Abstract:
A docking device for a portable computer to be mechanically and electrically connected to the portable computer to expand the function of the portable computer includes a tray for placing the rear end of the portable computer thereon and a locking unit for locking the portable computer on the tray by manual operation, in which the tray includes a claw member to be mated with an incised portion formed on the back face of the portable computer, a bottom plate having a docking connector arranged thereon for electrically connecting to the portable computer, and a movable tray arranged on the bottom plate rotatably by a predetermined angle, and the movable tray has two recesses equivalent in shape to legs formed at the rear end of the portable computer and an opening for exposing the docking connector and the locking unit during docking.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   The present invention contains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application JP 2004-139136 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on May 7, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a docking device for portable computers and a docking structure mechanically and electrically connected to a portable computer so as to expand the function of the portable computer. In detail, the docking device includes a tray for placing the rear end of the portable computer thereon and a locking unit for locking the portable computer on the tray by manual operation, in which the tray includes a claw member to be mated with an incised portion formed on the back face of the portable computer, a bottom plate having a docking connector arranged thereon for electrically connecting to the portable computer, and a movable tray arranged on the bottom plate rotatably by a predetermined angle. The movable tray includes two recesses equivalent in shape to legs formed at the rear end of the portable computer and an opening for exposing the docking connector and the locking unit during docking, so that the device may improve in design while the pin of the docking connector may be prevented from being bent. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   In order to enrich the function of a portable computer, a docking device has been used. The docking device is for expanding the function of a portable computer by mechanically and electrically connecting to the portable computer. It is important that peripheral devices be mounted on the portable computer promptly, easily, and versatilely. 
   A docking structure has been proposed in that a portable computer is dropped within a recess formed on a docking device (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 3197843, page 3 to 4, FIGS. 1 and 2, for example). 
   In this case, for setting the portable computer in a predetermined position of the docking device, the device is provided with the recess. Upon docking, the positioning is facilitated by dropping the portable computer into the recess. 
   Another docking structure has been disclosed in that the portable computer is mounted on a docking device along guide pins or ribs (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-306186, page 4 to 5, FIG. 5, for example). 
     FIG. 11  is a drawing of a structure of a docking device in related art having a plurality of guides. A docking device  10 , as shown in  FIG. 11 , is provided with a plurality of projections  25  formed on a support surface  22 A for placing a rear-end bottom surface (docking side) of a portable computer  12 . Upon docking, the portable computer  12  is laterally positioned with these guides  25  and then, is pushed down to be docked by positionally fitting the portable computer  12  to an interface connector  24  for electrical connection. 
   A docking structure having an automatic locking mechanism has been proposed.  FIG. 12  is a drawing of a docking device having an automatic locking mechanism in related art. 
   A docking device  30 , as shown in  FIG. 12 , includes a docking connector  31 , hooks  32   a  and  32   b  for fixing the back surface of a portable computer, hooks  33   a  and  33   b  for fixing the front side of the computer, a lever  34  for removing the computer, push-up pins  35   a  and  35   b , and ground pins  36   a  and  36   b . The hooks  33   a  and  33   b  have spring mechanisms. 
   In this case, when a battery is replaced in a docked state, if the docking connector comes off, an automatic locking mechanism has been used for preventing data from charging off due to the shutdown. 
   In this automatic locking mechanism, the hooks having spring mechanisms are inserted into locking holes formed on the bottom surface of the portable computer, so that the portable computer is fixed on a tray of the docking device. 
   However, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3197843 mentioned above, although the positioning is facilitated, a problem has arisen in that a docking device body is increased in size. 
   In the case of the above Publication No. 2001-306186, since the support surface  22 A is provided with a plurality of the projections  25  for guiding, there are problems of unrefined design and difficulties in positioning. 
   In the docking structure having the automatic locking mechanism mentioned above, the positioning is difficult and during docking, the portable computer is necessary to be pushed from the top for retaining the hooks having springs to the locking holes. Accordingly, a large force is applied to the connector so as to deform the connection pin. 
   Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a docking device and a docking structure for a portable computer capable of facilitating docking and improving in design as well as being capable of preventing a docking connector pin from bending. 
   In a docking device for a portable computer according to an embodiment of the present invention to be mechanically and electrically connected to the portable computer to expand the function of the portable computer, the docking device includes a tray for placing the rear end of the portable computer thereon; and a locking unit for locking the portable computer on the tray by manual operation, wherein the tray includes a claw member to be mated with an incised portion formed on the back surface of the portable computer, a bottom plate having a docking connector arranged thereon for electrically connecting to the portable computer, and a movable tray arranged on the bottom plate rotatably by a predetermined angle, the movable tray having two recesses equivalent in shape to legs formed at the rear end of the portable computer and an opening for exposing the docking connector and the locking unit during docking. 
