Wired and wireless docking station

• US 9,429,992 B1
• Filed: 10/08/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Motion Computing Incorporated (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Ashenbrenner, Robert, Bagwell, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): LIAO, HSINCHUN
• Application Number:
  US11/868,654
• Time in Patent Office: 3,249 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004

Abstract

A portable computer, system, and method for a wired and wireless docking station are provided. The portable computer may function to connect to a docking station via either a wired or wireless channel of communication depending on the signal strength of a wireless communication as determined by a comparator, or depending on whether it has been physically connected to a docking station. The system may also be modular so that it can be acquired by a computer user as separate modules, and may provide support for charging an additional battery through a power connection that is separate from the docking connector. A process is also provided that allows a portable computer user to automatically commence and switch between wired and wireless docking sessions by either placing the computer either within range of the docking station or by connecting it to the docking station with a docking station connector.

Claims

1. A portable computer, comprising:

a wired connector adapted for engagement with a wired connector of a docking station;

a wireless transceiver operable to transmit a ping signal across a wireless medium and receive an acknowledge signal also across the wireless medium in response to the ping signal;

a comparator coupled to the wireless transceiver for comparing a signal strength of the acknowledge signal to a predetermined value to determine whether the signal strength is adequate to support a wireless docking session before data is transmitted across the wireless medium;

a processor having program instructions operable thereon for controlling data transmission between the portable computer and the docking station, wherein upon execution of the program instructions, the processor is configured for transmitting data from the wireless transceiver across the wireless medium in lieu of transmitting data across the wired connectors only if the signal strength of the acknowledge signal is greater than the predetermined value and the wired connector of the portable computer is disconnected from the wired connector of the docking station.

2. The portable computer as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured for transmitting data across the wired connectors if the wired connector of the portable computer is engaged with the wired connector of the docking station.

3. The portable computer as recited in claim 1, wherein the wired connector of the portable computer comprises at least one pin, which is adapted for receiving a signal from the docking station when the wired connector of the portable computer is physically connected to the wired connector of the docking station.

4. The portable computer as recited in claim 3, wherein when the at least one pin receives the signal, the processor is configured for transmitting data between the portable computer and the docking station via the wired connectors.

5. The portable computer as recited in claim 3, wherein if the at least one pin does not receive the signal, the processor is configured for detecting whether the acknowledge signal has been received by the wireless transceiver, determining whether the acknowledge signal strength is adequate to support a wireless docking session, and if so, transmitting the data from the wireless transceiver across the wireless medium to the docking station.

6. The portable computer as recited in claim 1, further comprising a control panel user interface, which enables a user of the portable computer to specify configuration settings for wireless docking sessions.

7. The portable computer as recited in claim 6, wherein said configuration settings comprise a first setting that enables a user to specify whether ping signals are periodically sent to the docking station via the wireless transceiver, or whether the ping signals are disabled.

8. The portable computer as recited in claim 7, wherein said configuration settings comprise a second setting that allows a user to specify a power level of the portable computer below which the ping signals will be automatically disabled.

9. The portable computer as recited in claim 6, wherein said configuration settings comprise a fourth setting that allows a user to specify a bandwidth required by one or more resources for wireless transmission.

10. The portable computer as recited in claim 6, wherein said configuration settings comprise a third setting that allows a user to specify a range within which the processor will attempt to initiate a wireless docking session with the docking station, wherein the range comprises a physical distance between the portable computer and the docking station.

11. A system, comprising:

a portable computer having a first wireless transceiver and a first wired connector;

a docking station having a second wireless transceiver and a second wired connector;

wherein the docking station comprises an embedded processor coupled to detect a first wired signal sent from the first wired connector and a first wireless signal sent from the first wireless transceiver; and

wherein the portable computer comprises;

a comparator coupled for receiving a second wireless signal sent from the docking station and comparing a strength of the second wireless signal to a predetermined value to determine whether the strength of the second wireless signal is adequate to support a wireless docking session before data is transmitted across a wireless medium; and

a processor having program instructions operable thereon for controlling data transmission between the portable computer and the docking station, wherein upon execution of the program instructions, the processor is configured for;

(i) transferring data across a wired medium between the portable computer and at least one peripheral device coupled to the docking station via the first and second wired connectors if the first and second wired connectors are engaged; and

(ii) transferring data across the wireless medium between the portable computer and said at least one peripheral device via the first and second wireless transceivers only if;

(a) the first and second wired connectors are not engaged, and (b) the strength of the second wireless signal exceeds the predetermined value.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the docking station comprises a KVM switch.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the embedded processor of the docking station changes a setting of the KVM switch to receive data, which is transmitted across the wired medium when the first and second wired connectors are engaged, and wherein the embedded processor changes the setting of the KVM switch to receive data, which is transmitted across the wireless medium when the first and second wired connectors are not engaged.

14. The computer docking system as recited in claim 11, wherein said at least one peripheral device comprises at least one of a keyboard, a mouse and a monitor.

15. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the docking station further comprises a switching mechanism coupled to the second wireless transceiver, the second wired connector, and the embedded processor for routing the data transmitted from the first wired connector or the first wireless transceiver to the at least one peripheral device upon the embedded processor detecting either the first wired signal or the first wireless signal, respectively.

16. A method for sending data signals across a wireless transmission medium between a portable computer and a docking station, comprising:

moving the portable computer toward the docking station;

transmitting a ping signal across the wireless transmission medium and receiving an acknowledge signal across the wireless transmission medium in response to the ping signal;

comparing a signal strength of the acknowledge signal to a predetermined value to determine whether the signal strength is adequate to support a wireless docking session before data signals are transmitted across the wireless transmission medium;

transmitting data signals across the wireless transmission medium only if the acknowledge signal exceeds the predetermined value and a wired connector on the portable computer is disengaged from a wired connector on the docking station; and

terminating the transmission of data signals across the wireless transmission medium if a signal strength of the data signals sent across the wireless transmission medium drops below the predetermined value.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising re-initiating wireless communication between the portable computer and the docking station if:

(i) the wired connector on the portable computer is disengaged from the wired connector on the docking station; and

(ii) a signal strength of a wireless signal sent across the wireless transmission medium exceeds the predetermined value.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising terminating wireless communication between the portable computer and the docking station if the wired connector on the portable computer is engaged with the wired connector on the docking station.