Automated exchangeable docking configuration
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- an adapter interface to couple the apparatus to a docking adapter to enable the apparatus to cooperate with a personal portable device docked to the apparatus through the docking adapter to perform an audio/visual task, where the adapter interface is structured to enable the identity of the docking adapter to be determined by the apparatus;
a programmable logic electrically coupled to the adapter interface to enable electrical signaling characteristics of the adapter interface to be reconfigurable, comprising a plurality of alterably interconnected circuits, and structured to be configured with a configuration data specifying interconnections among circuits of the plurality of circuits within the programmable logic to define electrical signaling characteristics of the adapter interface provided by the programmable logic that are required by the personal portable device to enable an exchange of electrical signals between the programmable logic and the personal portable device through the docking adapter;
wherein the configuration data is selected by the apparatus in response to the docking adapter being coupled to the apparatus through the adapter interface and in response to the identity of the docking adapter, and is employed by the apparatus to configure interconnections among circuits of the plurality of circuits within the programmable logic; and
wherein the apparatus is structured to enable an acoustic driver to audibly output audio provided by the personal portable device to the apparatus through the docking adapter as part of the audio/visual task.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A base device meant to cooperate with one of a plurality of exchangeable docking adapters to enable the base device to cooperate with a personal portable device docked with the docking adapter to perform an audio/visual task. The base device incorporates a programmable logic that is programmed with a configuration data specifying a configuration of interconnections to enable the cooperation between the base device and the personal portable device, and may further incorporate a processor to execute a sequence of instructions of a routine causing the processor to cooperate with the personal portable device through the docking adapter to perform the task. The configuration data and/or the routine may be selected depending on which docking adapter is coupled to the base device, depending on a comparison of versions of configuration data and/or routine stored within one or both of the base device and the docking adapter, and/or depending on the identity of one or more of the base device, the docking adapter, the personal portable device, and the programmable logic.
102 Citations
51 Claims
-
1. An apparatus comprising:
-
an adapter interface to couple the apparatus to a docking adapter to enable the apparatus to cooperate with a personal portable device docked to the apparatus through the docking adapter to perform an audio/visual task, where the adapter interface is structured to enable the identity of the docking adapter to be determined by the apparatus; a programmable logic electrically coupled to the adapter interface to enable electrical signaling characteristics of the adapter interface to be reconfigurable, comprising a plurality of alterably interconnected circuits, and structured to be configured with a configuration data specifying interconnections among circuits of the plurality of circuits within the programmable logic to define electrical signaling characteristics of the adapter interface provided by the programmable logic that are required by the personal portable device to enable an exchange of electrical signals between the programmable logic and the personal portable device through the docking adapter; wherein the configuration data is selected by the apparatus in response to the docking adapter being coupled to the apparatus through the adapter interface and in response to the identity of the docking adapter, and is employed by the apparatus to configure interconnections among circuits of the plurality of circuits within the programmable logic; and wherein the apparatus is structured to enable an acoustic driver to audibly output audio provided by the personal portable device to the apparatus through the docking adapter as part of the audio/visual task. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A method comprising:
-
determining an identity of a docking adapter coupled to an adapter interface of a base device in response to the docking adapter being coupled to the base device through the adapter interface, wherein the base device is structured to cooperate with a personal portable device through the adapter interface, through a programmable logic of the base device that is coupled to the adapter interface to enable electrical signaling characteristics of the adapter interface to be reconfigurable, and through the docking adapter to perform an audio/visual task entailing audibly outputting audio provided to the base device by the personal portable device; selecting a configuration data specifying interconnections among circuits of a plurality of alterably interconnected circuits within the programmable logic in response to the identity of the docking adapter; and configuring interconnections among circuits of the plurality of circuits within the programmable logic in accordance with the configuration data to define electrical signaling characteristics of the adapter interface by which the docking adapter is coupled to the base device and which are required by the personal portable device to enable an exchange of electrical signals between the programmable logic and the personal portable device to enable the base device to cooperate with the personal portable device to perform the audio/visual task. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
-
-
36. An apparatus comprising:
-
an adapter interface to couple the apparatus to a base device to enable the base device to cooperate with a personal portable device docked through the apparatus to the base device to perform an audio/visual task in which the personal portable device provides the base device with audio to audibly output through the apparatus, wherein the adapter interface is structured to enable an identity of the apparatus to be determined by the base device; and a storage accessible to the base device upon coupling the apparatus to the base device through the adapter interface, and storing a data from which a configuration data specifying interconnections among circuits of a plurality of alterably interconnected circuits within a programmable logic of the base device may be selected by the base device in response to the coupling of the apparatus to the base device through the adapter interface and in response to the identity of the apparatus to define electrical signaling characteristics of a corresponding adapter interface of the base device provided by the programmable logic that are required by the personal portable device to enable an exchange of electrical signals between the programmable logic and the personal portable device to enable the base device to cooperate with the personal portable device through the apparatus to perform the audio/visual task, wherein the programmable logic is coupled to the corresponding adapter interface of the base device to enable electrical signaling characteristics of the corresponding adapter interface to be reconfigurable. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
-
-
44. An apparatus comprising:
-
a transceiver to form a wireless link between the apparatus and a personal portable device; an adapter interface to couple the apparatus to a base device to enable the base device to cooperate with the personal portable device through the adapter interface and the wireless link to perform an audio/visual task in which the personal portable device provides the base device with audio through the wireless link and the adapter interface to audibly output, wherein the adapter interface is structured to enable an identity of the apparatus to be determined by the base device; and a storage accessible to the base device through the adapter interface upon coupling the apparatus to the base device through the adapter interface, and storing a data from which a configuration data specifying interconnections among circuits of a plurality of alterably interconnected circuits within a programmable logic of the base device may be selected by the base device in response to the apparatus being coupled to the base device and in response to the identity of the apparatus to define electrical signaling characteristics of a corresponding adapter interface of the base device provided by the programmable logic that are required by the apparatus to enable an exchange of electrical signals between the programmable logic and the apparatus to enable the base device to cooperate with the personal portable device through the apparatus to perform the audio/visual task, wherein the programmable logic is coupled to the corresponding adapter interface of the base device to enable electrical signaling characteristics of the corresponding adapter interface to be reconfigurable. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
-
Specification