Induction charger for portable battery-powered devices

• US 20090102416A1
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WIU LLC
• Original Assignee: WIU LLC
• Inventors: Burley, Cameron D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,026,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A charging apparatus for a portable battery-powered device, including one or more of the following: a receiver that inserts into a charging jack of the portable battery-powered device, an outer casing that removably receives the portable battery-powered device and the receiver, and a battery cell contained within the outer casing that inductively charges the portable battery-powered device through the receiver. In various exemplary embodiments, the charging apparatus includes a charging base that inductively charges the battery cell when the outer casing is placed upon the charging base.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus for a portable battery-powered device, comprising:

a receiver that inserts into a charging jack of the portable battery-powered device;

an outer casing that removably receives the portable battery-powered device and the receiver; and

a battery cell contained within the outer casing that inductively charges the portable battery-powered device through the receiver.

2. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiver monitors the current power level of the portable battery-powered device and the battery cell automatically charges the portable battery-powered device when the current power level is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

3. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging apparatus further comprises an activation mechanism and wherein the battery cell charges the portable battery-powered device in response to a user actuating the activation mechanism.

4. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging apparatus further comprises an opposite activation mechanism and wherein the charging apparatus activates a variable inductor in response to a user actuating the opposite activation mechanism.

5. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell inductively charges the portable battery-powered device by generating an electromagnetic field using DC-to-DC pulse conversion over a preset frequency.

6. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the charging apparatus further comprises a display screen.

7. The charging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display screen displays at least one of the amount of time and the percentage remaining in the life of the battery cell.

8. The charging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display screen changes color to indicate that the battery cell is charging the portable battery-powered device.

9. The charging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display screen displays a message indicating that the battery cell needs to be recharged when the charge remaining in the battery cell falls below a predetermined value.

10. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portable-battery powered device is a cellular telephone.

11. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a front portion of the outer casing comprises a flexible material and a back portion of the outer casing comprises a hard material.

12. A method of charging a portable battery-powered device, comprising:

connecting a receiver to a charging jack of the portable, battery-powered device;

inserting the portable battery-powered device into an outer casing of a charging apparatus; and

inductively charging the portable battery-powered device through a battery cell contained within the outer casing.

13. The method of charging a portable battery-powered device according to claim 12, further comprising monitoring a current power level of the portable battery-powered device, wherein the charging step automatically charges the portable battery-powered device when the current power level is less than or equal to a predetermined value.

14. The method of charging a portable battery-powered device according to claim 12, wherein the charging step charges the portable battery-powered device when a user actuates an activation mechanism on the charging apparatus.

15. The method of charging a portable battery-powered device according to claim 12, wherein the charging apparatus further comprises an opposite activation mechanism and wherein the charging apparatus activates a variable inductor in response to a user actuating the opposite activation mechanism.

16. The method of charging a portable battery-powered device according to claim 12, wherein the charging step inductively charges the portable battery-powered device by generating an electromagnetic field using DC-to-DC pulse conversion over a preset frequency.

17. The method of charging a portable battery-powered device according to claim 12, wherein the charging apparatus further comprises a display screen.

18. The method of charging a portable battery-powered device according to claim 12, wherein the portable battery-powered device comprises a cellular telephone.

19. A charging apparatus for a portable battery-powered device, comprising:

a receiver that inserts into a charging jack of the portable battery-powered device;

an outer casing that removably receives the portable battery-powered device and the receiver;

a battery cell contained within the outer casing that inductively charges the portable battery-powered device through the receiver; and

a charging base that inductively charges the battery cell when the outer casing is placed upon the charging base.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the charging base inductively charges the battery cell through a variable inductor in the charging apparatus, the variable inductor activated in response to a user actuating an opposite activation mechanism on the charging apparatus.

21. A charging apparatus for a portable battery-powered device, comprising:

a receiver that inserts into a charging jack of the portable battery-powered device;

a battery cell that powers the portable battery-powered device; and

a charging area that creates an electromagnetic field, the charging area inductively charging the battery cell through the receiver when the receiver enters the electromagnetic field.

22. The charging apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the portable-battery powered device is a means of locomotion.

23. The charging apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the means of locomotion is selected from the list consisting of a golf cart, a go-cart, a scooter, an off-road vehicle, a Gator™

, a Segway®

, and a Power Wheels®

toy.