   For example, the locking unit may include a slide locking switch and two hooks to be inserted into locking holes formed on the bottom surface of the portable computer in association with the slide locking switch operatively. 
   Also, the movable tray may include a spring mechanism, so that during non-docking, the movable tray is raised from the bottom plate by the spring mechanism so as to have a position not exposing the docking connector and the hooks on the surface, while during docking, the movable tray is pushed down by the portable computer so as to have a position being in contact with the surface of bottom plate. 
   A docking structure according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a portable computer; and a docking device for expanding the function of the portable thereon by mechanically and electrically connecting between the portable computer and the docking device, wherein the portable computer includes circular conical legs, an incised portion formed on the back face, and locking holes formed on the bottom surface, and wherein the docking device includes a tray for placing the rear end of the portable computer thereon and a locking unit for locking the portable computer on the tray, the tray having a claw member to be mated with the incised portion formed on the back face of the portable computer, a bottom plate having a docking connector arranged thereon for electrically connecting to the portable computer, and a movable tray arranged on the bottom plate rotatably by a predetermined angle, the movable tray having two recesses equivalent in shape to the legs formed at the rear end of the portable computer and an opening for exposing the docking connector and the locking unit during docking. 
   According to the present invention, the portable computer includes the circular conical legs, the incised portion formed on the back face, and the locking holes formed on the bottom surface. The docking device also includes the tray for placing the rear end of the portable computer thereon and the locking unit for locking the portable computer on the tray, in which the tray includes the claw member to be mated with the incised portion formed on the back face of the portable computer, the bottom plate having the docking connector arranged thereon for electrically connecting to the portable computer, and the movable tray arranged on the bottom plate rotatably by a predetermined angle. The movable tray includes the two recesses equivalent in shape to the legs formed at the rear end of the portable computer and the opening for exposing the docking connector and the locking unit during docking. 
   Thereby, during the docking, the positioning operation is structurally separated from the connecting operation. Furthermore, by providing the conical recesses for positioning, which are equivalent to the legs of the portable computer in shape, the displacement when the portable computer is placed during the docking may be automatically corrected, facilitating the docking between the portable computer and the docking device. During the non-docking, since the docking connector and so forth are not exposed on the surface of the movable tray, the device may improve in design. 
   Also, using the manually-operated locking unit, the operation intensely pushing the portable computer body for retaining the hooks with springs into the locking holes from the top may be eliminated, so that the pin of the docking connector may be prevented from being bent. By only sliding the slide locking switch of the locking unit to the unlock side so as to raise the portable computer, undocking may be easily made. 
   According to the present invention, the portable computer includes the circular conical legs, the incised portion formed on the back face, and the locking holes formed on the bottom surface. The docking device also includes the tray for placing the rear end of the portable computer thereon and the locking unit for locking the portable computer on the tray, in which the tray includes the claw member to be mated with the incised portion formed on the back face of the portable computer, the bottom plate having the docking connector arranged thereon for electrically connecting to the portable computer, and the movable tray arranged on the bottom plate rotatably by a predetermined angle. The movable tray includes the two recesses equivalent in shape to the legs formed at the rear end of the portable computer and the opening for exposing the docking connector and the locking unit during docking, so that the device may improve in design and the docking may be facilitated while the pin of the docking connector may be prevented from being bent. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a drawing of a docking state between a portable computer  100  and a docking device  200  for a portable computer; 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are drawings of the structure of the portable computer  100 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a drawing of the structure of the docking device  200  for a portable computer according to an embodiment; 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the structure of the docking device  200 ; 
       FIGS. 5A to 5C  are drawings of associated parts of a hop-up tray  206 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the portable computer  100  and the docking device  200  before the portable computer  100  is mounted; 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of the portable computer  100  and the docking device  200  before the portable computer  100  is mounted; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a state of the portable computer  100  placed on a tray; 
       FIGS. 9A and 9B  are side views of states of the portable computer  100  placed on the tray; 
       FIG. 10  is a drawing showing the removing operation of the portable computer  100 ; 
       FIG. 11  is a drawing of a structure of a docking device in related art having a plurality of guides; and 
       FIG. 12  is a drawing of a docking device having an automatic locking mechanism in related art. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A docking device and a docking structure for a portable computer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 
     FIG. 1  is a drawing of a docking state between a portable computer  100  and a docking device  200  for a portable computer according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , when the portable computer  100  is docked to the docking device  200 , the rear end of the bottom surface of the portable computer is placed on a tray of the docking device  200 . 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B  are drawings of the structure of the portable computer  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 2A , the bottom surface  101  of the portable computer  100  is provided with legs  102   a  and  102   b , locking holes  103   a  and  103   b , ground contacts  104   a  and  104   b , and a docking connector  105 . The back face (end face to be docked) of the portable computer  100  is provided with an incised portion  106 .  FIG. 2B  is a side view of the leg of the portable computer  100 . The legs  102   a  and  102   b  have circular conical shapes. 
