Conditional battery charging system

• US 7,570,015 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2007
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atreus Labs LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'Connell, Brian Marshall, Walker, Keith Raymond, Hamilton, Rick Allen II, Bansal, Ravi Prakash
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US11/684,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/107, 320/112, 320/114, 320/115, 320/132, 320/155, 320/157, 320/160, 320/161, 320/163
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation

Abstract

A method and system are provided in which a charging process for rechargeable batteries is controlled in accordance with selected predetermined variable conditions. In an exemplary embodiment, a user is enabled to select the predetermined conditions under which the charging of a battery is suspended until such conditions have changed. Such conditions include, for example, physical location of the battery being charged and/or the time and/or date when the battery is being charged. A user GUI is provided to enable a user to input selected times and/or dates and/or locations when the device containing the battery is likely to be away from a charging source and needs to be fully charged, and/or selected times and/or dates and/or locations when the device is likely to have access to a power source and the battery is enabled to be charged only to a storage level.

Claims

1. A method for selectively charging a specific battery within an electronic device, said method comprising:

enabling a user to select a situational condition relative to said electronic device in which said specific battery within said electronic device will be charged to a fully charged level or only to a storage charge level, said storage charge level being less than a fully charged level;

determining when said selected situational condition exists with respect to said electronic device; and

enabling a charging of said specific battery to a fully charged level or only to a storage charge level, depending upon a current existence of said selected situational condition.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said situational condition is a selected time period.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein said specific battery is enabled to be charged to a fully charged level during said selected time period.

4. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein said specific battery is enabled to be charged to a storage charge level during said selected time period.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said situational condition is a selected location.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said specific battery is enabled to be charged to a fully charged level when said electronic device is within said selected location.

7. The method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said specific battery is enabled to be charged to a storage charge level when said electronic device is within said selected location.

8. The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein said method further includes:

retrieving a current time;

comparing said current time with said selected time period; and

enabling a charging of said specific battery to a fully charged level or only to a storage charge level, depending upon a detected relationship between said current time and said selected time period.

9. The method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said method further includes:

determining a current location of said electronic device;

comparing said current location with said selected location; and

enabling a charging of said specific battery to a fully charged level or only to a storage charge level, depending upon a detected relationship between said current location and said selected location.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said location is determined using a GPS or RFID system.

11. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said location is determined using an SSID location determining methodology.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said location is determined using a network profile location determining methodology.

13. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said location is determined using a ping/trace location determining methodology.

14. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including:

detecting specific battery charging information for said specific battery;

retrieving charging information for said specific battery;

retrieving a recommended storage charge level for said specific battery, said recommended storage charge level being less than a fully charged level for said specific battery;

monitoring an actual charge level for said specific battery as said specific battery is being charged; and

terminating said charging of said specific battery depending upon a current existence of said selected situational condition.

15. A storage medium, said storage medium being selectively coupled to processing circuitry, said storage medium containing indicia readable by said processing circuitry for providing program signals to control charging a specific battery within an electronic device from a charging source when said electronic device is connected to said charging source, said program signals being effective for enabling:

enabling a user to select a situational condition relative to said electronic device in which said specific battery within said electronic device will be charged to a fully charged level or only to a storage charge level, said storage charge level being less than a fully charged level;

determining when said selected situational condition exists with respect to said electronic device; and

enabling a charging of said specific battery to a fully charged level or only to a storage charge level, depending upon a current existence of said selected situational condition.

16. The medium as set forth in claim 15 wherein said situational condition is a selected time period.

17. The medium as set forth in claim 15 wherein said situational condition is a selected location.

18. A system for selectively charging a specific battery within an electronic device, said system comprising:

means for enabling a user to select a situational condition relative to said electronic device in which said specific battery within said electronic device will be charged to a fully charged level or only to a storage charge level, said storage charge level being less than a fully charged level;

means for determining when said selected situational condition exists with respect to said electronic device; and

means for enabling a charging of said specific battery to a fully charged level or only to a storage charge level, depending upon a current existence of said selected situational condition.

19. The system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said situational condition is a selected time period.

20. The system as set forth in claim 18 wherein said situational condition is a selected location.