Wearable personal computer system having flexible battery forming casing of the system

• US 5,572,401 A
• Filed: 10/25/1994
• Issued: 11/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Embedded Technologies LLC (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Key Idea Development, LLC
• Inventors: Carroll, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US08/330,134
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 429/127, 364/708.1, 361/680-686, 361/724
• US Class Current: 361/679.03
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt

Abstract

A portable computer having elements for computing comprising a plurality of microcomputer elements, at least one flexible wearable member, structures for mounting a plurality of said microcomputer elements on said wearable member, and flexible signal relaying for electrically connecting said microcomputer elements in a user determined sequence. The computer preferably includes a plurality of PC card connectors receiving PC cards for performing a desired computing function. The wearable member includes a plurality of enclosures, with at least one of the PC card connectors being disposed within each enclosure. According to one embodiment, the portable computer includes a power supply to provide power to the microcomputer elements, the power supply including a flexible battery that forms a casing of the computer to protect the plurality of microcomputer elements.

Claims

1. An electronic computing device, comprising:

a plurality of operably connected microcomputer elements, the microcomputer elements including a processor for performing computer processing functions and at least one input and/or output device; and

a power supply operably coupled to the plurality of microcomputer elements to provide power to the plurality of microcomputer elements, the power supply comprising a flexible battery that forms a casing of the electronic computing device to protect the plurality of microcomputer elements.

2. The electronic computing device of claim 1, wherein the electronic computing device is a wearable electronic computing device that includes structure for supporting the electronic computing device on the body of a wearer.

3. The electronic computing device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of microcomputer elements comprise at least one PC card, the device further comprising a PC card connector mateably receiving the PC card.

4. The electronic computing device of claim 2, wherein the electronic computing device forms a generally tubular shape.

5. The electronic computing device of claim 1, wherein the flexible battery comprises a lithium-ion-type battery.

6. An electronic computing device for determining information regarding the location of the electronic computing device, the electronic computing device comprising:

a plurality of operably connected microcomputer elements, the microcomputer elements including a processor for performing computer processing functions and at least one input device for sensing location information, at least two of the microcomputer elements including flexibly interconnected PC cards disposed within separate enclosures, at least one of the microcomputer elements being constructed to perform multi-directional sensing analysis, at least one of the microcomputer elements being constructed to perform navigational analysis; and

structure for mounting the electronic computing device on the body of a human wearer.

7. The electronic computing device of claim 6, further including a power supply operably coupled to the plurality of microcomputer elements to provide power to the plurality of microcomputer elements, the power supply comprising a flexible battery that forms a casing of the electronic computing device to protect the plurality of microcomputer elements against environmental contamination.

8. The electronic computing device of claim 6, wherein the input device comprises a PC card constructed to sense geographic location information.

9. The electronic computing device of claim 6, wherein one of the microcomputer elements comprises a sensing device for emitting pulse energy to determine underwater depth information.

10. The electronic computing device of claim 6, wherein one of the microcomputer elements is constructed to perform multi-directional imaging functions.

11. A wearable electronic computing device, the computing device comprising:

a wearable support member supportable by the body of the wearer of the computing device;

a processor supported by the wearable support member for performing computer processing functions;

a plurality of PC card connectors supported by the wearable support member, the PC card connectors being shaped to collectively mateably receive a plurality of PC cards;

a plurality of PC cards slidably received within and mateably secured to the PC card connectors to form a computing configuration for performing at least one desired computing function, the PC cards further being readily insertable into and removable from the PC card connectors to perform different computing functions;

a signal transmission system interconnecting the processor and the PC card connectors to transmit signals between the processor and the PC cards; and

a plurality of enclosures supported by the wearable support member, at least one of the PC card connectors being disposed within each of the plurality of enclosures.

12. The wearable electronic computing device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the PC cards is constructed to sense and compute geographic position information.

13. The wearable electronic computing device of claim 11, further comprising a flexible battery operably coupled with at least the processor to provide power to at least the processor, the flexible battery forming a casing for the electronic computing device.

14. The wearable electronic computing device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the PC cards is constructed to direct pulse energy to determine marine depth information.

15. The wearable electronic computing device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the PC cards is constructed to monitor a medical condition of the wearer of the electronic computing device.

16. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the enclosures comprise a plurality of pockets, each of the PC card connectors being enclosed within a respective one of the pockets to receive and enclose a respective PC card.

17. The computing device of claim 11, wherein each PC card connector is entirely enclosed within its enclosure.

18. The wearable electronic computing device of claim 11, wherein the computing configuration performs a voice communication function.

19. The wearable electronic computing device of claim 11, wherein the computing configuration performs a telecommunications function.

20. The wearable electronic computing device of claim 11, wherein the computing configuration performs voice recognition and transmission functions.

21. The wearable electronic computing device of claim 11, wherein the computing configuration interacts with a wireless network environment.

22. An electronic computing device for determining information regarding the location of the electronic computing device, the electronic computing device comprising:

a plurality of operably connected microcomputer elements, the microcomputer elements including a processor for performing computer processing functions and at least one input device for sensing location information, at least two of the microcomputer elements including flexibly interconnected PC cards, at least one of the microcomputer elements being constructed to perform multi-directional sensing analysis, at least one of the microcomputer elements being constructed to perform navigational analysis;

structure for mounting the electronic computing device on the body of a human wearer; and

a power supply operably coupled to the plurality of microcomputer elements to provide power to the plurality of microcomputer elements, the power supply comprising a flexible battery that forms a casing of the electronic computing device to protect the plurality of microcomputer elements against environmental contamination.

23. The wearable electronic computing device of claim 22, wherein the transmission function includes a radio transmission function.