Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
  • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
  • G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
  • G06F1/1632—External expansion units, e.g. docking stations

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a docking station for a mobile device such as a palmtop, even including a phone function, such as a smartphone, suitable for running applications therefore with its own operating system.
• the term docking station is taken to mean a platform to which a portable computer may be connected to, and comprising connection devices to peripheral devices, such as a monitor, printer, keyboard, so as to use the portable computer, once inserted in the docking station, as an out and out desktop computer, with the possibility of using, for example, a full size keyboard, one or more monitors, a scanner, a printer and other devices.
• the user tries to resolve this problem by connecting the mobile device to a traditional calculator, for example a lap top or desk computer, so as to transfer the contents of the application he/she wishes to run from the mobile device to the calculator.
• a traditional calculator for example a lap top or desk computer
• the purpose of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks complained of above more efficiently than has so far been propqsed.
• FIG. 1 shows the docking station with its associated mobile device, in a first embodiment
• Figure 2 shows the docking station in figure 1, in one embodiment variation
• FIG. 3 shows the docking station in a further embodiment
• Figure 4 shows the docking station in figure 3, with the mobile device extracted
• reference numeral 1 globally denotes a docking station (in its totality) for a mobile device 2 provided with applications, such as a smartphone or palmtop, and therefore provided with a microprocessor chip memorising its own operating system for the management and control of the hardware and software components enabling said applications to run.
• the docking station 1 comprises a frame 10 in which at least one mother board with a microprocessor unit, data display and input devices, such as a monitor 12 and a keyboard 14 with relative drivers and data memorisation devices are housed.
• the frame there is at least one housing 16 able to receive the mobile device 2.
• electrical connection devices being provided between the mother board of the docking station and the mobile device to allow the transfer of data at least between the mobile device and the docking station.
• the microprocessor unit of the docking station is programmed to run the applications of the mobile device on the docking station using the operating system of the mobile device.
• the docking station does not have its own operating system, but uses the one in the mobile device.
• microprocessor unit of the docking station is as an "amplifier" of the microprocessor chip of the mobile device, the latter being specifically designed to run the applications on the peripheral devices of the mobile device.
• the mother board of the docking station contains the BIOS programmes able to start up the docking station when it is turned on.
• a traditional calculator normally charges the operating system from the internal or external disk (such as a USB device) during the phase known as "bootstrap": in this phase the BIOS, after taking over control of the calculator, performs diagnosis of the mother board, initialises and configures the installed devices, accesses the hard disk and looks for a specific partition on the hard disk, called Master Boot Record or MBR where a boot loader is usually installed to load the kernel of the operating system installed (or of the one chosen in the case of multiboot) .
• MBR Master Boot Record
• a boot loader is usually installed to load the kernel of the operating system installed (or of the one chosen in the case of multiboot) .
• MBR Master Boot Record
• a boot loader is usually installed to load the kernel of the operating system installed (or of the one chosen in the case of multiboot) .
• an external device such as a pen drive
• all that needs to be done is to instruct the BIOS, using the configuration panel, to attempt start up initially from the external device (Boot order)
• the docking station according to the invention does not start up any boot loader, nor does it try to access the internal disk of the docking station, installed solely as mass memory for saving data.
• the "BIOS" installed in the docking station needs only to initialise the hardware components and enable the electrical connection of the mobile device 2, whatever it is, to the mother board of the docking station.
• the firmware of the mobile device 2 is not started by the docking station, inasmuch as already started .
• the docking station acts merely as an amplifier of the peripheral devices of the mobile device 2, in particular of the display of the mobile device.
• the display of the mobile device is also visualised on the monitor of the docking station.
• the docking station does not have an out and out BIOS programme which looks for the Master Boot Record on its own hard disk or on an external device to load the kernel of an operating system.
• the docking station has, rather, solely a driver to access the firmware which enables it to detect and recognise the mobile device connected to it and thereby make available to the operating system of the mobile device its own peripheral devices and mass memory.
• the docking station is able to extend any mobile device thanks to BIOS updatable by drivers accessing the firmware of any mobile device on sale.
• the docking station is in the shape of a small portable computer (for example of the size of portable computers currently known as "Netbooks”) .
• the housing for the mobile device comprises an interchangeable adaptor 18 shaped in a complementary manner to the mobile device to be docked.
• said interchangeable adaptor 18 has snap or press-fit coupling mechanisms with the mobile device .
• the adaptor makes it possible both to dock mobile devices of different shapes in the frame of the docking station, and to electrically connect various output connectors of the mobile device to the same input connector of the docking station.
• the docking station comprises a hardware and/or software interface able to detect the pin configuration of the output connector (pin-out) of the mobile device 2, for example of the USB port, so as to create the right correspondence with the pin configuration of the input connector of the mother board of the docking station.
• the mobile device can be docked in the frame of the docking station so as not to project significantly from the docking station.
• the housing 16 is made in the part of the frame which supports the keyboard 14. In the embodiment variation shown in figures 3-5, the housing 16 is made in the part of the frame which supports the monitor 12.
• the electrical connection devices between the mother board of the docking station and the mobile device comprise a USB connection.
• other types of electrical connection may be provided, such as dedicated connections able to speed up data exchange between the mobile device and the docking station.
• the microprocessor unit is configured to use the touch screen 3 of the mobile device, if provided, as the touchpad of the docking station.
• the docking station comprises a mouse 20 extractable from an inactive position, in which it is housed in a respective seat made inside the frame (figure 2).
• the mouse 20 connects to the mother board of the docking station by means of a wireless system, for example using a "blue-tooth" communication protocol.
• the data memorisation devices comprise at least one RAM and a hard disk.
• the docking station comprises at least one connection port to a LAN network and/or at least one connection port to a WAN network and/or at least one Bluetooth port and/or at least one Wi-Fi connection.
• the docking station comprises a rechargeable battery for its use when disconnected from the mains electricity supply.
• the docking station may also be powered from the battery of the mobile device.
• the docking station may advantageously also be used with a multi-number mobile phone, for example of the type described in the patent no. 1327335, so that while the docking station uses one phone number, for example for an Internet connection, the mobile phone may in any case receive or make calls using the other number.
• the multinumber mobile phone described in the aforementioned patent comprises at least two SIM cards, each of which has its own control unit (CPU) , so that the SIM cards can be managed separately and independently.
• the control of one SIM card can be left to the docking station for data traffic. Thanks to the presence of separate control units of the SIM cards, one SIM card can automatically exclude the other from the data traffic. Consequently the other SIM card is controlled by the phone and functions solely for voice traffic.
• the user may therefore access Internet without using an external modem.
• the docking station according to -the invention is therefore a device specifically designed, both from an electronic and structural .point of view, for use with a mobile device. Its compact size make it fully portable while achieving the objective of making use of the applications provided by the mobile device much more convenient and satisfying.
• the mobile device is advantageously supported by the frame of the docking station itself therefore easily accessible by the user, so as to enable it to be used contemporarily with the docking station.
• the docking station contains only the electronic components needed for it to act as an amplifier of the mobile device.
• the operating system of the mobile device is used, while, in order to speed up and improve running of the applications, the docking station has its own microprocessor unit (CPU) and data memorisation devices (for example hard disk and RAM) .
• CPU microprocessor unit
• data memorisation devices for example hard disk and RAM

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Telephone Function (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=41650218

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (6)

Citations (4)

• 2009
  • 2009-07-17 IT IT000136A patent/ITBS20090136A1/it unknown
• 2010
  • 2010-07-15 WO PCT/IB2010/053235 patent/WO2011007332A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (4)

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