Auto-aligning and connecting structure between electronic device and accessory

• US 7,541,907 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, John C., Wang, Yi-Shen
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad; Elvin G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Musleh; Mohamad A
• Application Number:
  US11/484,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 335/214, 335/225, 335228-230, 335/234, 335/250, 335/274, 335/275, 335/296, 335/305, 335/262, 335/285
• US Class Current: 335/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0242 Magnetic drives, magnetic coupling devices

Abstract

An auto-aligning and connecting structure used to connect and align an electronic device and an accessory, wherein a plurality of first magnetic bodies are disposed on a first surface of the electrical device and a plurality of second magnetic bodies are disposed on a second surface of the accessory. The magnetic pole of the first magnetic bodies and the second magnetic bodies are appropriately arranged so the first magnetic bodies and the second magnetic bodies can attract each other when the first surface and the second surface approach each other. Then, the electronic device and the accessories are connected to each other when the first surface and the second surface connect.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device assembly, comprising:

a portable electronic device with an electronic graphical display and a first contact;

a freestanding keyboard accessory separated and detached from the portable electronic device, the keyboard accessory having a second contact that electrically couples with the first contact of the portable electronic device at a predetermined position and angle that creates a nearly perpendicular angle between the keyboard accessory and the display of the portable electronic device that exposes the display to a user of the keyboard accessory; and

an auto-aligning and connecting structure for aligning and connecting the portable electronic device and the keyboard accessory at the predetermined position and angle, comprising;

a plurality of multiple first magnetic units installed on a first surface of the portable electronic device; and

a plurality of second magnetic units installed on a second surface of the accessory;

wherein when the second surface approaches the first surface, at least one of the plurality of second magnetic units and one of the plurality of first magnetic units are aligned and mutually attracted such that the second surface is attracted to connect to the first surface, and then the second contact is electrically coupled to the first contact at the predetermined position and angle to expose the display.

2. The portable electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein polarities of the plurality of multiple first magnetic units and the plurality of second magnetic units are configured so that a first subset of the plurality of multiple first magnetic units are attracted to a first subset of the plurality of multiple second magnetic units and are repulsed from a second subset of the plurality of multiple second magnetic units, so that the portable electronic device and the accessory can be coupled at the predetermined position and angle.

3. The portable electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the polarity of at least one of the plurality of first magnetic units is different from the polarity of the other first magnetic units.

4. The portable electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the polarity of at least one of the plurality of second magnetic units is different from the polarity of the other second magnetic units.

5. The portable electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first magnetic units or the plurality of second magnetic units comprise magnetic material, magnetic susceptible material, or electromagnetic inductive material.

6. The portable electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein a magneto-resistance layer surrounds at least one of the plurality of first magnetic units and/or at least one of the plurality of second magnetic units.

7. The portable electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the magneto-resistance layer comprises metal, alloy, or ceramics.

8. The portable electronic device assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one first non-magnetic assistant aligning structure installed on the first surface, and at least one second non-magnetic assistant aligning structure installed on the second surface, wherein the first non-magnetic assistant aligning structure can be coupled with the second non-magnetic assistant aligning structure to indicate at least one connecting position of the accessory on the portable electronic device.

9. The portable electronic device assembly of claim 8, wherein the first non-magnetic assistant aligning structure comprises a concavity structure or a protrusion structure.