Rechargeable battery system for hand-held devices

• US 6,509,715 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DJ Larue Enterprises Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DJ Larue Enterprises Incorporated
• Inventors: LaRue, Douglas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUK, LAWRENCE W
• Application Number:
  US10/139,450
• Time in Patent Office: 260 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/114, 429/34, 429/37, 429/96, 429/100
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A battery-charging adapter for a hand-held personal digital assistant (PDA) of the type that is placed in a data cradle. The adapter includes a battery pack that replaces the batteries in the PDA and has a recharging interface, a door that replaces the door of the PDA'"'"'s battery compartment and permits access to the battery pack'"'"'s recharging interface when the door is closed, and a surface which is attachable to the data cradle and has a recharging interface and recharging circuitry which is coupled to the recharging interface and a power supply. When the adapter surface is attached to the data cradle and the PDA is in the cradle, the battery pack'"'"'s recharging interface is coupled to the adapter'"'"'s recharging interface, permitting the batteries in the PDA to be recharged while the PDA is in the cradle.

Claims

1. An adapter that adds a function to a cradle for a hand-held device, the adapter comprising:

an adapter surface that is attachable to the cradle, the adapter surface being located between a surface of the cradle and a surface of the hand-held device when the adapter surface is attached to the cradle and the hand-held device is in the cradle and the surface of the hand-held device having a first interface for the function; and

a second interface for the function that is located in the adapter surface such that when the adapter surface is attached to the cradle and the hand-held device is in the cradle, the second interface interacts with the first interface as required for the function.

2. A kit that makes it possible to recharge a battery-powered hand-held device that has a cradle by placing the hand-held device in its cradle, the hand held device'"'"'s batteries being contained in a compartment that opens onto a surface of the hand-held device and the kit comprising:

an adapter surface that is attachable to the cradle, the adapter surface being located between a surface of the cradle and the surface of the hand-held device when the adapter surface is attached to the cradle and the hand-held device is in the cradle, the adapter surface having a first interface for providing a recharging current to the hand-held device; and

a battery holder that is capable of replacing the batteries in the compartment, the battery holder including a second interface for receiving the recharging current, the second interface being coupled to the first interface when the batteries have been replaced by the battery holder, the adapter surface has been attached to the cradle, and the hand-held device is in the cradle.