Customized hardware selection for a mobile phone

• US 9,083,819 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Chan, Alistair K., Eckhoff, Philip A., Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Tuckerman, David B., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US14/631,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20150172447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 138 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A computerized method of customizing hardware for a mobile phone is provided. The method includes receiving shell selection information from a user input device, identifying a set of hardware components, the set of hardware components generated based on a compatibility between the hardware components and the shell selection information, and outputting the identified set of compatible hardware components.

Claims

1. A mobile phone, comprising:

a shell having a generally rigid structure or housing configured to be grasped by a user and having a plurality of receiver portions on a surface of the shell, each receiver portion configured to removably couple with a respective interchangeable hardware component selected from at least two interchangeable hardware components having different functions; and

processing electronics configured to communicate with a respective interchangeable hardware component removably coupled with a receiver portion of each of the plurality of receiver portions,

wherein two adjacent receiver portions on the shell are configured to respectively receive one third-interchangeable hardware component having a third dimensional or structural configuration and to provide a removably receiving and electrically coupling with the two adjacent receiver portions, wherein the third interchangeable hardware component is selected from the at least two interchangeable hardware components having different functional elements, and

wherein the plurality of receiver portions and the processing electronics have a bus modular architecture allowing variations in the number and locations of the interchangeable hardware components removably coupled with the plurality of receiver portions.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the removably coupled includes removably plugged in or connected.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the plurality of receiver portions are each configured to physically receive and removably couple with a respective interchangeable hardware component.

4. The mobile phone of claim 3, wherein the physically receive includes physically inserted, installed, or snapped in.

5. The mobile phone of claim 3, wherein the physically receive includes physically supported.

6. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the plurality of receiver portions each include a socket configured to removably couple with a respective interchangeable hardware component.

7. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein at least two receiver portions of the plurality of receiver portions each have a substantially same dimension or structural configuration.

8. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein at least two receiver portions of the plurality of receiver portions each have a substantially same footprint.

9. The mobile phone of claim 1, further comprising a first interchangeable hardware component removably coupled with a first receiver portion of the shell, the first interchangeable hardware component selected from the at least two interchangeable hardware components having different functions.

10. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the mobile phone is configured such that another first interchangeable hardware component selected from the at least two interchangeable hardware components may be interchanged with the first interchangeable hardware component.

11. The mobile phone of claim 9, further comprising a second interchangeable hardware component removably coupled with a second receiver portion of the plurality of receiver portions, wherein the second interchangeable hardware component is selected from the at least two interchangeable hardware components having different functions.

12. The mobile phone of claim 11, wherein a dimension or structural configuration of the second interchangeable hardware component is different than a dimension or structural configuration of the first interchangeable hardware component.

13. The mobile phone of claim 11, wherein the first interchangeable hardware component is disposed in a first receiver portion of the plurality of receiver portions, and the second interchangeable hardware component is disposed in a second receiver portion of the plurality of receiver portions.

14. The mobile phone of claim 11, wherein two adjacent second receiver portions are configured to respectively receive one fourth-interchangeable hardware component having a fourth dimensional or structural configuration providing a removably receiving and electrically coupling with the two adjacent second receiver portions, wherein the fourth-interchangeable hardware component is selected from the at least two interchangeable hardware components having different functional elements.

15. The mobile phone of claim 11, wherein the mobile phone is configured such that another second interchangeable hardware component selected from the at least two interchangeable components may be interchanged with the second interchangeable hardware component.

16. The mobile phone of claim 11, wherein the first interchangeable hardware component is disposed at least partially in a first receiver portion of the plurality of receiver portions, and the second interchangeable hardware component is disposed at least partially in a second receiver portion of the plurality of receiver portions;

and

wherein the mobile phone is configured such that a third interchangeable hardware component may be exchanged with the first interchangeable hardware component and the second interchangeable hardware component such that the third interchangeable hardware component is disposed within a combination of the first receiver portion and the second receiver portion of the plurality of receiver portions.

17. The mobile phone of claim 1, further comprising an antenna configured for wireless communication with a cellular network.

18. A computerized method of customizing hardware for a mobile phone, comprising:

receiving electronic information indicative of a shell selection from a user input device, the selected shell (i) having a generally rigid structure or housing configured to be grasped by a user, (ii) having a plurality of receiver portions of the shell each configured to removably couple with a respective interchangeable hardware component, and (iii) including processing electronics configured to communicate with a respective interchangeable hardware component removably coupled with a receiver portion of each of the plurality of receiver portions;

identifying at least two removably couplable interchangeable hardware components from a data set stored in a machine-readable medium, the at least two removably couplable interchangeable hardware components generated based on a compatibility between the removably couplable interchangeable hardware components and the shell selection information; and

electronically outputting the identified set of compatible removably couplable interchangeable hardware components,

wherein the plurality of receiver portions and the processing electronics of the shell have a bus modular architecture allowing the number and locations of the interchangeable hardware components removably coupled with the plurality of receiver portions to vary.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising causing the identified set of compatible removably couplable interchangeable hardware components to be displayed on a display screen of the user input device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the compatibility is based on at least one size value of the at least two removably couplable interchangeable hardware components.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the compatibility is based on a shape.

22. A computerized method of customizing hardware for a modular mobile phone, comprising:

electronically receiving an interchangeable hardware component selection information from a user input device;

identifying at least two mobile phone shells from a data set stored in a machine-readable medium, the at least two mobile phone shells generated based on a compatibility between the at least two mobile phone shells and the interchangeable hardware component selection information; and

electronically outputting the identified at least two compatible mobile phone shells,

wherein each mobile phone shell of the at least two mobile phone shells respectively includes a plurality of receiver portions each configured to removably couple with a respective interchangeable hardware component, and include processing electronics configured to communicate with a respective interchangeable hardware component removably coupled with a receiver portion of each of the plurality of receiver portions, and

wherein the plurality of receiver portions and the processing electronics have a bus modular architecture allowing the number and locations of the interchangeable hardware components removably coupled with the plurality of receiver portions to vary.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving electronic information indicative of a shell selection, the selected shell (i) having a generally rigid structure or housing configured to be grasped by a user, (ii) having a plurality of receiver portions each configured to removably couple with a respective interchangeable hardware component, and (iii) including processing electronics configured to communicate with a respective interchangeable hardware component removably coupled with a receiver portion of each of the plurality of receiver portions;

identifying at least two second compatible interchangeable hardware components from the data set stored in the machine-readable medium, the at least two second interchangeable hardware components generated based on a compatibility between the second interchangeable hardware components, the interchangeable hardware component selection information, and the shell selection information; and

electronically outputting the identified at least two second compatible interchangeable hardware components.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

receiving electronic information indicative of a shell selection;

identifying at least two incompatible interchangeable hardware components from the data set stored in the machine-readable medium, the at least two incompatible interchangeable hardware components generated based on an incompatibility between the incompatible interchangeable hardware components, the hardware selection information, and the shell selection information; and

electronically outputting the identified set of incompatible interchangeable hardware components.