Wireless connector

• US 9,516,457 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2015
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sudak, Eran
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Anthony Q
• Application Number:
  US14/708,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20150327002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 576 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• 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: H02G 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include a wireless connector and devices and/or systems utilizing one or more wireless connectors. For example, a device may include a wireless connector to be coupled to another device for communicating data with the other device, the wireless connector including a wireless communication unit to communicate the data over a wireless communication link, for example, a short-range wireless communication link, e.g. at a multi-gigabit-per second (MGbs) rate.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a cable;

a plug connector connected to a first end of said cable, said plug connector configured to be connected to a first device; and

a wireless connector connected to a second end of said cable, said wireless connector configured to be coupled to a second device to communicate data with said second device, the wireless connector including a wireless communication unit housed within the wireless connector under an outer surface of the wireless connector, the wireless communication unit to wirelessly communicate said data via the outer surface of the wireless connector over a short-range wireless communication link at a multi-gigabit-per second (MGbs) rate, wherein;

said wireless connector is to be physically coupled to said second device;

said wireless connector comprises a magnetic element to couple said wireless connector to said second device by magnetic force;

said wireless connector is to transfer the data between said second device and said cable, said cable is to transfer said data between said wireless connector and said plug connector, and said plug connector is to transfer the data between the cable and the first device; and

said wireless connector comprises a plug-less connector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication link comprises a Wireless-Gigabit (WiGig) link.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said wireless communication unit is to communicate said data over at least one link selected from the group consisting of a WiGig Serial Extension (WSE) link, a WiGig Display Extension (WDE) link, a WiGig Bus Extension (WBE) link, and a WiGig Secure Digital extension (WSD) link.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said short-range wireless communication link has a range of no more than five centimeters.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is to wirelessly communicate said data with said second device without physical contact between the wireless communication unit and the second device.

6. A connector cable to transfer data between first and second devices, the connector cable comprising:

a cable;

a plug connector, connected to a first end of said cable, to be connected to said first device; and

a wireless connector connected to a second end of said cable to communicate said data with said first device via said cable, said cable is to transfer said data between said wireless connector and said plug connector, and said plug connector is to transfer the data between the cable and the first device, wherein the wireless connector is to be coupled to said second device and to communicate said data with said second device over a wireless communication link, wherein;

said wireless connector is to be physically coupled to said second device;

said wireless connector comprises a magnetic element to couple said wireless connector to said second device by magnetic force;

said wireless connector comprises a plug-less connector; and

said wireless connector comprises a wireless communication unit housed within the wireless connector under an outer surface of the wireless connector, the wireless communication unit to wirelessly communicate said data via the outer surface of the wireless connector over said wireless communication link.

7. The connector cable of claim 6, wherein said cable is to provide power from said first device to said wireless communication unit.

8. The connector cable of claim 6, wherein said wireless communication link comprises a Wireless-Gigabit (WiGig) link.

9. The connector cable of claim 8, wherein said wireless connector is to communicate said data over at least one link selected from the group consisting of a WiGig Serial Extension (WSE) link, a WiGig Display Extension (WDE) link, a WiGig Bus Extension (WBE) link, and a WiGig Secure Digital extension (WSD) link.

10. The connector cable of claim 6, wherein said wireless communication link comprises a short-range multi-gigabit-per second (MGbs) link.

11. The connector cable of claim 10, wherein said short-range MGbs link has a range of no more than five centimeters.