Contact point power pad for battery charger

• US 9,735,608 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jabil Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jabil Inc.
• Inventors: Eckerson, David M., Talebi-Rafsanjan, Salman
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US14/668,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20150303736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/05 using capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method for providing a contact point power pad for use with a battery charger, such as may reside in a mobile device. The apparatus, system and method may include a base insulation pad, a plurality of alternately charged strips electrically connected to at least one voltage source and physically atop the base insulation pad, and a plurality of raised insulating ridges interstitially between alternating ones of the alternately charged strips. The apparatus, system and method may also include a mobile device for use with a power pad. The mobile device may include three contact balls electrically associated with at least one battery charger for providing charging power to the at least one battery charger.

Claims

1. A power pad, comprising:

a base insulation pad;

a plurality of alternately charged strips electrically connected to at least one voltage source and physically atop the base insulation pad; and

a plurality of raised insulating ridges interstitially between alternating ones of the alternately charged strips for slidably receiving ones of three contact balls of a mobile device, wherein a first of the contact balls is guided to a first of the plurality of alternately charged strips by a first of the plurality of raised insulating ridges, and wherein a second and third of the contact balls are guided to a second of the plurality of alternately charged strips having a different charge than the first of the plurality of alternately charged strips by a second of the plurality of raised insulating ridges.

2. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the base insulating pad is flexible.

3. The power pad of claim 2, wherein the base insulating pad, the plurality of alternately charged strips and the plurality of raised insulating ridges are rollable in conjunction.

4. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the base insulation pad comprises a raised perimeter portion about the plurality of alternately charged strips.

5. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the plurality of alternately charged strips comprise one of copper and aluminum.

6. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the plurality of alternately charged strips comprise pads.

7. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the voltage source comprises a DC voltage source.

8. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the DC voltage comprises an AC-DC converted source.

9. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the voltage source is manually adjustable.

10. The power pad of claim 1, further comprising a networked communication connection.

11. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the plurality of raised insulating ridges comprise a low coefficient of friction.

12. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the plurality of raised insulating ridges comprises one of a rectangular, a square, an ellipsoidal, a triangular, a hexagonal, a pentagonal, and a hemispherical shape.

13. The power pad of claim 1, wherein the plurality of raised insulating ridges comprises a composition of one of a plastic, a rubber, and a dieletric.

14. The power pad of claim 1, wherein a height of the plurality of raised ridges is less than a height of conductive balls of a device placed atop the pad.

15. A mobile device, comprising:

a microprocessor capable of providing operations;

at least one battery for providing power to at least the microprocessor;

at least one battery charger capable of charging the battery; and

three contact balls electrically associated with the at least one battery charger for providing charging power to the at least one battery charger, wherein a first of the three contact balls is suitable for receipt by a first of a plurality of raised insulating ridges for slidably guiding onto a first of a plurality of alternately charged pads of a charging pad, and wherein a second and third of the contact balls are suitable for receipt by a second of the plurality of insulating ridges for slidably guiding onto a second, differently charged one of the plurality of alternately charged pads of the charging pad.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the three contact balls are substantially arranged in an equilateral triangle.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the three contact balls are substantially rigid.

18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the electrical association between the three contact balls and the battery charger comprises a plurality of diodes suitable for blocking reverse currents.

19. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of diodes comprise two diodes per each one of the three contact balls.

20. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the three contact balls comprise one of a spherical and a triangular shape.

21. A system for charging a mobile device using a power pad, comprising:

the power pad, comprising;

a base insulation pad;

a plurality of alternately charged strips electrically connected to at least one voltage source and physically atop the base insulation pad;

a plurality of raised insulating ridges interstitially between alternating ones of the alternately charged strips for slidably receiving contact balls of a mobile device;

the mobile device, comprising;

a microprocessor capable of providing operations;

at least one battery for providing power to at least the microprocessor;

at least one battery charger capable of charging the battery; and

three contact balls electrically associated with the at least one battery charger for providing charging power to the at least one battery charger, wherein a first of the three contact balls is suitable for receipt by a first of the plurality of raised insulating ridges for slidably guiding onto a first of the plurality of alternately charged pads, and wherein a second and third of the contact balls are suitable for receipt by a second of the plurality of insulating ridges for slidably guiding onto a second, differently charged one of the plurality of alternately charged pads.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the power pad further comprises at least one magnetic resonator suitable for inducing a magnetic near field, and wherein the mobile device further comprises resonance capture electronics whereby the mobile device receives an electrical charge via capture of the magnetic near field.