Patent Grant
9509087
1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the exemplary embodiments relate to a docking apparatus on which portable devices having different shapes and sizes can be mounted.
2. Description of Related Art
A portable device, for example, may include a portable digital media player such as an MP3 player, a video player or a cellular phone.
Such a portable device generally includes a chargeable battery, and is provided with a separate docking apparatus for charging the battery of the portable device or for data communication with the portable device. The docking apparatus is supplied with external power in a normal state and is connected with a computer or the like. Thus, a user can mount the portable device on the docking apparatus for charging or data communication.
Recently, portable device manufacturers have provided portable devices having a variety of shapes and sizes to meet a variety of consumer's demands. Thus, it is required to develop a docking apparatus which can be conveniently adapted to the portable devices having different shapes and sizes.
An aspect of an exemplary embodiment provides a docking apparatus which can be conveniently adapted to portable devices having different shapes and sizes.
According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided with a docking apparatus for a portable device, including: a mounting unit on which the portable device is to be mounted; a connection terminal which is installed in the mounting unit to be connected with a connector of the portable device; a terminal support unit which is rotatable with respect to the mounting unit and supports the connection terminal; and a rotation unit which is coupled to the terminal support unit and rotates the connection terminal within a predetermined rotational angle range.
The mounting unit may include a base support which supports a bottom portion of the portable device; and a side support extends upwardly from a side of the base support to support a side portion of the portable device.
The terminal support unit may include a terminal support part which supports the connection terminal; and a hinge part which rotatably connects the terminal support part to the mounting unit.
The rotation unit may include a rotational elastic member which is coupled to the terminal support unit and elastically rotates the terminal support part towards the side support of the mounting unit by a predetermined angle.
The docking apparatus may further include a rotational angle restricting unit which restricts a rotational angle of the terminal support part.
The rotational angle restricting unit may include a locking unit which stops the rotation of the terminal support part when the terminal support part rotates by a predetermined angle in a direction away from the side support of the mounting unit.
The locking unit may include a locking protrusion which is provided to lock the rotation of the terminal support part; and a locking elastic member which elastically biases the locking protrusion to lock the rotation of the terminal support part, and releases a locking state of the locking protrusion to allow the rotation of the terminal support part towards the side support of the mounting unit when an external force greater than an elastic force of the rotational elastic member is applied to the terminal support part.
The rotational angle restricting unit may include a stopper which restricts a rotational angle of the terminal support part when the terminal support part rotates towards the side support of the mounting unit.
The terminal support part may include an opening, and wherein a portion of the terminal support part is exposed through the opening wherein the connection terminal can be rotated.
The mounting unit may include a wireless transmitting unit which transmits media data stored in the portable device through wireless communication.
The mounting unit may further include an amplifying unit which amplifies an audio signal transmitted from the portable device and transmits the amplified audio signal to the wireless transmitting unit.
The docking apparatus may further include a battery for supplying electric power to the portable device to be mounted on the mounting unit.
The docking apparatus may further include a mounting unit support which supports the mounting unit, the mounting unit support including an external power connector for connection with an external power source.
The mounting unit and the mounting unit support may each include respective power terminals for supplying the electric power inputted to the mounting unit support to the mounting unit.
The docking apparatus may further include a mounting unit support which supports the mounting unit and has an external power connector for connection with an external power source.
The mounting unit and the mounting unit support may be integrally provided, and external power inputted through the external power connector of the mounting unit support may be supplied to the portable device mounted on the mounting unit.
According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a docking apparatus for a portable device including a mounting unit on which the portable device is to be mounted; a terminal support unit rotatably supported by the mounting unit; and a connection terminal installed on the terminal support unit to be connected with a connector of the portable device.
The mounting unit may include a base support which supports a bottom portion of the portable device and a side support which extends upwardly from a side of the base support to support a side portion of the portable device.
The terminal support unit may be housed within the base support of the mounting unit.
