Method and Apparatus for Charging a User Device

• US 20170201631A1
• Filed: 01/06/2017
• Published: 07/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Charge Up LLC
• Original Assignee: Charge Up LLC
• Inventors: Hourani, Tameem
• Application Number:
  US15/400,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20170201631A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/00 Circuit arrangements or systems for wireless supply or distribution of electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/00 Current supply arrangements for telephone systems for selecting-equipment H04Q1/28

Abstract

The wireless charging unit is a utility device that can be used to charge a user device with power, and may be controlled by an online server that can approve or deny the request to begin charging. The online server may also have a capability to send video and image advertisements, surveys, inventory listings, data collection, SMS alerting, or other messages to the charging unit over the Internet or other wide area network, using Wi-Fi or cellular communication protocols to send signals and data to the charging unit. The online server may be used to log information from the charging units, as well as to control a charge-activation circuit to enable or disable the charging unit to charge the user device.

Claims

1. A method of charging a user device, the method comprising:

approving, via a communications network, activation of a charging unit to deliver charging power to a user device responsive to a request, via the communications network, initiated by the charging unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising delivering content to the charging unit prior to or during delivery of the charging power, the content being formatted in a manner enabling the charging unit to provide the content to the user of the user device, the content being visual or audible content, and wherein the content includes at least one of advertisements, surveys, inventory listings, data collection, and short message service (SMS) alerting.

3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising enabling a manager to control the content to be delivered to the charging unit.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising enabling the manager to control the content that is to be displayed by the charging unit during times when the charging unit is not delivering power.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising enabling a manager to configure the charging unit via the communications network.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

collecting analytics based on information related to the delivery of charging power;

or collecting data and generating the analytics based on the information related to the delivery of the charging power.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein approving the activation includes transmitting a charging activation approval indicator capable of being transmitted via a wireless link to the charging unit.

8. A method of charging a user device, the method comprising:

by a charging unit, requesting approval from a server, via a communications network, to activate charging of a user device; and

activating delivery of charging power from the charging unit to the user device following receipt of a charging activation approval indicator from the server via the communications network.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising displaying content, received via the communications network, to a user of the user device via a graphical user interface of the charging unit, and wherein the content includes at least one of advertisements, surveys, inventory listings, data collection, and short message service (SMS) alerting.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising displaying the content, via the graphical user interface, to the user during the delivery of power to the user device.

11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising displaying the content or other content to the user via the graphical user interface during times when the charging unit is not delivering the power.

12. The method according to claim 8 further comprising applying a configuration at the charging unit in accordance with configuration settings controllable by a manager via the communications network.

13. The method according to claim 8 further comprising transmitting analytics, or data used in determining the analytics, from the charging unit to the server via the communications network, the analytics being based on the delivery of charging power.

14. The method according to claim 8 further comprising, by the charging unit, requesting the approval and receiving the charging activation approval indicator via a wireless link.