Dock for a portable electronic device

• US 8,545,247 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Aldana, Leonardo, Simoes, Felipe Oliveira, Ma, Ming-Lun Dave, Wennemer, Dietmar Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): GUSHI, ROSS N
• Application Number:
  US13/397,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20130005179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 439246-248, 439/929
• US Class Current: 439/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6315 allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence

Abstract

A dock for receiving a portable electronic device, including a housing comprising an aperture; a support coupled to an inner wall of the housing, a portion of the support being elastically deformable; and a connector received in the support and extending through the aperture for electrically communicating with the portable electronic device, wiring of the connector for transferring data to an electronic device; wherein the portion of the support elastically deforms in response to non-axial movement of at least a portion of the connector.

Claims

1. A dock for receiving a portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing comprising an aperture;

a support coupled to an inner wall of the housing, a portion of the support being elastically deformable;

a connector received in the support and extending through the aperture for electrically communicating with the portable electronic device, wiring of the connector for transferring data from the portable electronic device; and

a collar abutting the connector within the housing to limit translation of the connector, the connector being pivotable relative to the collar;

wherein the portion of the support elastically deforms in response to non-axial movement of at least a portion of the connector.

2. A dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support includes a spring component received in a support tray, the spring component being elastically deformable.

3. A dock as claimed in claim 2, wherein the spring component comprises a passage for receiving the connector, the passage comprising ribs for contacting the connector.

4. A dock as claimed in claim 2, wherein the spring component biases the connector to a starting position within the passage.

5. A dock as claimed in claim 2, wherein the spring component comprises three passages for receiving a first data connector, a second data connector and a charging connector.

6. A dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the collar surrounds the connector at a location adjacent the aperture.

7. A dock as claimed in claim 1, comprising more than one connector, each connector being independently movable relative to the housing.

8. A dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a seat for receiving the portable electronic device and the aperture extends through the seat.

9. A dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector is a micro HDMI connector.

10. A dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector is a micro USB connector and the wiring receives data from an electronic device.

11. A dock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector is a charging connector.

12. A dock for receiving a portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing comprising an aperture;

a support coupled to an inner wall of the housing, the support comprising a spring component received in a support tray, the spring component comprising a passage for receiving the connector, the passage comprising ribs for contacting the connector, the spring component being elastically deformable in response to non-axial movement of at least a portion of the connector; and

a connector received in the support and extending through the aperture for electrically communicating with the portable electronic device, wiring of the connector for transferring data from the portable electronic device;

wherein a cross-sectional area of the ribs is reduced between a top end of the spring component and a bottom end of the spring component, the top end being located adjacent the aperture of the housing.

13. A dock for receiving a portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing comprising an aperture;

a support coupled to an inner wall of the housing, a portion of the support being elastically deformable;

a pad disposed in the support and elastically deformable in response to axial movement of the connector; and

a connector received in the support and extending through the aperture for electrically communicating with the portable electronic device, wiring of the connector for transferring data from the portable electronic device;

wherein the portion of the support elastically deforms in response to non-axial movement of at least a portion of the connector.

14. A connector assembly for a dock, the connector assembly comprising:

a support for coupling to an inner wall the dock, the support comprising a spring component received in a support tray, the spring component comprising a passage, the spring component being elastically deformable; and

a connector received in the support and extending through the passage for electrically communicating with a portable electronic device received by the dock, wiring of the connector for transferring data from the portable electronic device;

wherein the passage comprises ribs for contacting the connector and a cross-sectional area of the ribs is reduced between a top end of the spring component and a bottom end of the spring component, the top end being located adjacent the aperture of the housing.

15. A connector assembly for a dock, the connector assembly comprising:

a support for coupling to an inner wall the dock, the support comprising a collar, a portion of the support being elastically deformable; and

a connector received in the support for electrically communicating with a portable electronic device received by the dock, wiring of the connector for transferring data from the portable electronic device;

wherein the portion of the support elastically deforms in response to non-axial translation and pivoting relative to the collar of at least a portion of the connector.

16. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein the support includes a spring component received in a support tray, the spring component being elastically deformable.

17. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the spring component comprises a passage for receiving the connector, the passage comprising ribs for contacting the connector.

18. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein the spring component biases the connector to a starting position within the passage.

19. A connector assembly as claimed in claim 15, comprising a collar abutting the connector within the housing to limit translation of the connector.