Inductively chargeable earbud case

• US 10,390,594 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2018
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Brzezinski, Makiko K., Walton, Christopher J., Graham, Christopher S., Wagman, Daniel C., Jol, Eric S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US16/228,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20190110567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 250 Days
• Field of Search: 455573
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/24 Etuis for purposes not covered by a single one of groups A45C11/02 - A45C11/22, A45C11/26, A45C11/32 - A45C11/38
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/02 Interior fittings; Means, e.g. inserts, for holding and packing articles
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2013/025 for holding portable computers or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00

Abstract

A case a portable listening device. The case includes a housing having an interior space to receive the portable listening device; a lid attached to the housing; a rechargeable battery and first and second wireless power receiving elements configured to receive electric charge from a wireless power transmitter during a charging event. The case further includes switching circuitry that is configured to disable one of the first or second wireless power receiving elements during a charging event when the disabled element is receiving power less efficiently than the other element.

Claims

1. A case for a pair of earbuds, the case comprising:

a housing having first and second cavities formed within the housing, the first cavity sized and shaped to hold a left earbud in the pair of earbuds and the second cavity sized and shaped to hold a right earbud in the pair of earbuds;

a lid attached to the housing and operable between a closed position where the lid is aligned over the first and second cavities and an open position where the first and second cavities are exposed enabling the pair of earbuds to be removed from or placed within the case;

a connector having a connector cavity with an opening at the bottom surface of the case and a plurality of contacts positioned within the opening;

a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing;

one or more wireless power receiving elements disposed within the housing and configured to receive electric charge from a wireless power transmitter during a charging event in which the case is positioned proximate to the wireless power transmitter; and

a charging system operatively coupled to receive power from the one or more wireless power receiving elements and transfer the received power to the rechargeable battery.

2. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 1 wherein the one or more wireless power receiving elements comprises a stranded coil.

3. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 1 wherein the one or more wireless power receiving elements comprise a pancake-like coil.

4. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 1 wherein one or more wireless power receiving elements include first and second wireless power receiving elements each comprising a solenoid coil.

5. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 4 wherein the first and second wireless power receiving elements are electrically connected in parallel.

6. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 4 wherein the first and second wireless power receiving elements are independently rectified.

7. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 1 wherein the lid is coupled to the housing by a hinge and the case comprises a plurality of magnetic elements disposed within the housing and the lid, the plurality of magnetic elements configured to secure the lid in the closed position and to resist the lid moving from the open to the closed position.

8. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 1 wherein the connector comprises a mini-USB connector that can transfer power to the case.

9. A case for a pair of earbuds, the case comprising:

a housing having first and second opposing major surfaces, first and second opposing sidewalls extending between the first and second major surfaces, a bottom surface extending between the first and second major surfaces and between the first and second sidewalls, and first and second cavities formed within the housing, the first cavity configured to receive a first earbud in the pair of earbuds and the second cavity configured to receive a second earbud in the pair of earbuds;

a lid attached to the second major surface of the housing and operable between a closed position where the lid is aligned over the first and second cavities and an open position where the first and second cavities are exposed enabling the pair of earbuds to be removed from or placed within the case;

a connector having a connector cavity with an opening at the bottom surface of the case and a plurality of contacts positioned within the opening;

a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing;

one or more wireless power receiving elements positioned adjacent to the bottom surface, the one or more wireless power receiving elements configured to receive electric charge from a wireless power transmitter during a charging event in which the case is positioned proximate to the wireless power transmitter; and

a charging system operatively coupled to receive power from the first and second wireless power receiving elements and transfer the received power to the rechargeable battery.

10. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 9 wherein the one or more wireless power receiving elements comprise a first wireless power receiving coil and a second wireless power receiving coil.

11. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 10 wherein the first and second wireless power receiving coils are connected in series.

12. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 11 further comprising switching circuitry coupled to the charging system and configured to, during the charging event, switch the phase of one of the first or second wireless power receiving coils by 180 degrees.

13. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 12 wherein the switching circuitry comprises a plurality of rectifiers that independently rectify the first and second wireless power receiving coils.

14. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 9 wherein the connector comprises a mini-USB connector that can transfer power to the case.

15. A case for a portable listening device, the case comprising:

a housing having an interior space to receive the portable listening device;

a processor disposed within the housing;

a magnet disposed within the housing;

a lid attached to the housing by a hinge and operable between a closed position where the lid is aligned over the interior space and an open position where interior space is exposed enabling the portable listening device to be removed from the interior space;

a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing;

a wireless power receiving module comprising;

(i) a wireless power receiving element positioned within the housing, the first wireless power receiving element configured to receive electric charge from a wireless power transmitter during a charging event in which the case is positioned proximate to the wireless power transmitter, and (ii) a ferrite plate disposed between the wireless power receiving element and the processor; and

a charging system operatively coupled to receive power from the wireless power receiving element and transfer the received power to the rechargeable battery.

16. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 15 wherein the wireless power receiving module comprises a stranded coil.

17. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 15 wherein the wireless power receiving module comprises a coil formed on a flex circuit.

18. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 15 wherein the one or more wireless power receiving elements comprise a pancake-like coil.

19. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 15 wherein the case comprises first and second magnets positioned on opposite sides of the housing adjacent to the hinge and the ferrite plate covers the wireless power receiving element except at a first location adjacent to the first magnet and a second location adjacent to the second magnet.

20. The case for a pair of earbuds set forth in claim 19 wherein:

the case comprises third and fourth magnets positioned on opposite sides of the lid adjacent to the hinge and adjacent to the first and second magnets, respectively, when the lid is in the closed position;

the first magnet repels the third magnet and the second magnet repels the fourth magnet when the lid is in the closed position; and

the first magnet attracts the third magnet and the second magnet attracts the fourth magnet when the lid is in the closed position.