Portable wind up DC generator

• US 20060119104A1
• Filed: 12/07/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jerrold R. Wall
• Original Assignee: Jerrold R. Wall
• Inventors: Wall, Jerrold R.
• Application Number:
  US11/005,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20060119104A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/2
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/32 for charging batteries from a charging set comprising a non-electric prime mover rotating at constant speed

Abstract

A portable wind up DC generator includes a housing with support elements and a carrying element. The housing may contain mounted therein and/or carried thereby a power input interface, a power output interface, a rechargeable battery, a wind up DC generator, a CPU, a memory, a removable flashlight, a light, a tape player, a CD player, a radio, a GPS receiver, and an antenna communicatively interconnected via a communication bus. The housing may also carry spare battery(s), a set of jumper cables; a portable tool, as well as any other utility items. The radio may receive AM, FM, marine band, shortwave, weather, aircraft, UHF, VHF, ham radio, or CB radio frequencies.

Claims

1. A portable wind up DC generator comprising:

a housing with support elements and a carrying element;

a power input interface;

a power output interface;

a rechargeable battery;

a DC generator;

a central processing unit (CPU);

a memory; and

a communication bus communicatively interconnecting the power input interface, power output interface, rechargeable battery, wind up DC generator, CPU, and memory.

2. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 1, wherein said housing is configured to enable a user to easily pick up and carry the portable wind up DC generator, and the housing includes a plurality of buttons/switches configured to enable a user to activate/deactivate accessories contained therein.

3. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 1, wherein said power input interface is configured to receive external AC/DC power from external AC/DC power sources.

4. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 3, wherein said power input interface comprises:

AC power input jacks configured to interconnect external AC power sources;

DC power input jacks configured to interconnect external DC power sources;

an AC/DC converter; and

a DC/AC converter;

whereby external AC power powers external AC accessories, external/internal DC accessories, and charges the internal rechargeable battery via the AC/DC converter, and whereby external DC power powers external AC accessories interconnected with and the power output interface via the DC/AC converter, and powers external/internal DC accessories, and charges the internal rechargeable battery.

5. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 1, wherein said power output interface is configured to enable external AC/DC accessories to be powered by power stored in the rechargeable battery, by power provided from an external power source, and by power developed from the DC generator after wind up of the DC generator.

6. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 5, wherein said power output interface comprises:

at least one DC outlet jack configured for interconnecting corresponding external DC and/or AC accessories;

at least one AC outlet jack configured for interconnecting corresponding external DC and/or AC accessories, an AC/DC converter, a DC/AC converter, and other associated power output interface circuitry;

a DC reset on/off switch; and

an AC reset switch;

whereby said power output interface provides output DC power at desired DC power levels.

7. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 5, wherein said rechargeable battery is configured to provide DC power for powering external/internal DC devices, and external AC accessories interconnected with the power output interface via an DC/AC converter, and the rechargeable battery is configured to be charged to a predetermined power level by receiving power from an external AC power source interconnected with the power input interface via the AC/DC converter, an external DC power source interconnected with the power input interface, and the DC generator.

8. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 1, wherein said DC generator is interconnected with a wind up handle via a cord, a wind up spring, and wind up gearing, is driven when the wind up spring unwinds through the windup gearing, and converts force stored by the wind up spring into outgoing DC power, and provides the outgoing DC power to the power output interface, the rechargeable battery, any internal accessories, and any externally accessories attached to the power output interface.

9. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 1, wherein said CPU is configured to process instructions received from application programs stored in the memory, and process data received from any interconnected/internal power sources, powered accessories, and the DC generator.

10. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 1, wherein said memory includes any combination of read only memory, random access memory, and non-volatile read/write memory.

11. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a removable flashlight;

a light;

a tape player;

a compact disc (CD) player;

a radio;

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver;

at least one speaker; and

an antenna,

whereby the removable flashlight, light, tape player, CD player, radio, GPS receiver, at least one speaker, and antenna are communicatively interconnected with the communication bus.

12. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 11, wherein said removable flashlight is configured to enable a user to retrieve the flashlight and use the flashlight at a location remote from the housing of the DC generator.

13. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 11, wherein said light comprises:

a flexible member to positionally adjust the light; and

a cover to aesthetically direct illuminated light in a particular direction,

whereby said light is configured to illuminate an area near the housing of the portable windup DC generator.

14. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 11, wherein said tape player comprises tape controls and a tape holder/slot, said tape player being configured to play a cassette tape.

15. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 14, wherein said tape controls comprise buttons for REWIND, STOP, PLAY, PAUSE, and FAST FORWARD.

16. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 11, wherein said CD player comprises CD controls and a CD holder/slot, said CD player being configured to play a CD.

17. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 11, wherein said radio includes radio receiver circuitry, a tuning display, and radio controls, said radio being configured to receive and play radio signals.

18. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 17, wherein said radio receiver circuitry is configured to receive AM, FM, marine band, shortwave, weather, aircraft, UHF, VHF, ham radio, or CB radio frequencies.

19. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 11, wherein said housing comprises a container with a removable cover fastenable to the housing by any type of fastener, said container being configured to store utility items.

20. The portable wind up DC generator according to claim 19, wherein said utility items include battery jumper cables and tools.