ELECTRONIC DEVICE CASE

• US 20140191724A1
• Filed: 06/03/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Otter Products LLC
• Original Assignee: 1 Oak Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Joshi, Abhishek, Benzion, Adam, Wojcik, James John, Hofland, Jan Ray, Center, Adam Douglas, Scally, Brian
• Application Number:
  US13/908,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20140191724A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/114
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0086 portable, e.g. battery operated apparatus casings for switching devices H01H9/02
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0247 Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A protective case for an electronic device is provided. The protective case includes an interface for connecting to a rechargeable battery, a group of display elements, a device interface for electrically interfacing with the electronic device, and an external interface. The protective case also includes electrical circuitry configured to receive electrical power from an external power source through the external interface, exchange communications with the electronic device through the device interface, determine a charge rate for the rechargeable battery of the electronic device based on information received in the communications, and supply a portion of the received electrical power to the electronic device through the device interface if a condition is satisfied.

Claims

1. A protective case for an electronic device, the protective case comprising:

a rechargeable battery;

an interface for connecting to the rechargeable battery;

a group of display elements;

a device interface for electrically interfacing with the electronic device;

an external interface; and

electrical circuitry configured to;

receive electrical power from an external power source through the external interface;

determine a charge state of the rechargeable battery;

exchange communications with the electronic device through the device interface to determine a charge state of a rechargeable battery of the electronic device based on information received in the communications;

allocate a portion of the received electrical power to the electronic device, a magnitude of the portion based on the determined charge state of the rechargeable battery of the protective case and based on the determined charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device;

supply the allocated portion of the received electrical power to the electronic device through the device interface if a condition is satisfied; and

supply a remaining portion of the received electrical power to the rechargeable battery of the protective case.

2. The protective case of claim 1 wherein:

the condition is satisfied if the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device is less than a specified charge threshold.

3. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the information received in the communications includes an operating mode of the electronic device and the magnitude of the portion is further based on the operating mode of the electronic device.

4. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the magnitude of the portion is further determined based on a charge rate of the rechargeable battery of the protective case.

5. The protective case of claim 1 wherein determining the magnitude of the portion based on the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the protective case and based on the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device includes determining an amount of current to supply to the electronic device.

6. The protective case of claim 5 wherein the amount of current to supply to the electronic device is less than an amount of current the electronic device would consume if connected directly to the external power source.

7. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the electrical circuitry is further configured to display, on the group of display elements, a charge status based on the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the protective case, the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device, or a combined charge state of the rechargeable battery of the protective case and the rechargeable battery of the electronic device.

8. The protective case of claim 7 wherein to display includes to activate a subset of the display elements, a size of the subset being proportional to the charge status.

9. The protective case of claim 8 wherein the group of display elements includes ten light emitting diodes (LEDs) and to activate a subset includes to illuminate a quantity of the ten LEDs that approximates a percentage charge remaining derived from the charge status.

10. The protective case of claim 7 wherein the group of display elements comprises a plurality of display locations within one display device.

11. The protective case of claim 10 wherein the display device is a liquid crystal display (LCD).

12. The protective case of claim 7 further comprising a user input device.

13. The protective case of claim 12 wherein the group of display elements displays the charge status for a specified period of time in response to an input received at the user input device.

14. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the electrical circuitry is further configured to determine an updated charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device and adjust the magnitude of the portion of the received electrical power supplied to the electronic device based on the updated charge state.

15. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the magnitude of the portion of the received electrical power allocated to the electronic device is further based on one or more of:

a capacity of the protective case rechargeable battery, a maximum charging rate of the protective case rechargeable battery, an age of the protective case rechargeable battery, a number of charging cycles the protective case rechargeable battery has endured, a temperature of the protective case rechargeable battery, a health indicator associated with the protective case rechargeable battery, a physical construction of the protective case rechargeable battery, a chemistry of the of the protective case rechargeable battery, a capacity of the electronic device rechargeable battery, a maximum charging rate of the electronic device rechargeable battery, an age of the electronic device rechargeable battery, a number of charging cycles the electronic device rechargeable battery has endured, a temperature of the electronic device rechargeable battery, a health indicator associated with the electronic device rechargeable battery, a physical construction of the electronic device rechargeable battery, and a chemistry of the of the electronic device rechargeable battery.

16. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the information received in the communications includes one or more of:

a time of day, a day of week, a time zone in which the electronic device is currently located, a current location of the electronic device, a velocity of the electronic device, historical power usage data, and a schedule for a user of the electronic device.

17. A protective enclosure for a mobile computing device having a rechargeable battery, the protective enclosure comprising:

a device interface for electrically interfacing with the mobile computing device;

a supplemental battery;

a memory containing computer-readable instructions; and

a computer processor configured to execute the instructions to;

monitor a charge level of the rechargeable battery of the mobile computing device;

monitor a charge level of the supplemental battery;

determine a first charging current level for the mobile computing device and a second charging current level for the supplemental battery based on the charge level of the rechargeable battery of the mobile computing device and based on the charge level of the supplemental battery;

supply a first charging current at the first charging current level to the mobile computing device through the device interface if the monitored charge level is below a charge level threshold for the mobile computing device; and

supply a second charging current at the second charging current level to the supplemental battery.

18. The protective enclosure of claim 17 wherein:

the charge level of the rechargeable battery of the mobile computing device includes a charge remaining value that quantitatively indicates a percentage of a full capacity of the rechargeable battery; and

to determine a first charging current level for the mobile computing device includes to calculate the first charging current level such that the first charging current level has an inverse relationship to the percentage of full capacity of the rechargeable battery of the mobile computing device.

19. The protective enclosure of claim 17 wherein the mobile computing device is one or more of:

a smartphone, a tablet computer, and a cellular phone.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors of a case for an electronic device, direct the one or more computer processors to:

receive electrical power from an external power source through a power interface of the case;

receive a communication from the electronic device through a device interface of the case;

determine a device charging current for a rechargeable battery of the electronic device based on information included in the communication;

determine a case charging current based on the device charging current;

supply the device charging current to the electronic device through the device interface;

supply the case charging current to a battery associated with the case;

receive a subsequent communication from the electronic device after a period of time; and

adjust the device charging current and the case charging current based on the information from the subsequent communication.