FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a system for connecting a portable device to an apparatus. The invention also relates to an apparatus comprising said system.

The invention may for example be used in the field of portable devices adapted to be connected to a docking station.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nowadays, an increasing number of portable devices like mobile phones, MP3/MP4 players, PC tablets are used in combination with a docking apparatus, such as a docking speaker, for charging the battery, transferring various multimedia, audio/video data to be played by the apparatus. However, since those portable devices are developed by different companies, the design (size, thickness...) of those portable devices is very different from one model to another, which may affect the connectivity of those portable devices with the apparatus. Although the electrical connection between the portable devices and the apparatus most of the time follows a given standard, for example the USB standard by using a male USB connector in the apparatus cooperating with a USB female connector in the portable device, there exists no standard regarding the positioning of those connectors in the portable devices. As a consequence, the connection between a given portable device and a given apparatus may not always be possible. For example, this is the case when the orientation of the connector in the portable device is not the same as that of the connector in the apparatus (e.g. connectors are flipped-over). Also, even in the case that the connection between the portable device and the apparatus is possible, if the position of the connector in the portable device does not match with the position of the connector in the apparatus, as illustrated by Fig.1 where the connectors are placed at different locations on the sides of different portable devices, it is possible that, in the connected state, the portable device is not centred properly with respect to the apparatus, which adversely affects the aesthetics of the assembly. OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to propose an improved system for connecting a portable device to an apparatus. The invention is defined by the independent claims. The dependent claims define advantageous embodiments.

To this end, the system according to the invention comprises a bracket for receiving a plug intended to connect said portable device. The system further comprises:

- a first rotation mechanism for rotating the bracket with respect to a first axis,

- a second rotation mechanism for rotating the bracket with respect to a second axis, said second axis being perpendicular to said first axis, and

- a sliding mechanism for translating the bracket along a third axis, said third axis being parallel to said second axis.

This system defines a universal docking mechanism which allows users to easily dock various portable devices having different sizes, and different locations and orientations of the plug (e.g. micro USB socket).

Detailed explanations and other aspects of the invention will be given below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The particular aspects of the invention will now be explained with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter and considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which identical parts or sub-steps are designated in the same manner:

Fig. l depicts the positioning of plugs on two different portable devices,

Fig.2 depicts an exploded view of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention,

Fig.3 depicts a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention,

Fig.4 depicts a zoomed-in cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention,

Fig.5 depicts cross-sectional views of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention in two different positions,

Fig.6 depicts an exploded view of a second embodiment of a system according to the invention, Fig.7 depicts a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a system according to the invention,

Fig.8 depicts a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a system according to the invention,

Fig.9 depicts a zoomed-in cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a system according to the invention,

Fig.10 depicts a third cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a system according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a system for connecting a portable device to an apparatus. The portable device may correspond to any device adapted to be connected to an apparatus playing the role of docking station, such as MP3/MP4 players, PC tablets. The portable device is intended to be docked into the apparatus, for example for charging the battery, transferring various multimedia, audio/video data to be played by the apparatus.

The system according to the invention comprises a cradle having a plug mounted therein for connecting said portable device. The system comprises:

- a first rotation mechanism for rotating the bracket with respect to a first axis,

- a second rotation mechanism for rotating the bracket with respect to a second axis, said second axis being perpendicular to said first axis, and

- a sliding mechanism for translating the bracket along a third axis, said third axis being parallel to said second axis. Fig.2 and Fig.6 depict an exploded view of a first and a second embodiment, respectively, of a system according to the invention. The first axis is referred to as Al, and the cradle can rotate around the first axis Al, as illustrated by bidirectional arrow Rl . The second axis is referred to as A2. The cradle can rotate around the second axis A2, as illustrated by bidirectional arrow R2. Also, the cradle can translate along a third axis A3 as illustrated by bidirectional arrow T, the third axis A3 coinciding with the second axis A2 in this first embodiment. As will be explained in the following, the system according to the invention allows the bracket to operate a combination of rotations R1/R2 and translation T. The plug which is mounted in the cradle can for example correspond to a plug compliant with the USB standard, such as a micro USB plug. For the sake of clarity, the electrical wires attached to the plug will not be represented in the various figures. Fig.2-3-4 depict a first embodiment of a system according to the invention. Fig.2 depicts an exploded view, Fig.3 depicts a cross-sectional view, Fig.4 depicts a zoomed-in cross-sectional view. For the sake of clarity, only the cabinet 19 of the apparatus is depicted, which may correspond to the top of the apparatus.

