Method of operating combination personal data assistant and personal computing device

• US 7,149,837 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• 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): AUVE, GLENN ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US10/841,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/303
• 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 method of operating a mobile computing system comprising:

providing a first architecture computer system exhibiting full functionality;

providing a second architecture computer system integrated with the first architecture computer system on a common mounting structure including an integrated circuit structure and exhibiting reduced functionality in comparison with the first architecture computer system; and

sharing a set of common resources between the first architecture computer system and the second architecture computer system by isolating the first architecture computer system from the second architecture computer system when the second architecture computer system is in control of the set of common resources.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising switching control of the set of common resources to the first architecture computer system.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising placing the second architecture computer system in a slave mode to the first architecture computer system in response to switching control of the set of common resources to the first architecture computer system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first architecture computer system exhibits a first boot time and the second architecture computer system exhibits a second boot time which is substantially less than the first boot time.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the second boot time is an instant-on boot time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the common mounting structure is a board.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating the second architecture computer system on a board that plugs into the first architecture computer system.

8. A method of operating a mobile computing system comprising:

providing a first architecture computer system exhibiting a first boot time;

providing a second architecture computer system integrated with the first architecture computer system on a common mounting structure including an integrated circuit structure and exhibiting a second boot time that is substantially less than the first boot time; and

sharing a set of common resources between the first architecture computer system and the second architecture computer system by isolating the first architecture computer system from the second architecture computer system when the second architecture computer system is in control of the set of common resources.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the second boot time is an instant-on boot time.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising switching control of the set of common resources to the first architecture computer system.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising placing the second architecture computer system in a slave mode to the first architecture computer system in response to switching control of the set of common resources to the first architecture computer system.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the common mounting structure is a board.

13. A method of operating a mobile computing system comprising:

providing a first architecture computer system exhibiting relatively high power consumption;

providing a second architecture computer system integrated with the first architecture computer system on a common mounting structure including an integrated circuit structure and exhibiting relatively low power consumption in comparison with the first architecture computer system; and

sharing a set of common resources between the first architecture computer system and the second architecture computer system by isolating the first architecture computer system from the second architecture computer system when the second architecture computer system is in control of the set of common resources.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising switching control of the set of common resources to the first architecture computer system.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising placing the second architecture computer system in a slave mode to the first architecture computer system in response to switching control of the set of common resources to the first architecture computer system.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the first architecture computer system exhibits a first boot time and the second architecture computer system exhibits a second boot time which is substantially less than the first boot time.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the second boot time is an instant-on boot time.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the common mounting structure is a board.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising fabricating the second architecture computer system on a board that plugs into the first architecture computer system.