Patent Application
20110269349
Easily transportable electronic devices such as telephones, personal media players, cameras, game consoles, personal digital assistants, and the like will be referred to herein as portable electronic devices. Some portable electronic devices can be inserted into a pod, a cradle, a charging station, or a similar base structure through which an electrical charge might be delivered to the portable electronic device and/or data might be transferred to or from the portable electronic device. Any such base structure will be referred to herein as a pod. A portable electronic device may couple to a pod via one or more well known interfaces, such as USB (Universal Serial Bus). The discussion herein will focus on USB, but it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are equally applicable to other interfaces. As used herein, the term “USB” might refer to devices, cables, connectors, or other components that comply with any past, current, or future USB standard, version, or configuration, such as USB 1.0, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, mini-USB, micro-USB, or others, and all such possibilities are contemplated by the embodiments disclosed herein.
Also, as used herein, the terms “couple”, “couples”, and the like might refer to a direct connection without any intervening entities between two coupled components or to an indirect connection where one or more entities intervene between two coupled components. Coupling might be achieved, for example, by inserting one component into another or by abutting one component with another. When two conductive components are coupled, electrical energy and/or data can be transferred between the two components.
For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts.
a, 2b, and 2c illustrate examples of generic adaptors, according to embodiments of the disclosure.
It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure are provided below, the disclosed systems and/or methods may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and mechanisms for coupling a portable electronic device to a pod. More specifically, an adaptor is provided that can be inserted into and couple to a port on a portable electronic device. When the adaptor is inserted into the portable electronic device and the portable electronic device is placed in a pod, a contact on the adaptor can abut and couple to a contact on the pod. Electrical energy and/or data can then be transferred between the pod and the portable electronic device via the adaptor.
Such an adaptor might allow a portable electronic device to receive a charge from and/or exchange data with a pod with which the portable electronic device might not otherwise be able to couple. For example, a pod might include an exposed conductive surface or contact for charging and/or exchanging data with portable electronic devices but might not include a USB plug. On the other hand, a portable electronic device might include a USB port but might not include an exposed conductive surface or contact that can abut the exposed contact on the pod. When the adaptor is inserted into the USB port on such a portable electronic device, a plug portion of the adaptor can couple with the USB port and a non-plugging portion of the adaptor can abut to the exposed contact on the pod. The USB port and the contact on the pod can then be coupled through the adaptor.
As used herein, the terms “plug” and the like refer to the male portion of a typical male/female-type connection or configuration. The terms “abut” and the like refer to non-plugging physical contact without the typical male/female-type connection or configuration. However, it should be understood that abutment might include contact wherein one contacting surface slightly protrudes and another contacting surface slightly recedes.
In some embodiments, the adaptor 100 might include portions 120c and 120d of the adaptor contact 120 extending through the plug 110 such that, when the adaptor 100 is inserted into the port of the portable electronic device, those portions 120c and 120d can make electrical contact with at least one contact within the port. A contact within the port on the portable electronic device will be referred to herein as a port contact. In other cases, portions of the adaptor contact 120 may not extend through the plug 110 and, instead, connectors may be present in or about the plug 110 to couple the adaptor contact 120 to one or more port contacts. In any case, an insulating material may be present within the plug 110 to support and separate portions of the adaptor contact 120 or the connectors. When the plug 110 is electrically conductive, the insulating material might also shield the adaptor contact 120 or the connectors from the plug 110. This insulating material might be the same as the insulating material 130 that separates the portions 120a and 120b of the adaptor contact 120 and the portions 120c and 120d of the adaptor contact 120.
a, 2b, and 2c illustrate examples of embodiments of generic adaptors 100. These examples are intended to depict some possible configurations of the adaptor 100, but other configurations are contemplated under other embodiments. Despite the different configurations, all the embodiments comprise an adaptor 100 with a plug 110 on one side and at least one non-protruding contact 120 on the other side, and all the embodiments can provide a similar mode of operation. In
In an alternative embodiment, the plug 110, insulating material 130, and housing 140 might be a single, non-conductive unit in which the conductive adaptor contact 120 is embedded. In this embodiment, the single, non-conductive unit might be shaped to fit into a port, such as the USB port 150, on the portable electronic device 160, and the adaptor contact 120 might be positioned within the single, non-conductive unit such that the adaptor contact 120 can couple to one or more port contacts in the port 150.
When the adaptor 100 is inserted into the port 150, and the portable electronic device 160 is placed in a pod 170, as illustrated in
In an embodiment, the pod 170 might include a plurality of sets of pod contacts 180, and a plurality of portable electronic devices 160 could be placed in the pod 170 simultaneously. If an adaptor 100 were inserted in each of the plurality of portable electronic devices 160, each of the adaptors 100 in the plurality of portable electronic devices 160 could abut with one of the sets of pod contacts 180. For example, the pod 170 of
The capability of coupling the portable electronic device 160 to the pod 170 in the abutting manner described above can eliminate the need to include on the pod 170 a protruding plug that can be inserted into the port 150. The absence of such a protruding plug, in turn, can eliminate the possibility that a user of the portable electronic device 160 will accidentally break the protruding plug off from the pod 170 or otherwise damage such a connection when removing the portable electronic device 160 from the pod 170. When the adaptor 100 is removed from the port 150, the port 150 can be used to connect a cable, such as a USB cable, to the portable electronic device 160. The adaptor 100 might allow a portable electronic device 160 to easily adapt to other types of pods, cradles, or chargers and might be provided with such components at the point of sale.
In an embodiment, an adaptor is provided. The adaptor includes a first portion including a plug insertable into a port of a portable electronic device. The adaptor further includes a second portion including at least one adaptor contact configured such that, when the plug of the first portion is inserted into the port and the portable electronic device is placed in a pod, the at least one adaptor contact abuts to at least one pod contact in the pod.
In another embodiment, a method is provided for coupling a portable electronic device to a pod. The method comprises inserting an adaptor into a port of the portable electronic device, such that at least one adaptor contact in the adaptor couples to at least one port contact in the port. The method further comprises placing the portable electronic device in the pod, such that the at least one adaptor contact abuts to at least one pod contact in the pod.
In another embodiment, a system is provided that includes at least one of a portable electronic device and a pod. The system also includes an adaptor. The adaptor includes a first portion having a plug insertable into a port of the portable electronic device and a second portion not having a plug and having at least one adaptor contact configured such that, when the plug is inserted into the port and the portable electronic device is placed in the pod, the at least one adaptor contact couples to at least one pod contact in the pod and to at least one port contact in the port.
The following are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes: Universal Serial Bus Specification 1.0.1, Universal Serial Bus Specification 2.0, and Universal Serial Bus Specification 3.0.
While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein. For example, the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted, or not implemented.
Also, techniques, systems, subsystems and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as coupled or directly coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through some interface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.
