WO2003001774A1 - Electrical assembly, in particular for mobile telephone apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical assembly which can be operated in a mobile telephone apparatus (1) is described, said apparatus being composed of a mass memory unit (8) of the hard disk drive (HDD) type and power supply means (7) able to power the memory unit (8) and circuitry (5) associated with the apparatus (1). The memory unit (8) can be accessed for the data read/write functions also independently of the circuitry (5) of the apparatus (1).

Description

Electrical assembly, in particular for mobile telephone apparatus

DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to an electrical assembly, in particular for mobile telephone apparatus, according to the preamble of the main claim.

Every day the constant progress of technology, in particular in the electronics sector, is redefining the horizons of our future, introducing new habits into our daily lives with a whole series of products which are destined to become increasingly widespread and accessible to everyone .

In a world where digital technology has assumed a role of major importance and has acquired a position of absolute supremacy, there has been a bewildering increase in the number of mobile apparatus which offer an increasingly greater performance within a smaller amount of space and which tend to concentrate the functions of various apparatus in a single one so as to be able to offer the user the greatest degree of freedom of use in any location.

In this multi-faceted context, the invention constitutes a solid basis for developing and supporting any present or future digital innovations, by providing all mobile terminals or portable apparatus with the same type of memory capacity as that which personal computers possess.

In modern-day society, especially in a professional environment, nowadays there is a particularly widespread need to have access to, transport, carry on one's person as well as be able to freely use in any moment or circumstance and in the most varied places, increasingly large amounts of information data which are organised on an electronic medium and generally stored in files.

This demand for access to processing data, including software, plug-in devices, drivers, etc., involves the need to have available memory units which on the one hand can be easily and conveniently transported and on the other hand allow immediate and easy access to the information contained therein.

As is known, in the information technology sector it is possible to find numerous and various forms of memory units which generally may be divided, for example, into volatile memories and non-volatile or mass memories (also called static and dynamic memories) .

The latter, as is known, comprise fixed mass memories or hard disk drives and removable memories, which include the well-known DVDs, CD ROMs, floppy disks, ZIP disks and similar media. In order to operate, these removable media always require a special reader, which is not easily found everywhere, and although satisfying in an excellent manner transportability requirements in view of their fairly small dimensions, their low cost and their particular resistance to mechanical stresses, they are unable to meet high performance requirements and are therefore mainly used for the sole purpose of data filing and retrieval . Mass memories - or, as mentioned, "hard disks" - on the other hand are high-capacity memories with an operating performance which is much higher than that of the removable media indicated above and are distinguished by a high data accessing and retrieval speed. Owing to their specific constructional technology which ensures a high data transfer speed (or so-called "transfer rate") , the abovementioned mass memories are particularly valued for managing large-size files and in all those cases where on-line treatment of data flows is required, as in the known cases of "streaming" and/or execution of programs .

Normally the term "hard disk" is understood as meaning a memory unit composed of one or more circular disks having both surfaces lined with a magnetic substance used for data storage, as well as a motor and other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic handling components necessary for causing rotation of the disks and moving the data read/write heads as well as for regulating and managing the data flow. In a well-known embodiment, the disks rotate about a common axis, while the groups of heads move along the radius of the disk: this movement, combined with the rotation of the disk itself, allows the head to gain access to all the blocks which together form the hard disk memory. The hard disk memory unit is an essential component of any computer since it has the function of containing and storing over time the operating system, the software and all the data used. Generally it is contained inside the housing of the computer in a position which cannot be easily accessed since the need to perform any manual operation thereon is not envisaged. This same memory moreover is conventionally connected in a manner known per se to the motherboard and to the processor by means of a special bus . The continuous competitive efforts to manufacture products with advanced characteristics and increasingly more powerful programs have favoured the development of hard disks which have a progressively greater storage capacity and very rapid access times. In order to satisfy management and organisational requirements, external hard disks have also been introduced, said disks being still connected to the computer, but not being physically contained inside its housing, and having a function which is usually limited to storing working files .

