second external peripheral devices is a wired local-area network communication link.

22. The computer system of claim 18, wherein said module is a wireless communication module and said one of said first and second peripheral devices comprises an antenna.

23. The computer system of claim 18, wherein said module is a data communication module and said one of said first and second peripheral devices is a data communication link.

24. The computer system of claim 18, wherein said module is a video interface adapter and said one of said first and second peripheral devices is video link.

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.

26. The computer system of claim 25, wherein said first mode is a stationary mode and said second mode is a portable mode.

27. The computer system of claim 25, wherein said cartridge comprises a first portion connected to a second portion by at least one hinge and a cable.

28. The computer system of claim 25, wherein said cartridge comprises a first portion connected to a second portion by at least one hinged connector.

29. The computer system of claim 25, 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.

30. The computer system of claim 25, wherein said first form has a predetermined width, length, and thickness, and said second form has a width approximately half the width of said first form and a thickness approximately twice the thickness of said first form.

31. The computer system of claim 30, wherein said width of said second form is narrow enough to be readily grasped with one hand.

32. The computer system of claim 25, wherein said first form has a predetermined width, length, and thickness, and said second form has a length approximately half the length of said first form and a thickness approximately twice the thickness of said first form.

33. The computer system of claim 32, wherein said length of said second form is short enough to be readily grasped with one hand.

34. The computer system of claim 25, wherein said cartridge comprises at least one slot for housing a module that is coupled to said second bus.

35. The computer system of claim 34, wherein said module is an wireless communication module.

36. The computer system of claim 34, wherein said module is a modem.

37. The computer system of claim 34, wherein said module is a wired local area network adapter.

38. The computer system of claim 34, wherein said module is a digital communication module.

39. The computer system of claim 34, wherein said module is an analog communication module.

40. The computer system of claim 34, wherein said module is a data storage device.

41. The computer system of claim 40, wherein said data storage device is a hard disk drive.

42. The computer system of claim 34, wherein said module is a data processing device.

43. The computer system of claim 42, wherein said data processing device is a video interface adapter.

44. The computer system of claim 42, wherein said data processing device processes analog signals input to and/or output from the computer system.

45. The computer system of claim 44, wherein said analog signals are voice signals.

46. The computer system of claim 34, wherein said slot is a PCMCIA standard slot.

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.

48. The computer system of claim 47, wherein said first mode is a stationary mode and said second mode is a portable mode.

49. The computer system of claim 47, wherein said module is an wireless communication module.

50. The computer system of claim 47, wherein said module is a modem.

51. The computer system of claim 47, wherein said module is a wired local area network adapter.

52. The computer system of claim 47, wherein said module is a digital communication module.

53. The computer system of claim 47, wherein said module is an analog communication module.

54. The computer system of claim 47, wherein said module is a data storage device.

55. The computer system of claim 54, wherein said data storage device is a hard disk drive.

56. The computer system of claim 47, wherein said module is a data processing device.

57. The computer system of claim 56, wherein said data processing device is a video interface adapter.

58. The computer system of claim 56, wherein said data processing device processes analog signals input to and/or output from the computer system.

59. The computer system of claim 58, wherein said analog signals are voice signals.

60. The computer system of claim 47, wherein said slot is a PCMCIA standard slot.