Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

Compaq Information Technologies Group, L.p.

James J Ganthier

William R Dorr

John Howard Loudenslager

Belgie B McClelland

John A Landry

Shab H Madina

H Scott Estes

Gregory A Starks

Celia M Francis

Andrew M Bauman

Ming-Jen Hsin

Troy Anthony Della Fiora

George R Daniels

Belgie B McClelland, Ii

Kevin W Mundt

William Caldwell Crosswy

Michael T Gill

Eric S Brauel

Sean Burke

Kirk D Ulery

Micro server

Microserver

A wireless network permits wireless devices to determine their own location and receive location-based services. The network includes a communication server coupled to a plurality of access points and at least one mobile wireless device that wirelessly communicates through the access points. Each wireless device includes a location table through which the wireless device can determine its physical location. The location table includes the physical location of the various access points indexed by their network addresses. When the wireless device communicates with an access point, the access point provides the wireless device its address. The wireless device uses the address of the access point as an index into the location table to determine its own location based on the location of the access point. Once the wireless device has determined its own physical location, it requests location-based services from or through the communication server.

Location determination in a wireless communication network

Server

A computer having a control panel for directly controlling software and hardware of the computer, eliminating the necessity of navigating software to control such functions. These direct controls can include audio CD controls, telephone answering machine controls, instructional software controls, power setting controls, and volume controls.

Ergonomic controls for a personal computer CPU

A computer system including a monitor which mechanically and electrically receives a peripheral device such as a camera. A top surface of the monitor includes a recessed portion into which the peripheral device mounts. A pair of tabs in the recessed portion engage recesses in the peripheral device securely affixing the peripheral device to the monitor. The monitor also includes an electrical connector that automatically mates with a connector on the peripheral device when the peripheral device is mounted in the recessed portion of the monitor, thereby establishing electrical connectivity between the peripheral device and the computer system. The mounting arrangement securely affixes the peripheral device and obviates the need for the user to connect the peripheral device to the computer by way of an external cable.

Universal mount for computer peripheral device

A computer system including a modular keyboard assembly allows input device modules to be inserted into the keyboard assembly. The modular keyboard assembly includes a plurality of recessed opening in which an input device module can be inserted. A connector on the input device module mates with a connector in the recessed opening, thereby providing electrical contact between the input device module and the keyboard assembly. Each input device module can be replaced by the user with a different input device module providing flexibility to the user as well as minimizing the amount of cabling that typically confronts the user. A controller in the keyboard assembly determines the types of input device modules coupled to the keyboard assembly.

Modular keyboard for use in a computer system

A printed circuit board modular assembly is disclosed. The disclosed invention comprises a first printed circuit board having an electronic terminal portion for providing electrical connection to the first printed circuit board; a second printed circuit board having an electrical terminal portion for providing electrical connection to the second printed circuit board; a spacing member disposed between the first and second printed circuit boards; and electrical signal transmission contacts situated on the spacing member for providing electrical connection between the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board.

Method of manufacturing board-to-board connector

Board-to-board connector including an insulative spacer having a

The main system printed circuit board of a computer is mounted on a tray structure that also supports other CPU components of the computer and is removably insertable into the housing portion of the computer. A specially designed card edge connector portion of the system board is operatively insertable into a socketed connector on another circuit board interiorly mounted within the housing. Electrically conductive signal fingers and grounding fingers are respectively mounted on first and second sides of the card edge, with the signal fingers being connected to the signal plane of the system board, and the grounding fingers being connected to its ground plane. A sacrificial grounding pad is positioned on the second side of the edge connector portion, between the grounding pads and its leading edge, and is initially engaged by the internal connector contact strips, as the card edge is being inserted into the connector, to equalize any voltage potential between the two circuit boards before the contact strips engage the signal and grounding fingers The grounding pad thus eliminates the necessity of incorporating clamping diodes in the system board circuitry to avoid ESD damage to its components. The initially engageable grounding pad also serves as a sacrificial contact wear member that lengthens the connectivity life of the system board by diminishing the mechanical wear-away of the signal and grounding fingers.

Card edge interconnect apparatus for printed circuit boards

A pair of surface mountable electrical component interconnect devices are mounted in a back-to-back relationship on opposite side surfaces of a printed circuit board using specially designed elongated fastening structures that longitudinally extend through mounting holes in the circuit board and corresponding openings in the support board portions of the interconnect devices. Each of the fastening structures is of a plastic material and comprises male and female telescopingly engageable longitudinal sections, provided with enlarged head portions, that may be simply snapped together in an axial direction to create a firm locking engagement between annular exterior and interior barb portions respectively formed on the male and female sections. The female sections are also provided with annular exterior barbs which may be snapped through the circuit board mounting holes to hold one of the interconnect devices on the board while the other interconnect device is being attached by snapping the male fastener portions into their associated, in-place female portions. The enlarged heads on the fastener structure sections function to press spaced apart conductor portions of the interconnect devices against electrically conductive contact areas surface mounted on the opposite sides of the printed circuit board.

Interconnect device mounting apparatus for printed circuit boards

A surface mountable insulation displacement type connector for electrically coupling an end portion of a connector ribbon to a spaced series of surface mounted electrically conductive contact pads on a printed circuit board has an elongated base portion through which the central body sections of a longitudinally spaced series of metal contactor pins transversely and slidably extend. The pin body sections have bifurcated, barbed top end portions disposed above a top side of the connector base portion, and transversely enlarged bottom end portions disposed below the bottom side of the base portion. The base portion is secured to the circuit board by soldering the bottom pin end portions to the baord contact pads, with the slidable mounting of the pin body sections automatically compensating for board surface height variations in the region of the surface contact pads. An elongated clamping portion of the connector is snapped onto the base portion to downwardly force the ribbon end portion onto the upper pin ends, thereby locking the ribbon end portion in place on the connector and causing the barbed portions of the upper pin ends to upwardly pierce the ribbon insulation and be brought into conductive contact with its spaced series of embedded electrically conductive wires.

Space-saving insulation displacement type interconnect device for

The projecting underside connector portions on an electrical component are removably connected to surface mounted electrical contact points on one side of a printed circuit board using a specially designed interconnect device. The interconnect device includes a support board through which a spaced series of openings transversely extend, the openings being alignable with the component connector portions and the surface mounted contact points. Barrel portions of longitudinally resilient, electrically conductive connector pin members are anchored within the support board openings and have recessed first end portions positioned adjacent a first side of the support board and configured to removably receive and firmly hold the electrical component connector portions. Projecting outwardly beyond the second side of the support board are spring-loaded, longitudinally depressible second end portions of the connector pin members. To use the interconnect device, the electrical component connector portions are plugged into the open pin member barrel ends and peripheral portions of the support board are removably secured to the printed circuit board in a manner holding the second pin member end portions in longitudinally depressed engagement with the surface mounted electrical contact points. Compared to conventional 'through-hole' component mounting methods, this interconnect method leaves the interior and opposite side surface portions of the circuit board beneath the mounted component free for additional circuitry for other components if desired.

Space-saving mounting interconnection between electrical components and

Growing community of inventors

Spring, TX, United States of America

James J Ganthier