In this way it has been possible to lighten the workload of the main hard disk drive inside the computer, obtaining also a faster operating speed.

The need to be able to transfer onto other computers contents or tasks whose dimensions exceed the capacity of the conventional removable media which are commonly available (floppy disks, CDs, ZIP drives) has led to the appearance of the first removable hard disks .

The possibility of moving easily the entire hard disk memory together with the corresponding associated mechanical and electrical parts has been generally achieved by means ^' of the installation, inside the computer housing or also in special (single or multiple) external units, of a special extractable drawer able to receive the said hard disk, while the power supply section and the data communication port have been left installed on the fixed part of the drawer.

A limit of this solution is, as is known, the poor compatibility of the extracted drawer containing the hard disk as regards insertion inside corresponding receiving compartments available on any other model of computer.

In order to simplify this operation further, more recently "mobile" hard disk units equipped with standardised (USB or "Fire Wire") ports - including units which are small in size and therefore easily transported

- have been developed.

These hard disks, which are physically separate from the computer, are devoid of any form of power supply since, in view of their low energy consumption, they receive all the power needed in order to operate via the USB or Fire Wire connection port present on all computers and may be connected to various data processing apparatus such as computers or products commercially known by the names of desktops, notebooks, palmtops, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) , handheld PCs, pocket PCs, organizers and other products.

Once these hard disk units (or hard disk peripherals) are connected to the USB or Fire Wire port which is present on all of the latest generation of computers, they are automatically recognised in the same way as any external hard disk and can therefore be immediately used.

For some time storage cards - having the same purpose, but using a different applicational method - have been available on the market; these cards, originally known as "PCMCIA cards" and now commonly known by the name "PC cards", may also be used as hard disks and, owing to their form which is similar to that of a credit card, but having a greater thickness and weight, allow easy transportation. It is thus possible to transport one ' s own disk wherever required - to one ' s home or place of work and transfer data and files wherever there is a data processing apparatus equipped with a compartment or slot able to receive these PC cards or a special reader connected to the computer.

Large-size files and programs may thus be easily and rapidly copied from a computer to a PC card and vice versa, and the latter may also be used to make back-ups of data and stored in safe places . These units, however, do not have an independent power supply and, although they can be easily transported,. they often constitute an inconvenient additional element which always needs to be carried around. Recently hard disk units intended for loading data from electronic equipment such as digital cameras or music file readers (MP3 readers) have also appeared on the market. These units, however, generally have their own independent power supply, RAM and ROM memories and their own internal processor for handling the loading and management of the information (image files or music files) .

Furthermore, numerous solutions in the form of additional external media - called "jackets" - are known, these jackets being applied by means of a mechanical or electrical connection to small data processing units such as palmtops, PDAs, handheld PCs, pocket PCs or similar apparatus, so as to increase the operating performance . These jackets form a substantially unitary assembly, but are still composed of separable units which are not incorporated inside each other but simply assembled on top of each other, often giving rise to a bulky assembly.

The jacket, in fact, is in turn generally provided with numerous expansion slots so as to allow connection - also simultaneously - to different accessories in order to be able to perform specific functions which the original apparatus does not possess . These accessories for performing specific functions - normally referred to by the term "peripherals" - are normally contained on cards of the PC card type, such as: static and dynamic memory (hard disk) expansion cards, network cards, cards for radio data transmission ("Bluetooth" and the like), modems, telephone modules, etc.

The connection between the jacket and the processing unit is again obtained by means of standardised interfaces using the expansion port of the apparatus, to which the same jacket is able to be applied.

These expansion jackets, which have a weight, dimensions and forms strictly dependent upon the apparatus to which they are to be applied, despite the fact that they may be provided with one or more additional batteries, are not in any way designed for use autonomously and separately from the processing unit for which they are intended. The solutions described hitherto are not without drawbacks and in practice have clearly demonstrated numerous operational limitations.

A serious problem which is common to all the solutions mentioned above is that of not having a medium carrier which is suitable for easy transportation and which allows at the same time easy and versatile use of the processing data contained in the said memories .

