Docking station for inductively charged portable electronic device

• US 9,680,532 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Inventors: Colja, Renato, Niec, Milosz Zbigniew, McMillen, Robert James, Liang, Xinde
• Primary Examiner(s): Kik, Phallaka
• Application Number:
  US14/724,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20150270875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 320108, 320113, 320115, 362183, 429120
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 21/02 continuously variable, e.g. variometers
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 21/04 by relative movement of turns or parts of windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/06 Mounting, supporting or suspending transformers, reactors or choke coils not being of the signal type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/14 Structural association with mechanical loads, e.g. with hand-held machine tools or fans with fan or impeller for cooling the machine H02K9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers

Abstract

A docking station that securely holds a portable electronic device in a desired location with respect to a primary power coil for inductive charging of a battery of the portable electronic device is provided. In one embodiment the docking station includes a pair of opposed end stops spaced apart longitudinally along a base and a primary coil of an inductive charging system positioned below the base. The end stops are longitudinally adjustable to properly align a secondary coil of the portable electronic device with a primary coil. A flexible retention wall may be deflected to provide a biasing force on the portable electronic device. Walls of the end stops are generally curved toward each other and provide downward pressure to prevent vertical and horizontal movement. In another embodiment, a retainer clip is movably coupled with and selectively slides along the base to securely hold the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A docking station for securely holding a portable electronic device in a desired location above a primary coil of an inductive charger such that a secondary coil associated with a battery of the portable electronic device is aligned with the primary coil to facilitate inductive charging of the battery, the docking station comprising:

a first end stop having a flexible retention wall;

a second end stop opposite the first end stop and spaced longitudinally therefrom, wherein the second end stop has a generally rigid retention wall, wherein a portion of the flexible retention wall is bowed toward the second end stop and wherein a portion of the generally rigid retention wall is bowed toward the first end stop, whereby upper portions of the opposed walls are closer to each other than lower portion of the opposed walls; and

a means for adjusting a distance between the first and second end stops.

2. The docking station of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the flexible retention wall comprises a plurality of grooves to provide a surface for engaging the portable electronic device.

3. The docking station of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the generally rigid retention wall comprises a plurality of grooves to provide a surface for engaging the portable electronic device.

4. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the means for adjusting is operable to position the walls at locations where the upper portions of the opposed walls are spaced apart a distance that is less than a length dimension of the portable electronic device to be charged, wherein the flexible retention wall may be flexed away from the second stop by a longitudinal force applied to the flexible retention wall by a user via a first end of a portable electronic device a distance large enough to permit a second opposite end of the portable electronic device to pass by the upper portion of the generally rigid retention wall, and wherein flexing of the flexible retention wall away from the second stop results in a biasing longitudinal force in the direction of the second end stop.

5. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the generally rigid retention wall of the second stop is curved toward the first stop such that outer portions of the generally rigid retention wall are longitudinally closer to the first end stop than a central portion of the generally rigid retention wall.

6. A docking station for charging a rechargeable device, the docking station comprising:

a tray having one or more tray sidewalls and a tray bottom, wherein the tray encloses a raised portion configured to extend from the tray bottom, the raised portion comprising;

(1) a first end stop having a flexible retention wall, wherein the flexible retention wall is curved towards an opposed second end stop, wherein an upper portion of the flexible retention wall is closer to the second end stop than a lower portion of the flexible retention wall;

(2) the second end stop is spaced longitudinally from the first end stop, wherein the second end stop has a generally rigid retention wall that is curved inwardly, wherein an upper portion of the rigid retention wall is closer to the first end stop than a lower portion of the rigid retention wall; and

(3) a pair of parallel stub walls.

7. The docking station of claim 6, wherein the pair of stub walls further comprise one or more tracks coupled to the first and second end stops.

8. The docking station of claim 7, wherein the one or more tracks comprise external rails.

9. The docking station of claim 7, wherein the one or more tracks comprise internal grooves.

10. The docking station of claim 6, wherein the first end stop further comprises a first pair of flanges and the second end stop further comprises a second pair of flanges.

11. The docking station of claim 10, wherein the second pair of flanges of the second end stop are curved toward the first end stop such that outer portions of the second pair of flanges are longitudinally closer to the first end stop than a central portion of the generally rigid retention wall.

12. The docking station of claim 10, wherein a portion of the first pair of flanges of the first end stop are bowed toward the second end stop and wherein the second pair of flanges of the second pair of flanges of the second end stop are bowed toward the first end stop.

13. The docking station of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the flexible retention wall comprises a plurality of grooves to provide a surface for engaging the rechargeable device.

14. The docking station of claim 13, wherein the docking station further comprising a tray for enclosing the first end stop and the second end stop.

15. The docking station of claim 14, wherein the tray comprises a bottom portion and at least one side wall that continuously transitions from the bottom portion.

16. The docking station of claim 13, wherein the first end stop comprises a flexible retention wall and the second end stop comprises a generally rigid retention wall.

17. The docking station of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the generally rigid retention wall comprises a plurality of grooves to provide a surface for engaging the rechargeable device.

18. The docking station of claim 6 further comprising a primary coil underneath the tray bottom for inductively charging the electronic device when the primary coil and a secondary coil in the electronic device are aligned.

19. A docking station for positioning an electronic device during inductive charging, the docking station comprising:

a first end stop;

a second end stop opposite the first end stop and spaced longitudinally therefrom, wherein an upper portion of the first end stop is bowed toward the second end stop and wherein an upper portion of the second end stop is bowed toward the first end stop; and

a means for adjusting a distance between the first and second end stops.

20. The docking station of claim 19 further comprising a primary coil for inductively charging the electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises a secondary coil.