Elevationally adjustable portable computer docking station

A docking station for use in operatively coupling a portable computer to a desktop computer peripheral device, the portable computer having a first electrical docking connector disposed in the base housing, said docking station comprising:

• a housing having a wall portion upon which the portable computer may be placed, said housing being restable on a horizontal support surface;
• a second electrical docking connector carried by said housing and being releasably mateable with the first electrical docking connector;
• and
• a tilt adjustment structure carried by said housing and being operative to selectively adjust the angle between said wall portion and the horizontal support surface when said housing is placed thereon, said tilt adjustment structure including:
• a support member associated with said housing for movement relative thereto among a series of different positions and being engageable with the horizontal support surface, and a spring-loaded clutch structure operable to releasably lock said support member in a selectively variable one of said series of different positions, wherein said spring-loaded clutch structure has a lever portion squeezable against said housing to temporarily disengage a selective engagement of intermeshed arrays of teeth disposed on, and between, said spring-loaded clutch structure and a portion of said support member.

A docking station for use in operatively coupling a portable computer to a desktop computer peripheral. device, the portable computer having a base structure, a display movably coupled to the base structure via a joint structure, and a first electrical docking connector disposed in the base housing, said docking station comprising:

• a housing having a wall portion upon which the base structure may be placed, such that the joint structure is operable to facilitate movement of the display to a desired viewing orientation relative to the base structure, said housing being restable on a horizontal support surface;
• a second electrical docking connector carried by said housing and being releasably mateable with the first electrical docking connector;
• and
• a tilt adjustment structure carried by said housing and being operative to selectively adjust the angle between said wall portion and the horizontal support surface when said housing is placed thereon, said tilt adjustment structure including:
• a support foot member carried by said housing and being pivotable relative to said housing among a series of different pivotal orientations and being engageable with the horizontal support surface in said series of different pivotal orientations to variably prop up said housing thereon, and
• a manually operable clutch system for selectively engaging a portion of said support foot member and releasably locking said support foot member in a selectively variable one of said series of pivotal orientations, said manually operable clutch system having an actuator to temporarily disengage a selective engagement of intermeshed arrays of teeth disposed on, and between, said manually operable clutch system and a portion of said support member.

A docking station for use in operatively coupling a portable computer to a desktop computer peripheral device, the portable computer having a first electrical docking connector disposed in the base housing, said docking station comprising:

• a housing having a wall portion upon which the portable computer may be placed, said housing being restable on a horizontal support surface;
• a second electrical docking connector carried by said housing and being releasably mateable with the first electrical docking connector;
• and
• a tilt adjustment structure carried by said housing and being operative to selectively adjust the angle between said wall portion and the horizontal support surface when said housing is placed thereon, said tilt adjustment structure including:
• a support foot member carried by said housing and being pivotable relative to said housing among a series of different pivotal orientations and being engageable with the horizontal support surface in said series of different pivotal orientations to variably prop up said housing thereon, said support foot member having spaced apart first series of clutch teeth thereon;
• and
• a manually operable clutch system for selectively engaging a portion of said support foot member and releasably locking said support foot member in a selectively variable one of said series of pivotal orientations, said clutch system including:
• first and second opposed clutch members carried by said housing for movement toward and away from one another and having second series of clutch teeth thereon which oppose said first series of clutch teeth,
• spring structures resiliently biasing said first and second clutch members toward one another to positions in which said second series of clutch teeth are lockingly intermeshed with said first series of clutch teeth, and
• manually operable force exerting members associated with said clutch members and useable to move them away from one another against the biasing forces of said spring structures.