Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Robert C Hurbanis, Jr

Jeffrey Kevin Jeansonne

Tim L Zhang

Earl W Moore

Ronald E Deluga

James Luke Mondshine

Richard S Lin

Jeff Jeansonne

John Chow

Dan V Forlenza

Duane J Gatlin

A docking station for an electronic device senses the position of the electronic device and provides an electronically-generated feedback signal to a user indicating whether the device and the docking station are in proper alignment for docking. The sensing may optionally be accomplished by electrical contacts or may optionally be accomplished by sensing a magnetic field using a Hall effect sensor. The feedback signal may be visible or may be audible. The feedback signal may provide instructions to the user indicating which direction one of the components should be moved to achieve proper alignment. A simple backstop arrangement may provide proper alignment in one axis, while the feedback signal provides information about the alignment in a second axis, preferably generally orthogonal to the first. The electronic device may be a laptop portable computer.

Docking alignment sensor

A method and apparatus are disclosed for allowing a plurality of network connectors to utilize a single network controller within a docking station or portable device. A switching device connects the plurality of network connectors with the network controller. By connecting the network connectors into the switching device, the docking station and the portable device require a single network controller to handle the network communication. The switching device enables the network controller to continue to operate without disrupting the portable device when the network connection is changed from the docking station to the portable device or vice versa. The method and apparatus are useful in reducing the complexity of the total system while increasing functionality.

Port replication in an electronic device that allows for a single network controller

The present technique provides a multistage security system and method for physically securing a portable computing device and an attachable expansion device together or separately to an external fixture, such as a desk. A security structure, such as an internal lock structure, is disposed in one of the portable computing device and the attachable expansion device. An external device-to-fixture fastener is interlockable with the security structure in one of a plurality interlock stages, which facilitate separate or joint security of the portable computing device and the attachable expansion device using the one security structure. For example, the security structure may have first and second lock slots to lock the attachable expansion device to the external fixture, while the second lock slot also has an internal trigger mechanism to interlock the portable computing device to the attachable expansion device. One such trigger mechanism is a lockdown structure operably coupled to the docking mechanism of the attachable expansion device.

System and method for multistage security of portable computing device and attachable expansion device

A laptop computer system comprising an apparatus and related method for monitoring a battery gauge of a laptop computer and notifying the computer system user if the battery gauge is out of calibration by monitoring a calculated remaining battery capacity value in relation to a system battery charging or discharging such that if the calculated remaining battery capacity does not properly indicate a remaining charge capacity at either of a charge cycle of a system battery or discharge cycle of the system battery. If the battery gauge is out of calibration, a unique scan code identifying that a battery gauge calibration needs to be run is generated which triggers some form of user notification.

Method and apparatus to detect that the battery gauge is out of calibration

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Tomball, TX, United States of America

Robert C Hurbanis, Jr