Multistage undocking assembly and system and method incorporating same

• US 20040052062A1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: DeLuga, Ronald E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,768,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/801
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations

Abstract

The present technique provides a multistage undocking mechanism for a system having a portable computing device dockable with a docking device. The multistage undocking mechanism may be disposed in either the portable computing device or the docking device. In a first stage, the multistage undocking mechanism engages a latch assembly to unlatch the portable computing device from the docking device. In a second stage, the multistage undocking mechanism engages a lifter assembly to separate the portable computing device from the docking device at least partially via a manual force applied by the user. The lifter assembly may have one or more spring-loaded lifter mechanisms, such as a spring-loaded lifter having sufficient force to support the portable computing device but insufficient to separate male/female connections between the portable computing device and the docking device.

Claims

1. A docking system for a portable computing system, comprising:

a docking mechanism, comprising;

a docking latch mechanism;

a dock eject mechanism comprising an engagement mechanism operably coupled to the docking latch mechanism and a manually forced ejector mechanism in first and second stages respectively of the engagement mechanism.

2. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the dock eject mechanism comprises a spring-loaded dock eject mechanism.

3. The docking system of claim 2, wherein the spring-loaded dock eject mechanism is disposed about the docking latch mechanism and is operable in the second stage.

4. The docking system of claim 2, wherein the spring-loaded dock eject mechanism comprises a spring of sufficient force to support the portable computing system.

5. The docking system of claim 4, wherein the spring has insufficient force to overcome friction between communication connectors disposed on the docking mechanism and the portable computing system.

6. The docking system of claim 5, wherein the manually forced ejector mechanism is adapted to overcome the friction.

7. The docking system of claim 2, wherein the manually forced ejector mechanism comprises the spring-loaded dock eject mechanism.

8. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the docking latch mechanism comprises multiple latches disposed about a dockable communication connector.

9. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the manually forced ejector mechanism comprises multiple lifters, each disposed adjacent a cam portion of the engagement mechanism.

10. The docking system of claim 1, wherein the engagement mechanism comprises at least one button.

11. A computer system, comprising:

a portable computing device having a first communication connector and a first mechanical connector mechanism; and

a dockable expansion base comprising;

a second communication connector that is mateable with the first communication connector;

a second mechanical connector mechanism that is coupleable with the first mechanical connector mechanism;

an undocking mechanism comprising a trigger operably coupled to the second mechanical connector mechanism in a first engagement position and operably coupled to a manually forced lifter mechanism in a second engagement position.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the undocking mechanism comprises a spring-loaded lifter mechanism operable in the second engagement position.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the spring-loaded lifter mechanism comprises a spring assembly having a spring force approximately equal to the weight of the portable computing device.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the spring-loaded lifter mechanism comprises a spring assembly having a spring force less than the sum of the weight of the portable computing device and a friction force between the first and second communication connectors.

15. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the spring-loaded lifter mechanism comprises a spring force adjuster.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the spring force adjuster comprises an automatic weight adjuster adapted to accommodate the weight of the portable computing device.

17. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the second mechanical connector mechanism comprises a plurality of latches releasable in the first engagement position and, wherein the undocking mechanism comprises a spring-loaded lifter mechanism disposed adjacent each of the plurality of latches.

18. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the manually forced lifter mechanism is adapted to overcome a friction force between the first and second communication connectors.

19. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the manually forced lifter mechanism is adapted to provide a lift force greater than the weight of the portable computing device plus a retaining force between the portable computing device and the dockable expansion base less a lifting spring force between the portable computing device and the dockable expansion base.

20. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the manually forced lifter mechanism comprises multiple lifters operably coupled with a lateral engagement mechanism extending through the dockable expansion base and operably coupled to the trigger.

21. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the trigger comprises buttons disposed at opposite sides of the dockable expansion base.

22. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the portable computing device comprises a laptop computer.

23. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the portable computing device comprises a tablet computer.

24. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the expansion base comprise a plurality of input/output ports.

25. The computer system of claim 24, wherein the expansion base comprises a plurality of computing components.

26. A docking system for a portable computing system, comprising:

a docking latch mechanism adapted to latch the portable computing device releasably to an expansion base;

a manually forced separator mechanism adapted to separate the portable computing device from the expansion base; and

a multistage undocking mechanism enageable with the docking latch mechanism in an unlatching stage and engageable with the manually forced separator mechanism in a separating stage.

27. The docking system of claim 26, wherein the docking latch mechanism comprises a spring-loaded lifter that is operable in the unlatching stage.

28. The docking system of claim 27, wherein the spring-loaded lifter comprises a spring of sufficient force to support the portable computing system in an unlatched and lifted position.

29. The docking system of claim 28, wherein the spring has insufficient force to separate the portable computing system from the expansion base.

