Personal electronics device with appliance drive features

• US 7,216,242 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2005
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arm Ltd. (United Kingdom) (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Dualcor Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Glass, Timothy J., Cupps, Bryan T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trusillo, James K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stoynov, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US11/053,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20050202846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/300
• 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 1/3203 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: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/029 reducing the clock frequency of the controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A novel personal electronic device includes a first (embedded) and second (non-embedded) processors including associated operating systems and functions. In one aspect, the first processor performs relatively limited functions, while the second processor performs relatively broader functions under control of the first processor. Often the second processor requires more power than the first processor and is selectively operated by the first processor to minimize overall power consumption. Protocols for functions to be performed by the second processor may be provided directly to the second processor and processed by the second processor. In another aspect, a display controller is designed to interface with both processors. In another aspect, the operating systems work with one another. In another aspect, the first processor employs a thermal control program. Advantages of the invention include a broad array of functions performed by a relatively small personal electronics device.

Claims

1. A personal portable electronic device to perform a plurality of functions, the device comprising:

a hand-held source of energy,

an embedded system processor energized by the source of energy for performing a first subset of the plurality of functions, with the functions of the first subset being of limited complexity,

a non-embedded system processor energized by the source of energy for performing a second subset of the plurality of functions, with the functions of the second subset being more complex than those associated with the first subset of functions,

the embedded system processor controlling the allocation and termination of energy to, as well as the operation of the non-embedded system processor, and

a hard disc drive providing a resource shared by the embedded system processor and the non-embedded system processor to provide for systems processors a storage capacity variable to each of the system processors for an amount of storage dependent at each instant upon the functions being performed by the systems processors at that instant.

2. In connection as set forth in claim 1 wherein

the hard disc drive includes a first portion available for storage of information for the non-embedded system processor and includes a second portion available for storage jointly for the embedded system processor and the non-embedded system processor dependent upon the relative storage requirements of the embedded system processor and the non-embedded system processor.

3. In combination in a personal portable electronic device,

a hand-held source of energy,

a first system processor enabled by the hand-held source of energy and constructed to perform relatively simple functions,

a second system processor enabled by the hand-held source of energy and constructed to perform functions more complex than those performed by the first system processor,

the allocation and termination of energy to, as well as the operation of the second system processor being controlled by the first system processor independently of the operation of the second system processor, and

a hard disc drive operatively coupled to the first system processor and the second system processor for storing information individual to the first system processor for processing by the first system processor and individual to the second processor for processing by the second system processor.

4. In a combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein the amount of information stored in the hard disc for processing by the first system relative to the amount of information stored in the hard disc drive for processing by the second system processor is dependent upon the relative storage needs of the first system processor and the second system processor.

5. In a combination as set forth in claim 3, wherein a portion of the hard disc drive stores information for processing only by the second system processor and wherein the remainder of the hard disc drive stores information for processing by the first system processor and information for processing by the second system processor.

6. In a combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein the portion of the hard disc drive storing the information for processing by the second system processor constitutes a first portion and wherein

a second portion of the hard disc drive includes a third portion for storing information for processing by the first system processor and a fourth portion for processing by the second system processor, the paced in the third and fourth portions being variable dependent upon the relative needs of the first system processor and the second system processor for storing information.

7. In a combination as set forth in claim 6 wherein the relative amount of space in the third portion of the hard disc drive relative to the amount of space in the fourth portion of the hard disc drive is dependent at each instant upon the relative storage needs of the first system processor and the second system processor at that instant.

8. In combination,

a housing,

a hand-held source of energy within the housing,

a device disposed within the housing and including first and second system processors energized by the source of energy,

the first system processor being constructed to perform relatively simple functions and the second system processor being constructed to perform functions more complex than the relatively simple functions, the allocation and termination of energy to, as well as the operation of the second system processor being controlled by the first system processor without instructions from the second system processor,

a host computer disposed outside of the housing,

a cable extending between the device and the host computer to provide for the operation of the device as a hard disc drive for introducing information to the host computer, and

connectors extending at opposite ends respectively from the cable to the device and from the cable to the host computer to provide for the introduction of information to the host computer from the device operating as a hard disc drive.

9. In a combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein

the connector on the host computer is designed to emulate a type A USB connector and wherein

connector on the device is designed to emulate a type B USB connector.

10. In a combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein

the hard disc drive within the device stores information in a first portion of the hard disc drive for the first system processor and stores information in a second portion of the hard disc drive for the second system processor and wherein

the relative sizes of the first and second portions of the hard disc drive within the device are dependent upon the storage needs of the first and second system processors.

11. In a combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein

a priority connector on the device is connected to a port replicator and wherein

a USB type B connector is connected at one end to the post replicator and at the other end via a standard USB cable to a USB type A connector on the host computer.

12. In a combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein

the device provides a function layer within the device and wherein

the host computer provides client software within the host computer,

thereby to connect the device to the host computer and have the device operate as a hard disc drive for the host computer.

13. In a combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein

the device operates as a first hard disc drive to provide information to the host computer and wherein

a hard disc drive is provided within the device to store information for the first system processor and the second system processor.

14. In a combination as set forth in claim 13 wherein

the relative sizes of the first and second portions of the hard disc drive within the device are variable at each instant dependent upon the storage needs of the first and second system processors at that instant.

15. In a combination as set forth in claim 13 wherein the housing has a hand-held size.

16. In a combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein

the housing has a hand-held size.

17. In combination,

a housing,

a hand-held source of energy disposed within the housing,

a device including first and second system processors disposed within the housing and energized by the source of energy, the first system processor being constructed to perform relatively simple functions and the second system processor being constructed to perform functions more complex than those performed by the first system processor, the first system processor being constructed to operate independently of the second system processor in controlling the allocation and termination of energy to, as well as the operation of the second system processor,

a first hard disc drive disposed within the housing and coupled to the first and second system processors respectively to provide variable amounts of storage capacity to the first and second system processors, the storage capacity provided to each of the first and second system processors being dependent at each instant upon the storage needs of the system processor at that instant, and

a host computer disposed outside of the housing,

the device being connected outside of the housing to the host computer to operate as a second hard disc drive in providing information to the host computer.

18. In a combination as set forth in claim 17 wherein

the first hard disc drive has a first portion for storing information for use by the second system processor and has a second portion for storing information for use by the first and second system processors.

19. In a combination as set forth in claim 18 wherein

the second portion of the first hard disc drive includes third and fourth portions,

the third portion being provided for storing information for use by the first system processor and the fourth portion being provided for storing information for use by the second system processor.

20. In a combination as set forth in claim 19 wherein

the relative sizes of the third and fourth portions of the first hard disc drive are dependent upon the relative needs of the first and second system processors for storing information for use respectively by the first and second system processors.

21. In a combination as set forth in claim 20 wherein

the relative sizes of the third and fourth portions of the hard disc drive at each instant are dependent upon the relative needs of the first and second system processors at that instant for storing information respectively for use by the firs and second system processors.

22. In a combination as set forth in claim 17, including

circuitry extending between the device and the host computer to provide for the operation of the device as a hard disc drive for introducing information for them device to the host computer, and

connectors connecting the circuitry to the device and to the host computer.