The connection terminal may extend substantially in parallel to the side support.
The terminal support unit may bias the connection terminal in a direction toward the side support.
The docking apparatus may include a rotational angle restriction member that prevents the terminal support unit from rotating beyond a predetermined angle in a direction opposite to the direction toward which the terminal support unit biases the connection terminal.
The above and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The exemplary embodiments are described below so as to explain the inventive concept by referring to the figures. Redundant description to different exemplary embodiments may be omitted for simplicity of description.
As shown in
The portable device 5 may be provided, for example, as an MP3 player, or any other digital media player such as a portable video player or cellular phone. The portable device 5 has at a bottom thereof the connector 7 which is supplied with external power and communicates digital media data such as an audio signal with external devices.
As shown in
The base support 11 may have approximately a planar upper surface. In the upper surface of the base support 11 is formed an opening 12 through which the connection terminal 25 may be protruded. Further, part of the terminal support part 31 of the terminal support unit 30 may be housed in the base support 11 and exposed through the opening 12. The base support 11 may be accommodated in a mounting unit support 80 to be described later. The base support 11 may be provided with a power terminal 13 which is configured to be accommodated in the mounting unit support 80 and contacts a power terminal 85 of the mounting unit support 80 to be supplied with electric power through the mounting unit support 80.
The side support 15 may have a length shorter than that of the portable device 5 so that the portable device 5 mounted on the base support 11 can be easily supported on the side support 15. Alternatively, the length of the side support 15 may be longer than that of the portable device 5 as necessary. On an upper part of the side support 15 may be provided a contact member 16 for supporting the portable device 5. In order to elastically and smoothly support the portable device 5, the contact member 16 may be made of an elastic material such as rubber. A rear part 17 of the side support 15 may be formed approximately flat, so as to be stably seated on an installation surface such as a table. The connection terminal 25 may extend substantially parallel to the side support 15.
As shown in
Further, the mounting unit 10 may be provided with an amplifier 19 which amplifies the audio signal transmitted from the portable device 5 and transmits the amplified signal to the wireless transmitting part 18. Thus, even though the output of the audio signal transmitted from the portable device 5 is weak, the amplifier 19 may amplify the audio signal to transmit the amplified signal to the external output device through the wireless transmitting part 18, thereby providing optimized sound. Alternatively, the amplifier 19 may be provided in the external output device, not in the mounting unit 10.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the mounting unit 10 may be mounted with a battery 21 for supplying electric power to the portable device 5. In the case where the portable device 5 is mounted on the mounting unit 10, the portable device 5 may use, as a power source, a battery mounted in the portable device 5 or the battery 21 mounted in the mounting unit 10. For example, in the case where the battery (not shown) mounted in the portable device 5 is discharged out, the battery 21 mounted in the mounting unit 10 may be used as an auxiliary power source. The battery 21 mounted in the mounting unit 10 may be a chargeable battery or a non-chargeable or disposable battery. Alternatively, the mounting unit 10 may be provided with no battery. In this case, the weight of the mounting unit may be decreased.
The connection terminal 25 is protruded to be easily connected to the connector 7 of the portable device 5. The connection terminal 25 is connected to the connector 7 of the portable device 5 so as to allow power supply to the portable device 5 and data communication with the portable device 5. Specifically, the connection terminal 25 is connected to the connector 7 of the portable device 5 so as to allow electric power supply of the battery 21 mounted in the mounting unit 10 or electric power supplied through the power terminal 13 of the mounting unit 10 to be supplied to the portable device 5. Further, the connection terminal 25 may be connected to the connector 7 of the portable device 5 so as to allow digital media data stored in the portable device 5 to be received and to allow digital media data to be transmitted to the portable device 5.
