ENERGY CONVERTER, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD, FOR PROVIDING CONVERTED ENERGY TO A SET OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20120068535A1
• Filed: 09/20/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Wireless IP Holdings LLC (Retail Ecommerce Ventures LLC), General Wireless Operations Inc. (Retail Ecommerce Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: RadioShack Legacy Corporation
• Inventors: Homan, Theodore P., Wong, Yi Tsang
• Application Number:
  US12/885,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20120068535A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/31
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/065 with built-in electric apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826

Abstract

An apparatus, and an associated method, converts input energy, such as energy sourced at a household electric power supply, into converted energy for powering a set of electronic devices having operating power requirements. A converter housed in a converter housing forms first-converted energy of the input energy. The first-converted energy is provided to a dongle, connected to the converter. The dongle forms second-converted energy and provides connections to power both a first electronic device with the first-converted energy and to power a second electronic device, having second energy requirements, using second-converted energy formed at the dongle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing first-device operative power of a first output characteristic and second-device operative power of a second output characteristic, said apparatus comprising:

a converter housing having a first converter housed therein, the first converter configured to convert input energy into converted energy of a converted energy characteristic;

a dongle-adapter-tipped cable connected at a first side of the cable to receive the converted energy of the converted energy characteristic provided by said converter, the dongle-adapter-tipped cable having a dongle adapter positioned at a second side thereof; and

a dongle connectable to the dongle adapter of said dongle-adapter-tipped cable and adapted to receive the converted energy received at the first side of the dongle-adapter-tipped cable and adapted to receive the converted energy received at the first side of the dongle-adapter-tipped cable when connected to the dongle adapter, said dongle configured to provide the first-device operative power of the first output characteristic and to provide the second-device operative power of the second output characteristic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first-device operative power of the first output characteristic comprises a voltage level substantially corresponding to a voltage level of the converted energy.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second-device operative power of the second output characteristic comprises a voltage level less than a voltage level of the converted energy.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dongle is configured concurrently to provide the first-device operative power of the first characteristic and the second-device operative power of the second characteristic.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dongle further comprises a second converter said second converter configured to step-down the converted energy to form the second-device operative power, the second-device operative power of a stepped-down energy characteristic.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said dongle further comprises a connector socket connected to receive the second-device operative power provided by said second converter.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dongle comprises a first output element configured to provide the first-device operative power and a second output element configured to provide the second-device operative power.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first output element of said dongle comprises a connector plug.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the second output element of said dongle comprises a connector socket.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dongle is releasably connectable to the dongle adapter of said dongle-adapter-tipped cable.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said converter housing further comprises a single converted-energy output port provided with the converted energy of the converted energy characteristic.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dongle comprises an in-line power tap, positioned in-line with said converter housing and the converter housed therein.

13. A method for providing first-device operative power of a first output characteristic and second-device operative power of a second output characteristic, said method comprising:

converting input energy into converted energy of a converted energy characteristic at a converter housed at a converter housing;

providing the converted energy to a first side of a dongle-adapter-tipped cable and, thereby, to a dongle adapter positioned at a second side of the dongle-adapter-tipped cable; and

connecting a dongle to the dongle adapter, in-line with the converter housed, at the converter housing, the dongle having both a first output element and a second output element that provides the first-device operative power and the second-device operative power.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising connecting a first electronic device to the first output element of the dongle to provide the first electronic device with the first-device operative power of the first output characteristic.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising connecting a second electronic device to the second output element of the dongle to provide the second electronic device with second-device operative power of the second output characteristic.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising concurrently powering both the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said connecting the dongle further comprises down-converting the converted energy to form the second-device operative power of the second output characteristic.

18. An apparatus for providing operative power to at least one of a first electronic device and a second electronic device and a second electronic device, said apparatus comprising:

a converter housing having a first converter housed therein, the first converter housed therein configured to convert input energy into converted energy of a converted energy characteristic;

an adapter connected at a first side thereof to said converter housing and configured to receive the converted energy provided by the converter; and

an adapter connected to a second side of said adapter cable, said adapter configured to connect to one of;

a first-electronic-device plug of configuration permitting connection to the first electronic device; and

a dongle having a first output element permitting connection to the first electronic device and a second output element permitting connection to the second electronic device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the first output element of said dongle comprises a plug connector.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the second output element of said dongle comprises a plug socket.