The first rotation mechanism comprises:

- a bracket 12,

- a cover element 15 used to close the lower part of the bracket 12,

- a shaft portion S connected to a plug 11, the plug being intended to be connected to the portable device. The shaft portion S extends down the bracket 12 and cooperates with a hole formed in the cover element 15 to form a rotatable connection with respect to the first axis Al . Preferably, the shaft portion S is cylindrical-shaped to facilitate the rotation around the first axis Al .

The first rotation mechanism allows users to manually rotate the plug 11 with respect to the first axis Al .

The second rotation mechanism comprises:

- a supporting element 18 intended to be fixed to the cabinet 19,

- a shaft 16 passing through two holes in the supporting element 18. The shaft 16 is for example kept in position with the supporting element 18 by two C-clips 114. The shaft 16 cooperates with the bracket via extended legs EL formed at the back of the bracket, the extended legs EL having holes to receive the shaft. Thus, the shaft 16 and the extended legs EL form a rotatable connection with respect to the second axis A2.

The sliding mechanism comprises:

- the supporting element 18,

- the shaft 16. The shaft 16 cooperates with the bracket via the extended legs EL, so that the bracket can translate along the third axis A3. The shaft 16 thus allows the bracket not only to rotate but also to translate along the second axis A2.

Advantageously, the first rotation mechanism of the first embodiment according to the invention is adapted to rotate the plug at predefined angles that are 180 degrees apart with respect to the first axis Al . To this end, as illustrated in Fig.4, the shaft portion S comprises two flat areas F1/F2 arranged opposite one another around the shaft portion S. The first rotation mechanism also comprises a spring 13, preferably U-shaped, placed in the cavity formed by the bracket and the cover element 15. The spring 13 creates a radial pinching force on the two flat areas F1/F2, so that the shaft portions S can easily be stabilized at predefined angular positions around the first axis Al, preferably 0 degrees or 180 degrees. The plug 11 , together with the shaft portion S, can thus be rotated manually by users through 180 degrees around the centre of the bracket, with respect to the first axis Al, so that a portable device can be easily connected to the plug 11.

Advantageously, the first rotation mechanism of the first embodiment according to the invention comprises a metal clip 14 placed in between the bracket and the cover element to hold the spring 13 in position.

Advantageously, as depicted in the two cross-sections AA of Fig.5, based on Fig.3, the first rotation mechanism of the first embodiment according to the invention comprises an arrangement to limit the rotation within a range of 180 degrees. To this end, the arrangement comprises a rib RBI on the cover element 15 and a rib RB2 on the shaft portion S, the rib RBI acting as a stopper for the rib RB2. This precludes that users rotate the plug many times in the same direction around the first axis Al, which could damage the electrical wires connected to the plug. The left cross-section represents the plug at an angular position of 0 degrees, while the right cross-section represents the plug at an angular position of 180 degrees.

Advantageously, the second rotation mechanism of the first embodiment according to the invention comprises a torsion spring 17, or a plurality of torsion springs, in which the shaft 16 is placed and can rotate freely. A first end of the torsion spring comes into contact with the bracket, and a second end of the torsion spring comes into contact with the cabinet 19. As a result, the torsion spring creates a force such that the bracket 12 is forced to rotate clockwise around the second axis A2. This allows the portable device 112, when connected to the plug, to lean steadily against a support 110 mounted in the apparatus, preferably via a rubber bumper 111, irrespective of its size and thickness. It is noted that the support 110 is not necessarily a separate part, as illustrated here, but could also be part of the apparatus cabinet itself.