As shown in
The terminal support part 31 may have a cylindrical shape. On an upper side of the terminal support part 31 is provided the connection terminal 25. As described above, part of the terminal support part 31 may be exposed through the opening 12 of the base support 11 so that the connection terminal 25 can be rotatably protruded through the opening 12. With the above configuration, the docking apparatus 1 may support the portable device 5 having different shapes and sizes, as long as the portable device 5 can be connected to the connection terminal 25.
The hinge part 33 includes a hinge shaft 35 which is installed on each side of the terminal support part 31, and a shaft accommodating part 38 which is provided to support the hinge shaft 35 in a rotatable manner. The shaft accommodating part 38 may be provided, for example, in a shaft support 37 which is disposed adjacent to each side of the terminal support part 31. The shaft support 37 may be provided in pairs inside of the base support 11 of the mounting unit 10 with the terminal support part 31 being interposed therebetween. Thus, the connection terminal 25 may rotate around a rotational axis A of the hinge part 33 together with the terminal support part 31.
The rotation unit 50 is coupled to the terminal support part 30 to rotate the connection terminal 25 within a predetermined rotational angle range corresponding to the shape and size of the portable device 5 which is connected to the connection terminal 25. As shown in
The elastic member support 53 is provided inside of the mounting unit 10 to support one end part of the rotational elastic member 51. According to the present exemplary embodiment, the elastic member support 53 may be provided with a support protrusion 54 which is coupled to one end part of the rotational elastic member 51 to prevent the rotational elastic member 51 from separating from the elastic member support 53.
The pressed member 55 is extended from one side of the terminal support part 31 to contact the other end part of the rotational elastic member 51. The pressed member 55 is eccentrically disposed with respect to the rotational axis A of the hinge part 33. Thus, the terminal support part 31 which is integrally formed with the pressed member 55 rotates around the rotational axis A of the hinge part 33 as the pressed member 55 is elastically pressed by the rotational elastic member 51.
Referring to
The rotational angle restricting unit 60 may include a locking part 61 which locks the rotation of the terminal support unit 30 when the terminal support unit 30 rotates in a direction opposite to the side support 15 while overcoming the elastic force of the rotational elastic member 51. Further, the rotational angle restricting unit 60 may include a stopper 71 which restricts the rotational angle of the terminal support unit 30 when the terminal support unit 30 rotates towards the side support 15.
The locking part 61 includes a locking protrusion 65 for locking the rotation of the terminal support unit 30, and a locking elastic member 63 for elastically biasing the locking protrusion 65 to lock the rotation of the terminal support unit 30.
The locking protrusion 65 may be inserted into a locking unit accommodating recess 66 which is formed in at least one side of the terminal support part 31. The locking unit accommodating recess 66 may be lengthwise formed inside of the terminal support part 31 to accommodate the locking elastic member 63 and the locking protrusion 65. The locking protrusion 65 may be inserted into a protrusion accommodating recess 67 by an elastic force of the locking elastic member 63 at one side thereof to lock the rotation of the terminal support unit 30. The protrusion accommodating recess 67 may be provided in the shaft support 37 to accommodate the locking protrusion 65 when the terminal support unit 30 is located at a predetermined rotational angle. For example, the predetermined rotational angle when the locking protrusion 65 is inserted into the protrusion accommodating recess 67 may an angle when the connection terminal 25 rotates in the opposite direction to the side support 15 by about 10° from the position that the connection terminal 25 is parallel with the side support 15 with reference to the rotational axis A of the hinge part 33. The predetermined rotational angle may be varied within 3° to 15°, or may be smaller than 3° or larger than 15°, according to the shapes, sizes and the like of the portable device 5 and the mounting unit 10. The locking elastic member 63 elastically biases the locking protrusion 65 to lock the rotation of the terminal support unit 30. The locking elastic member 63 may release the locking of the locking protrusion 65 when an external force larger than the elastic force of the rotational elastic member 51 is applied to the terminal support unit 30, so that the terminal support unit 30 can rotate towards the side support 15. To this end, one side of the locking protrusion 65 inserted into the protrusion accommodating recess 67 may be rounded to easily move out of the protrusion accommodating recess 67 by an external force. The locking elastic member 63 may be provided as a coil spring. The locking elastic member 63 may be accommodated in the locking unit accommodating recess 66 to outwardly push the locking protrusion 65. The locking elastic member 63 has such an elastic force that the locking protrusion 65 can move out of the protrusion accommodating recess 67 while overcoming the elastic force of the locking elastic member 63 when a predetermined external force is applied to push the terminal support unit 30 towards the side support 15. In this respect, the predetermined external force may be provided, for example, by one hand of a user.
