Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-26
2001-10-09
Picard, Leo P. (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S689000, C361S689000, C320S107000, C320S110000, C320S113000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301106
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to the field of personal computers. More specifically, the invention relates to docking station and peripheral technology for facilitating use of portable computers as “desktop replacements.”
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Portable computers, colloquially referred to as “laptop” or “notebook” computers, have increased in power, speed, and memory capacity to the point where they offer functionality comparable to that of desktop-style personal computers. However, because portable computers have been designed for small size and low weight, their keyboards and displays have been limited in size, making the portable computers less convenient to use.
Accordingly, their features and accessories have been designed with suitable interfaces to allow a user to use the same large-size displays and full-size keyboards as would normally be used with a desktop machine. In particular, docking stations have been developed, to hold all of the electrical connections between the keyboard, display, network connection, etc., with the computer. Thus, all a user has to do is “dock” the portable computer with the docking station, and the computer is ready to directly interface with all of the peripherals. It will be understood that there must be physical compatibility between the portable computer and its docking station.
There is a drawback, however, that portable computers, even within a given manufacturer's line, vary considerably in size, configuration, etc. Thus, conventionally it has been necessary for a portable computer manufacturer to have a whole line of docking stations, commensurate with its line of portable computers. Accordingly, manufacturers have had to maintain lines of functionally identical but physically different docking station models. Also, when a manufacturer develops a new line of portable computers, it must also develop a new line of docking stations.
There is an additional issue related to user convenience. To disengage the unit or swap units, the user must decouple the connectors. This involves both the user's time, and the effort the user must employ to disengage the connectors by overcoming their insertion force.
Therefore, there remains a need for a docking system which fully solves the problems of interchangeability and manufacturability discussed above, and which also provides user convenience.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the drawback described above, the invention provides a standardized docking station module (a “first” module), embodying most of the peripheral interfaces, etc., required for coupling the docking station to the peripheral devices. The invention also provides a set of portable-computer-model-specific adapter modules (“second” modules), preferably configured as “trays,” which accommodate respective portable computer models within the manufacturer's product line.
A user will have a particular model of computer, the corresponding adapter module, and the standard docking station. The user installs the adapter module into the docking station, and couples the docking station to the peripherals. From then on, the module accommodates the computer's unique configuration when the user docks the computer.
As a result, the invention advantageously allows the manufacturer to minimize the cost and design complexity of its docking accessories. For a given new model of computer, all the manufacturer has to do is provide a new second module for use with the same standard docking station. All features which change with the computer model are resident within the second module. This will generally just be features relating to the physical dimensions of the computer. All features which stay the same from one computer to the next, such as standard peripheral interfaces, reside on the first module. Thus, manufacturing costs and design manpower are conserved.
Also, when the user obtains a new computer, he/she can still use the existing peripherals and the docking module coupled to them. The user need only obtain a new docking module specific to that new computer.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5694292 (1997-12-01), Paulsel et al.
patent: 5699226 (1997-12-01), Cavello
Derocher Michael D.
Helot Jacques H.
Lichtenwalter Guy
Muranami Masahiko
Segura Jaime
Chang Yean-Hsi
Hewlett--Packard Company
Picard Leo P.
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