Desktop holder and portable terminal system

• US 7,426,595 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Osaka, Masahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): MISIURA, BRIAN THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US11/073,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20050201049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 361679-686, 707200-204, 455/557
• US Class Current: 710/304
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device

Abstract

A desktop holder includes a connector to be connected to a connector of a portable terminal inserted into an insertion inlet, a connector to be connected to a memory card inserted into a memory card slot, a cable which connects connectors, and a connector which connects an AC adaptor, thereby enabling a battery pack to be charged by the supply of charging DC voltage supplied from the AC adaptor to the portable terminal, as well as enabling the portable terminal to read and write from/to the memory card by key operation of the portable terminal.

Claims

1. A desktop holder which accommodates a portable terminal, comprising:

a first connector having a charge terminal to be connected to an output terminal of an AC adaptor which converts AC voltage of a commercial power source into charging DC voltage and outputs the obtained voltage,

a second connector having an external storage medium terminal to be connected to an external storage medium inserted into an external storage medium slot, to enable read and write from/to said external storage medium by operation of said portable terminal,

a third connector having a charge terminal connected to said charge terminal of said first connector and an external interface terminal connected to said external storage medium terminal of said second connector, and

control means having an interface conversion function of connecting said external storage medium terminal of said second connector and said external interface terminal, and

said portable terminal includes

a fourth connector having a charge terminal and an external interface terminal to be electrically and physically connected to said third connector,

a charging circuit which receives input of said charging DC voltage from said charge terminal of said fourth connector to charge a battery, and

control means which controls read and write from/to the external storage medium inserted into the external storage medium slot of said desktop holder to be connected through said external storage medium terminal of said fourth connector,

wherein said desktop holder includes a portable terminal side access controller, a card side access controller and a buffer memory, and

wherein said portable terminal side access controller sends and receives data and a control signal to/from said portable terminal through the external connection terminal by a procedure according to the external connection and at the time of write to said external storage medium, accumulates, in said buffer memory, data of an internal memory of said portable terminal received from said portable terminal and at the time of read from said external storage medium, transfers the data of said external storage medium accumulated in said buffer memory to said portable terminal, and

said card side access controller sends and receives data and a control signal to/from said external storage medium through said external storage medium terminal by a procedure according to the external storage medium interface and at the time of write to said external storage medium, writes data of said internal memory accumulated in said buffer memory into said external storage medium and at the time of read from said external storage medium, accumulates, in said buffer memory, data read from said external storage medium.

2. The desktop holder as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said second connector is provided in said external storage medium slot provided in said case, and

said third connector is provided in a portable terminal insertion inlet provided in said case.

3. The desktop holder as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a regulator which receives input of said charging DC voltage from said charge terminal of said first connector and converts the voltage into operating voltage to output the obtained voltage, wherein

said second connector includes a power source terminal to which output of said regulator is applied.

4. A portable terminal system having a portable terminal and a desktop holder for the portable terminal, wherein

said desktop holder is internally provided with

a first connector having a charge terminal to be connected to an output terminal of an AC adaptor which converts AC voltage of a commercial power source into charging DC voltage and outputs the obtained voltage,

a second connector having an external storage medium terminal to be connected to an external storage medium inserted into an external storage medium slot,

a third connector having a charge terminal connected to said charge terminal of said first connector and an external interface terminal connected to said external storage medium terminal of said second connector, and

control means having an interface conversion function of connecting said external storage medium terminal of said second connector and said external interface terminal, and

said portable terminal includes

a fourth connector having a charge terminal and an external interface terminal to be electrically and physically connected to said third connector,

a charging circuit which receives input of said charging DC voltage from said charge terminal of said fourth connector to charge a battery, and

control means which controls read and write from/to the external storage medium inserted into the external storage medium slot of said desktop holder to be connected through said external storage medium terminal of said fourth connector,

wherein said control means of said desktop holder includes a portable terminal side access controller, a card side access controller and a buffer memory, and

wherein said portable terminal side access controller sends and receives data and a control signal to/from said control means of said portable terminal through the external interface terminal of said third connector by a procedure according to the external interface and at the time of write to said external storage medium, accumulates, in said buffer memory, data of an internal memory of said portable terminal received from said control means of said portable terminal,

and at the time of read from said external storage medium, transfers the data of said external storage medium accumulated in said buffer memory to said control means of said portable terminal, and

said card side access controller sends and receives data and a control signal to/from said external storage medium through said external storage medium terminal of said second connector by a procedure according to the external storage medium interface and at the time of write to said external storage medium, writes data of said internal memory accumulated in said buffer memory into said external storage medium and at the time of read from said external storage medium, accumulates, in said buffer memory, data read from said external storage medium.

5. The portable terminal system as set forth in claim 4, wherein

said second connector is provided in said external storage medium slot provided in said case of said desktop holder, and

said third connector is provided in a portable terminal insertion inlet provided in said case of said desktop holder.

6. The portable terminal system as set forth in claim 5, further comprising:

a regulator which receives input of said charging DC voltage from said charge terminal of said first connector and converts the voltage into operating voltage to output the obtained voltage, wherein

said second connector includes a power source terminal to which output of said regulator is applied.

7. The portable terminal system as set forth in claim 4, wherein

said control means of said portable terminal,

with either one of an internal memory of said portable terminal and the external storage medium inserted into said external storage medium slot set to be a transfer source memory and the other set to be a transfer destination memory, displays a list of folders of the transfer source memory on a display device of said portable terminal to select a transfer source folder by key operation and displays a list of folders of the transfer destination memory on said display device to make a user select a transfer destination folder by key operation, thereby reading data stored in said selected transfer source folder and writing the data into said selected transfer destination folder.