Device charging system

• US 9,442,548 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johansson, Jesper Mikael, Stathakopoulos, George Nikolaos, Dykstra, Aaron James
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/218,938
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/330, 713/340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• 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 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A computing device monitors the energy level of a rechargeable battery, from which the device draws operating power. Historic usage data is used to estimate the time remaining in a present operating period, such as a workday, as well as to estimate the battery level required to provide power during that period of time. A user is then presented with information regarding the status of the battery, as well as charging time and required battery level estimates. Information regarding charging stations within publically or otherwise user-accessible venues near to the present location of the computing device is accessed and presented to the user. Reservations may be made for a charging port within a selected venue, an order may be placed for goods or services available at that venue, or other actions may be performed.

Claims

1. A computing device, configured to:

determine, using electronic circuitry of the computing device, a present level of energy stored by a rechargeable battery, wherein the rechargeable battery is configured to provide operating power to the computing device;

estimate, using a processor of the computing device and based on historical usage data stored within a memory, a greater stored energy level of the rechargeable battery to operate the computing device for a period of time;

estimate, using the processor of the computing device and based on the present stored energy level of the rechargeable battery, a time to charge the rechargeable battery to the greater stored energy level;

provide a request to a server to access charging station information indicative of locations of one or more charging stations, wherein at least a subset of the locations correspond to one or more venues accessible to a user of the computing device;

receive at least a portion of the charging station information from the server;

present, using a display associated with the computing device, the locations of at least a subset of the one or more charging stations, the present stored energy level of the rechargeable battery, the greater stored energy level of the rechargeable battery, and the time to charge the rechargeable battery to the greater stored energy level.

2. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to:

send, using a communications interface of the computing device, a request to reserve a charging port at a charging station of the one or more charging stations;

receive a response to the request, the response including an acceptance of the request; and

present, using the display associated with the computing device, the response, wherein the presentation is indicative of the acceptance of the request.

3. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to discontinue operation of one or more communication nodes of the computing device while the computing device is electrically connected to a charging port of the one or more charging ports.

4. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to:

receive user input indicative of a selection of a charging station of the one or more charging stations; and

present output associated with one or more of;

a map associated with a location of the charging station;

navigational aid associated with the location of the charging station;

reservation information associated with the charging station;

or

one or more items or services offered by an entity associated with the charging station.

5. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to:

access calendar data associated with the computing device, the calendar data indicating a time that a user of the computing device is available to charge the computing device;

wherein the request to access the charging station information is provided based at least in part on correspondence between the time that the user of the computing device is available and the time to charge the rechargeable battery to the greater stored energy level.

6. A method performed at least in part by a hardware processor, the method comprising:

providing, to a first device, a request to access information regarding a charging station within a distance of a computing device, the computing device including an energy storage device, wherein the charging station is separate from the first device;

receiving at least a portion of the information regarding the charging station from the first device;

estimating a time to charge the energy storage device from a present energy level to a greater energy level, wherein the greater energy level corresponds to an estimated energy consumption of the computing device; and

presenting, by way of a presentation device associated with the computing device, the present energy level, the time to charge the energy storage device, and the at least a portion of the information regarding the charging station.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

estimating a future power consumption from the energy storage device corresponding to a time period; and

determining, based on the present energy level and the estimated future power consumption, the greater energy level.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

accessing calendar data stored within the computing device, wherein the calendar data indicates one or more of;

a time that a user of the computing device is available to charge the computing device;

or a time that the user of the computing device is not available to charge the computing device; and

providing the calendar data to the first device;

wherein the request to access the information regarding the charging station is provided based at least in part on correspondence between the calendar data and the time to charge the energy storage device from the present energy level to the greater energy level.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, from an entity associated with the charging station, an indication of one or more of an item or a service offered by the entity; and

sending, from the computing device to the entity, an order regarding the one or more of the item or the service.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising;

presenting information regarding at least two charging stations;

receiving user input selecting the charging station; and

sending, from the computing device to an entity associated with the charging station, a request to reserve a port for use by the computing device.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

coupling the computing device to a port of the charging station, wherein the port is configured to provide a fuel cell reactant to the energy storage device; and

securing, using a locking mechanism, the computing device to the charging station.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the locking mechanism is operated using an electronic pager device configured to indicate, as received by way of wireless signals, a charging status of the energy storage device of the computing device.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

connecting the computing device to a port of the charging station;

providing, using the port, electrical energy to the energy storage device; and

providing, using the port, digital content to the computing device, wherein the digital content includes one or more of an audio file, a video file, an e-book, an advertisement, an application, an operating system, or an upgrade.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the information includes at least one of:

a map associated with a location of the charging station;

a distance from the computing device to the charging station;

navigational aid associated with the location of the charging station;

or

reservation information associated with the charging station.

15. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending, from the computing device to an entity associated with the charging station, a request to reserve a charged battery in accordance with a battery exchange program.

16. One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media including program code, the program code configured to cause one or more processors to:

retrieve information stored within a non-transitory storage medium, information including one or more of a user-established setting or a data file of a first computing device;

provide the information to a memory of a second computing device;

determine a present level of an energy storage device of the second computing device;

estimate, using one or more of historical usage data or a power profile, an estimated level for the energy storage device, the estimated level corresponding to a future energy requirement for the second computing device;

access charging station information from one or more of the first computing device, the second computing device, or a third computing device in communication with the second computing device, the charging station information indicating one or more charging stations accessible to the energy storage device, wherein the one or more charging stations are separate from the one or more of the first computing device, the second computing device, or the third computing device; and

present, using an output device, at least a subset of the charging station information and information regarding one or more of the present level or the estimated level.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16, the program code further configured to cause the one or more processors to send a message to an entity associated with a charging station of the one or more charging stations, wherein the message includes at least one of a request to reserve a charging port, an order for an item, or an order for a service.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 17, the program code further configured to cause the one or more processors to send status information regarding a charging of the energy storage device to a remote computing device by way of wireless signals, wherein the second computing device stores contact information for the remote computing device, and wherein the remote computing device is configured to provide an indication corresponding to the status information.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16, the program code further configured to cause the one or more processors to send an alert to a remote computing device, wherein the alert indicates that one or more of the first computing device or the second computing device has been reported stolen.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the data file includes calendar data indicating a time that a user of the energy storage device is available to charge the energy storage device, the program code further configured to cause the one or more processors to:

determine a time to charge the energy storage device to the estimated level; and

present the at least a subset of the charging station information calendar data based on correspondence between the time that the user of the energy storage device is available and the time to charge the energy storage device to the estimated level.