It is moreover known by everyone that, in the mobile telephone sector and in particular in connection with all portable apparatus, technological progress and the rapid pace of change is every day giving rise to increasingly innovative solutions aimed at increasing every type of operating performance .

It is known, moreover, that in current modern-day society the cellular phone has now assumed a role of fundamental importance in communication between persons, in fact becoming an indispensable means for many human activities .

Consequently, most people nowadays have a cellular phone which they always carry around with them; these cellular phones at present have inside them a memory which, for reasons of space, is fairly small in size and usually dedicated solely to carrying out the increasingly numerous operations required of the phone itself or its ancillary functions, such as for example management of a telephone address book or personal diary.

Precisely the need to expand the possibilities of use of cellular phones has in fact led to the development of numerous hybrid solutions such as, for example, those represented by some of the present palmtops or so-called "smart phones" which perform simultaneously the functions of telephones and actual computers .

In these cases also, however, the memory is still designed only with a view to allowing normal operation of the apparatus to which it is connected.

In this situation, the main object of the present invention is that of overcoming the drawbacks of the known art described- above by providing an electrical assembly, in particular for mobile telephone apparatus, which allows practical and safe transportation of a large quantity of memory, which at the same time can be easily accessed in any condition.

These and other objects are achieved by the electrical assembly, in particular for mobile telephone apparatus according to the present invention, provided in accordance with the claims which follow.

The characteristic features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description of a preferred example of embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of a non-limiting example with reference to the following figures in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mobile telephone apparatus associated with the electrical assembly provided in accordance with the invention; - Figure 2 is side view, with parts removed, of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a ^' perspective view of a detail of the apparatus shown in the preceding figures;

- Figure 4 is an exploded schematic side view of the electrical assembly according to the invention;

- Figure 5 is a top plan view of the _.assembly according to Figure 4 ;

Figures 6a and 6b are a schematic view of a further example of a mobile telephone apparatus with the assembly in question shown separately so that some details thereof may be seen more clearly;

- Figures 7, 8 and 9 show three schematic electrical circuits for operation of the electrical assembly in question. With reference to the said figures, A denotes in its entirety the electrical assembly according to the present inventio .

Said assembly, as will be explained more fully below, is able to be mechanically and operationally associated with any mobile telephone apparatus.

Below reference will be made, for the sake of simplicity of description, to an apparatus consisting of a cellular phone which is denoted by 1 in the accompanying drawings, it being understood, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the present invention, that the assembly A in question may be similarly associated with any other apparatus capable of being able to operate as a mobile telephone unit such as, for example, the products commercially known by the following names: smart phones, palmtops, PDAs (Personal

Digital Assistants) , handheld PCs, pocket PCs, organizers or other similar apparatus .

In accordance, therefore, with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 shows a mobile telephone apparatus 1 consisting of a cellular phone 1 which comprises a body 2 on which a display screen 3 and a keypad 4 are mounted in a manner conventional per se .

The body 2 also houses internally a circuit 5 - shown in broken lines in Figure 2 - for management of the telephone communication functions .

According to the present invention, the electrical assembly A may be removably incorporated in the cellular phone 1, in particular in place of the power supply unit provided, so as to form together therewith a single body.

The expression "single body" is understood as meaning advantageously that the assembly A forms a whole with the apparatus 1, of which the assembly A itself forms an integral part in such a way that, without the assembly A, the apparatus 1 is unable to function.

In more detail, the assembly A comprises essentially a power supply unit 7 which is able to supply power to the circuitry 5 of the cellular phone 1, by means of first electrical connection means 9, in particular for management of its telephone communication functions, and at least one hard disk mass memory unit 8 incorporated inside the assembly A and connected by means of second electrical means 10 to said power supply unit 7.

