Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-26
2001-04-17
Tolin, Gerald (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S679090, C361S689000, C361S688000, C361S690000, C361S697000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219233
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
One embodiment relates generally to portable personal computers (“PCs”) and, more particularly, to an extended thermal solution for a portable PC.
Intel Corporation's “Geyserville” processor, expected to be made publicly available in 1999, is an MPP processor designed to support multiple power and performance modes in a portable PC, depending on the power source and auxiliary cooling available. For example, in normal portable (i.e., battery-powered) applications, the processor will be limited to approximately 10.5 watts of power dissipation. In docked modes, where unlimited AC power and additional cooling is available, an additional 10 watts, for a total of approximately 20.5 watts, of power dissipation is possible.
Clearly, it would be desirable to utilize the additional wattage available during battery-powered operation of the PC. Therefore, what is needed is an extended thermal solution for a portable PC to make this additional wattage available for use during portable, as well as docked, applications.
SUMMARY
One embodiment, accordingly, is an extended cooling unit (“ECU”) for a portable PC having an MPP processor, such as Intel's “Geyserville” processor described above. The ECU is connected to the portable PC via a docking connector of the PC, thereby allowing the presence of the ECU to be detected by the MPP processor of the PC. The ECU includes a horizontally projecting, thermally-conductive plate positioned such that, when the ECU is connected to the PC, the plate projects under the bottom of the PC to allow extension of a passive cooling solution. The ECU also includes a fan attached to a heat exchanger. Connection of the ECU to the PC results in a portion of the thermally conductive path of the ECU being brought into direct contact with the conductive path of the processor of the PC, thereby increasing the cooling capacity in the critical portion of the PC.
The PC can be connected to an AC power source via an AC adapter inserted into a receptacle in the ECU, which passes the power through to the PC in the same manner as a port replicator.
A technical advantage achieved with the ECU is that it enables the processor to be operated in a higher power consumption/performance mode than previously possible while the PC is being used in a normal portable (i.e., undocked) application.
Another technical advantage achieved with the ECU is that its presence is detected by the same software used to detect the presence of a docking station, such that the PC functions as if it is docked.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5371858 (1994-12-01), Miller et al.
patent: 5694294 (1997-12-01), Ohashi et al.
patent: 5704212 (1998-01-01), Erler et al.
patent: 5974556 (1999-12-01), Jackson et al.
Brostrom Jeff
Moore Andrew
Chang Yean-Hsi
Dell USA L.P.
Haynes and Boone L.L.P.
Tolin Gerald
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