Keyboard function in a modular portable electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9544416-B2
Application number	US-201514697083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2015
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A modular portable device system and method allow extended user input. The system includes a first device and a second device, the devices being attachable via a plurality of magnetic attachment points (magnets or magnetically responsive attachment points) on each. In a first configuration, the devices are held together by all of the magnetic attachment points, and in this configuration an extended user input facility on the second device is not user-accessible. In a second configuration, the devices are connected by only a subset of the magnetic attachment points, and in this second configuration the extended user input facility is user-accessible. A Hall Effect sensor on the first device and sensor magnet on the second device are positioned to overlap when the devices are connected in the second configuration in order to alert the first device that the second device has been attached in the extended input mode.

First claim

We claim:

1. A modular portable device system comprising:
a first portable device and a second portable device;
a plurality of magnetic attachment points on one of the first and second portable devices and a matching plurality of magnetically responsive attachment points on the other of the first and second portable devices, such that the devices are held together by a mating of each of the magnetic attachment points with a corresponding one of the magnetically responsive attachment points when the devices are connected in a first configuration, and the devices are held together by a mating of a subset of the magnetic attachment points with a corresponding subset of the magnetically responsive attachment points when the devices are connected in a second configuration, the first and second configurations being mutually exclusive;
a connector array on the first portable device and a mating connector array on the second portable device, such that the connector array and mating connector array are connected only in the first configuration; and
an input region on the second device which is exposed only when the devices are in the second configuration,
wherein the mating subset of the magnetic attachment points and the corresponding subset of the magnetically responsive attachment points act as electrical conductors when the devices are connected in the second configuration.

2. The modular portable device system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the input region on the second portable device includes a QWERTY keyboard.

3. The modular portable device system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the QWERTY keyboard is a touch sensing surface.

4. The modular portable device system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the QWERTY keyboard is a hardware keyboard.

5. The modular portable device system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the input region on the second portable device includes a touch screen.

6. The modular portable device system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the input region on the second portable device includes a touchpad with no display.

7. The modular portable device system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each device includes short range wireless communications infrastructure and batteries and wherein the devices are configured to communicate via short range wireless communications when the devices are connected in the second configuration.

8. The modular portable device system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein one of the first and second portable devices includes a separate sensor magnet and the other of the other of the first and second portable devices includes a Hall Effect sensor positioned to overlap the separate sensor magnet when the devices are connected in the second configuration.

9. A method for providing extended user input facilities in a modular device system having first and second portable devices that are magnetically connectable, the method comprising:
attaching the first portable device to the second portable device using a plurality of magnets and mating magnetically responsive plates to form a first configuration, such that an extended user input surface on a surface of the second portable device is hidden in the first configuration, and providing a first user input facility on an exposed surface of the first portable device; and
detecting that the devices have been reconnected in a second configuration wherein only a subset of the plurality of magnets and mating magnetically responsive plates are mated, such that the extended user input surface of the second portable device is exposed, and allowing user input to the device system via the extended user input surface,
further comprising using the subset of the magnetic attachment points and the corresponding subset of the magnetically responsive attachment points as electrical conductors when the devices are connected in the second configuration.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the extended user input surface includes a QWERTY keyboard.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the QWERTY keyboard is a touch sensing surface.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the QWERTY keyboard is a hardware keyboard.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the extended user input surface includes a touch screen.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the extended user input surface includes a touchpad with no display.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising communicating between the devices via short range wireless communications when the devices are connected in the second configuration.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein detecting that the devices have been reconnected in the second configuration further comprises detecting that a Hall Effect sensor on one of the first and second portable devices overlaps a separate sensor magnet on the other of the first and second portable devices.

17. A portable electronic device configured to provide extended user input functionality comprising:
a first user input facility on a first face of the portable electronic device;
a connector array on an opposite face of the portable electronic device positioned to connect with a matching array on an extension module;
a set of magnetically responsive attachment elements on the opposite face of the portable electronic device positioned to overlay and mate with a matching set of magnetically responsive attachment elements on the extension module;
a magnetic sensor on the opposite face of the portable electronic device positioned to overlap a magnet on the extension module when only a subset of the magnetically responsive attachment elements on the portable electronic device overlay and mate with a matching subset of magnetically responsive attachment elements on the extension module;
further comprising using the subset of the magnetic attachment points and the corresponding subset of the magnetically responsive attachment points as electrical conductors when the devices are connected in the second configuration; and
a processor configured to enable a second input facility located on the extension module when it receives a signal from the magnetic sensor.

18. The portable electronic device in accordance with claim 17 , wherein the second input facility is selected from the group consisting of a QWERTY keyboard, a touch screen, and a touch pad without display.

Assignees

• Motorola Mobility Llc

Inventors

• Lombardi Michael J
• Corrigan Michael Thomas
• Fordham Paul

Classifications

• H04M1/72412

  using two-way short-range wireless interfaces · CPC title

• H04M1/72409

  by interfacing with external accessories (hands-free H04M1/60) · CPC title

• H04M2250/18

  including more than one keyboard unit · CPC title

• H04M2250/22

  including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector · CPC title

• H04M1/0256 Primary

  wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver · CPC title