Adding peripherals to mobile device via smart interchangeable cover

• US 20030073415A1
• Filed: 11/20/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Skins LLC
• Original Assignee: Wildseed LLC
• Inventors: Zatloukal, Peter, Engstrom, G. Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,079,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/90.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/021 using combined folding and rotation motions combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724092 Interfacing with an external cover providing additional functionalities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

An interchangeable cover is endowed with one or more peripherals complementary electronics to add the one or more peripherals to a mobile device, to which the interchangeable cover is attached. In various embodiments, the peripherals may be a credit card reader, add on non-volatile storage, an ASIC, and so forth. In various embodiments, the complementary electronics are packaged in an ASIC with output pins similar to that of a SIM chip, which may include a properly equipped protocol processor for de-packaging and packaging data being inputted/outputted in accordance with selected protocols. In one embodiment, the cover is U-shaped. In a wireless mobile phone embodiment, the cover is attached to a rotabable sub-section of a pivotable section.

Claims

1. An interchangeable cover comprising:

a cover body;

at least one peripheral disposed on the cover body;

traces coupled to the at least one peripheral; and

an electronic component coupled to the traces, and equipped to add the at least one peripheral to a mobile device to which the interchangeable cover is attached.

2. The cover of claim 1, wherein the cover body is U-shaped and designed to be attached to the mobile device from a side of the mobile device.

3. The cover of claim 1, wherein the cover is a face plate, with the cover body designed to be attached to the mobile device from a front of the mobile device.

4. The cover of claim 1, wherein the at least one peripheral comprises a non-volatile storage.

5. The cover of claim 1, wherein the at least one peripheral comprises a volatile storage.

6. The cover of claim 1, wherein the at least one peripheral comprises an ASIC.

7. The cover of claim 1, wherein the at least one peripheral comprises a credit card reader.

8. The cover of claim 1, wherein the at least one peripheral comprises an optical scanner.

9. The cover of claim 1, wherein at least one peripheral is disposed on a front surface of the cover body.

10. The cover of claim 1, wherein at least one peripheral is disposed on a side surface of the cover body.

11. The cover of claim 1, wherein at least one peripheral is disposed on a back surface of the cover body.

12. The cover of claim 1, wherein the electronic component comprises an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter coupled to the traces, a protocol processor coupled to the A/D and D/A converters, a storage unit coupled to the protocol processor and the converters, and an input/output (I/O) interface coupled to the storage unit.

13. The cover of claim 12, wherein the storage unit comprises EEPROM.

14. The cover of claims 1, wherein the mobile device comprises functionalities of at least a selected one of a wireless mobile phone and a personal digital assistant.

15. A mobile device comprising

a core unit including at least one extension interface;

and

an interchangeable cover removably attached to the core unit, the interchangeable cover having at least one peripheral and electronics, coupled to each other, with at least one aspect of the electronics designed to mate with the at least one extension interface of the core unit to add the at least one peripheral to the core unit.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the interchangeable cover comprises a cover body that is U-shaped and designed to be attached to the mobile device from a side of the mobile device.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the interchangeable cover is a face plate designed to be attached to the mobile device from a front of the mobile device.

18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the at least one peripheral of the interchangeable cover comprises a non-volatile storage.

19. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the at least one peripheral of the interchangeable cover comprises a volatile storage.

20. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the at least one peripheral of the interchangeable cover comprises an ASIC.

21. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the at least one peripheral of the interchangeable cover comprises a card reader.

22. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the at least one peripheral of the interchangeable cover comprises an optical scanner.

23. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the electronic components of the interchangeable cover comprise an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter, a protocol processor coupled to the A/D and D/A converters, a storage unit coupled to the protocol processor and the converters, and an input/output (I/O) interface coupled to the storage unit.

24. The mobile device of claim 23, wherein the storage unit comprises EEPROM.

25. The mobile device of claims 15, wherein the mobile device comprises functionalities of at least a selected one of a wireless mobile phone and a personal digital assistant.

26. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the core unit comprises a first and a second section with the second section having a first and a second sub-section where the second-sub-section is rotatable relative to the first sub-section, and the cover removably attaches to the second sub-section of the second section.

27. A wireless mobile phone comprising:

a core wireless telephony unit including a first and a second section with the second section having a first and a second sub-section where the second-sub-section is rotatable relative to the first sub-section; and

a cover including at least one peripheral, removably mated with the second sub-section,.

28. The wireless mobile phone of claim 27 wherein said at least one peripheral comprises a selected one of a non-volatile storage, a volatile storage, and an ASIC.

29. The wireless mobile phone of claim 27 wherein said at least one peripheral comprises a selected one of a card reader and an optical scanner

30. The wireless mobile phone of claim 27, wherein the first and the second sections are pivotally coupled to each other.