Portable charger for mobile phone

• US 7,166,987 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RF Tech Limited
• Original Assignee: RF Tech Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Jung-Woo, Lee, Kyung-Sang, Chai, Moon-Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Easthom; Karl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muralidar; Richard V.
• Application Number:
  US10/959,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20050088141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 320107-115, 206701-704, 224/902
• US Class Current: 320/114
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2005/006 comprising a suspension strap or lanyard
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2005/025 with a holder or item rotatably connected to the fastening device, e.g. having a rotation axis perpendicular to the garment
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2200/0516 Portable handheld communication devices, e.g. mobile phone, pager, beeper, PDA, smart phone
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/00 Holders or carriers for hand articles; Holders or carriers for use while travelling or camping
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/02 Fastening articles to the garment
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/021 to the belt
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/202 Casings or frames around the primary casing of a single cell or a single battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/244 Secondary casings; Racks; Suspension devices; Carrying devices; Holders characterised by their mounting method
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/262 with fastening means, e.g. locks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/296 characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a portable charger for a mobile phone. The portable charger includes a front housing, a rear housing, a belt clip, a fastening unit, a pair of clamps, a release button, an interface connector, a secondary battery and a charge control unit. The portable charger is easy to carry, can easily charge the battery of the mobile phone with direct current power charged in a secondary battery, and can simultaneously charge the secondary battery and the battery of the mobile phone using a travel adaptor.

Claims

1. A portable charger for a mobile phone, comprising:

a front housing having an accommodation recess formed in a front side of the front housing to accommodate a mobile phone, and cutouts formed on right and left sides of an upper portion of the accommodation recess to allow a user to easily grip the mobile phone seated in the accommodation recess and easily manipulate a volume key of the mobile phone;

a rear housing fastened to a back of the front housing by screws to close a rear open side of the front housing;

a belt clip detachably attached into a long accommodation recess formed on a back of the rear housing to change a mounting position of the rear housing;

a fastening unit placed in the long accommodation recess formed on the back of the rear housing to prevent the belt clip from being removed from the accommodation recess;

a pair of clamps rotatably placed on right and left sidewalls of the accommodation recess formed in the front housing to prevent the mobile phone from being removed during charging while engaging with recesses formed on both sides of the mobile phone, respectively;

a release button placed above a location between the front housing and the rear housing to regulate protrusion and retraction of projections of the clamps;

an interface connector mounted in a lower portion of the accommodation recess, formed in the front housing, through a shaft and a coil spring to be rotated in a block;

a secondary battery placed in a space formed by the front and rear housings; and

a charge control unit configured to perform control so that Direct Current (DC) voltage, converted by a travel adaptor, is received through a cord and a connector and the second battery and the battery of the mobile phone are simultaneously charged with the DC voltage, or the battery of the mobile phone is charged with DC voltage charged in the secondary battery.

2. The portable charger for a mobile phone as set forth in claim 1, wherein the belt clip comprises:

a coupling member having a pair of projections formed on a top of the coupling member, and a recess formed on a bottom of the coupling member to engage with a projection of the fastening unit, so that the coupling member, which is placed in the long accommodation recess formed on the back of the rear housing, is fastened by the fastening unit;

a rotating plate having a pair of circular projections configured- to engage with a pair of depressions formed on a circular projection of the coupling member, and a coil spring configured to push a catch downward;

a fastening member integrated with the circular projection of the coupling member using ultrasonic fusion welding to accommodate the rotating plate so that the rotating plate can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise;

a moving member mounted on the fastening member to be rotated around a hinge pin; and

a coil spring configured to push a low portion of the moving member to a lower portion of the fastening member.

3. The portable charger for a mobile phone as set forth in claim 1, wherein the fastening unit comprises:

a slider configured to be pushed upward by a spring;

a projection integrally formed on a top of the slider to prevent removal of the belt clip while engaging with the recess formed on the bottom of the coupling member of the belt clip; and

a projection plate integrally formed on the slider to slide the slider downward to detach the belt clip from the rear housing.

4. The portable charger for a mobile phone as set forth in claim 1, wherein the clamps comprise:

a pair of projections placed on both sidewalls of the accommodation recess, formed in the front housing, to be selectively projected and retracted and to clamp the mobile phone so as to prevent removal of the mobile phone seated in the accommodation recess;

a pair of coil springs mounted on shafts;

a pair of lower actuating members configured to be pushed inward by the coil spring and protrude the projections when the release button is pulled; and

a pair of upper actuating levers mounted on hinge shafts so that, when the release button is pushed, the upper actuating levers come into contact with an inclined surface downwardly formed from the bottom of the release button and are rotated outward, thus retracting the projections.

