Staggered charging system

• US 9,425,651 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DOK Solution
• Original Assignee: DOK Solution
• Inventors: Strauser, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): HAUGHTON, ANTHONY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US14/134,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20140106609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.4, 361/679.41, 361/679.44, 361/679.42, 361/679.43, 3122231-2233
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 11/00 Circuit arrangements for providing service supply to auxiliaries of stations in which electric power is generated, distributed or converted
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/22 The load being a portable electronic device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A consumer electronic system for holding and providing power to any number of consumer electronic devices includes any number of cradles in a staggered configuration, such that, displays of consumer electronic devices in each of the cradles are each visible without being substantially blocked by other consumer electronic devices. In one embodiment, the consumer electronic system for holding and providing power comprises multiple sub-systems, each having one or more cradles, such that, the sub-systems are joined to produce a consumer electronic system for holding and providing power to the desired number of possible consumer electronic devices at one time.

Claims

1. A method of charging a consumer electronic device, the method comprising:

providing two consumer electronic sub-system, each consumer electronic subsystem comprising;

an enclosure;

one or more cradles formed in the enclosure, each of the cradles having a cavity and a support wall, the cavity sized to contain at least one portion of at least a first consumer electronic device, each of the support walls for supporting a consumer electronic device;

a first surface of the enclosure having a forward interface connector for connecting to other consumer electronic sub-systems;

a second surface of the enclosure having a rearward interface connector for connecting to either power or connection to another consumer electronic sub-system; and

one or more power ports, each of the one or more power ports associated with one of the cradles;

connecting the rearward interface connector of a first consumer electronic sub-system of the two consumer electronic sub-systems to the forward interface connector of a second consumer electronic sub-system of the two consumer electronic sub-systems;

connecting a power supply to the rearward interface connector of the second consumer electronic sub-system; and

connecting one end of a power cable to each of one or more consumer electronic devices and a distal end of each of the power cables to one of the one or more power ports for charging the consumer electronic devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inserting a cover over the forward interface connector of the first consumer electronic sub-system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more cradles has a cable management spool, the method further comprising:

winding each of the power cable around one of the cable management spools associated with the one of the one or more power ports to which the each power cable is connected.

4. A consumer electronic charging system comprising:

two consumer electronic charging sub-systems, each electronic charging subsystem comprising;

an enclosure;

one or more cradles formed in the enclosure, each of the cradles having a cavity and a support wall, the cavity sized to contain at least one portion of at least a first consumer electronic device, each of the support walls for supporting a consumer electronic device;

a first surface of the enclosure having a forward connector for connecting to other consumer electronic sub-systems;

a second surface of the enclosure having a rearward interface connector for connecting to either power or connection to another consumer electronic sub-system; and

one or more power ports, each of the one or more power ports associated with one of the cradles

the rearward interface connector of a first consumer electronic sub-system of the two consumer electronic sub-systems connected to the forward interface connector of a second consumer electronic sub-system of the two consumer electronic sub-systems; and

a power supply, the power supply connected to the rearward interface connector of the second consumer electronic sub-system.

5. The consumer electronic charging system of claim 4, wherein the support wall retracts to be substantially contained within the enclosure and extends to be substantially extended from the enclosure.

6. The consumer electronic charging system of claim 4, wherein the support wall has a slit for routing of a power cable from one of the power ports to a device held by the cradle.

7. The consumer electronic charging system of claim 4, further comprising at least one cable manager, each of the at least one cable managers corresponding to one of the cradles.

8. The consumer electronic charging system of claim 7, wherein each of the cable managers comprises a spool and a cap, each cap having one or more cable clips.

9. The consumer electronic charging system of claim 8, wherein each of the power ports is positioned on one of the caps.

10. The consumer electronic charging system of claim 4, wherein the at least one cradle is at least two cradles and each of the at least two cradles is staggered with respect to an adjacent cradle of the at least two cradles to reduce blockage of one a display of one of the consumer electronic devices by a different one of the consumer electronic devices.

11. The consumer electronic charging system of claim 4, wherein the power port is a universal serial port (USB port).

12. The consumer electronic charging system of claim 4, further comprising a cap covering the forward interface connector of the first consumer electronic sub-system.