Docking unit for portable computer

Details Docking unit for portable computer Docking unit for portable computer

1997-12-22

2003-05-27

Schuberg, Darren (Department: 2835)

Electricity: electrical systems and devices

Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...

For electronic systems and devices

C248S552000, C070S058000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06570758

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a docking unit for a portable computer on which is mounted a portable computer to expand its various functions, and in particular, relates to a docking unit for a portable computer that can adequately prevent the main body of the docking unit and a portable computer mounted thereon from being stolen. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a docking unit for a portable computer that provides an adequate security function relative to the environments in which it is used, in a “single user mode,” during which the docking unit is employed by only one user, and in a “multi-user mode,” during which the docking unit is shared by a plurality of users.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND
As a consequence of recent technical developments, various types of personal computers (PC), such as desktop, tower and notebook types, are being manufactured and sold. Generally, desktop and tower computers are designed to be used on desks or tables in offices and in homes; whereas notebook computers, for which portability is a design consideration, are designed to be operated by batteries in a mobile environment.
Notebook PC and Docking Station
Since it is important that a notebook PC be light and compact, inside one there is no extra space for the installation of expansion adaptor cards and peripheral devices. Further, relying on only a PC card to provide for the expansion of the periphery of a notebook PC is inadequate. And although portability is an important feature of notebook PCs, it is often necessary for a cable (a printer cable, a monitor cable, or a communication cable) to be connected to and disconnected from a notebook computer between office use and mobile use, so that its employment involves some very complicated work and its usability is deteriorated.
A “docking station” (also called an “expansion box” or an “expansion unit”) provides for a notebook computer the same work environment as that provided by a desktop or a tower PC when the notebook computer is to be used in an office, while at the same time not deteriorating from the portability of the notebook PC. The main functions of the docking station are two: “port replication” and “bus expansion.” A port replication is implemented by providing connection ports for a notebook PC on the docking station. That is, if peripheral devices are connected in advance to the ports on the docking station a user need only mount his or her notebook PC on the docking station and immediately can use a printer, an external monitor, an external keyboard and a network. When a user desires to transport a notebook PC, he or she need simply remove it from the docking station, leaving all the cables connected to the docking station. Since the port replication function of the docking station collectively manages the cable connections, this function is also called a “cable management function.” The bus expansion function is implemented by the docking station expanding an input/output bus (or the local bus) of the notebook PC or by providing a bus slot on the docking station. In other words, while an expansion adaptor card or peripheral devices can not be attached to the notebook PC, these devices can be used through the docking station. A docking station that provides only port replication may be called a “port replicator”.
In
FIG. 11
is shown a typically styled notebook PC
100
and a docking station
200
. The notebook PC
100
has a docking connector (not shown) on its rear face. The docking connector normally includes several tens to several hundreds of connector pins. Each connector pin is allocated for a port signal or a bus signal transmitted by the notebook PC
100
.
The docking station
200
comprises a relatively thick main body in which electric circuits are incorporated, with thin mounting portion by which the notebook PC
100
is mounted at the front of the main body. A connector,
101
, for joining the docking connector (previously described) to the rear face of the notebook PC
100
is provided at the front of the main body. A cover that can be opened and closed may be provided on the surface of the docking connector to protect it from a mechanical impact when the docking station is not used. A pair of linear protrusions,
102
and
103
, along which the notebook PC
100
is guided in the attachment direction, may be formed on either side edge of the mounting portion.
The functions and the structure of a docking station are already disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications No. Hei 05-181593 (U.S. Ser. No. 08/276,231, filed Jul. 18, 1994 and now abandoned) and No. Hei 06-134124 (U.S. Ser. No. 08/416,398 filed Apr. 6, 1995), both of which were assigned to the present assignee.
The employment styles for the docking station can be classified as a “single user mode” and a “multi-user mode.” In the single user mode, only one PC user employs the docking station. In other words, only one specific notebook PC is mounted on a docking station. In the multi-user mode, a plurality of PC users employ the docking station in common. In the multi-user mode, therefore, the notebook PCs of a number of individual users may alternately be mounted on one docking station.
Security of Notebook PC
While various electronic apparatuses are made compact and light and thus are easy to carry, an unwanted side effect of this is that thefts of the apparatuses have increased. Notebook PCs especially tend to be stolen because their processing capability has been improved and also because notebook PCs have become popular. Peripheral devices that are detachably connected to a PC may also be stolen. For example, since a PC card is a cartridge type and is only as small as a business card, it can easily be stolen. A removable hard disk drive, HDD, may also be stolen because of the data it holds. Therefore, today, the emphasis is on improving office security, i.e., instituting countermeasures to prevent the theft of electronic apparatuses.
The theft of a notebook PC can be easily prevented by employing a so-called “kensington lock.” The kensington lock,
105
and
107
, is used to inhibit the removal of a notebook PC from a predetermined location by one end of the lock's main body being fixed to an external wall of the case of the notebook PC (e.g., in
FIG. 12
, the side of the case shown in (a) or the rear face in (b)), and by securing the able that extends from the lock's main body at a specific location in an office (e.g., the leg of a desk). The kensington lock is an optional component that is sold separately from the notebook PC. A kensington lock sold by Kensington Microware Limited can be employed.
FIG. 13
is a schematic diagram illustrating the assembly of the kensington lock. The kensington lock is constituted by a housing wherein a spindle is rotatably provided.
The spindle has a first portion retained in the housing, and a T-shaped shaft that is fixed to the first portion and projects outward from the housing. The length of the leg of the T-shaped shaft, which projects outward from the housing, almost equals the thickness of the external wall of the case of the notebook PC (see FIGS.
14
(
a
) and
15
(
a
)). The outer size of the head of the T-shaped shaft almost equals the inner dimensions of a kensington slot formed in the external wall of the notebook PC (see FIGS.
13
(
c
) and (
d
), and FIG.
14
(
b
)). A pair of raised contact members are formed at the end of the housing to sandwich the leg of the shaft. The size in cross section of an assembly of the pair of contact members and the leg of the T-shaped shaft almost equals the inner dimensions of the kensington slot formed in the external wall of the notebook PC (see FIGS.
13
(
c
) and (
e
)). The kensington lock can be inserted into the kensington slot at the shaft rotation position where the head of the T-shaped shaft overlaps the contact members.
A key hole (not shown in
FIG. 13
) is formed in the other end (the reverse face of the housing) of the spindle. A key that has engaged the key hole can be rotated, together with the spindle

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