5. The portable charger for a mobile phone as set forth in claim 1, wherein the release button is pushed by a coil spring so that the projections of the clamps are pushed toward the accommodation recess formed in the front housing.

6. The portable charger for a mobile phone as set forth in claim 1, wherein the charge control unit comprises:

a microprocessor for controlling an entire operation relating to charge of the battery of the mobile phone and the secondary battery;

voltage converting means for receiving the DC power converted by the travel adaptor and the DC power (DC current and DC voltage) charged in the secondary battery, boosting or stepping down the DC power to charge the battery of the mobile phone, and outputting the boosted or stepped-down DC power to the microprocessor;

first charging current detecting means for receiving the DC power boosted or stepped-down by the voltage converting means, detecting charging current, and outputting the detected charging current to the microprocessor;

first constant current/voltage adjusting means for receiving the DC voltage boosted or stepped-down by the voltage converting means and the charging current detected by the first charging current detecting means, performing operation on the DC voltage and the charging current through the microprocessor, and receiving the charging current detected by the first charging current detecting means and adjusting the detected charging current to constant current and voltage in response to a control signal from the microprocessor if the boosted or stepped-down voltage and the charging current are not constant current and voltage of a predetermined level;

a first switch for receiving the constant current/voltage adjusted by the first constant current/voltage adjusting means and controlling charge of the battery of the mobile phone through an output terminal in response to a control signal from the microprocessor;

second charging current detecting means for receiving the DC power (DC current and DC voltage) converted by the travel adaptor, and detecting charging current and outputting the detected charging current to the microprocessor to charge the secondary battery;

second constant current/voltage adjusting means for receiving the charging current detected by the second charging current detecting means, performing operation on the charging current through the microprocessor, and receiving the charging current detected by the second charging current detecting means and adjusting the detected charging current to constant current and voltage in response to a control signal from the microprocessor if the charging current is not constant current and voltage of a predetermined level;

a second switch for receiving the constant current/voltage adjusted by the second constant current/voltage adjusting means and controlling the charge of the secondary battery in response to a control signal from the microprocessor;

discharge preventing means for performing control in such a way as to prevent the DC voltage charged in the secondary battery if the battery of the mobile phone is not connected to the output terminal, and to output the DC power charged in the secondary battery to the voltage converting means and charge the battery of the mobile phone if the battery of the mobile phone is connected to the output terminal;

charge status display means for displaying charge status of the battery of the mobile phone and charge status of the secondary battery; and

temperature detecting means for detecting surrounding temperature and outputting the surrounding temperature to the microprocessor to prevent charge of the battery of the mobile phone and the secondary battery under control of the microprocessor if the surrounding temperature is above a predetermined temperature of about 45°

C. or below a predetermined temperature of about −

5°

C.

7. The portable charger for a mobile phone as set forth in claim 6, wherein the discharge preventing means is composed of a field effect transistor that operates in such a way as to be switched on by application of low level voltage to a gate terminal through bias resistors and output the DC power, charged in the secondary battery, to the voltage converting means through protection means if the battery of the mobile phone is connected to positive and negative electrodes of the output terminal, and to be switched off by application of high level voltage to a gate terminal through bias resistors and charge the battery of the mobile terminal if the battery of the mobile phone is not connected to the positive and negative electrodes of the output terminal.

8. The portable charger for a mobile phone as set forth in claim 6, wherein the charge status display means is a dual type light emission diode, and the dual type light emission diode emits red light to indicate that the secondary battery is being charged if the charge of the battery of the mobile phone is completed, emits green light to indicate that the battery of the mobile phone is being charged if the charge of the secondary battery is completed, and does not emit light to indicate that the battery of the mobile phone and the secondary battery have been charged if the battery of the mobile phone and the secondary battery have been charged.

