Data terminal equipment

• US 7,058,745 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2004
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Kiyomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham, John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KING, JUSTIN
• Application Number:
  US10/885,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 710/301, 710/66, 710/72
• US Class Current: 710/301
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203

Abstract

Once attached to a slot of a personal digital assistant, a card module executes an application-specific program and transmits a result obtained thereby to the personal digital assistant. The thus received execution result is outputted from an output part. Accordingly, the output part can be provided for shared use among several card modules for output of the execution result.

Claims

1. Data terminal equipment to which a module is attachable, wherein

the module comprises:

a first storage operable to store an application-specific program;

a first processing unit operable to execute the application-specific program stored in the first storage;

a first bus operable to transfer an execution result from the first processing unit; and

a first communications controller operable to inquire as to a bit width of a second bus in the data terminal equipment from the data terminal equipment, register the bit width of the second bus returned from the data terminal equipment, adjust a number of bits of the execution result transferred from the first bus based on the registered bit width of the second bus, and transmit the execution result with the adjusted number of bits to the data terminal equipment,

the data terminal equipment comprises;

a connector for disconnectably connecting to the module; and

a second communications controller operable to receive the execution result transmitted from the first communications controller, and

the data terminal equipment is operable to output, from an integral output part, the execution result provided by the first communications controller.

2. The data terminal equipment according to claim 1, wherein

the data terminal equipment is a personal digital assistant, a personal computer, or a portable phone.

3. A game machine to which a module is attachable, the module comprising:

a first storage operable to store a game program;

a first processing unit operable to execute the game program stored in the first storage;

a first bus operable to transfer an execution result from the first processing unit; and

a first communications controller operable to inquire as to a bit width of a second bus in the game machine from the game machine, register the bit width of the second bus returned from the game machine, adjust a number of bits of the execution result transferred from the first bus based on the registered bit width of the second bus, and transmit the execution result with the adjusted number of bits to the game machine, wherein

the game machine is operable to output, from an integral output part, the execution result provided by the first communications controller.

4. A navigation device to which a module is attachable, the module comprising:

a first storage operable to store a navigation program;

a first processing unit operable to execute the navigation program stored in the first storage;

a first bus operable to transfer an execution result from the first processing unit; and

a first communications controller operable to inquire as to a bit width of a second bus in the navigation device from the navigation device, register the bit width of the second bus returned from the navigation device, adjust a number of bits of the execution result transferred from the first bus based on the registered bit width of the second bus, and transmit the execution result with the adjusted number of bits to the navigation device, wherein

the navigation device is operable to output, from an integral output part, the execution result provided by the first communications controller.

5. An audio player to which a module is attachable, the module comprising:

a first storage operable to store a program for playing audio;

a first processing unit operable to execute the program stored in the first storage;

a first bus operable to transfer an execution result from the first processing unit; and

a first communications controller operable to inquire as to a bit width of a second bus in the audio player from the audio player, register the bit width of the second bus returned from the audio player, adjust a number of bits of the execution result transferred from the first bus based on the registered bit width of the second bus, and transmit the execution result with the adjusted number of bits to the audio player, wherein

the audio player is operable to output, from an integral output part, the execution result provided by the first communications controller.

6. Data terminal equipment to which a module is attachable, wherein

the module is operable to execute an application-specific program stored therein, inquire as to a bit width of a bus of the data terminal equipment, adjust a number of bits of an execution result thereby to a predetermined number, and transmit the execution result with the adjusted number of bits to the data terminal equipment,

the data terminal equipment comprising:

a reception part operable to receive, from the module, control information and the execution result whose number of bits is adjusted by the module;

the bus operable to transfer the execution result received by the reception part;

a storage operable to store the execution result transferred via the bus;

an integral output part; and

a processing part operable to receive the control information from the reception part, send a bit width of the bus to the module, and instruct the integral output part to output the execution result stored in the storage, and wherein

the reception part is operable to receive the execution result after sending the bit width of the bus in the data terminal equipment to the module,

the integral output part is operable to output the execution result in accordance with the processing part, and

the predetermined number is the bit width of the bus.