Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Jospeh P. Lally
  • Patent number: 6196850
    Abstract: The problems identified above are in large part addressed by an docking assembly including an electronic device, a base piece, and a rotating piece. The base piece is electrically connected to at least one peripheral device. The rotating piece is intermediate between the electronic device and the base piece. The rotating piece enables rotational movement of the electronic device with respect to the base piece while maintaining electrical contact between one or more signal carriers of the electronic device and corresponding signal carriers of one or more peripheral devices. The assembly may include a set of conductive bearings at an upper surface of the base piece. In this embodiment, each conductive bearing is in electrical contact with a corresponding signal carrier in the base piece. The rotating piece may include an annular conductive element at a lower surface of the rotating piece. The conductive element is in contact with a corresponding bearing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy Alan Dietz, Carol Angela Logan