Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02738529 2011-05-02
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COUPLING A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC
DEVICE TO A CHARGING/DATA POD
BACKGROUND
[0001] 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.
[0002] 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
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are coupled, electrical energy and/or data can be transferred between the two
components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] 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.
[0004] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a specific adaptor, according to an
embodiment of the disclosure.
[0005] Figures 2a, 2b, and 2c illustrate examples of generic adaptors,
according to
embodiments of the disclosure.
[0006] Figure 3 illustrates an expanded view of an adaptor, according to an
embodiment of the disclosure.
[0007] Figure 4 illustrates insertion of an adaptor into a portable electronic
device,
according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0008] Figure 5 illustrates placement of a portable electronic device in a
pod,
according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0009] Figure 6 illustrates a method for coupling a portable electronic device
to a pod,
according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] 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
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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.
[0011] 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.
[0012] 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.
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[0013] 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.
[0014] Figure 1 illustrates front and rear views of an example of a specific
embodiment
of such an adaptor 100. Figure 2 illustrates examples of generic embodiments
of an
adaptor 100 and will be described below. One side of the adaptor 100 includes
a plug
110 that can be inserted into a port on a portable electronic device. In the
embodiment of
Figure 1, the plug 110 is configured to fit into a USB port, but in other
embodiments, the
plug 110 might be configured to fit into other types of ports. Another side of
the adaptor
100 includes an electrically conductive surface, which will be referred to
herein as the
adaptor contact 120. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the adaptor contact 120
consists of
two surfaces 120a and 120b separated by an insulating material 130, but in
other
embodiments, the adaptor contact 120 could include only one surface or more
than two
surfaces. The surfaces of the adaptor contact 120 might allow the transmission
of
electrical energy, data, or both. For example, the adaptor contact 120 could
be
configured with four surfaces for a USB-type application, wherein one surface
of the
adaptor contact 120 is a positive electrical contact, one surface of the
adaptor contact 120
is a negative electrical contact, and two surfaces of the adaptor contact 120
are data
contacts.
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[0015] 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.
[0016] Figures 2a, 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 Figure 2a, the plug
portion 110
of the adaptor 100 is rectangular and relatively wide compared to the width of
the entire
adaptor 100, and two rectangular adaptor contacts 120 are present. In Figure
2b, the
plug portion 110 of the adaptor 100 is rectangular and relatively narrow
compared to the
CA 02738529 2011-05-02
width of the entire adaptor 100, and four rectangular adaptor contacts 120 are
present. In
Figure 2c, the plug portion 110 of the adaptor 100 is cylindrical, and a
single circular
adaptor contact 120 is present. One of skill in the art will recognize that
other sizes or
shapes of the plug 110 could be present and that other numbers, sizes, or
shapes of the
adaptor contacts 120 could be present. In particular, when the adaptor 100 is
intended
for USB applications, the plug 110 might be configured accordingly to conform
to various
USB standards. In other non-USB embodiments, the plug 110 might be configured
differently.
[0017] Figure 3 illustrates an expanded view of one embodiment of the adaptor
100.
The components and configuration of the illustrated embodiment of the adaptor
100 are
generally suited for USB-type applications, but the components could be
differently
configured for other applications or connections. In this embodiment, the plug
110
comprises a metal shield into which the adaptor contact 120 and the insulating
material
130 can be inserted. A housing 140 mates with the plug 110, adaptor contact
120, and
insulating material 130. When the plug 110, adaptor contact 120, insulating
material 130,
and housing 140 are assembled as shown in Figures 1 and 4, the adaptor 100 can
be
inserted into a port 150 in a portable electronic device 160. The adaptor 100
can then
allow at least a portion of the adaptor contact 120 to couple to at least one
port contact in
the port 150. The port contacts are not shown in Figure 4 but might be
standard USB-
type port contacts. In the embodiment of Figure 4, the port 150 is located on
the side of
the portable electronic device 160, but in other embodiments, the port 150
could be
located elsewhere on the portable electronic device 160.
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[0018] 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.
[0019] 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 Figure 5, the adaptor
contact 120
abuts at least one contact point 180 in the pod 170. The contact points 180 in
the pod
170 may also be referred to herein as pod contacts 180. In the illustrated
embodiment,
the pod 170 includes two pod contacts 180, but in other embodiments, other
numbers of
pod contacts 180 could be present. In an embodiment, the adaptor 100 is
designed such
that the size and shape of the adaptor contact 120 is approximately the same
as the size
and shape of the pod contacts 180. That is, since there are two pod contacts
180, the
adaptor 100 is designed with two portions 120a and 120b of the adaptor contact
120 that
have an appropriate size and shape so as to abut the pod contacts 180 when the
portable
electronic device 160 is positioned in the pod 170. In addition, the adaptor
100 has a
sufficiently low profile that, when the adaptor 100 is inserted into the
portable electronic
device 160, the portable electronic device 160 can fit in the pod 170. The
abutment of the
adaptor contact 120 with the pod contacts 180 and the coupling of the adaptor
contact
120 with the port contacts allow data and/or electrical energy to be
transferred between
the pod contacts 180 and the port contacts, and thus between the pod 170 and
the
portable electronic device 160.
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[0020] 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 Figure 5 is shown with a set of two pod contacts 180, one of which
might provide a
positive voltage and the other of which might be at a ground voltage, such
that a portable
electronic device 160 placed in contact with the pod contacts 180 can be
recharged. In
an embodiment, a plurality of such sets of pod contacts 180 might be present
in the pod
170, and one pod contact 180 of each set might have a voltage and the other
might be at
ground. A plurality of portable electronic devices 160 could be placed in such
a pod 170
at the same time, and each of the portable electronic devices 160 could be
charged by
the pod 170 if the portable electronic devices 160 included adaptors 100 to
create an
appropriate interface between the portable electronic devices 160 and the pod
contacts
180.
[0021] 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
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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.
[0022] Figure 6 illustrates an embodiment of a method 600 for coupling a
portable
electronic device to a pod. At block 610, an adaptor is inserted into a port
of the portable
electronic device such that an adaptor contact couples to a port contact. At
block 620,
the portable electronic device is placed in the pod such that the adaptor
contact abuts to a
pod contact.
[0023] 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.
[0024] 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.
[0025] 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
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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.
[0026] The following are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes:
Universal
Serial Bus Specification 1Ø1, Universal Serial Bus Specification 2.0, and
Universal Serial
Bus Specification 3Ø
[0027] 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.
[0028] 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.