Advantageously, the first embodiment of a system according to the invention comprises an arrangement for hiding a hollow part of the apparatus in which the plug is intended to translate along the third axis A3. This is intended to provide a better aesthetical effect. To this end, the arrangement comprises a sheet element 113 covering the hollow part. The sheet element 113 is attached to the plug 11 or to the shaft portion S. For example, the sheet element 113 is made of soft material, such as rubber or plastic. The sheet element 113 can slide, together with the plug, just below the surface of the cabinet 19. The length of sheet element 113 thus is about twice the length of the hole formed in the cabinet 19, to make sure that when the plug is translated to the extreme right side of the hollow part, the sheet element 113 can still cover the extreme left side of the hollow part, and vice versa.

Figs.6-7-8-9- 10 depict a second embodiment of a system according to the invention. Fig.6 depicts an exploded view, Fig.7 depicts a first cross-sectional view, Fig.8 depicts a second cross-sectional view, Fig.9 depicts a zoomed- in cross-sectional view, Fig.10 depicts a third cross-sectional view. For the sake of clarity, only the cabinet 29 of the apparatus is depicted, which may correspond to the top of the apparatus.

The first rotation mechanism comprises:

- a bracket 22,

- a shaft portion S connected to a plug 21, the plug being intended to be connected to the portable device. The shaft portion S extends downwards and cooperates with a hole formed in the bracket 22 to form a rotatable connection with respect to the first axis Al . A clip 24 retains the lower part of shaft portion S in position to prevent that the shaft portion S comes out of the bracket 22. Preferably, the shaft portion S is cylindrical-shaped to facilitate rotation around the first axis Al .

The first rotation mechanism allows users to manually rotate the plug 21 with respect to the first axis Al . The second rotation mechanism comprises:

- the bracket 22, on the sides of which extend two cylindrical-shaped arms AR1 and AR2, as better illustrated in Figs.8-9,

- a front element 25 and a back element 215 cooperating with one another to enclose the bracket 22, for example by using a self-clip male/female assembly. In particular, side walls of the front element 25 and the back element 215 enclose the two cylindrical-shaped arms AR1 and AR2 to form a hinge allowing rotation with respect to the second axis A2, the second axis passing through the centre of the cylindrical-shaped arms AR1 and AR2.

The sliding mechanism comprises:

- a supporting element 28 intended to be fixed to the cabinet 29, for example by screw SW,

- a shaft 26 passing through two holes H1/H2 formed at the back side of the supporting element 28. The shaft 26 defines a third axis A3 parallel to the second axis A2. The shaft 26 is for example kept in position together with the supporting element 28 by two C-clips 216. The shaft 26 cooperates with the back element 215 via extended legs EL placed at the back of the back element 215. Holes are formed in the extended legs EL for receiving the shaft 26, so that the back element 215 can translate with respect to the shaft 26 along the third axis A3. Since the back element 215 is attached to the front element 25 which encloses the bracket 22, this arrangement also allows translating the plug with respect to the shaft 26 along the third axis A3.

Advantageously, similarly to the first embodiment according to the invention, the first rotation mechanism of the second embodiment according to the invention is adapted to rotate the plug at predefined angles that are 180 degrees apart with respect to the first axis Al . To this end, as illustrated in Fig.9, the shaft portion S comprises two flat areas F1/F2 formed and placed on opposite sides around the shaft portion S. The first rotation mechanism also comprises a spring 23, preferably U-shaped, placed in the cavity formed by the front element 25 and a back element 215. The spring 23 creates a radial pinching force on the two flat areas F1/F2, so that the shaft portion S can easily be stabilized at predefined angular positions around the first axis Al, preferably 0 degrees or 180 degrees. The spring 23 is preferably placed in between the clip 24 and the bracket 22, so that the clip 24 maintains the spring 23 in position. The plug 21, together with the shaft portion S, can thus be rotated manually by users through 180 degrees around the centre of the bracket, with respect to the first axis Al, so that a portable device can be easily connected to the plug 21.