30. The docking system of claim 27, wherein the spring-loaded lifter has a spring force adjustment mechanism.

31. The docking system of claim 26, wherein the docking latch mechanism comprises multiple latches disposed about a dockable communication connector.

32. The docking system of claim 26, wherein the manually forced separator mechanism comprises multiple lifters in positions adapted to balance forces associated with undocking the portable computing system.

33. The docking system of claim 26, wherein the docking latch mechanism, the manually forced separator mechanism, and the multistage undocking mechanism are disposed in the portable computing system.

34. The docking system of claim 26, wherein the docking latch mechanism, the manually forced separator mechanism, and the multistage undocking mechanism are disposed in the expansion base.

35. A docking system for a portable computing system, comprising:

docking latch means for releasably latching the portable computing system to an expansion device;

manually forced separator means for separating the portable computing system from the expansion device; and

multistage engagement means for unlatching the docking latch mechanism in an unlatching stage and for subsequently separating the portable computing system in a separating stage.

36. The docking system of claim 35, wherein the docking latch mechanism comprises a spring-loaded lifter.

37. The docking system of claim 35, wherein the docking latch mechanism comprises spring-loading lifting means for assisting the separating stage and for subsequently supporting the portable computing system in an unlatched and lifted position.

38. The docking system of claim 35, wherein the docking latch mechanism, the manually forced separator mechanism, and the multistage engagement means are disposed in the portable computing system.

39. The docking system of claim 35, wherein the docking latch mechanism, the manually forced separator mechanism, and the multistage engagement means are disposed in the expansion device.

40. A method of undocking a portable computing device from an expansion device, comprising the acts of:

moving a multistage undocking mechanism to a first position in which the portable computing device is unlatched from the expansion device; and

extending the multistage undocking mechanism from the first position to a second position to separate the portable computer from the expansion device at least partially via a manual separation mechanism.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the act of moving comprises the act of releasing a pair of docking latches.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the act of moving comprises the act of sliding a latch member frictionally along a spring-loaded lifter.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the act of extending comprises the act of releasing the spring-loaded lifter and manually moving the manual separation mechanism.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the act of extending comprises the act of manually forcing a lifter portion of the manual separation mechanism to extend outwardly from the expansion device between the expansion device and the portable computing device.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the act of manually forcing the lifter portion comprises the act of overcoming a friction force between mated connectors on the portable computing device and the expansion device.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the act of extending comprises the act of releasing a spring-loaded lifter that provides a spring force complementing a manual force provided by the manual separation mechanism.

47. The method of claim 40, wherein the act of extending comprises the act of releasing a spring-loaded lifter mechanism having a force sufficient to support the portable computing device but insufficient to separate the portable computing device from the expansion device.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the act of extending comprises the act of manually supplementing the force of the spring-loaded lifter to separate the portable computing device from the expansion device.

49. The method of claim 40, wherein the acts of moving and extending the multistage undocking mechanism comprise the act of depressing buttons disposed on opposite sides of the expansion device inwardly toward one another.

50. A method of making a docking mechanism for a portable computing device, comprising the acts of:

providing a docking latch mechanism having latched and unlatched positions;

providing a manually forced lifter mechanism having lifted and unlifted positions; and

operably coupling a multistage undocking mechanism to the docking latch mechanism and the manually forced separator mechanism to effectuate the unlatched and unlifted positions in first and second stages of the multistage undocking mechanism, respectively.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the acts of providing the docking latch mechanism, providing the manually forced lifter mechanism, and operably coupling the multistage undocking mechanism comprise the act of assembly a docking device that is dockable with the portable computing device.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the acts of providing the docking latch mechanism, providing the manually forced lifter mechanism, and operably coupling the multistage undocking mechanism comprise the act of disposing the docking mechanism in the portable computing device.

53. The method of claim 50, comprising the act of providing a spring-loaded lifter that is releasable at the unlatched position.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the act of providing the spring-loaded lifter comprises the act of positioning a latch member in slidable engagement with the spring-loaded lifter between the latched and unlatched positions.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein the act of providing the spring-loaded lifter comprises the act of selecting a spring having a spring force based on the weight of the portable computing device.

56. The method of claim 53, wherein the act of providing the spring-loaded lifter comprises the act of selecting a spring having a force insufficient for separating the portable computing device from a docking device.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the act of providing the manually forced lifter mechanism comprises the act of creating a manual force mechanism to supplement the spring force.

58. The method of claim 50, wherein the act of operably coupling the multistage undocking mechanism comprises the act of positioning a lateral engagement mechanism in an engageable position relative to the docking latch mechanism and the manually forced lifter mechanism.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the act of positioning the lateral engagement mechanism comprises the act of coupling a pair of buttons to the lateral engagement mechanism in which the buttons are inwardly engageable toward one another.