Systems having cables with wireless communications capabilities

• US 8,442,588 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sims, Nicholas A., Terlizzi, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US12/877,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20120058737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 455/559, 455/557, 455/550.1, 455/562.1, 455/41.2, 455/88, 455/262, 359/152, 359/159, 359/163
• US Class Current: 455/559
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling

Abstract

In a system that includes electronic equipment such as a computer or power adapter and that includes electronic devices such as cellular telephones, media players, and other devices, cables may be provided with wireless transceiver circuitry. Each cable may include a power path without including data lines. When a user desires to power a device, the cable may be used to connect the device to the electronic equipment. The power path in the cable may deliver power from the electronic equipment to the electronic device. Data may be conveyed between the electronic equipment and the electronic device wirelessly, using the wireless transceiver circuitry in the cable. The cable may have first and second connectors at respective ends of the cable. The wireless transceiver circuitry may be contained within the first connector or within the first and second connectors. The wireless transceiver circuitry may be identified using an identifier.

Claims

1. A cable having first and second ends, comprising:

a first connector at the first end that includes power pins and data pins;

a second connector at the second end that includes at least power pins;

a cable segment that has a power path that connects the power pins of the first connector to the power pins of the second connector; and

a wireless transceiver.

2. The cable defined in claim 1 wherein the wireless transceiver is located in the first connector and is electrically connected to the data pins.

3. The cable defined in claim 1 further comprising an identifier circuit in the second connector.

4. The cable defined in claim 3 wherein the identifier circuit comprises a resistor connected to a data pin in the second connector.

5. The cable defined in claim 1 wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to modulate voltages on the power path.

6. The cable defined in claim 5 wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to modulate voltages on the power path to produce a modulation pattern that identifies the wireless transceiver.

7. The cable defined in claim 1 wherein the first connector comprises a Universal Serial Bus connector and wherein the second connector comprises a 30-pin connector.

8. The cable defined in claim 1 wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a Bluetooth®

transceiver.

9. The cable defined in claim 1 wherein the wireless transceiver conveys data while power is conveyed over the power path and wherein the cable segment is free of data wires.

10. The cable defined in claim 1 further comprising an additional wireless transceiver that wirelessly communicates with the wireless transceiver.

11. The cable defined in claim 10 wherein the wireless transceiver is mounted in the first connector and wherein the additional wireless transceiver is mounted in the second connector.

12. A method for conveying data between electronic equipment and an associated electronic device using a cable that includes first and second connectors, comprising:

attaching one end of the cable to the electronic equipment using the first connector;

attaching another end of the cable to the electronic device using the second connector; and

with transceiver circuitry in the cable, wirelessly transmitting the data.

13. The method defined in claim 12 wherein the first connector comprises a pair of data pins and a pair of power pins, the method further comprising:

at the transceiver circuitry, receiving the data from the electronic equipment through the pair of data pins and receiving power through the pair of power pins.

14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein the cable includes a power path that is coupled between the first connector and the second connector and wherein the transceiver circuitry is contained within the first connector, the method further comprising:

at the transceiver circuitry in the first connector, modulating voltages on the power path.

15. The method defined in claim 13 wherein the cable includes a power path that is coupled between the first connector and the second connector and wherein the transceiver circuitry is contained within the first connector, the method further comprising:

conveying power over the power path from the electronic equipment to the electronic device.

16. The method defined in claim 15 wherein the data comprises media data and wherein wirelessly transmitting the data comprises wirelessly transmitting the media data to a wireless receiver in the electronic device while the power is being conveyed to the electronic device over the power path.

17. The method defined in claim 16 wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry comprises a first wireless transceiver in the first connector and a second wireless transceiver in the second connector and wherein wirelessly transmitting the data comprises wirelessly transmitting the data from the first transceiver to the second transceiver.

18. A cable, comprising:

a first connector having data pins and power pins;

a wireless transceiver connected to the data pins and the power pins;

a length of cable that is free of data lines and that contains power lines that are connected to the power pins in the first connector at a first end of the length of cable; and

a second connector that is connected to the power lines at a second end of the length of cable.

19. The cable defined in claim 18 wherein the wireless transceiver is located in the first connector.

20. The cable defined in claim 19 wherein the second connector comprises an identifier circuit that supplies an identifier that identifies the wireless transceiver.

21. The cable defined in claim 20 wherein the wireless transceiver has an input that receives data from a computer via the data pins and wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit the data received from the computer to an electronic device.

22. The cable defined in claim 21 wherein the first connector comprises a Universal Serial Bus connector.

23. The cable defined in claim 21 wherein the second connector comprises a 30-pin connector.

24. The cable defined in claim 18 further comprising an additional wireless transceiver that wirelessly communicates with the wireless transceiver.

25. The cable defined in claim 24 wherein the wireless transceiver is mounted in the first connector and wherein the additional wireless transceiver is mounted in the second connector.