The stopper 71 may be protruded from the shaft support 37 towards the terminal support part 31 to restrict the rotation of the terminal support part 31. Specifically, the stopper 71 is disposed on an opposite side of the pressed member 55 relative to the rotational elastic member 51, so as to restrict the rotation of the pressed member 55 when the connection terminal 25 rotates towards the side support 15. Alternatively, the stopper 71 may be installed on one side of the terminal support part 31 or the pressed member 55 to restrict the rotation of the connection terminal 25. A rotational angle of the terminal support unit 30 which is restricted by the stopper 71 may be an angle when the connection terminal 25 rotates by about 7° towards the side support 15 about the rotational axis A of the hinge part 33 from the position wherein the connection terminal 25 is parallel with the side support 15. Alternatively, the angle may be within 3° to 15°, or may be smaller than 3° or larger than 15° as necessary.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the docking apparatus 1 may rotate towards or away from the side support within a rotational angle range, for example, of 3° to 15° from the position wherein the connection terminal 25 is parallel with the side support 15.
As shown in
The mounting unit support 80 may further include a mounting unit accommodating part 81 which accommodates therein a lower part of the mounting unit 10, and the power terminal 85 which is connected to the power terminal 13 of the mounting unit 10 to supply electric power inputted from the external power source through a cable 90 connected to the external power connector 83 to the mounting unit 10. The electric power supplied through the power terminal 13 of the mounting unit 10 may charge the battery 21 mounted in the mounting unit 10 or the battery of the portable device 5 mounted in the mounting unit 10.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the mounting unit 10 and the mounting unit support 80 may be integrally provided. In this case, the electric power inputted through the external power connector 83 may be directly supplied to the portable device 5 mounted on the mounting unit 10. Alternatively, the docking apparatus 1 may not include the mounting unit support 80. In this case, the external power connector 83 may be provided in the mounting unit 10.
An operational process of the docking apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to
As shown in
In this way, the portable device 5 may be stably mounted on the mounting unit 10. That is, the portable device 5 may be mounted on the mounting unit 10 in an inclined manner by elastically contacting the contact member 16 by means of the rotation unit 50. Further, the user may grasp the portable device 5 which is stably mounted on the mounting unit 10 with his or her hand for convenient use. In addition, the mounting unit 10 which is being mounted with the portable device 5 may be mounted on the mounting unit support 80 to charge the battery of the portable device 5.
Hereinafter, a process of separating the portable device 5 from the docking apparatus 1 will be described with reference to
With such a configuration, the docking apparatus according to the exemplary embodiments may be conveniently adapted to portable devices having different shapes and sizes.
