Visiting card computer system

• US 6,154,759 A
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cheng-Haw Chou
• Original Assignee: Cheng-Haw Chou
• Inventors: Chou, Cheng-Haw
• Primary Examiner(s): Malzahn, David H.
• Application Number:
  US09/113,361
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 708/110, 361/683, 361/686
• US Class Current: 708/110
• 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 1/1628 Carrying enclosures containing additional elements, e.g. case for a laptop and a printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations

Abstract

A visiting card-sized computer includes a wallet-like carrying case, a computer body, and a keyboard. The computer body and keyboard are on different foldable sections of the case, connection of the keyboard to the computer is by a ribbon cable extending between the foldable sections, and an input/output port for a second cable connecting the visiting card computer with another computer is situated on the keyboard. The second cable may include an RS-232 connector, a converter, and a DB25 connector. In addition, connection between the ribbon cable and the computer body is via a PCMCIA interface connector, permitting the computer body to be plugged directly into a notebook computer upon removal from the carrying case.

Claims

1. A visiting card computer system having a size approximately equal to that of a visiting card, comprising:

a computer housed within a computer body;

a carrying case; and

a miniature input keyboard;

wherein the computer body has an inlaid screen on a surface of the case, an auxiliary searching keyboard adjacent the screen, and a stepped portion, and wherein a row of connection plugs is located at an end of the stepped portion,

wherein the carrying case is a wallet arranged to hold the computer body and the input keyboard, said wallet comprising first and second pieces connecting by a flexible portion to form a folding wallet, said first piece providing a platform for said computer body and said second piece providing a platform for the input keyboard, said first piece including a pocket into which the stepped portion of the computer body is inserted so that the screen and searching keyboard are exposed and supported by the platform, said pocket including a connection slot at one end, said connection slot arranged to receive said row of connection plugs, and a first cable extending from said connection slot for connecting said computer with the input keyboard, said input keyboard being fixed to the second piece; and

wherein said input keyboard includes an input/output port for connection to a second cable, second cable being arranged to for connecting said keyboard, and therefore said computer, with another computer.

2. A visiting card computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second pieces of said carrying case are made of leather.

3. A visiting card computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first cable is a flat ribbon cable.

4. A visiting card computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said input/output port is an RS-232 interface socket, and said second cable includes an RS-232 plug connector arranged to mate with said interface socket.

5. A visiting card computer system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said second cable further includes a DB25 connecter at a second end, and a converter having a data set slot, a switch, and a battery holder arranged to supply power to the converter.

6. A visiting card computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said row of connection plugs comprise a PCMCIA interface plug and said connection slot is a PCMCIA interface slot, and wherein said PCMCIA interface plug permits the computer body to be directly inserted into a notebook computer'"'"'s PCMCIA interface slot when said computer body is removed from said carrying case.