REPLENISHING FUEL CELL POWERED PORTABLE DEVICES

• US 20090092864A1
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Energy Limited (Lb-shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Energy Limited (Lb-shell Plc)
• Inventors: Vanderleeden, Olen Richard, McLean, Gerard F., Stukas, Anna, Connor, Denis J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,569,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/421
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/00 Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04201 Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

Portable electronic devices such as portable telephones, portable computers and the like may obtain power from fuel cells that consume fuel from fuel reservoirs of the portable devices. A network of fueling stations permits users of portable devices to main the devices operational by frequently topping up the fuel reservoirs. Payment systems combine payments for fuel with larger payments for other transactions to avoid the overhead of processing individual payments for very small amounts.

Claims

1-34. -34. (canceled)

35. A fueling station for fuel-cell-powered portable devices, the fueling station comprising:

a source of fuel;

a connector for connecting to a fuel-cell-powered portable device;

a valve system connected to control dispensation of fuel from the fuel source to a fuel-cell-powered portable device connected to the connector;

a controller operative to control the valve system to dispense fuel to a fuel-cell-powered portable device; and

a rate-limiting mechanism to limit the rate at which fuel is dispensed to a fuel-cell-powered portable device.

36. A fueling station according to claim 35 wherein the rate-limiting mechanism is configured to set the rate based upon information retrieved by the fueling station from a portable device.

37. A fueling station according to claim 35 wherein the rate-limiting mechanism is configured to set the rate based upon one or more of a user-subscription plan;

a threshold temperature of a portable device;

a threshold temperature of fuel in a portable device;

a pressure in an internal reservoir of a portable device; and

a pressure of fuel in a portable device.

38. A fueling station according to claim 35 wherein the source of fuel comprises a source for one or more of hydrogen;

methanol;

formic acid;

butane; and

borohydride compounds.

39. A fueling station according to claim 35 wherein the source of fuel comprises sources of a plurality of different fuels.

40. A fueling station according to claim 35 comprising multiple different fuel connectors for delivering fuel to portable devices having different kinds of connectors for receiving fuel.

41. A fueling station according to claim 35 comprising a mechanism for inhibiting refueling of a connected portable device based upon one or more of:

if the portable device is at a temperature above a threshold temperature;

if a pressure in an internal reservoir of a portable device is not at a correct pressure; and

if a pressure of fuel in a portable device is not at a correct pressure.

42. A fueling station according to claim 35 comprising a mechanism for retrieving from a data store accessible to the fueling station a fuel transfer sequence for a connected portable device.

43. A fueling station according to claim 42 wherein the mechanism for retrieving the fuel transfer sequence is configured to set one or more of:

one or more cool down periods during or after fuel transfer,

a variable rate for fuel transfer, and

a set pressure for fuel transfer,

according to the fuel transfer sequence retrieved from the data store.

44. A fueling station according to claim 35 comprising a service mechanism configured to perform one or more service operations on a connected portable device, the service operations comprising one or more of:

performing diagnostics on a fuel cell or other power system;

reconditioning a fuel cell catalyst;

extracting spent fuel residues;

cleaning fuel cell components; and

providing a software upgrade.

45. A fueling station according to claim 35 comprising a mechanism for ensuring that only fuel of a correct type is delivered to a connected portable device.

46. A fueling station according to claim 35 in combination with a point-of-sale terminal, wherein the fueling station and point-of-sale terminal are connected by an interface and the point-of-sale terminal is configured to combine a first payment amount related to fueling a portable device with a second payment amount related to a commercial transaction being processed by the point-of-sale terminal.

47. A fueling station according to claim 46 wherein the point-of-sale terminal comprises a user interface control that is configured to add a set amount for the first payment amount to the second payment amount.

48. A fueling station according to claim 46 wherein the point-of-sale terminal is programmed to charge a first price for fueling a portable device in a stand alone transaction and a reduced price for fueling the portable device as part of a combined transaction.

49. A fueling station according to claim 46 configured to not combine the first payment amount with the second payment amount if the second payment amount exceeds a threshold value.

50. A fueling station according to claim 35 wherein the fuel source comprises a fuel generator.

51. A fueling station according to claim 50 wherein the fuel generator comprises a hydrogen gas generator.

52. A fueling station according to claim 35 in combination with a banking machine or other network kiosk.

53. A fueling station according to claim 35 comprising a key verification system for determining whether a pre-approval key communicated by a connected portable device is valid.

54. A fueling station according to claim 35 comprising a reader for reading from a connected portable device an identifier comprising one or more of a procedure for transferring fuel to the portable device;

a reference to a source of external information relating to the portable device; and

information identifying fuel requirements for the portable device.

55. A fueling station for fuel-cell-powered portable devices, the fueling station comprising:

a source of fuel;

a means for connecting a fuel-cell-powered portable device to the fueling station;

a means for controlling dispensation of fuel from the fuel source to a fuel-cell-powered portable device; and

a means for limiting the rate at which fuel is dispensed to a fuel-cell-powered portable device.