In accordance with a main characteristic feature of the present invention, the memory unit 8 is accessible from the outside independently of the circuitry 5 by means of first interface means 11 for the data read/write functions, both when the assembly A is incorporated in the cellular phone 1 and when it is separate therefrom. The mass memory unit 8 is of the type technically referred to as a "hard disk drive" with a high capacity and is distinguished by a high data access and retrieval speed, owing to the specific design technology which provides it with a high transfer speed (or so-called "transfer rate") which is particularly useful in the case of large quantities of stored data.

Obviously, the expression "hard disk memory unit" 8 is understood as meaning a memory unit provided with its own data read/write means - not shown since they are of a type known per se - provided with heads, memory disks moved by special as well as known mechanical, electromechanical and electronic handling components.

The incorporation of the abovementioned memory unit 8 inside the power supply unit 7 is such as to form an electrical component which is entirely novel in the mobile telephone sector and represented precisely by the assembly A in question.

The latter is structurally in the form of a single very compact body and may therefore be incorporated inside the cellular phones 1 by means of mechanical connection means 50, of the type for example entirely similar to those for mounting conventional extractable batteries onto cellular phones. In fact, the assembly A in question constitutes, in accordance with the present invention, a superior medium for supporting the hard disk memory unit 8, formed so as to be incorporated inside the cellular phones, improving at the same time the operating performance thereof .

It should be noted that, unlike the expansion jackets of the known type which can be mechanically and electrically connected externally to palmtop computers in order to increase their functional features, the assembly A in question is not an external element which is fastened to the apparatus 1 but instead forms a part thereof and a whole therewith indispensable for operation of the apparatus 1 itself.

In accordance with Figures 6a and 6b, the connection means 50 may consist of any already known fastening system and may, for example, envisage the use of plastic elements mechanically associated partly with the body of the cellular phone 1 and partly with the assembly A and able to snap-engage elastically together so as to removably keep the assembly A fixed to the cellular phone 1. The electrical assembly A in question is therefore in the form of a single assembly having dimensions comparable to those of a conventional battery.

Advantageously, in accordance with a preferred constructional solution illustrated in Figure 2, the power supply unit 7 is located between the circuitry 5 and the memory unit 8, when the assembly is incorporated in the cellular phone 1.

Consequently, the memory unit 8 is oriented substantially towards the outside of the bottom rear part of the cellular phone.

Therefore, with this configuration, the power supply unit 7 acts as a screen for the circuitry 5, and in particular for the microphone provided, as well as for the hard disk 8, allowing optimum operation without interference (in particular interference generated by radiofrequency) for both the components.

The power supply unit 7 also ensures limitation of the transmission of vibrations from the memory unit 8 to the cellular phone 1, due to the rotation of the hard disk and the associated actuating motor.

It should be noted, moreover, that the position of the memory unit 8 as conceived in particular in the two configurations according to Figures 2 and 3 allows a cellular phone to be obtained which is particularly well- balanced with optimum distribution of the weight and therefore basically very easy to handle.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment shown schematically in Figure 2, the assembly A constitutes essentially the cover 6 (i.e. the rear outer body) of the cellular phone 1 in which it is incorporated.

In any case the assembly A may be advantageously provided with its own support body 70 - for example composed of two shells 70a and 70b which can be joined together - carrying fixed inside it the power supply unit 7 and having a receiving compartment 61 inside which the memory unit 8 is preferably arranged in an accessible manner, as is schematically shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The same memory unit 8 is removably mounted on the power supply unit 7 by means of fastening means 60 shown schematically in Figures 4 and 5.

The memory unit 8 therefore needs to be connected to a power source in Order to be able to operate. In accordance with the present invention, said memory unit may be directly powered by the power supply unit 7 or by means of the power supplier (not shown) provided with the cellular phone 1 itself or also by means of the same interface means 11, as will be clarified more fully below.

It is advantageously envisaged that the memory unit 8 has a high capacity, for example 5 or 20 GB (gigabytes) . It is also characterized by a very small weight and overall size, for example in the region of a few tens of grammes within a volume also less than about ten cubic centimetres, such that the unit may be easily housed inside the electrical assembly A.