     FIG. 3  is a drawing of the structure of the docking device  200  for a portable computer according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the docking device  200  is composed of a docking device body  201 , a bottom plate  202 , a docking connector  203 , ground pins  204   a  and  204   b , projections  205   a  and  205   b , a hop-up tray  206  as a movable tray, recesses  207   a  and  207   b , a slide locking switch  208 , hooks  209   a  and  209   b , and a claw member  210 . 
   In the docking device body  201 , devices for expanding the function of the portable computer  100  are accommodated. The docking device body  201  is made integrally with the bottom plate  202  on which the hop-up tray  206  is provided. The bottom plate  202  is also provided with the docking connector  203 , the ground pins  204   a  and  204   b , and the projections  205   a  and  205   b.    
   The docking connector  203  is the same as a connector with guide pins for electrically connecting to the portable computer  100 , and can be fitted with the docking connector  105  on the bottom surface  101  of the portable computer  100  for electrically connecting thereto. The ground of the portable computer  100  becomes the same level as that of the docking device  200  with the electrical contact between the ground pins  204   a  and  204   b  and the ground contacts  104   a  and  104   b . The projections  205   a  and  205   b  support the portable computer  100  when the docking device  200  is undocked from the portable computer  100 , and are provided with sheets resistant to friction covered on the surfaces. Providing the projections  205   a  and  205   b  prevents the hop-up tray  206  from being scuffed on the surface by the portable computer  100 . 
   The hop-up tray  206  is provided with the recesses  207   a  and  207   b  to be dropped by the two conical legs formed at the rear end of the portable computer  100 , respectively. The hop-up tray  206  is also provided with a plurality of openings formed for exposing the docking connector  203 , the ground pins  204   a  and  204   b , the projections  205   a  and  205   b , and the hooks  209   a  and  209   b  on the surface when the portable computer  100  is docked. 
     FIG. 3  shows a state of the hop-up tray  206  pushed by the portable computer  100  and located at a position after the docking. In this case, the docking connector  203 , the ground pins  204   a  and  204   b , the projections  205   a  and  205   b , and the hooks  209   a  and  209   b  are exposed on the surface of the hop-up tray  206 . 
   The recesses  207   a  and  207   b  are the same as circular conical recesses to be dropped by the two legs  102   a  and  102   b  provided at the rear end of the portable computer  100 , respectively. The shape of the respective recesses  207   a  and  207   b  is not limited to a circular cone, so that any shape may be applied as long as it can be fitted to the two legs  102   a  and  102   b.    
   The slide locking switch  208  and the hooks  209   a  and  209   b  are functioning as locking units for fixing the portable computer  100  on a tray (i.e., the hop-up tray  206 ). The hooks  209   a  and  209   b  are drivingly connected to the slide locking switch  208 . 
   The slide locking switch  208  has an operating knob for operating the hooks  209   a  and  209   b , and when the operating knob is slid to the locking side, the portable computer  100  is fixed to the tray by inserting the hooks  209   a  and  209   b  into the locking holes  103   a  and  103   b  provided on the bottom surface of the portable computer  100 . In addition, when the operating knob is slid to the un-locking side, the hooks  209   a  and  209   b  come off the locking holes  103   a  and  103   b  on the bottom surface of the portable computer  100  so as to raise the portable computer  100 , so that it can be easily undocked from the docking device  200 . 
   The claw member  210  is to be brought into engagement with the incised portion  106  on the back face (end face to be docked) of the portable computer  100 , and has a function to press an end of the portable computer  100  during the docking. The claw member  210  has a spring mechanism so as to be pushed inside. 
     FIG. 4  is a side view of the structure of the docking device  200  showing a non-docking state of the docking device  200 . The hop-up tray  206 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , is supported by a tray support bracket  211  and is raised by a spring  212  during the non-docking state, showing the maximum angular position. 
