Function expansion device for a portable electronic device

• US 6,605,924 B2
• Filed: 04/01/1999
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shiro, Ohnishi, Masuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US09/283,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20020008497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 320/113, 364/708.1, 361/683, 361/684, 361/685, 361/686, 361/687, 439/638, 174/50, 395/750.02, 708/140
• US Class Current: 320/113
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations

Abstract

A function expansion device is attached to a portable electronic device such as a notebook-type personal computer so as to provide a function to use various kinds of information storage media. A bay housing is detachably attached to a bottom surface of the notebook-type personal computer. The bay housing has a bay into which a drive unit is inserted. The drive unit can be selected from among a floppy disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, a magneto-optical disk drive, a high-capacity floppy disk drive, a digital video disk and a hard disk drive. Each of the drive units has an identical outer configuration so that each of the drive units can be alternatively attached to the bay housing. Various types of drive units can be connected to the notebook-type personal computer by merely changing the drive unit accommodated in the bay housing.

Claims

1. A function expansion device having a unit accommodating part, expanding a function of a portable electronic device by being detachably attached to said portable electronic device, said function expansion device comprising:

a functional unit attached to the unit accommodating part and coupled to a connector provided inside of said portable electronic device, wherein said unit accommodating part has a concave part formed on an inside thereof to removably accommodate said functional unit, and said functional unit alone provides a complete function to be added to said portable electronic device.

2. The function expansion device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a battery accommodating part which accommodates a battery pack for providing an electric power to at least one of said portable electronic device and said functional unit accommodated in said unit accommodating part.

3. The function expansion device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a charging circuit charging said battery pack accommodated in said battery accommodating part.

4. The function expansion device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said battery accommodating part has a configuration the same as that of a battery accommodating part of said portable electronic device so that a battery pack used for said portable electronic device is used as said battery pack to be accommodated in said battery accommodating part of said function expansion device.

5. The function expansion device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said functional unit is an adapter which converts a commercially available voltage into a voltage used by said portable electronic device.

6. The function expansion device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said adapter includes a charging circuit for charging a battery pack provided in said function expansion device.

7. The function expansion device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a cooling unit for cooling an interior of said function expansion device.

8. The function expansion device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a member which adjusts an angle of said portable electronic device when said function expansion device is mounted to said portable electronic device, the angle being formed between a bottom surface of said function expansion device and a surface on which said portable electronic device is placed.

9. The function expansion device as claimed in claim 1, wherein an outer configuration of said function expansion device is formed so that an operation performed by a user on said portable electronic device is facilitated by the outer configuration of said function expansion device.

10. An electronic device system comprising:

an electronic device;

a plurality of functional units each of which alone provides a complete function to be added to said electronic device; and

a function expansion device directly connected with a connector provided inside said electronic device, said function expansion device including a unit accommodating part which is detachably attached to said electronic device and includes a concave part formed in the unit accommodating part to thereby removably accommodate an entire one of said functional units.

11. A functional unit alone providing a complete function to be added to an electronic device, said functional unit being detachably attached to an attachment which is detachably mounted to said electronic device, and said attachment includes a concave part formed in said attachment to thereby removably accommodate the entire functional unit which is detachably attached to said electronic device.

12. The functional unit as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a converter which converts a commercially available voltage into a voltage suitable for driving said electronic device.

13. The functional unit as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

a charging circuit for charging a battery pack provided in said attachment so that the battery pack is charged by using the commercially available voltage.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a bay housing unit directly connected to a connector provided inside an electronic device; and

a functional unit providing a function to be added to said electronic device, said functional unit being detachably mounted within said bay housing unit.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a battery pack attached to said bay housing unit providing an electric power to at least one of said electronic device and said functional unit.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a charging circuit charging said battery pack attached to said bay housing unit.

17. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said bay housing unit has a configuration for said battery pack the same as that of a battery pack of said electronic device so that the battery pack used for said electronic device is used as said battery pack in said bay housing unit.

18. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said functional unit is an adapter which converts a commercially available voltage into a voltage used by said electronic device.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said adapter includes a charging circuit for charging a battery pack provided in said bay housing unit.

20. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a cooling unit cooling an interior of said bay housing unit.

21. An apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a member adjusting an angle of said electronic device when said bay housing unit is mounted within said electronic device, the angle being formed between a bottom surface of said bay housing unit and a surface on which said electronic device is placed.

22. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein an outer configuration of said bay housing unit is formed so that an operation performed by a user on said electronic device is facilitated by the outer configuration of said bay housing unit.