Patent Application
20130070403
The present invention relates generally to an electronic device with a tandem connection function and an information processing assembly comprising the same, and more particularly to an information processing assembly in which electronic devices with a tandem connection function can implement multifunction directly through a tandem connection of mating ports.
In order to expand multifunction applications of a computer, a lot of expansion interfaces with variable performance are generally disposed on an electronic device for external connections of other apparatuses. For example, an SCSI, an SATA, a USB, a FireWire and a PCI Express are disposed on a computer, so that apparatuses must be connected through external connection wires of different specifications, causing complex structures between the apparatuses.
In order to solve the foregoing problem, in recent yeas, Intel developed the thunderbolt technology, and by cooperating with Apple, proposed a computer using the thunderbolt technology. The thunderbolt technology is mainly used to connect a PC to other apparatuses, in which two mature technologies are integrated: a PCI Express data transmission technology and a DisplayPort display technology. Two channels can transmit the data using the two protocols at the same time, and each channel provides a two-way 10 Gbps bandwidth.
However, since the thunderbolt transmission lines are used, when many other external apparatuses are connected, many thunderbolt transmission lines also exist and occupies the space, and are easily twisted together. Moreover, the cost is high.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to an electronic device with a tandem connection function and an information processing assembly comprising the same that are capable of being directly mated to other external electronic devices.
In one embodiment, an electronic device with a tandem connection function according to the present invention includes a body. The body has at least one processing module. A male end connector and a female end connector that are respectively connected to the processing module are disposed on the body. Specifications of the male end connector and those of the female end connector are matched with each other, and the male end connector and the female end connector are each of thunderbolt specifications.
Further, the body is disposed with an eject mechanism for ejecting the male end connector, so as to prevent the male end connector from being damaged.
Furthermore, the body is provided with at least one power supply connector around at least one of the male end connector and the female end connector, so as to provide additionally required power supply.
Furthermore, the body is provided with at least one positioning portion around at least one of the male end connector and the female end connector, so as to accurately position the electronic device.
Furthermore, the positioning portion is a protrusion post or a slot.
Furthermore, the positioning portion is located around the corresponding male end connector or female end connector and revolves to form a surrounding wall or relatively concave groove, so that the male end connector or the female end connector is not exposed and is protected.
Furthermore, the processing module is a central processor, a memory access module, an audio and video processing module, or a data transmission module.
In another embodiment, an information processing assembly includes at least two electronic devices. A processing module is disposed in at least one of the at least two electronic devices. At least one male end connector and at least one female end connector are disposed on each electronic device. Specifications of the male end connector and those of the female end connector are matched with each other. The male end connector and the female end connector are each of thunderbolt specifications. The at least two electronic devices are mated to each other through the male end connector and the female end connector.
Furthermore, the at least one electronic device is provided with more than two male end connectors and female end connectors located in different directions respectively, so as to implement different lines of function information processing assembly.
Furthermore, the at least two electronic devices are further each provided with a power supply connector. The power supply connectors are matched with each other, and when the male end connector and the female end connector of the two electronic devices are mated in a matching manner, the power supply connectors are mated at the same time, to provide required power supply.
Furthermore, the processing module is a central processor, a memory access module, an audio and video processing module, or a data transmission module.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to an electronic device connected in series to the information processing assembly, to implement expanded multifunction application.
In one embodiment, an electronic device connected in series to the information processing assembly includes a body. The body is provided with at least two male end connectors of thunderbolt specifications for matting the information processing assembly in a matching manner.
Further, the body has at least one processing module, and the processing modules are connected to the two male end connectors respectively.
Furthermore, the body is disposed with an eject mechanism for ejecting the male end connectors, so as to prevent the male end connectors from being damaged.
Furthermore, the body is provided with at least one power supply connector around at least one of the male end connector and the female end connector, so as to provide additional power supply for the electronic device requiring power supply.
Furthermore, the processing module is a central processor, a memory access module, an audio and video processing module, or a data transmission module.
Compared with the related art, among other things, the electronic devices of the information processing assembly of the present invention are directly mated through the male end connector and the female end connector matched with each other, so that one electronic device can obtain expanded function application from other electronic devices, and the electronic devices can be directly mated and are electrically connected without other external wires, thereby saving the space occupied by the external wires and lowering the cost.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings, although variations and modifications therein may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.
The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and together with the written description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment, and wherein:
The present invention is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Various embodiments of the invention are now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Moreover, titles or subtitles may be used in the specification for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present invention.
Referring now to
Here, the first electronic device 11 has one first processing module 111. Alternatively, a plurality of first processing modules 111 may be disposed. For example, a plurality of cores, that is, a plurality of first processing modules 111, is disposed in a computer, such as two cores, four cores, or eight cores. The first processing modules 111 are classified into a central processor, a memory access module, an audio and video processing module, or a data transmission module according to their function. For example, a CPU in the computer belongs to the central processor. A mobile phone, a tablet computer, and an MP3/MP4 each have a central processor. The memory access module may be a memory disk, a graphics card, a memory card, a hard disk, or the like. The audio and video processing module is, for example, a microphone, a loudspeaker, an image, or the like that is frequently seen. The first electronic device 11 having the data transmission module may be, for example, a router in a network apparatus, a fax, or the like.
Referring to
Referring back to
As shown in
Further, the male end connectors of the first electronic device 11, the second electronic device 12, and the third electronic device 13 each may be disposed with an eject mechanism (not shown). When the male end connectors of the three electronic devices need to be mated, the first male end connector 112, the second male end connector 122, and the third male end connector 132 are ejected out of the electronic devices. At least one third power supply connector (not shown) may be further disposed on the third body 130 of the third electronic device 13.
Alternatively, when the information processing assembly includes three or more electronic devices with a tandem connection function, the electronic devices are mated to each other through matched male and female end connectors disposed on the electronic devices to implement a tandem connection. At least two electronic devices may be each provided with a power supply connector, in which the power supply connectors are matched with each other. In this way, the power supply connector only needs to be disposed on the electronic device requiring additional power supply.
In summary, the electronic device with a tandem connection function and the information processing assembly of the present invention, among other things, have the following advantages:
1. Since the first electronic device 11, the second electronic device 12, and the third electronic device 13 are mated to each other through male and female end connectors matched with each other, and external wires does not need to be additionally disposed to connect the electronic devices, thereby implementing multifunction application, saving the space occupied by the external wires, and lowering the cost.
2. Since the first positioning portion 114 and the second positioning portion 124 are disposed, deflection caused when the matched male and female end connectors of the first electronic device 11 and the second electronic device 12 are mated to each other can be prevented, thereby avoiding affecting the connection performance when the mated male and the female end connectors are damaged.
3. Since power supply connectors matched with each other are disposed on at least two mated electronic devices, a power supply requirement of each of the electronic devices or power supply requirements of some of the electronic devices can be met, and a power supply device, for example, a power supply connector of a Jack type, does not need to be disposed additionally, and the power supply connectors may further implement a positioning function.
The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
The embodiments are chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application so as to activate others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e), U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/537,338, filed Sep. 21, 2011, entitled “CONNECTOR,” by Wei Zen Lo, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Some references, if any, which may include patents, patent applications and various publications, may be cited and discussed in the description of this invention. The citation and/or discussion of such references, if any, is provided merely to clarify the description of the present invention and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the invention described herein. All references listed, cited and/or discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61537338 | Sep 2011 | US |