The hard disk memory unit 8 is accessible wherever the assembly 8 is located, by means of the abovementioned first interface means 11, preferably consisting of a port of the type currently distinguished by the abbreviation USB (Universal Serial Bus) or of the type distinguished by the term "Fire Wire" or also of the wireless type for local transmission of data via radio for example using the standards known as Bluetooth, 802.11a and 802.11b or other wide-band transmission systems. The memory data and if necessary also the electrical supply voltage signal for the hard disk memory 8 are therefore transferred via this interface port 11.

With reference to some possible electrical configurations of the present invention illustrated by way of a preferred example in Figures 7 to 9, the power supply unit of the assembly A is electrically connected by means of the first electrical connection means 9 to the circuitry 5 of the cellular phone 1. These first electrical connection means 9 comprise first cables for connecting together the cellular phone 1 and the power supply unit 7 indicated by 30 in the accompanying Figures 7 to 9.

From this point of view, therefore, the power supply unit of the assembly A behaves in a manner entirely similar to that of a normal battery of an ordinary cellular phone 1. From a functional point of view, therefore, on the one hand the unit 7 is able to power the circuitry 5 of the cellular phone 1 and on the other hand it can be recharged via the power supplier of the cellular phone 1 itself.

The power supply unit 7 is moreover connected in parallel by means of second electrical connection means 10 also to the interface port 11 which, being preferably of the USB or Fire Wire type, allows, as mentioned, conveying also of a voltage signal.

The second electrical connection means 10 also comprise an electrical connection 32 able to convey both memory signals and voltage signals between the interface port 11 and the memory unit 8. In this way, by means of the electrical configuration described, via the interface port connection 11, the memory unit 8 can therefore be interfaced with a personal computer for management of the functions of reading/writing of the data contained therein, for example for loading onto and/or unloading from this memory data documents in the form of files .

By means of the same interface port 11 it is also possible to both recharge the power supply unit 7 and power the memory unit 8. The possibility of having its own independent power supply allows the assembly A to communicate with any electronic processor (desktops, notebooks, palmtops, PDAs, handheld PCs, pocket PCs, organizers, etc.) and therefore provides the assembly A with an extremely high degree of versatility in terms of use.

In a preferred variant of the invention, additional second interface means 40 are also provided, said means interfacing the memory unit 8 and the circuitry 5 of the cellular phone 1 for management of transfer of data stored in the memory unit 8 from and to said circuitry 5.

In particular, in accordance with the example of embodiment illustrated in Figure 8, these second interface means 40 may consist of a module 34 for wireless transmission, such as "Bluetooth" for example, which is advantageously connected to the same interface port 11 so as to communicate with a corresponding module 35 provided on the cellular phone 1 or on any other apparatus possessing a wireless transmission system.

In accordance with a further constructional solution, these second interface means 40 may comprise the same first electrical connection means 9 which are provided for powering the circuitry 5 by means of the power supply unit 7.

In this case the transmission of the data between the memory unit 8 and the circuitry is performed essentially through the medium of the power supply cables 30 using the known modem transmission technology referred to as "power data" indicated schematically by two additional modules 36, 37 in Figure 9. Owing to this latter solution, the interface port 11 of the assembly A and the port of the cellular phone indicated by 38 remain free for other applications.

The possibility of data communication between the cellular phone 1 and the memory unit 8 proves to be particularly advantageous if the cellular phone 1 according to the invention is designed for digital telephone communication using the radio-mobile standard "GPRS" (General Packet Radio Service) or using the standard "UMTS" (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) . In the case of the UMTS standard, the provision of a hard disk memory is technically advantageous for example for storing and managing video files, using the so-called "streaming" technique for digitalisation and filing of video sequences. The invention therefore achieves the proposed objects, resulting in numerous advantages compared to the known solutions. Above all, the provision of a hard disk in a cellular apparatus, in addition to the very low weight, allows a high-capacity storage system to be incorporated in the single mobile telephone apparatus, allowing the user to move around with a hard disk able to perform all the specific functions of the storage systems commonly installed in computers of the desktop or portable type. Moreover, it may be a practical medium for storing computer data of the palmtop type.

