Wearable component with a memory arrangement

• US 7,764,488 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2007
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Calvarese, Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): LEA EDMONDS, LISA S
• Application Number:
  US11/738,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20080259552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.03, 224/930
• US Class Current: 361/679.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 224/93 Attached to animate bearer

Abstract

A system may include (a) a holder including a wearable component, (b) a dock coupled to the wearable component; (c) a memory coupled to the dock; and (d) a computing device removeably coupled to the dock. The computing device receives from and stores data to the memory. The data is capable of causing the coupled computing device to automatically adopt a mode of another computing device coupled to the dock at a different time.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a holder including a wearable component,

a dock coupled to the wearable component;

a memory coupled to the dock;

a computing device removeably coupled to the dock, the computing device receiving from and storing data to the memory, the data capable of causing the coupled computing device to automatically adopt a mode of another computing device coupled to the dock at a different time; and

wherein the computing device includes an attachment component, the attachment component and the dock couple via a communication arrangement.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory is located within the wearable component.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication arrangement is one of a connection array and a wireless connection.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communication arrangement includes at least one of a bar code reader and a scanner.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the adopted mode occurs seamlessly when the attachment component couples to the memory.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the adopted mode is a user-specific application, the user-specific application being at least one of a stocking application, a price check application and a supervisor application.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the coupling of the holder and the computing device creates a coupled state by which both cooperatively operate.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the holder achieves a holder functionality that did not exist in an uncoupled state.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the holder functions as at least one of an identification key and an emulator of an RFID tag.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the computing device achieves a computing device functionality that did not exist in the uncoupled state.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the computing device functions to receive broadcast pages.

12. A method, comprising:

storing data in a second device component, wherein the data is specific to a first device component; and

executing the data on the second device component, the second device component exhibiting a mode stored in a memory of the first device component.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising authenticating the first device component and the second device component when in the coupled state.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the authenticating of the first device component and the second device component in the coupled state is based on data in the first device component.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the authenticating of the first device component occurs over a communication network.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the authenticating occurs automatically upon coupling of the first device component and the second device component.

17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising initializing the first device component and the second device component when in the coupled state.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the initializing of the first device component and the second device component occurs seamlessly.

19. A method, comprising:

coupling a first computing device to a dock;

setting the first computing device to a first mode;

storing the first mode in a memory in communication with the dock;

coupling a second computing device to the dock; and

setting the second computing device to the first mode.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

reading and writing data to the memory of the first device.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the data includes at least one of (i) data originating from the first computing device and (ii) data collected from the second computing device.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the first mode establishes a first functionality and the second mode establishes a second functionality, the first and second functionalities being based on the first and second computing devices.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the setting step occurs seamlessly upon coupling with the dock.

24. A holder, comprising:

a wearable component;

a dock coupled to the wearable component and capable of docking with a computing device, wherein the computing device includes an attachment component, the attachment component and the dock couple via a communication arrangement a communication arrangement communicating with the computing device; and

a memory in communication with the communication arrangement.

25. The holder according to claim 24, wherein the memory is in at least one of the wearable component and the dock.

26. The holder according to claim 24, wherein the dock comprises a receiving surface for receiving the computing device.

27. The holder according to claim 26, wherein the receiving surface achieves a substantially rigid coupling between the holder and the computing device.

28. A system, comprising:

a holding means including a wearable component,

a docking means coupled to the wearable component;

a memory means coupled to the dock; and

a computing means removeably coupled to the dock, the computing means receiving from and storing data to the memory, the data capable of causing the coupled computing means to automatically adopt a mode of another computing means coupled to the docking at a different time; and

wherein the computing means includes an attachment component, the attachment component and the docking means couple via a communication arrangement.