Multifunctional cover integrated into sub-panel of portable electronic device
First Claim
1. An electronic device comprising:
- a housing;
a bus disposed within said housing;
a processor disposed within said housing and coupled to said bus;
an interior connector coupled to said bus, said interior connector being positioned on a back side of said electronic device to mate with another connector that is received from said back side of said electronic device; and
a cover that is coupleable to said interior connector, said cover being structured to form a portion of said housing so that a surface of said housing that adjoins said cover is flush in order to maintain a size or shape of said housing, wherein said cover is configured to enclose said interior connector, and wherein said cover includes circuitry to enable said electronic device to receive an input from an external accessory or device in contact with an external surface of said cover.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cover for an opening in the housing of a portable electronic device that provides a function in addition to that of protecting the opening from dirt. The cover can be coupled to the housing so that it can move between a closed position within the housing'"'"'s surface recess and an open position that allows access to the opening in the housing. In the closed position, the cover becomes part of the housing and the of the device is generally unchanged. The cover can function as an antenna for wireless communication between the device and a network or access point, and it can contain circuitry for devices such as transmitter/receivers. The cover can also function as a display device, a speaker, or an alarm. Thus an existing cover that occupies space within the volume of a handheld device can be utilized for expanding the functionality of the device while generally retaining the current form factor of the device.
30 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An electronic device comprising:
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a housing; a bus disposed within said housing; a processor disposed within said housing and coupled to said bus; an interior connector coupled to said bus, said interior connector being positioned on a back side of said electronic device to mate with another connector that is received from said back side of said electronic device; and a cover that is coupleable to said interior connector, said cover being structured to form a portion of said housing so that a surface of said housing that adjoins said cover is flush in order to maintain a size or shape of said housing, wherein said cover is configured to enclose said interior connector, and wherein said cover includes circuitry to enable said electronic device to receive an input from an external accessory or device in contact with an external surface of said cover. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification