Patent Application
20060072287
Contained herein is material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of the patent disclosure by any person as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights to the copyright whatsoever.
The present invention generally relates to the field of portable computer systems and more particularly related to computer systems that include detachable devices.
Laptop computers, also referred to as notebook computers, are normally lightweight, battery-powered or AC-powered computer system. A laptop computer can be transported and used by a user in different environments including, for example, on an airplane, in a library, at a coffee shop, etc. Except for tablet and convertible computer systems, a laptop computer generally has a clam-shell form factor which includes a display section and a base section coupled to one another using a hinge mechanism.
The display section typically includes a display screen, and the base section typically includes a keyboard and other electronic components (e.g., processor, memory, buses, storage drives, a battery, etc.). In some laptop computer design, the processor and other electronic components may be in same housing as the display section, while the base section may include only the keyboard. The laptop computer may be closed by folding the display section on top of the base section.
A latching mechanism may be used to engage and lock the display section with the base section. The latching mechanism may also be used to disengage the display section from the base section. When the base section includes only the keyboard, disengaging the base section may not disable operation of the keyboard when the keyboard is also adapted to function as a wireless keyboard.
The invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar or identical elements, and in which:
For one embodiment, a computer system having a detachable keyboard is disclosed. In the following detailed description of the present invention numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Overview
The display housing 103 may be in an upright position supported by a stand 102 when the computer system 100 is in its normal operation mode. The display housing 103 may lie flat on its back side or its front side when the computer system 100 is not in its normal operation mode. Although the computer system 100 may not look like a typical desktop computer, it is envisioned that the computer system 100 may include features and may deliver performance close to or similar to a typical desktop computer. It is also envisioned that that the computer system 100 may occasionally be moved from place to place (i.e., portable) and that it may draw power from an alternating current (AC) power source or a direct current (DC) power source.
The computer system 100 may include base housing 104 which may be detachable. The base housing 104 may be a keyboard itself, or it may be a keyboard tray containing the keyboard 105. The base housing 104 may also include other devices (e.g., handset 125, remote control 130, etc.) that may be used with the computer system 100. For one embodiment, the base housing 104 may be engaged to or disengaged from the display housing 103 using a locking, attachment or hinge mechanism (not shown).
Keyboard with Wireless and Wired Capability
For one embodiment, when the base housing 104 is detached from the display housing 103, the keyboard 105 may communicate with the display housing 103 including the processor 150 using wireless communication. This may be accomplished using any one of a variety of techniques including, for example, an infrared communication link or a radio frequency communication link, etc. The keyboard 105 may include a wireless interface that supports wireless communication. For example, the wireless interface may be coupled to or included in the communication adapter 190A in the keyboard 105, as illustrated in
For one embodiment, the communication adapters 190A and 190B may be configured to support infrared red (IR) communications or radio frequency (RF) communications, which allow communications without a physical wired connection. When the communication adapters 190A and 190B support IR, they may be implemented in accordance with the Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standards and specifications (such as the Serial Infrared Link Access protocol Version 1.0, Jun. 23, 1994 which may be found at {www.irda.org}). When the communication adapters 190A and 190B support radio links, they may be implemented using the Bluetooth radio link, which is a short-range, cable replacement, radio technology. The Bluetooth radio communications is known to one skilled in the art.
For one embodiment, the communication adapter 190A in the keyboard 105 may include a wired interface to communicate with the display housing 103 including the processor 150. The wired interface enables the keyboard connection 195 to be a physical wired connection that connects the keyboard 105 and the base housing 104 to the display housing 103. For one embodiment, the wired interface is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, and the keyboard connection 195 is a USB cable. Having a wired interface may be convenient in situations when the wireless interface may not be practical. For example, the wireless interface may not be used when the DC power supply is drained, when there is a lot of interference, when there is a non-support Operating System (OS) environment, during system boot and post, etc. Using a wired interface may be advantageous when a user prefers a more secured environment. One skilled in the art may recognize that other wired interface such as, for example, a PS/2 keyboard interface, etc., may also be used.
Power to the Keyboard
Typically, when the computer system 100 is a laptop or a portable computer system, power to the keyboard may be provided when the computer system 100 is docked through a fixed electrical connection available via a docking station or similar devices. The docking station may be connected to an AC power supply.
Connection Controller
For one embodiment, the keyboard 105 may include a connection controller 310, as illustrated in
For one embodiment, the connection controller 310 may also detect the type of connection between the keyboard 105 and the display housing 103. When the connection controller 310 detects that the keyboard 105 is switching between a wireless connection and a wired connection (e.g., between a Bluetooth connection and a USB connection), the connection controller 310 may perform actions necessary to accommodate the switch. Such actions may include, for example, disabling or removing input to the Bluetooth radio 320, converting from sending keyboard data via the Bluetooth radio 320 to sending the keyboard data via the USB interface 305. The connection controller 310 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both.
Keyboard with Own DC Power Supply
For one embodiment, the keyboard 105 may include a DC power supply 335. The power supply 335 may be rechargeable. The power supply 335 may enable the keyboard 105 to communicate wirelessly with the display housing 103 via the Bluetooth radio 320. This may be necessary when the base housing 104 is detached from the display housing 103 for an extended period of time.
Charging Circuit
For one embodiment, the keyboard 105 may include a charging circuit 312, as illustrated in
Connection Switching and Charging Process
At block 410, a test is performed to determine whether a change in the connection of the keyboard 105 is detected. If there is no change, the process returns to block 410 to continue the test. When a change is detected, the process flows from block 410 to block 415.
At block 415, a test is performed to determine whether the change is to a wired connection such as, for example, a USB connection using a USB interface. When the connection is the USB connection, the process flows to block 420, where the connection controller 310 may connect the scan matrix output to the USB interface. At block 422, the connection controller 310 may disconnect the scan matrix output from the wireless interface such as, for example, the Bluetooth interface. At block 425, the connection controller 310 may activate the charging circuit 312 to charge the power supply 335 associated with the Bluetooth interface 320. The process then continues at block 410 to test for another connection change.
From block 415, when there is no wired or USB plugging detected, this may mean that the keyboard connection is changing from a wired interface (e.g., USB interface) to a wireless interface (e.g., Bluetooth interface). The process flows from block 415 to block 430, where the connection controller 310 may disconnect the scan matrix output from the USB interface 305. At block 435, the connection controller 310 may connect the scan matrix output to the Bluetooth interface. Communications from the keyboard 105 to the base housing 103 may continue using the wireless connection. The process then continues at block 410 to test for another connection change.
Although the present invention have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
