Modular system having cross platform master device

• US 9,047,050 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Medica, John, Tsai, Leonard, Chen, Shikuan
• Primary Examiner(s): MISIURA, BRIAN THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US13/430,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 710/110, 710/303, 455/557, 361/679, 343/876
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60

Abstract

A modular system of devices, in which a (master) device can be combined with one or more of the other (slave) devices in the system to form a functional electronic device (e.g., handheld cellular phone, tablet computing device), having different functionalities and features in different form factors across various platforms. The master device provides control and/or stored data to operate the slave devices, to reduce redundancy between devices of various form factors and/or platforms, in a manner that provides additional or different functions and features in an optimized and/or enhanced manner as the form factor and/or platform changes from one to another. The master device is not functional independent without attachment to a slave device. The master device requires at least a peripheral component (e.g., a display module) provided by the slave device to become an overall functional unit.

Claims

1. A modular system, comprising:

a first slave device of a first form factor and/or platform;

a second slave device of a second form factor and/or platform; and

a master device comprising a control system including a system processor and an operating system, wherein the master device is configured to operatively couple to the first slave device to form a first electronic device, and alternatively to the second slave device to form a second electronic device, wherein the master device is removably attachable to the first slave device and the second slave device, and wherein the master device is not independently functional with its own set of features without attachment to a slave device,

wherein operation of the first and second electronic device is controlled at least in part by the system processor of the master device upon operatively coupling the master device to the first and second electronic device, respectively, and

wherein the master device includes a first antenna, and the second slave device includes a second antenna, and wherein the master device switches operation from the first antenna to the second antenna when the master device is operatively coupled to the second slave device.

2. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein the master device further comprises a master electrical interface, the first slave device comprises a first electrical interface and the second slave device comprises a second electrical interface, and wherein the master electrical interface communicates with the first and second electrical interfaces when the master device is operatively coupled to the first and second slave devices, respectively.

3. The modular system as in claim 2, wherein the master device further comprising a first power source providing power to operate at least the first electronic device.

4. The modular system as in claim 3, wherein the second slave device further comprises a second power source providing power to operate the second electronic device.

5. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein master device further comprises a memory storing the operating system, application programs and data, which are relied by the first and second electronic devices when the master device has been operatively coupled to the first and second slave devices, respectively.

6. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein the operations of the first and second electronic devices are also controlled by the operating system of the master device.

7. The modular system as in claim 6, wherein the operating system in the master device provides more functionality for the first and second electronic device than any limited device specific operation routine provided by the first and second slave devices, respectively.

8. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein the first and second electronic devices are respectively controlled substantively exclusively by the system processor in the master device.

9. The modular system as in claim 8, wherein the system processor in the master device provides a higher processing power that any processor provided in the first and second slave devices, respectively.

10. The modular system as in claim 8, wherein the system processor comprises a central processor unit (CPU), which provides higher processing power than any processor provided in the first and second slave devices, respectively, including any CPU provided in the first and second slave devices, respectively.

11. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein the master device is substantially contained in at least one of the first and second slave devices upon operatively coupling thereto.

12. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein external body profile of the master device is substantially flush with external body profile of at least one of the first and second slave devices upon operatively coupling thereto.

13. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein the control system of the master device is configured to determine coupling status between the first and second slave devices, and wherein upon determining coupling of the first slave device to the master device, the master device automatically switches control to the operation of the first slave device, and upon determining coupling of the second slave device to the master device, the master device automatically switches control to the operation of the second slave device.

14. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein the first and second slave devices are first and second peripheral devices, respectively.

15. The modular system as in claim 14, wherein the first and second peripheral devices comprises first and second image displays, respectively.

16. The modular system as in claim 15, wherein the control system switches to controlling the first and second image displays, respectively, based on respective associated display characteristics upon determining operative coupling status of the master device to the first and second slave device.

17. The modular system as in claim 16, wherein the first slave device is a cellular handset display module and the second slave device is a tablet display module.

18. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein the master device does not comprise any image display device.

19. The modular system as in claim 1, wherein the master device is configured to switch control of the first slave device and the second slave device in a hot swap manner, without requiring powering down of the master device and/or the first slave device and second slave device.