Communication port and connector

• US 8,838,868 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Tippett, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): MISIURA, BRIAN THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US12/971,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 710/313, 439/660, 439/607, 439 38- 40, 455/39, 455/425, 455/557
• US Class Current: 710/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/20 for access to input/output bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A communication port and connector are described. A mobile computing device may include a hardware element, with the hardware element being communicatively coupled to a connection. The connection is communicatively coupled to a communication port, and the communication port includes a first pin and a second pin. Additionally, at least one of the first pin and the second pin is comprised of a ferromagnetic material. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a hardware element;

a connection communicatively coupled to the hardware element;

a communication port communicatively coupled to the connection, the communication port having a first pin and a second pin; and

at least one of the first pin and the second pin comprising a ferromagnetic material, the ferromagnetic material to obtain diagnostic information from the mobile computing device;

wherein the first pin to transmit only control directives to an element on the mobile computing device and the second pin to receive diagnostic data from the mobile computing device, and

wherein the communication port further comprises a universal serial bus port adjacent to the first and second pins.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the universal serial bus port is coupled to ground.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the communication port further comprises a micro universal serial bus port adjacent to the first and second pins.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the communication port is operative to communicate with the hardware element over the connection by serial communication.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the communication port is operative to communicate with the hardware element over the connection by parallel communication.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the communication port is operative to communicate with the hardware element over the connection by serial communication or universal serial bus communication.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the first pin and second pin are directly coupled to the hardware element.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the hardware element comprises a memory, transceiver, antenna, radio processor, SIM, host processor, keypad, display, vibrate motor, input/output interface, audio/visual device, or power supply.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the first pin supports unidirectional communication from the mobile computing device to the hardware element and the second pin supports unidirectional communication from the hardware element to the mobile computing device.

9. A connector comprising;

a first conductor and a second conductor to be substantially coupled to at least one of a first or second ferromagnetic pin for communicating diagnostic information with a first type of communication; and

a third conductor adjacent to the first conductor or second conductor, the third conductor for communicating data packets with a second type of communication,

wherein the first conductor to transmit only control directives to an element on the mobile computing device and the second conductor to receive diagnostics data from the mobile computing device, and

wherein the third conductor is a universal serial bus plug capable of coupling to a ground connection.

10. The connector of claim 9, wherein the first type of communication is serial communication.

11. The connector of claim 9, wherein the first type of communication is parallel communication.

12. The connector of claim 9, wherein the second type of communication is a universal serial bus communication.

13. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a wired communication interface;

an interconnection medium communicatively coupled to the wired communication interface;

a hardware element communicatively coupled to the interconnection medium; and

a communication port communicatively coupled to the wired communication

interface, the communication port having a first pin, second pin, and a universal serial bus port, wherein the first pin or the second pin further comprise of a ferromagnetic material to communicate diagnostic information and the first pin to transmit only control directives to an element on the mobile computing device and the second pin to receive diagnostics data from the mobile computing device.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 13, wherein the wired communication interface further comprises control logic to perform operations according to one or more communication protocols.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein the control logic performs operations according to a serial communication protocol, parallel communication protocol, or universal serial bus communication protocol.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 13, wherein the first and

second pins are operative to communicate with the hardware element over the wired communication interface and interconnection medium by serial communication, and the universal serial bus communication port is operative to communicate with the hardware element over the wired communication interface and interconnection medium by universal serial bus communication.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 13, wherein the universal serial bus port is coupled to ground.