With the cellular telephone equipped with the assembly A according to the invention it is therefore possible to have access at every moment, by means of connection to a computer, to a vast range of documents, information, data, plans, promotional material, photographs, drawings, diagrams, videos, music files, software and the like. The same possibility of access to the memory unit 8 by the cellular phone 1 allows the user of the latter to perform numerous operations, including, for example, that of playing games using a programs of considerable size.

Since the cellular phone is an instrument which is always within easy reach, the possibility of using it for transporting an assembly A with a memory unit 8, which is autonomous from the point of view of power owing to use of the power supply unit 7 otherwise intended solely for the cellular phone 1, allows the transportation of data and access thereto, at any moment and in a very easy manner . The high capacity advantageously allows any type of file to be saved wherever there is a computer or a system designed in accordance with present-day computer technology. The apparatus according to the invention may therefore be used to park data for easy transfer from computer to computer, from hard disk to hard disk and is therefore suitable, in a simple and functional manner, for the personal exchange of files, including large-size files .

Since the hard disk is preferably inserted inside the battery-carrying case, replacement is made easy and rapid and it is also possible to have different contents stored on several memory media.

The telephone apparatus according to the invention is therefore an advantageous means which can be transported and carried on one's person at all times and which can use at any moment every type of file, the data being able to be read, loaded onto and unloaded from any computer or other data processing system, being provided with a special port for an external hard disk, without any limitation in terms of the operations which can be performed, ensuring a performance, memory capacity, access times, data transfer speed and connection methods satisfying the level which is currently available and which can be further improved owing to the continuous progress of technology. The invention, in short, allows one to have always within easy reach, in a single telephone apparatus which is nowadays widespread, a memory medium which, connected to a computer, allows one to read and write as well as contain large quantities of data, making it simpler and easier to move and/or copy data and data processing documents of any kind and type from computer to computer .

Claims

1. Electrical assembly, capable of being removably incorporated in a mobile telephone apparatus (1) so as to form a single body therewith, said assembly (A) comprising:

- at least one power supply unit (7) able to power, by means of first electrical connection means (9) , a circuitry (5) in said apparatus (1) , in particular intended for management of the telephone communication functions;

- at least one mass memory unit (8) of the hard disk type incorporated in said assembly (A) and connected via second electrical connection means (10) to said power supply unit (7) , said memory unit (8) being accessible independently of said circuitry (5) by means of first interfacing means (11) for the data read/write functions, when said assembly (A) is incorporated in, or separate from, said apparatus (1) .

2. Power supply assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that said first interface means comprise a port of the USB type or a port of the Fire Wire type or also a connection port for wireless data transmission.

3. Power supply assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that said power supply unit (7) is located between said circuitry (5) and said memory unit (8) , when said assembly (8) is incorporated in said apparatus (1) . . Power supply assembly according to Claim 1 , characterized in that it forms essentially the cover (6) of said apparatus (1) in which it is incorporated.

5. Power supply assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a support body (70) carrying, fixed, said power supply unit (8) and provided with a receiving compartment inside which said memory unit (8) is inserted in an accessible manner.

6. Power supply assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that it comprises second interface means (40) interfacing said memory unit (8) and said circuitry (5) for managing transfer of data stored in said memory unit (8) from and to said circuitry (5) .

7. Telephone apparatus according to Claim 5, characterized in that said second interface means (40) comprise a modulus (34) for wireless data transmission capable of being connected to said first interface means (11) .

8. Telephone apparatus according to Claim 5 , characterized in that said second interface means (40) transmit the data by means of modem via said first electrical connection means 9.

9. Telephone apparatus according to Claim 6, in which said circuitry (5) is designed for management and/or storage of data resulting from digital telephone transmissions . 10. Telephone apparatus according to Claim 6, in which said digital telephone transmissions are performed in accordance with the standards "GPRS" or "UMTS".