Charging a Portable Electrical Device

• US 20100207576A1
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Elizalde Rodarte, Luis Ernesto
• Granted Patent: US 7,839,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/115
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6205 Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/18 having only abutting contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable electrical device requiring periodic recharging mates with a corresponding charging device by dropping or placing the portable device on or in the charger without pre-alignment by the user. The charger-to-device interface self aligns the portable electrical device in the charger for charging. Preferably, the charger is a bowl-shaped cradle. The portable device sinks to the bottom of the bowl using the force of gravity and thus aligns the contacts for recharging. Optional magnets may provide additional force to guide alignment.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one device from a set of devices consisting of;

(a) a portable electrical device capable of storing electrical energy and requiring periodic recharging, and (b) a charging device for supplying electrical energy to said portable electrical device during recharging thereof;

wherein said portable electrical device and said charging device comprise respective complementary mating surfaces which transmit electrical energy from said charging device to said portable electrical device during recharging of said portable electrical device, each said mating surface having a respective first plane of symmetry bisecting the mating surface, the mating surface being symmetrical about the respective first plane of symmetry, and a respective second plane of symmetry bisecting the mating surface and perpendicular to the respective first plane of symmetry, the mating surface being symmetrical about the respective second plane of symmetry, each said mating surface defining a convex polygon in a plane perpendicular to both its respective first plane of symmetry and its respective second plane of symmetry, said respective complementary mating surfaces being in an aligned configuration opposing each other in which said first planes of symmetry and said second planes of symmetry are substantially coincident during recharging; and

wherein said portable electrical device is placed upon said charging device by a user, said portable electrical device aligning its mating surface with respect to the mating surface of the charging device automatically using a gravitational force.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said convex polygon is a regular polygon.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said convex polygon is a square.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each said mating surface defines a respective set of line segments in said first plane of symmetry and in said second plane of symmetry.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mating surface of said charging device is an upwardly facing concave surface and the mating surface of said rechargeable device is a downwardly facing convex surface, said gravitational force causing said rechargeable device to sink to the bottom of said concave surface of said rechargeable device to automatically align said surfaces.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mating surface of said at least one device comprises a set of electrical contacts for mating with contacts of the other mating surface of said complementary mating surfaces to transmit electrical current for recharging said portable electrical device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, said at least one device further comprising a magnet for providing a force to automatically align said mating surfaces with respect to each other.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said portable electrical device comprises a digital music player.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one device from a set of devices consisting of;

(a) a portable electrical device capable of storing electrical energy and requiring periodic recharging, and (b) a charging device for supplying electrical energy to said portable electrical device during recharging thereof;

wherein said portable electrical device and said charging device comprise respective complementary mating surfaces which transmit electrical energy from said charging device to said portable electrical device during recharging of said portable electrical device, each said mating surface having a respective first plane of symmetry bisecting the mating surface, the mating surface being symmetrical about the respective first plane of symmetry, and a respective second plane of symmetry bisecting the mating surface and perpendicular to the respective first plane of symmetry, the mating surface being symmetrical about the respective second plane of symmetry, each said mating surface defining a convex polygon in a plane perpendicular to both its respective first plane of symmetry and its respective second plane of symmetry, said respective complementary mating surfaces being in an aligned configuration opposing each other in which said first planes of symmetry and said second planes of symmetry are substantially coincident during recharging; and

wherein said mating surfaces are aligned in a first configuration and in a second configuration, said second configuration being a configuration in which the mating surface of said portable electrical device is rotated from the first configuration about a central axis with respect to the mating surface of said charging device, said central axis being the intersection of the first plane of symmetry of said mating surface of said portable electrical device and the second plane of symmetry of said mating surface of said portable electrical device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said convex polygon is a regular polygon.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said convex polygon is a square.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each said mating surface defines a respective set of line segments in said first plane of symmetry and in said second plane of symmetry.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein complementary mating surfaces are aligned in N configurations, where N is the number of sides of said regular polygon, each said configuration being a configuration in which the mating surface of said portable electrical device is rotated from the first configuration about a central axis with respect to the mating surface of said charging device M*180/N degrees, where M is an integer, said central axis being the intersection of the first plane of symmetry of said mating surface of said portable electrical device and the second plane of symmetry of said mating surface of said portable electrical device.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said complementary mating surfaces are shaped to automatically align said surfaces with respect to each other using a gravitational force.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mating surface of said charging device is an upwardly facing concave surface and the mating surface of said rechargeable device is a downwardly facing convex surface, said gravitational force causing said rechargeable device to sink to the bottom of said concave surface of said rechargeable device to a position in which said vertical axes are substantially coincident.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mating surface of said at least one device comprises a set of electrical contacts for mating with contacts of the other mating surface of said complementary mating surfaces to transmit electrical current for recharging said portable electrical device.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, said at least one device further comprising a magnet for providing a force to automatically align said mating surfaces with respect to each other.

18. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said portable electrical device comprises a digital music player.