Display device including an integral docking station for a palm sized computing device

• US 6,489,932 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1999
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Prasanna R. Chitturi, Sushil Shah
• Inventors: Chitturi, Prasanna R., Shah, Sushil
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZAMANI, ALI A
• Application Number:
  US09/410,482
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1, 345/903, 345/905, 345/173, 345/158, 439/131, 439/929, 361/727, 361/683, 395/281, 395/308, 395/893
• US Class Current: 345/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/903 Modular display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/929 Connecting base plate or shelf type holder

Abstract

A display device having an integral docking station to facilitate the display device to be used in conjunction with a palm sized computing device for applications executing on the palm sized computing device is disclosed. The display device includes a flat panel display, a display controller, a microcontroller, a docking station including a communication interface, and a chassis integrally housing the earlier enumerated elements. Together, the enumerated elements facilitate removable coupling of the palm sized computing device to the display device to allow the flat panel display to be used in conjunction with said palm sized computing device under the control of said microcontroller for applications executing on said palm sized computing device. In various embodiments, the display device additionally includes at least a selected one of a number of other I/O peripherals. In other embodiments, other extended I/O capabilities, such as storage media, keyboard and cursor control are also provided. In yet other embodiments, the I/O extending apparatus is included as an integral feature of an article of manufacture, such as a furnishing item.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a flat panel display;

a display controller coupled to said flat panel display to control said flat panel display;

a microcontroller coupled to the display controller to control the display controller;

a docking station including a communication interface coupled to the microcontroller to facilitate removable coupling of a palm sized computing device to the display device to allow said flat panel display to be used in conjunction with said palm sized computing device for an application executing on said palm sized computing device, with the palm sized computing device driving said microcontroller and in turn said display controller; and

a chassis integrally housing said flat panel display, said display controller, said microcontroller and said docking station, wherein the flat panel display device is a touch sensitive flat panel display device, and the display controller includes logic to communicate user interactions with the flat panel device to said microcontroller, to facilitate user inputs to said application executing on said palm sized computing device using said touch sensitive flat panel display device.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein said chassis has a form factor of a tablet with the touch sensitive flat panel display disposed on an externally exposed front surface, and includes an opening disposed on a side wall exposing said integrally included docking station to facilitate said removable coupling of the palm sized computing device.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the side wall is a selected one of a top, a bottom, a left and a right side wall.

4. The display device of claim 2, wherein the chassis further includes a transparent window making an integral display of said palm sized computing device visible.

5. The display device of claim 1, wherein the display device further includes an input device selected from a group consisting of a keyboard and a cursor control device, and an input device controller coupled to said input device and said microcontroller, to facilitate user inputs to said application executing on said palm sized computing device using said input device.

6. The display device of claim 5, wherein said chassis has a form factor of a notebook computing device with the flat panel display and the input device disposed on an interior surface each of a top and a bottom half respectively, and said chassis includes an opening disposed on a side wall of the bottom half exposing said integrally included docking station to facilitate said removable coupling of the palm sized computing device, and said provision of user inputs to said application executing on said palm sized computing device using said input device.

7. The display device of claim 6, wherein the side wall is a selected one of a front, a back, a left and a right side wall.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein the display device further includes a removable media storage device, and a removable media storage device controller coupled to said removable media storage device and said microcontroller, to facilitate at least access to data stored on a removable medium by said application executing on said palm sized computing device, with the palm sized computing device driving said microcontroller, and in turn said removable media storage device controller.

9. The display device of claim 8, wherein the removable media storage device is a storage device selected from a group consisting of diskette drive, a CDROM drive and a DVDROM drive, the display device further includes at least one speaker coupled to the removable media storage device controller which also controls audio output on said at least one speaker, to facilitate output of audio data stored on said removable medium accessed by said application executing on said palm sized computing device.

10. The display device of claim 1, wherein the display device further includes a second communication interface, and a communication interface controller coupled to said second communication interface and said microcontroller, to facilitate access to remote data by said application executing on said palm sized computing device, with the palm sized computing device driving said microcontroller, and in turn said second communication interface controller.

11. A display device comprising:

a flat panel display;

a display controller coupled to said flat panel display to control said flat panel display;

an input device selected from a group consisting of a keyboard and a cursor control device;

an input device controller coupled to the input device to control the input device;

a microcontroller coupled to the display controller and the input device controller to control the display controller and the input device controller;

a docking station including a communication interface coupled to the microcontroller to facilitate removable coupling of a palm sized computing device to the display device to allow said flat panel display and said input device to be used in conjunction with said palm sized computing device for an application executing on said palm sized computing device, with the palm sized computing device driving said microcontroller and in turn said display controller and said input device controller; and

a chassis integrally housing said flat panel display, said display controller, said microcontroller, said docking station, said input device, and said input device controller, said chassis having a form factor of a notebook computing device with the flat panel display and the input device disposed on an interior surface each of a top and a bottom half respectively, and including an opening disposed on a side wall of the bottom half exposing said integrally included docking station to facilitate said removable coupling of the palm sized computing device, and provision of user inputs to said application executing on said palm sized computing device using said input device, wherein the display device further includes a second communication interface, and a communication interface controller coupled to said second communication interface and said microcontroller, to facilitate access to remote data by said application executing on said palm sized computing device, with the palm sized computing device driving said microcontroller, and in turn said second communication interface controller.

12. The display device of claim 11, wherein the display device further includes a removable media storage device, and a removable media storage device controller coupled to said removable media storage device and said microcontroller, to facilitate at least access to data stored on a removable medium by said application executing on said palm sized computing device, with the palm sized computing device driving said microcontroller, and in turn said removable media storage device controller.

13. The display device of claim 12, wherein the removable media storage device is a storage device selected from a group consisting of diskette drive, a CDROM drive and a DVDROM drive, and the display device further includes at least one speaker coupled to the removable media storage device controller which also controls audio output on said at least one speaker, to facilitate output of audio data stored on said removable medium accessed by said application executing on said palm sized computing device.

14. The display device of claim 11, wherein the chassis further includes a transparent window making an integral display of said palm sized computing device visible.