9. A portable charger for a mobile phone, comprising:

a front housing having an accommodation recess formed in a front side of the front housing to accommodate a mobile phone, and cutouts formed on right and left sides of an upper portion of the accommodation recess to allow a user to easily grip the mobile phone seated in the accommodation recess and easily manipulate a volume key of the mobile phone;

a rear housing fastened to a back of the front housing by screws to close a rear open side of the front housing;

a belt clip detachably attached into a long accommodation recess formed on a back of the rear housing to change a mounting position of the rear housing;

a fastening unit placed in the long accommodation recess formed on the back of the rear housing to prevent the belt clip from being removed from the accommodation recess;

a pair of clamps rotatably placed on right and left sidewalls of the accommodation recess formed in the front housing to prevent the mobile phone from being removed during charging while engaging with recesses formed on both sides of the mobile phone, respectively;

a release button placed above a location between the front housing and the rear housing to regulate protrusion and retraction of projections of the clamps;

an interface connector mounted in a lower portion of the accommodation recess, formed in the front housing, through a shaft and a coil spring to be rotated in a block; and

a secondary battery placed in a space formed by the front and rear housings to be charged with DC voltage, obtained by a travel adaptor, under control of a charge control unit.

10. A charge control unit for a mobile phone portable charger comprising:

a microprocessor for controlling an entire operation relating to charge of a battery of the mobile phone and a secondary battery associated with the portable charger;

voltage converting means for receiving DC power converted by a travel adaptor and DC power (DC current and DC voltage) charged in the secondary battery, boosting or stepping down the DC power to charge the battery of the mobile phone, and outputting the boosted or stepped-down DC power to the microprocessor;

first charging current detecting means for receiving the DC power boosted or stepped-down by the voltage converting means, detecting charging current, and outputting the detected charging current to the microprocessor;

first constant current/voltage adjusting means for receiving the DC voltage boosted or stepped-down by the voltage converting means and the charging current detected by the first charging current detecting means, performing operation on the DC voltage and the charging current through the microprocessor, and receiving the charging current detected by the first charging current detecting means and adjusting the detected charging current to constant current and voltage in response to a control signal from the microprocessor if the boosted or stepped-down voltage and the charging current are not constant current and voltage of a predetermined level;

a first switch for receiving the constant current/voltage adjusted by the first constant current/voltage adjusting means and controlling charge of the battery of the mobile phone through an output terminal in response to a control signal from the microprocessor;

second charging current detecting means for receiving the DC power (DC current and DC voltage) converted by the travel adaptor, and detecting charging current and outputting the detected charging current to the microprocessor to charge the secondary battery;

second constant current/voltage adjusting means for receiving the charging current detected by the second charging current detecting means, performing operation on the charging current through the microprocessor, and receiving the charging current detected by the second charging current detecting means and adjusting the detected charging current to constant current and voltage in response to a control signal from the microprocessor if the charging current is not constant current and voltage of a predetermined level;

a second switch for receiving the constant current/voltage adjusted by the second constant current/voltage adjusting means and controlling the charge of the secondary battery in response to a control signal from the microprocessor;

discharge preventing means for performing control in such a way as to prevent the DC voltage charged in the secondary battery if the battery of the mobile phone is not connected to the output terminal, and to output the DC power charged in the secondary battery to the voltage converting means and charge the battery of the mobile phone if the battery of the mobile phone is connected to the output terminal;

charge status display means for displaying charge status of the battery of the mobile phone and charge status of the secondary battery; and

temperature detecting means for detecting surrounding temperature and outputting the surrounding temperature to the microprocessor to prevent charge of the battery of the mobile phone and the secondary battery under control of the microprocessor if the surrounding temperature is above a predetermined temperature of about 45°

C. or below a predetermined temperature of about −

5°

C.

11. A charge control unit as set forth in claim 10, wherein the discharge preventing means is composed of a field effect transistor that operates in such a way as to be switched on by application of low level voltage to a gate terminal through bias resistors and output the DC power, charged in the secondary battery, to the voltage converting means through protection means if the battery of the mobile phone is connected to positive and negative electrodes of the output terminal, and to be switched off by application of high level voltage to a gate terminal through bias resistors and charge the battery of the mobile terminal if the battery of the mobile phone is not connected to the positive and negative electrodes of the output terminal.

12. A charge control unit as set forth in claim 10, wherein the charge status display means is a dual type light emission diode, and the dual type light emission diode emits red light to indicate that the secondary battery is being charged if the charge of the battery of the mobile phone is completed, emits green light to indicate that the battery of the mobile phone is being charged if the charge of the secondary battery is completed, and does not emit light to indicate that the battery of the mobile phone and the secondary battery have been charged if the battery of the mobile phone and the secondary battery have been charged.