Navigation apparatus for coupling with an expansion slot of a portable, handheld computing device

• US 6,970,130 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Original Assignee: Garmin Limited
• Inventors: Wiegers, Michael R., Kalis, Robert M., Walters, Thomas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US10/893,828
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.06, 342/357.1, 342/357.13, 701/213, 701/215
• US Class Current: 342/357.4
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

A navigation apparatus (10) configured for removably coupling with and providing navigational capabilities to a portable, handheld computing device (12). The navigation apparatus (10) includes a navigation receiver (26) for receiving navigation signals from a plurality of sources; a processor (24) coupled with the navigation receiver (26) for determining a location of the navigation apparatus (10) as a function of the received navigation signals; and an interface/connector (44). The interface/connector (44) is either a Secure Digital slot connector or a Compact Flash slot connector. Location data stored in the navigation apparatus (10) and data representative of the location determined by the navigation apparatus (10) may be delivered from the processor (24) to the handheld computing device (12) so that it may be displayed and used by a user of the device (12).

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus configured for coupling with and providing navigational capabilities to a portable computing device, the navigation apparatus comprising:

a navigation receiver for receiving navigation signals form a plurality of sources;

a connector for removably connecting with the portable computing device to deliver information from the navigation apparatus to the portable computing device; and

a portable housing for housing the navigation receiver and connector, the portable housing including a lower section and an upper section hingedly connected to the lower section.

2. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the upper section is movable between raised and lower positions relative to the lower section.

3. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the upper section may be folded behind the portable computing device to allow unobstructed use of the portable computing device.

4. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further including an antenna positioned in the upper section that may be raised and lowered with the upper section.

5. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the lower section houses the connector and the upper section houses the navigation receiver.

6. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further including a processor coupled with the navigation receiver for determining a location of the navigation apparatus as a function of the received navigation signals and memory accessible by the processor for storing location data.

7. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the upper section houses the processor and the memory.

8. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the upper section is removable from the lower section.

9. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the upper section may be remotely mounted apart from the lower section.

10. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the upper section and the lower section are connected by a cable to carry information between the sections.

11. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further including an expansion slot positioned on the housing for removably coupling with an external memory cartridge that, when received in the expansion slot, can be accessed by the processor.

12. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the connector is selected from the group consisting of a Secure Digital slot connector and a Compact Flash slot connector.

13. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the navigation apparatus is powered by the portable computing device.

14. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portable computing device is selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant and a cellular phone.

15. A navigation apparatus configured for coupling with and providing navigational capabilities to a portable computing device, the navigation apparatus comprising:

a navigation receiver for receiving navigation signals form a plurality of sources;

a processor coupled with the navigation receiver for determining a location of the navigation apparatus as a function of the received navigation signals;

memory accessible by the processor for storing location data;

a connector for removably connecting with the portable computing device to deliver the determined location and the stored location data to the portable computing device; and

a portable housing for housing the navigation receiver, the processor, the memory, and connector, such that the navigation receiver, the processor, the memory, and connector are housed separately from the portable computing device.

16. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the portable housing includes a lower section housing the connector and an upper section housing the navigation receiver, the memory, and the processor, the upper section being hingedly connected to the lower section and moveable between raised and lowered positions relative to the lower section.

17. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the portable housing is generally rectangular in shape and includes a track for receiving and supporting the portable computing device.

18. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the navigation apparatus is powered by the portable computing device.

19. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the portable computing device is selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant and a cellular phone.

20. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 15, further including an expansion slot positioned on the portable housing for removably coupling with an external memory cartridge that, when received in the expansion slot, can be accessed by the processor.

21. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the location data includes cartographic map data used for displaying at least one cartographic map on a display of the portable computing device.

22. The navigation apparatus as set forth in claim 15, wherein the navigation apparatus is operable to receive data from the portable computing device.

23. A method of providing navigational capabilities to a portable computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

utilizing a navigation apparatus to receive navigation signals from a plurality of sources;

determining a location based on the received navigation signals with a processor housed within the navigation apparatus;

storing the determined location in memory housed within the navigation apparatus; and

coupling the navigation apparatus to the portable computing device to provide navigational capabilities to the portable computing device.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the navigation apparatus is coupled with the portable computing device utilizing a connector selected from the group consisting of a Secure Digital slot connector and a Compact Flash slot connector.

25. The method as set forth in claim 23, further including the step of retrieving data from external memory removably coupled with the navigation apparatus.

26. The method as set forth in claim 23, further including the step of utilizing the navigation apparatus to received data from the portable computing device.

27. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the navigation apparatus includes an upper section and a lower section.

28. The method as set forth in claim 27, further including the step of folding the upper section of the navigation apparatus behind the portable computing device to allow unobstructed use of the portable computing device.

29. The method as set forth in claim 27, wherein the navigation apparatus is coupled with the portable computing device by inserting at least a portion of the lower section of the navigation apparatus into the portable computing device.

30. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the portable computing device is selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant and a cellular phone.