The Whitaker Corporation

Ira J Wells

Gary D Balon

A docking connector unit for connecting portable personal computers to various peripheral input/output (I/O) devices such as keyboard, monitor, printer, modem and mouse, comprises, in a first mode, two docking unit assemblies, one of which connects to the I/O ports of a computer, and comprises matching I/O ports and one component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector; the other of which comprises the other component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector, and I/O ports which duplicate the I/O ports of the computer. In a second mode, the first docking unit assembly is in effect permanently installed in the computer, so that the I/O ports of the computer are consolidated as one component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector. In the second mode, the docking connector unit of the invention comprises a component of a two-component consolidated electrical connector to match the component permanently installed in the computer, and I/O ports which substitute for the I/O ports of the computer. In either event, a high-density (at least about 25 conductors per square centimeter) consolidated electrical connector is preferred for use. The device provides for ease of disconnecting a collection of peripheral I/O equipment from a computer, and reconnecting either the same or another similarly configured computer to the same collection of peripheral I/O equipment.

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York, PA, United States of America

Ira J Wells