Although a few exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2009-0110717 | Nov 2009 | KR | national |
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/916,674, filed Nov. 1, 2010, which claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2009-0110717, filed on Nov. 17, 2009 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6049192 | Kfoury et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6193546 | Sadler | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6290534 | Sadler | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6527572 | Jou | Mar 2003 | B2 |
| 6549401 | Lin et al. | Apr 2003 | B2 |
| 6716058 | Youn | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 6898080 | Yin et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
| 6926130 | Skowronski | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 6939177 | Kato et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
| 6994575 | Clark et al. | Feb 2006 | B1 |
| 7014486 | Wu et al. | Mar 2006 | B1 |
| 7066752 | Hsu et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
| 7140910 | Liao | Nov 2006 | B1 |
| 7229322 | Bangert | Jun 2007 | B2 |
| 7238042 | Chen et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
| 7405929 | Chuang et al. | Jul 2008 | B1 |
| 7426108 | Carnevali | Sep 2008 | B2 |
| 7473141 | Liao | Jan 2009 | B2 |
| 7488215 | Mayette et al. | Feb 2009 | B2 |
| 7513801 | Cheng et al. | Apr 2009 | B2 |
| 7524197 | Mills et al. | Apr 2009 | B2 |
| 7525809 | Bergmann et al. | Apr 2009 | B2 |
| 7538792 | Takahashi | May 2009 | B2 |
| 7580225 | Hanrahan et al. | Aug 2009 | B2 |
| 7580255 | Crooijmans et al. | Aug 2009 | B2 |
| 7607950 | Liao | Oct 2009 | B2 |
| 7670190 | Shi et al. | Mar 2010 | B2 |
| 7675746 | Crooijmans et al. | Mar 2010 | B2 |
| 7684186 | Chang | Mar 2010 | B2 |
| 7719830 | Howarth et al. | May 2010 | B2 |
| 7729801 | Abramson | Jun 2010 | B2 |
| 7738247 | Choi | Jun 2010 | B2 |
| 7744423 | Funahashi | Jun 2010 | B2 |
| 7789711 | Wu | Sep 2010 | B2 |
| 7832645 | Chen et al. | Nov 2010 | B2 |
| 7840740 | Minoo | Nov 2010 | B2 |
| 7850484 | Hayashi et al. | Dec 2010 | B2 |
| 7931494 | Long | Apr 2011 | B2 |
| 7933117 | Howarth et al. | Apr 2011 | B2 |
| 8083195 | Osada | Dec 2011 | B2 |
| 8113873 | Sarraf | Feb 2012 | B1 |
| 8139353 | Slaby et al. | Mar 2012 | B2 |
| 8152561 | Long | Apr 2012 | B2 |
| 8210871 | Neu et al. | Jul 2012 | B2 |
| 8223483 | Hayashida et al. | Jul 2012 | B2 |
| 8271713 | Grady et al. | Sep 2012 | B2 |
| 8323040 | Prest | Dec 2012 | B2 |
| 8355690 | Krampf et al. | Jan 2013 | B2 |
| 8366480 | Neu et al. | Feb 2013 | B2 |
| 8482252 | Byrne | Jul 2013 | B2 |
| 8550858 | Reid | Oct 2013 | B2 |
| 8634883 | Hong et al. | Jan 2014 | B2 |
| 8721356 | Webb et al. | May 2014 | B2 |
| 20020032042 | Poplawsky et al. | Mar 2002 | A1 |
| 20030017746 | Lee | Jan 2003 | A1 |
| 20030148740 | Yau et al. | Aug 2003 | A1 |
| 20060276083 | Sun | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20070153463 | Choi | Jul 2007 | A1 |
| 20070213092 | Geelen | Sep 2007 | A1 |
| 20080259550 | Lien | Oct 2008 | A1 |
| 20080266783 | Mills et al. | Oct 2008 | A1 |
| 20090129010 | Park et al. | May 2009 | A1 |
| 20110070777 | Krampf et al. | Mar 2011 | A1 |
| 20110134601 | Sa | Jun 2011 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 10-2009-0050834 | May 2009 | KR |
| Entry |
|---|
| Communication dated Dec. 16, 2015, issued by the Korean Intellectual Property Office in corresponding Korean Application No. 10-2009-0110717. |
| Communication dated Jun. 29, 2016 issued by Korean Intellectual Property Office in counterpart Korean Patent Application No. 10-2009-0110717. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140106829 A1 | Apr 2014 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12916674 | Nov 2010 | US |
| Child | 14108888 | US |
