Side Charging Inductor

• US 20130082646A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yeung, Allan K., Coppin, Justin A.
• Application Number:
  US13/249,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20130082646A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits

Abstract

Techniques involving a side charging inductor and associated functionality are described. In one or more implementations, the techniques describe a mobile device that includes a housing with a first side and a second side that are not substantially parallel to one another. The first side may include an exposed face upon which the mobile device is configured to rest on a surface, and the second side may include a coil for charging a battery of the mobile device using induction.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a housing including a first side and a second side that are not substantially parallel to one another;

the first side comprising an exposed face upon which the mobile device is configured to rest on a surface; and

the second side including a coil configured to charge a battery disposed within the housing using induction.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first side is substantially parallel to at least one display screen of the mobile device housing.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein first side is formed of a metal.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second side is not a resting side upon which the mobile device may rest on a surface.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second side includes a smaller exposed area than an exposed area of the first side.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the battery is configured to be removable from the mobile device.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the coil is configured to charge the battery when the mobile device is in a resting position and located proximate a charging device.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising an indicator module configured to, when the battery is charging, indicate to a user of the mobile device that the battery is charging.

9. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the housing is coupleable to an accessory that is configured to protect the housing and expose the second side for charging.

10. A method comprising:

locating a side of a mobile device proximate a charging device to substantially align a first coil positioned on the side of the mobile device with a second coil in the charging device, the side of the mobile device being substantially perpendicular to a resting side of the mobile device, the resting side being an exposed face upon which the mobile device is configured to rest on a surface, the first coil being electrically coupled to a battery of the mobile device; and

charging the battery of the mobile device through induction using the first and second coils.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the resting side is formed from a metal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first coil is substantially a same size as a size of the second coil.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the charging device is configured to charge multiple mobile devices.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile device comprises a phone.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile device comprises a game controller.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the mobile device comprises a mouse.

17. A charging device comprising:

a housing; and

an inductive coil positioned within the housing and configured to induce a current in a coil of a mobile device to charge a battery of the mobile device, the inductive coil positioned within the housing as substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by an outer surface of a display screen of the mobile device when the mobile device is positioned proximal to the housing to enable inductive charging using the coils.

18. The charging device of claim 17, wherein the inductive coil is further configured to induce a current in multiple coils in multiple devices to charge one or more batteries of each of the multiple mobile devices.

19. The charging device of claim 17, wherein the inductive coil is substantially a same size as a size of the coil of the mobile device.

20. The charging device of claim 17, wherein the mobile device comprises a phone.