Method and apparatus for securing portable electronic device to accessory device

• US 8,842,429 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2012
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ahn, Yoo Jung, Janninck, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEA EDMONDS, LISA S
• Application Number:
  US13/343,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20120170204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.41
• US Class Current: 361/679.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60

Abstract

A system and method is described that includes a laptop style portable dock design referred to as the terminal system. The terminal system includes a user interface and provides a flip type dock located behind the terminal system display, and more particularly, but not exclusively, provides a flip type dock that when a mobile device is docked in the flip type dock. The terminal system provides power to the smart device, displays the smart device user interface on the terminal system display, and enables the user to use peripherals connected to the terminal system and interact with the smart device through the user interface of the terminal system. The terminal system provides a way to detachably mate a plurality of portable processor based devices to provide the combined functionality of the terminal system and smart device in an integrated structure.

Claims

1. A mobile computing terminal including electrical circuitry, the mobile computing terminal including:

a body;

a display module, said display module including a display screen, said display module movingly carried on said body to move between at least open and closed positions; and

a dock comprising;

a cradle configured to receive a smart device including a smart device display interface, wherein the smart device display interface is turned off during said open position and the smart device display interface is turned on during said closed position, said dock associated with a quick-disconnect connector oriented to electrically connect to the smart device when received in said dock, said dock configured to hold the smart device in a predetermined orientation relative to said display module in said open position, and said quick-disconnect connector to releaseably electrically connect the smart device received in the dock to said electrical circuitry.

2. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 1, wherein the terminal is adapted to deliver electrical energy from an electrical energy source to the smart device via said electrical circuitry and said quick-disconnect connector.

3. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 1, wherein said display module is connected to said body by a hinged connection to permit adjusting of a viewing angle of the display screen.

4. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 3, wherein one of the display and body includes a stop, the stop limiting relative motion of the display module to a limit with the display having a predetermined orientation relative to the orientation of a smart device lodged in said dock.

5. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 4, wherein said dock and said display are each rotateably carried on said body.

6. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 5, wherein said dock and said display each rotate about a respective pivot axis, said pivot axis being substantially parallel, and said display in an open stop position oriented substantially in parallel with the smart device lodged in said dock in an open position.

7. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 5, wherein said dock and said display are oriented such that the smart device lodged in said dock in an open position has near field free space around an antenna to enhance performance of a wireless communication link of the smart device.

8. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 5, wherein said dock and said display are oriented such that the smart device lodged in said dock in an open position with the display module closed oriented for viewing by a user, and is blocked by the display module in the open position.

9. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 4, wherein said dock is located behind the display screen, and connected to the terminal by the hinged connections configured to rotate said dock about the hinged connections to a predetermined orientation relative to the position of the fully open stopped display module.

10. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 1, wherein the body of the terminal comprises a keyboard, and wherein the display screen and the keyboard face one another when the terminal is in the closed position.

11. The mobile computing terminal according to claim 1, wherein the display module includes a recessed portion in which said dock is located, wherein the smart device when docked, is positioned on a back of one of the portions of the display module.

12. A method for securing a portable electronic device to a smart device, the method comprising:

receiving a smart device including a smart device display interface into a dock of the portable electronic device;

providing electrical energy to the smart device through a quick-disconnect connector configured to connect the smart device to said dock;

interacting with the smart device by using a user interface of the portable electronic device; and

displaying content of the smart device display interface on a display screen of the portable electronic device, wherein the display screen is movingly carried on a body of the portable electronic device to move between at least an open position and a closed position, and further wherein the smart device display interface is turned off during the open position of the display screen and turned on during the closed position of the display screen.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the portable electronic device user interface comprises:

a keyboard;

a pointing device;

the display screen with touch detection.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the portable electronic device comprises:

a body, a display module, and hinged connections, wherein the display module includes the display screen, and wherein the hinged connections connect the display module to the body.

15. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

communicating with peripherals connected to the portable electronic device, using a communications interface configured to provide communications to the smart device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the dock comprises smart device docking guides, and wherein receiving the smart device into the dock comprises using the smart device docking guides to guide the smart device into the dock.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein said dock comprises a smart device dock base, and wherein receiving the smart device into said dock comprises resting an edge of the smart device on said dock base in order to receive the smart device into the dock.