Charging system for electronic devices

• US 7,026,789 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nilsen, Ryan M., Dvorak, Joseph L., Bozzone, Stephen O., Holland, Sacha B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Easthom, Karl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US10/744,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20050134215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 320/112, 320/113, 320/115, 248/200, 248/683, 439 38- 40, 355 21- 22, 355 81- 85
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers

Abstract

Charging systems (10, 70) are disclosed that generally employ forces generated by at least one magnet (16–22) or (76–82) to guide and urge a rechargeable, portable or mobile electronic device (12, 72) toward a charging position with respect to a charging base (14, 74) therefor. By using magnetic forces to guide or urge the device (12, 72) to the charging position, substantially frictionless charging systems (10, 70) can be provided herein for shifting the device (12, 72) to its charging position. Either repulsion or attraction forces can be employed. Accordingly, depending on which magnetic force is used to urge the device (12, 72) to its charging position, an opposite magnetic force is preferably provided to provide the user a tactile indication of improper alignment of the device (12, 72) and charging base (14, 74). Preferably, pairs of opposite single pole magnets are used so that there is one pair (16, 18) or (76, 78) associated with the device (12, 72) and another pair (20, 22) or (80, 82) associated with the base (14, 74).

Claims

1. A charging system comprising:

a portable electronic communication device;

a power source of the electronic device;

a charging device for supplying charging current to the power source with the portable device in a predetermined charging position relative to the charging device; and

a magnet associated with at least one of the devices for generating a repulsive magnetic force that urges the portable device to the predetermined charging position thereof.

2. The charging system of claim 1 wherein the charging device comprises a charging base having a predetermined configuration that allows a user to shift the electronic device relative to the base in a substantially frictionless manner with the magnetic force guiding the device to the charging position thereof.

3. The charging system of claim 1 wherein the portable and charging devices include charging contacts that are in electrical communication for transfer of charging current from the charging device to the portable device with the portable device in the predetermined charging position.

4. The charging system of claim 1 wherein the magnet comprises magnets associated with the portable and charging devices.

5. The charging system of claim 1 wherein both the portable device and charging device include magnets having opposite poles with like poles of the magnets of the devices being aligned with the portable device in the predetermined charging position.

6. The charging system of claim 1 wherein the portable device includes generally opposite surfaces and in the predetermined charging position the charging device includes walls facing the opposite surfaces with the repulsive force generated between one of the charging device walls and the facing portable device surface urging the opposite surface of the portable device toward another one of the charging device walls that faces the opposite surface.

7. The charging system of claim 6 wherein the charging device has spaced walls which includes the other one of the charging device walls toward which the portable device opposite surface is urged to allow a user to hold the portable device generally between the spaced walls for shifting the portable device toward and away from the charging position.

8. The charging system of claim 1 wherein the magnetic force also comprises an attractive magnet force.

9. The charging system of claim 8 wherein both the portable device and the charging device include magnets having opposite poles with opposite poles of the magnets of the devices being aligned with the portable device in the predetermined charging position.

10. The charging system of claim 1 wherein the magnet associated with one of the devices includes a charging contact, and the other device includes a charging contact so that with the portable device in the predetermined charging position, the charging contacts are in electrical communication for transfer of charging current from the charging device to the portable device.

11. The charging system of claim 1 wherein the portable electronic communication device includes circuitry for enabling wireless communication with other devices.

12. A charging system comprising:

a mobile electronic device;

a charging base that supplies charging current to the electronic device with the device in a predetermined charging position relative to the base;

magnets of the device and base that generate a repulsion force therebetween for urging the device to the predetermined charging position; and

charging contacts of the device and base that are in electrical communication for transfer of charging current to the electronic device with the device in the predetermined charging position.

13. The charging system of claim 12 wherein the base has a predetermined configuration such that the device is turned toward and away from the charging position.

14. The charging system of claim 12 wherein the base has opposite ends and restraining arms at the opposite ends configured to keep the device in the predetermined charging position against shifting away therefrom absent a rotary force applied to the device.

15. The charging system of claim 14 wherein the device has end portions positioned adjacent to the opposite ends of the base with the device in the charging position, and the charging contacts of the device and base are at the device end portions and the base restraining arms.

16. The charging system of claim 12 wherein the base includes a mounting wall with the repulsion force generated by the magnets allowing the mounting wall to be mounted in various orientations without causing the device to shift from the predetermined charging position thereof.

17. The charging system of claim 12 wherein the base comprises an elongate lower wall having opposite ends, generally L-shaped wall portions upstanding in generally opposite orientations from each other at either end of the lower wall, and small upper wall portions extending along the L-shaped wall portions spaced laterally from each other and above the elongate lower wall, the base magnets being associated with the lower wall so that the repulsion force pushes the device toward the upper wall portions, and the L-shaped wall portions form oppositely facing openings so that the device has to be turned with end portions thereof shifting through the openings to shift the device magnets into alignment with the base magnets.

18. A method of charging a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

orienting the portable device adjacent a recharging base;

magnetically urging the device toward a predetermined charging position relative to the base in a substantially frictionless manner, wherein the device is magnetically urged by a repulsive force; and

supplying the device with charging current via the base with the device in the predetermined charging position.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the portable device is oriented by turning the device relative to the base.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the portable device is oriented by bringing magnets on the device and base into substantial alignment.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the magnets are single pole magnets and the magnets are aligned by aligning like pole magnets of the device and base with each other to generate a magnetic repulsion force therebetween, and the device is magnetically urged by pushing the device toward charging contacts of the base via the magnetic repulsion force.

22. The method of claim 18 including mounting the base in any one of a plurality of orientations with the device magnetically urged toward the charging position with sufficient force to overcome gravitational forces that would otherwise pull the device away from the charging position depending on the mounting orientation of the base.

23. A mobile electronic device that is rechargeable when disposed in a predetermined charging position relative to a charging base therefor, the mobile electronic device comprising:

a power source of the device;

charging contacts of the device for receiving charging current from the charging base and transmitting the charging current to the power source with the device in the predetermined position; and

at least one magnet of the device for generating a magnetic force that repulsively urges the mobile electronic device to the predetermined charging position.

24. The mobile electronic device of claim 23 wherein the at least one magnet comprises a pair of magnets having opposite poles from each other.

25. The mobile electronic device of claim 23 including circuitry for enabling wireless communication with other devices.

26. A charging base for recharging a mobile electronic device when disposed in a predetermined charging position relative to the base, the charging base comprising:

charging circuitry of the charging base;

charging contacts electrically connected to the charging circuitry for supplying the device with charging current; and

at least one magnet of the base for generating a magnetic force that repulsively urges the mobile electronic device to the predetermined charging position.

27. The charging base of claim 26 wherein the at least one magnet comprises a pair of magnets having opposite poles from each other.