     FIGS. 5A to 5C  are drawings of associated parts of the hop-up tray  206 :  FIG. 5A  shows a tray  206 A having an arm for attaching the tray  206 A to a rotational shaft;  FIG. 5B  shows an example of the tray support bracket  211 ; and  FIG. 5C  shows an example of the spring  212 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4  mentioned above, during the non-docking state, the hop-up tray  206  is raised from the bottom plate  202  and is located at a position not exposing the docking connector  203  and so forth on the surface. 
   Since the docking connector  203 , the ground pins  204   a  and  204   b , the projections  205   a  and  205   b , and the hooks  209   a  and  209   b  are not thereby exposed on the surface of the hop-up tray  206 , the device improves in design. 
   The docking operation of the portable computer  100  into the docking device  200  will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 6 to 9 .  FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the portable computer  100  and the docking device  200  before the portable computer  100  is mounted;  FIG. 7  is a side view of them before being mounted;  FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a state of the portable computer  100  placed on the tray; and  FIGS. 9A and 9B  are side views of states of the portable computer  100  placed on the tray. 
   Upon docking the portable computer  100  to the docking device  200 , first, the operation knob of the slide locking switch  208  is slid to the unlocking side. 
   Then, as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the portable computer  100  is placed on the docking device  200 . At this time, the positioning is made by inserting the legs  102   a  and  102   b  of the portable computer  100  into the recesses  207   a  and  207   b  of the hop-up tray  206 , respectively. Simultaneously, the claw member  210  is automatically retained to the incised portion  106  on the back face of the portable computer  100 . Then, as shown in  FIGS. 8 to 9B , the front side of the portable computer  100  is calmly lowered down, thereby bringing the docking connector  105  into engagement with the docking connector  203 . 
   Finally, the operating knob of the slide locking switch  208  is slid to the locking side so as to complete the docking. 
   When the portable computer  100  is mounted, as shown in  FIG. 9B , the rear end of the bottom surface  101  of the portable computer  100  is placed on the tray while the hop-up tray  206  is pushed down onto the bottom plate  202  by the portable computer  100 . At this time, the hooks  209   a  and  209   b  are inserted into the locking holes  103   a  and  103   b  formed on the bottom surface of the portable computer  100 , respectively, while the docking connector  203  is brought into engagement with the docking connector  105  formed on the bottom surface of the portable computer  100 . 
   When the portable computer  100  is removed from the docking device  200 , the operating knob of the slide locking switch  208  is slid to the unlocking side. 
   Then, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the portable computer  100  is raised up from the front side, thereby separating the portable computer  100  from the docking device  200  by disconnecting the docking connector  203  from the portable computer  100 . 
   As described above, according to the embodiment, the portable computer  100  has the legs  102   a  and  102   b , the incised portion  106 , and the locking holes  103   a  and  103   b  formed on the bottom surface. The docking device  200  also has the docking device body  201 , the bottom-plate  202 , the docking connector  203 , the ground pins  204   a  and  204   b , the projections  205   a  and  205   b , the hop-up tray  206  as a movable tray, the recesses  207   a  and  207   b , the slide locking switch  208 , the hooks  209   a  and  209   b , and the claw member  210 . Upon docking, the positioning is made with the legs  102   a  and  102   b  of the portable computer  100  and the recesses  207   a  and  207   b ; then, the docking connector  105  is brought into engagement with the docking connector  203  by lowering the front side of the portable computer  100 ; finally, the locking is made with the slide locking switch  208 . 
   Thereby, during the docking, the positioning operation is structurally separated from the connecting operation. Furthermore, by providing the conical recesses  207   a  and  207   b  for positioning, which are equivalent to the legs of the portable computer  100  in shape, the displacement when the portable computer  100  is placed during the docking is automatically corrected, facilitating the docking between the portable computer  100  and the docking device  200 . During the non-docking, since the docking connector  203  and so forth are not exposed on the surface of the hop-up tray  206 , the device improves in design. 
   Also, using the manually-operated slide locking switch  208 , the operation intensely pushing the portable computer body for retaining the hooks with springs into the locking holes from the top is eliminated, so that the pin of the docking connector  203  is prevented from being bent. By only sliding the slide locking switch  208  to the unlock side so as to raise the portable computer  100 , undocking is easily made. 
   In addition, according to the embodiment, as the locking unit, the slide locking switch  208  and the two hooks  209   a  and  209   b  for inserting into the recesses on the bottom surface of the portable computer  100  are used; however, the present invention is not limited to this, so that other manually-operated locking mechanism may be used. 
   It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.