Electronic device case for mobile point of sale

• US 8,910,863 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otter Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Otter Products LLC
• Inventors: Wojcik, James J., Benzion, Adam, Center, Adam D., Glanzer, Matthew M., Weller, Lucas, Joshi, Abhishek
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US13/839,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20140191033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 705/16, 361/679.41
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1628 Carrying enclosures containing additional elements, e.g. case for a laptop and a printer
• 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 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/01 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/082 using inductive or magnetic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/089 hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• 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 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• 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: H04B 1/3883 : Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 : Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers

Abstract

A case for an electronic device is provided. The case includes a battery, an interface to receive electrical power from an external power source, a payment device reader, a product information input device, and a computer processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions. The computer processor executes the instructions to conduct communications with the electronic device, limit an amount of current of the received electrical power consumed by the case, allocate the amount of current among the battery and the electronic device based on the communications, read product information from a product using the product information input device, and read a payment device using the payment device reader, where the payment device is used to pay for the product.

Claims

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

an interface to a battery;

an interface to receive electrical power from an external power source;

a payment device reader;

a product information input device;

a computer processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions to;

receive a data communication from the electronic device, the data communication including information about a state of the electronic device;

limit an amount of current of the received electrical power used by the case;

limit an amount of current of the received electrical power used by the electronic device based on the state of the electronic device received in the data communication by transmitting a command to the electronic device instructing the electronic device to use no more than a specified amount of current;

read product information from a product using the product information input device; and

read information from a payment device using the payment device reader.

2. The case of claim 1 wherein the computer processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

detect a type of the external power source; and

determine a current limit for the power source based on the type of the external power source.

3. The case of claim 1 wherein the state of the electronic device includes one or more of:

a charge level of a battery of the electronic device and an operational mode of the electronic device.

4. The case of claim 1 wherein limiting the amount of the current used by the electronic device is further based on one or more of:

a charge level of the battery, a charge level of a battery of the electronic device, an amount of current available from the external power source, and a user preference received from the electronic device.

5. The case of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a tablet computing device.

6. The case of claim 1 wherein:

the product information is a bar code; and

the product information input device is a bar code reader.

7. The case of claim 1 wherein the payment device reader is a magnetic strip reader for reading a magnetic strip of a credit card or of a debit card.

8. A method of performing power management in a case for a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

limiting electrical current received at the case to a current limit, wherein the electrical current is received from a power source connected to the case;

commanding the computing device to consume no more than a specified amount of the received electrical current by transmitting a data communication from the case to the mobile computing device indicating the specified amount of the current;

monitoring an amount of the electrical current consumed by the computing device; and

distributing a balance of the current limit not consumed by the computing device to components of the case, wherein the components of the case include a rechargeable battery, a payment card reader, and a bar code scanner.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining the current limit based on a characteristic of the power source.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining the current limit based on a type of connection used to interface to the power source.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining the specified amount of the received electrical current based on one or more of:

a charge state of a battery of the computing device and an operational mode of the computing device.

12. A charging station comprising:

docking locations for a plurality of electronic devices; and

charge control circuitry configured to;

determine a number of the electronic devices docked in the docking locations;

determine available current;

determine an allocation of the available current for each of the electronic devices docked in the charging station based on the available current and based on the number of the electronic devices; and

limit current consumption of one or more of the docked electronic devices based on the allocation by transmitting a command to at least one of the one or more docked electronic devices, the command including an instruction to the at least one of the one or more docked electronic devices to limit the current consumption.

13. The charging station of claim 12 wherein the allocation of the available current for each docked electronic device is equal to the allocation of the available current for each of the other docked electronic devices.

14. The charging station of claim 12 wherein determining an allocation of the available current for each docked electronic device is further based on a charge level of a battery of that electronic device.

15. The charging station of claim 12 wherein to limit current consumption by each docked electronic device further includes to limit an amount of current available to each docked electronic device based on the allocation.