The present invention provides a tablet computer and a docking station assembly.
This docking station includes a docking assembly for positioning with three degrees
of freedom and having a data connector for mechanically supporting and interfacing
with the tablet computer. A support member couples the docking assembly to an expansion
base. The base includes a number of ports for interfacing with a variety of peripheral
devices or power supplies. These varieties of ports mount to a printed circuit
board contained within the expansion base. A flexible printed circuit (FPC) combines
the signal pathways for the variety of ports, allowing the signal pathways to travel
from the printed circuit board and to the data connector. The tablet computing
device has a plurality of contact or touch points positioned on the right and left
edges of the tablet to facilitate aligning the tablet to the docking assembly in
either a landscape or portrait mode.
