Patent ID: 7634606

Claim:
A handheld modular mobile navigation device, comprising: a base unit housing including a bus, a processing component coupled with the bus for determining a geographic location of the navigation device, a display screen coupled with the bus for presenting information related to the determined geographic location, a power supply coupled with the bus, a receiver coupled with the bus for capturing signals utilized by the processing component in making the geographic location determination, and a pair of opposed side regions, each of the pair of opposed side regions having a primary connector coupled with the bus, a flange configured to interface with a recess of a module unit housing, and a channel extending upwardly from a lower region of the base unit housing, the channel being generally parallel to a front surface and a back surface of the base unit housing and configured to accept a rail of a module unit housing; and a pair of module unit housings configured for releasable attachment directly with the base unit housing, each module unit housing having a rail extending upwardly from a lower region of the module unit housing, a front face that, when attached to the base unit housing via the rail being accepted into a channel of the base unit housing, is flush with the front surface of the base unit, each module unit housing having a recess for accepting the flange of the base unit housing, and each module unit housing including a mating secondary connector for interconnecting with a primary connector of at least one of the opposed side regions of the base unit housing and a circuitry component coupled with the secondary connector for performing a dedicated function resulting in associated signals being relayed through the secondary connector to the primary connector and onto the bus of the base unit housing when the module unit housing is releasably attached directly with the base housing unit.