EARBUD CHARGING CASE

• US 20150245127A1
• Filed: 01/23/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpha Audiotronics, Inc. (Panacos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alpha Audiotronics, Inc. (Panacos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Jonathan Everett
• Granted Patent: US 9,148,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's

Abstract

A case for a mobile electronic device includes an aperture configured to receive one or more earbuds, a portion configured to receive power from a power source, and circuitry configured to simultaneously charge the one or more earbuds and the mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. A case for a mobile electronic device, the case comprising:

a housing;

one or more earbud receiving apertures, wherein each earbud receiving aperture is associated with one or more electrical components configured to transfer an electrical charge from a power source to an earbud when the earbud is positioned within the aperture; and

one or more electrical components that provide a conductive connection from the power source to a power input port of a mobile electronic device that is in contact with the housing, to enable a simultaneous charge of the one or more earbuds when placed in the one or more apertures and of the mobile electronic device when placed in the housing.

2. The case of claim 1, further comprising one or more earbuds, each of which:

is positioned to fit within one of the earbud receiving apertures; and

further comprises one or more of the electrical contacts.

3. The case of claim 1, wherein the conductive connection comprises a jack that is configured to receive a power input cable from the power source.

4. The case of claim 1, further comprising a charging device that comprises a cable that is configured to connect to the jack and to plug into a computing device and convey charge and data to the case from the computing device.

5. The case of claim 1, wherein:

the power source comprises an induction charging unit; and

each of the apertures is in conductive communication with an induction coil that, when placed within range of the induction charging unit, will transform an electromagnetic field received from the induction charging unit into electric current and transfer the current to the electrical contact of its associated aperture.

6. The case of claim 5, further comprising:

one or more earbuds, each of which is positioned to fit within one of the earbud receiving apertures; and

each of which further comprises one or more electrical components configured to receive a charge from the case;

wherein one or more electrical components within each earbud comprise an induction coil.

7. The case of claim 1, further comprising a battery that is electrically connected to the one or more electrical components that provide the conductive connection, each aperture, and the power input port of the mobile electronic device.

8. The case of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a base portion that comprises:

a plurality of sidewalls;

one or more earbud retaining apertures positioned to be oriented perpendicular to a longest axis of the housing; and

a plug extending from one of the sidewalls in a direction that is perpendicular to the orientation of the earbud retaining apertures and parallel to the longest axis of the housing.

9. The case of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a base portion that comprises:

a plurality of sidewalls;

one or more earbud retaining apertures positioned to be oriented parallel to a longest axis of the housing; and

a plug extending from one of the sidewalls in a direction that is parallel to the orientation of the earbud retaining apertures and parallel to the longest axis of the housing.

10. The case of claim 2, wherein each earbud comprises:

one or more sensors configured to detect when the earbud is within or outside of an earbud receiving aperture; and

programming that causes the earbud to receive the output of the one or more sensors and use the output to;

activate the earbud when the earbud is removed from an earbud receiving aperture; and

power down the earbud when the earbud is placed within an earbud receiving aperture.

11. The case of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more of the following:

a pressure sensor;

or

a magnetic sensor.

12. The case of claim 2, wherein each earbud receiving aperture comprises a magnet positioned to engage and secure the earbud when the earbud is positioned within the aperture.

13. The case of claim 2, wherein each earbud comprises a magnet that secures the earbud to the aperture when the earbud is positioned within the aperture.

14. An electronic device housing, comprising:

an aperture configured to receive an earbud, the aperture comprising a first electrical contact configured to engage a corresponding charging contact of the earbud;

a first electrical connection configured to engage a power source with a power input port of a mobile electronic device; and

a second electrical connection configured to engage the power source with the first electrical contact.

15. The housing of claim 14, further comprising a magnet positioned to magnetically retain the earbud in the first aperture.

16. The housing of claim 15, further comprising:

one or more additional apertures, each of which is configured to receive an additional earbud, each additional aperture comprising;

an additional contact configured to engage a corresponding charging contact of one of the additional earbuds, and

an additional magnet positioned to magnetically retain the corresponding additional earbud; and

for each of the additional apertures, an additional electrical connection configured to engage the port with the additional contact of the additional aperture.

17. The housing of claim 14, further comprising a port configured to receive a power input cable from the power source.

18. The housing of claim 17, further comprising a charging device that comprises a cable that is configured to connect to the port and to plug into a computing device and convey charge and data to the housing from the computing device.

19. The housing of claim 16, wherein:

the power source comprises an induction charging unit; and

each of the apertures is in conductive communication with an induction coil that, when placed within range of the induction charging unit, will transform an electromagnetic field received from the induction charging unit into electric current and transfer the current to the electrical contact of its associated aperture.

20. The housing of claim 16, wherein:

the power source comprises a plug configured to receive a charging cord;

the induction coil of each aperture is electrically connected to the plug; and

each induction coil is positioned so that its associated aperture is within range of an electromagnetic field generated by the induction coil when energized so that energy transfers from the induction coil of the aperture to the induction coil of one or more of the earbuds.

21. The housing of claim 16, wherein the housing comprises a base portion for an electronic device case, and the base portion also comprises a plug configured to be connected to a mobile electronic device.

22. The housing of claim 21, wherein the plug is oriented in a direction that is perpendicular to an orientation of each of the apertures.