Method and apparatus for a dockable display module

• US 8,856,394 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Moehring, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Zachary K
• Application Number:
  US11/799,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,717 Days
• Field of Search: 710/8, 710/15, 7/8, 7 1/5
• US Class Current: 710/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages

Abstract

An electronic device comprising a plurality of onboard displays, wherein at least one of the onboard displays is removable from the electronic device, and wherein the at least one of the onboard displays aggregates and displays information received from a plurality of electronic devices.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first display forming part of the electronic device; and

a second display forming part of the electronic device,

wherein the electronic device comprises a first electronic device of a plurality of electronic devices, wherein the second display is removable from engagement with the first electronic device and dockable in engagement with a second electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices, and wherein the second display is visible to a user and aggregates and displays information received from the plurality of electronic devices while docked in engagement with one of the plurality of electronic devices.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is a first type of electronic device, and the second electronic device is a second type of electronic device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second display converts the information to a common format.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second display receives the information wirelessly from the plurality of electronic devices.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of electronic devices acts as a proxy for the second display.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the second display receives and transmits information via the at least one of the plurality of electronic devices acting as the proxy.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second display polls at least one of the plurality of electronic devices for the information.

8. Previously Presented) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second display receives an event indicating that information is available from at least one of the plurality of electronic devices.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second display deletes duplicate information received from the plurality of electronic devices.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electronic devices are selected from a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a CD player, an MP3 player, a heart monitor, and a cellular telephone.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second display is configured to engage at least one of a wrist device, a key fob, a dock, a housing cavity, and a reader.

22. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second display includes a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising a device summary section and a message summary section, wherein the device summary section illustrates the plurality of electronic devices from which information is collected, and the message summary section illustrates information for the plurality of electronic devices.

12. A method for presenting information, comprising:

aggregating, by an onboard display of an electronic device, information received from a plurality of electronic devices while docked in physical contact with the electronic device; and

presenting the information on the onboard display, wherein the onboard display is removable from physical contact with the electronic device, dockable in physical contact with another electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices, and visible to a user while docked in physical contact with each of the electronic device and the another electronic device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the onboard display is one of a plurality of onboard displays for the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising converting received information to a common format.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving the information wirelessly from at least one of the plurality of electronic devices.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising polling at least one of the plurality of electronic devices for the information.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an event indicating that information is available from at least one of the plurality of electronic devices; and

responsive to receiving the event, transmitting a request for the information from the at least one of the plurality of electronic devices.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising, responsive to finding duplicate information received from the plurality of electronic devices, deleting one copy of the duplicate information.

24. The method of claim 12, further comprising illustrating the plurality of electronic devices from which information is collected in a device summary section of a graphical user interface (GUI) of the onboard display, and illustrating information for the plurality of electronic devices in a message summary section of the graphical user interface (GUI) of the onboard display.

19. A display module, comprising:

a housing having a display unit, the housing communicatively coupled with and physically interchanged with a plurality of different types of electronic devices to enable the display module to be an on-board display for each of the respective plurality of different types of electronic devices whereby the display module is physically connected with a first type of electronic device of the plurality, physically disconnected from the first type of electronic device of the plurality, and physically connected with a second type of electronic device of the plurality,

wherein, while the display module is communicatively coupled with and physically connected with one of the plurality of different types of electronic devices, the display module is visible to a user and aggregates and displays information received from the plurality of different types of electronic devices.

20. The display module of claim 19, wherein the display module recharges a battery disposed within the display module when the display module is communicatively coupled with and physically connected with one of the plurality of different types of electronic devices.

21. The display module of claim 19, wherein the plurality of different types of electronic devices comprises at least one of a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a CD player, an MP3 player, a heart monitor, a cellular phone, a wrist device, a key fob, and a reader.

23. The display module of claim 19, wherein the display unit of the display module includes a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising a device summary section and a message summary section, wherein the device summary section illustrates the plurality of different types of electronic devices from which information is collected, and the message summary section illustrates information for the plurality of different types of electronic devices.