Combination personal data assistant and personal computing device

• US 6,735,663 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2000
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Ronald D., Watts, La Vaughn F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Xuan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mason, Donna K.
• Application Number:
  US09/740,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20030188077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 710/306, 710/305, 710/313, 710/316, 710/317, 710/38
• US Class Current: 710/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

In order to overcome the relatively short battery life and the relatively long delay between the activation and the actual functioning of a typical mobile computing system, the mobile computing system is provided with a personal computer (PC) architecture system and a personal digital assistant (PDA) architecture system, and a common display and shared peripherals. Interfacing to the systems is a super input output or embedded controller (SIO/EC) that acts as a slave device to whatever system has control of computing system. The SIO/EC controls a quick switch which blocks or allows communication along communication busses connecting the systems to the SIO/EC. A user can selectively change, by way of a user interface to the SIO/EC, to whatever system that is desired by the user.

Claims

1. A mobile computing system comprising:

a personal computer architecture system (PC);

a personal digital assistant architecture system (PDA);

a switch;

a controller;

a first communication bus connecting the controller to the switch and the PDA;

a second communication bus connecting the PC to the switch and to the first communication bus;

a common display interfacing to the PC and the PDA;

a set of common resource devices connected to controller whereby the controller selectively passes control of the common display and the set of common resource devices to the PDA or the PC by controlling the switch;

in response to the PDA system being given control, the second communication bus is blocked allowing the PDA system control over the common resource devices and the common display; and

in response to the PC system being given control, the PDA system becomes a slave resource of the PC system and the PC system is given control over the common resource devices and the common display.

2. The mobile computing system of claim 1 further comprising:

a common power supply shared by the PC and the PDA.

3. The mobile computing system of claim 1 wherein the first communication bus and the second communication bus are low pin count (LPC) busses.

4. The mobile computing system of claim 1 wherein the PC is comprised of:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a north-bridge controller interfacing to the CPU; and

a south-bridge controller interfacing to the north-bridge controller.

5. The mobile computing system of claim 1 wherein the PDA is comprised of:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a companion input output application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) interfacing to the CPU.

6. The mobile computing system of claim 1 further comprising:

a variable power supply whereby a lower power state of the mobile computing system is achieved when the PDA is in control of the common display and the set of common resource devices.

7. The mobile computing system of claim 1 wherein the PDA controls the common display and the set of common resource devices upon start up of the mobile computing system by default.

8. The mobile computing system of claim 1 wherein a user is able to select whether the PDA or the PC controls the common display and the set of common resource devices.

9. The mobile computing system of claim 1 further comprising:

a dedicated memory for the PC; and

a dedicated memory for the PDA.

10. The mobile computing system of claim 4 further comprising:

a dedicated memory for the PC, and

a memory system bus connecting the north-bridge controller to the dedicated memory.

11. The mobile computing system of claim 5 further comprising:

a dedicated memory for the PDA, and

a memory system bus connecting the ASIC to the dedicated memory.

12. The mobile computing system of claim 11 further comprising:

a flash basic input output system (BIOS) device.

13. The mobile computing system of claim 9 wherein the dedicated memory for the PDA further comprises:

a flash memory.

14. The mobile computing system of claim 1 further comprising:

a video controller section for the PC interfacing to the common display; and

a video controller section for the PDA interfacing to the common display.

15. The mobile computing system of claim 1 further comprising:

a common bus to the PC and the PDA, wherein the common bus may be controlled by the PC or the PDA.

16. The mobile computing system of claim 1 wherein the controller transfers data between the PC and PDA.

17. The mobile computing system of claim 1 further comprising:

an alternating current (AC) source; and

a direct current (DC) source, whereby upon return from a system suspend state the PDA controls the common display and the set of common resource devices when the mobile computing system is operating under the DC source by default.

18. The mobile computing system of claim 1 further comprising:

an alternating current (AC) source; and

a direct current (DC) source, whereby upon return from a system suspend state the PC controls the common display and the set of common resource devices when the mobile computing system is operating under the AC source by default.

19. The mobile computing system of claim 1 wherein the PDA is placed on a mini-PCI card and connected by PCI connectors to a system motherboard of the mobile computing system.

20. The mobile computing system of claim 1 wherein the PC and the PDA reside on a single computer board.

21. The mobile computing system of claim 1 wherein the PC and the PDA reside on an integrated circuit.