Method and apparatus for charging a portable electrical device

• US 7,477,039 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rodarte, Luis Ernesto Elizalde
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah; Akm E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang; Jue
• Application Number:
  US11/132,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20060261778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 320110-115
• 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, and the mating surfaces as well as the contacts are symmetrical about a vertical axis. 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, said respective complementary mating surfaces having respective central axes, said respective complementary mating surfaces being in an aligned configuration opposing each other in which said central axes 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 by inducing motion in at least one dimension perpendicular to the central axis of said mating surface of said charging device using a gravitational force, said complementary mating surfaces being shaped to use said gravitational force to automatically induce motion in said at least one dimension perpendicular to the central axis of said mating surface of said charging device to automatically align said complementary mating surfaces with respect to each other.

2. 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.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said complementary mating surfaces are radially symmetrical with respect to said respective central axes, said mating surfaces being aligned in each of a plurality of different angular positions with respect to each other about said central axes.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said complementary mating surfaces define respective circles in respective planes perpendicular to said respective central axes, said mating surfaces being aligned in any arbitrary angular position with respect to each other about said central axes.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, 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, at least one of said electrical contacts being an annulus centered on the central axis of its mating surface.

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, said respective complementary mating surfaces having respective central axes, said respective complementary mating surfaces being in an aligned configuration opposing each other in which said central axes are substantially coincident during recharging;

wherein each said complementary mating surface defines a respective circle in a plane perpendicular to its respective central axis, and wherein each said complementary mating surface forms a respective arc in a plane containing its respective central axis, each respective arc being symmetrical about and intersecting its respective central axis, the complementary mating surfaces of said charging device and portable electrical device being concave and convex, respectively; and

wherein said mating surfaces are aligned in any arbitrary angular position with respect to each other about said substantially coincident central axes.

10. 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.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, 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.

12. 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, at least one of said electrical contacts being an annulus centered on said substantially vertical axis.

13. 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.

19. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said portable electrical device is a substantially discus-shaped device having a diameter greater than the dimension of said portable electrical device in its central axis.

14. 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, said respective complementary mating surfaces being in an aligned configuration opposing each other during recharging;

wherein the mating surface of said charging device is a concave, upwardly facing surface; and

wherein said portable electrical device is placed upon said charging device by a user, said portable electrical device sinking to the bottom of said concave, upwardly facing surface, said mating surfaces being shaped to automatically align with respect to each other by inducing motion of said portable electrical device in at least one dimension perpendicular to a gravitational force using said gravitational force.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said complementary mating surfaces automatically align with respect to each other using at least one alignment force in addition to said gravitational force.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said at least one alignment force in addition to said gravitational force comprises a magnetic force.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said complementary mating surfaces are radially symmetrical with respect to a substantially vertical axis, said mating surfaces being aligned in each of a plurality of different angular positions with respect to each other about said substantially vertical axis.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, 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.