Advantageously, the first rotation mechanism of the second embodiment according to the invention comprises an arrangement to limit the rotation within a range of 180 degrees. To this end, the arrangement comprises a rib RB 1 on the front element 25 and a rib RB2 on the shaft portion S, the rib RBI acting as a stopper for the rib RB2, to prevent the plug from rotating through more than 180 degrees. This prevents users from rotating the plug many times in the same direction around the first axis Al, which could damage the electrical wires connected to the plug. This preferred solution is implemented in a way similar to that shown in Fig.5.

Advantageously, the second rotation mechanism of the second embodiment according to the invention comprises a pair of torsion springs 27 in which the cylindrical-shaped arms AR1 and AR2 are placed and can rotate freely. A first end of the torsion springs comes into contact with the bracket 22, and a second end of the torsion springs comes into contact with a bottom part of the front element 25. As a result, the torsion springs create a force such that the bracket 22 is forced to rotate clockwise around the second axis A2. This allows the portable device 212, when connected to the plug, to lean steadily against a support 210 mounted in the apparatus, preferably via a rubber bumper 211, irrespective of its size and thickness. It is noted that the support 210 is not necessarily a separate part, as illustrated, but could also be part of the apparatus cabinet itself.

Advantageously, the second embodiment of a system according to the invention comprises a mechanism to prevent the plug from rotating around the third axis A3. To this end, the supporting element 28 comprises a gutter G formed on the front side of the front element 25, and the front element comprises a rib RB3 at its front part. The rib RB3 is intended to enter the gutter, irrespective of the position of the front element 25 along the third axis A3.

Advantageously, the second embodiment of a system according to the invention comprises an arrangement for hiding a hollow part of the apparatus in which the plug is intended to translate along the third axis A3. This arrangement is intended to provide a better aesthetical effect. To this end, the arrangement comprises two rollers 214 mounted onto the supporting element 28, and a rubber band 213 which can rotate around the rollers. The rubber band 213 is attached to the plug 21 or to the shaft portion S in a hole HP formed in the rubber band. When the plug translates along the third axis A3, it also translates the rubber band so that the hollow part is always hidden.

Advantageously, the second embodiment of a system according to the invention comprises an arrangement to give rigidity to the rubber band 213. To this end, this arrangement comprises a supporting strip 221 attached to the supporting element 28 via holes H1/H2. The supporting strip extends just below the rubber band 213, and overlaps the rubber band just enough to prevent it from contacting the back element 215 during a translation movement of the plug.

Advantageously, the second embodiment of a system according to the invention comprises an arrangement for positioning the portable device in a horizontal position when it is connected to the plug. To this end, the arrangement comprises a support bar consisting of a lower support bar 217 and an upper support bar 220 cooperating with one another, for example, via a male/female self-clip connection, and being attached to the shaft portion S. The arrangement also comprises, accommodated inside the support bar, a pair of knobs 218 and a pair of pistons 219 cooperating with the knobs. When a given knob 218 is rotated by users, the associated piston 219 is moved up or down vertically in a direction parallel to the first axis Al, as illustrated by arrows UD1/UD2 in Fig.10, until the portable device 212 is supported horizontally by the corresponding piston. This prevents damaging the plug 21 by excessive tilting due to the weight of the portable device resting on the side of said piston.

The system according to the invention may advantageously be implemented in a docking apparatus (e.g. docking station) for docking any portable device of the type described above. The system according to the invention can for example be implemented in a docking speaker, audio products like micro and mini systems, clock radios, CD sound machines with dock, etc. In particular, the system according to the invention can be used in any electronic products with docks for portable devices which use micro USB sockets for charging and/or transferring data and/or transferring audio or video signal.

The above embodiments as described herein are only illustrative, and not intended to limit the technique approaches of the present invention. Although the present invention is described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that the technique approaches of the present invention can be modified or equally displaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the technique approaches of the present invention, which will also fall within the protective scope of the claims of the present invention. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.