Adding I/O ports to mobile device via smart interchangeable cover
An interchangeable cover is endowed with one or more I/O ports and complementary electronics to add the one or more I/O ports to a mobile device, to which the interchangeable cover is attached. In various embodiments, the I/O ports may comprise a PS/2 mouse port, a serial port, a parallel port, a serial bus port, and so forth. In various embodiments, the complementary electronics are packaged in an ASIC with output pins similar to that of a smart card, which may include a properly equipped protocol processor for de-packaging and packaging data being inputted/outputted in accordance with selected I/O protocols. In one embodiment, the cover is U-shaped. In a wireless mobile phone embodiment, the cover is attached to a rotabable sub-section of a pivotable section.
1. An interchangeable cover adapted to add a first input/output (I/O) port to a front, a side or a back surface of a portable electronic device having a second I/O port disposed at a bottom end surface of the portable electronic device, the interchangeable cover comprising:
a substantially U-shaped cover body adapted for attachment to at least a portion of a portable electronic device, to cover at least in part a front, a side, or a back surface of the portion of the portable electronic device, without covering the bottom end surface of the portion of the portable electronic device;
the first I/O port, disposed on a surface of the U-shaped cover body that covers at least in part either the front, the side or the back surface of the portion of portable electronic device, when the interchangeable cover is attached to the portion of the portable electronic device;
traces coupled to the first I/O port; and
an electronic component coupled to the traces, and equipped to add the first I/O port as I/O port(s) of the portable electronic device to which the interchangeable cover is attached, to facilitate attachment of I/O device(s) to the portable electronic device.
2. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the cover body is designed to be attached to the portion of the portable electronic device from a side of the portable electronic device, and the first I/O port is disposed on a surface of the cover body that covers at least in part the side surface of the portion of the portable electronic device, when the interchangeable cover is attached to the portion of the portable electronic device.
3. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the cover is designed to be attached to the portable electronic device from either a front or a back of the portable electronic device, and the first I/O port is disposed on a surface of the cover body that covers at least in part the corresponding front or back surface of the portion of the portable electronic device, when the interchangeable cover is attached to the portion of the portable electronic device.
4. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the first I/O port comprises a serial port.
5. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the first I/O port comprises a parallel port.
6. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the first I/O port comprises a serial bus port.
7. The cover of claim 6 , wherein the serial bus port comprises a universal serial bus (USB) port.
8. The cover of claim 6 , wherein the serial bus port comprises an IEEE 1394 serial bus port.
9. The cover of claim 1 , wherein the electronic component comprises an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter coupled to the traces, a protocol processor coupled to the A/D and D/A converters, a storage unit coupled to the protocol processor and the converters, and an input/output (I/O) interface coupled to the storage unit.
10 .The cover of claim 9 , wherein the storage unit comprises EEPROM.
11. The cover of claims 1 , wherein the portable electronic device comprises functionalities of at least a selected one of a wireless mobile phone and a personal digital assistant.
12. A portable electronic device comprising
a core unit including a first input/output (I/O) port disposed at a bottom end surface of the core unit, and an extension interface disposed on either a front, a side or a back surface of the core unit; and
an interchangeable cover removably attached to the core unit, the interchangeable cover having a second I/O port disposed on a surface of interchangeable cover, and electronics, coupled to each other, with at least one aspect of the electronics designed to mate with the one extension interface of the core unit to add the second I/O port as I/O port(s) of the core unit, at the front, side or back surface of the core unit.
13. The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the interchangeable cover comprises a cover body designed to be attached to the core unit from a side of the core unit, with the second I/O port disposed on a surface of the interchangeable cover that covers at least in part the side surface of the core unit, to add the second I/port at the side surface of the core unit.
14. The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the interchangeable cover is to be attached to the core unit from a front or a back of the core unit, with the second I/O port disposed on a surface of the interchangeable cover that covers at least in part the corresponding front or back surface of the core unit, to add the second I/port at the corresponding front or back surface of the core unit.
15. The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the second I/O port of the interchangeable cover comprises a serial port.
16. The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the second I/O port of the interchangeable cover comprises a parallel port.
17. The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the second I/O port of the interchangeable cover comprises a serial bus port.
18. The portable electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the serial bus port is a universal serial bus (USB) port.
19. The portable electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the serial bus port is an IEEE 1394 serial bus port.
20. The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the electronic components of the interchangeable cover comprise an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter, a protocol processor coupled to the A/D and D/A converters, a storage unit coupled to the protocol processor and the converters, and an input/output (I/O) interface coupled to the storage unit.
21. The portable electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the storage unit comprises EEPROM.
22. The mobile device of claims 12 , wherein the portable electronic device comprises functionalities of at least a selected one of a wireless mobile phone and a personal digital assistant.
23. The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the core unit comprises a first and a second section with the second section having a first and a second sub-section where the second-sub-section is rotatable relative to the first sub-section, and the cover removably attaches to the second sub-section of the second section.
24. A wireless mobile phone comprising:
a core wireless telephony unit including a first and a second section with the second section having a first and a second sub-section where the second-sub-section is rotatable relative to the first sub-section, and the second sub-section having a first I/O port disposed at a bottom end surface of the second sub-section; and
a cover including a second I/O port, removably mated with the second sub-section, to add the second I/O port to the wireless mobile phone, at a front, side or back surface of the second sub-section.
25. The wireless mobile phone of claim 24 wherein the first and second sections are pivotally coupled together.
26. The wireless mobile phone of claim 24 wherein said second I/O port comprises a selected one of a serial and a parallel port.
27. The wireless mobile phone of claim 24 , wherein said second I/O port comprises a selected one of a serial bus port.