USB inductive charger

• US 8,373,387 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2010
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Bourilkov, Jordan T., Biedermann, David T., Klein, David N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Application Number:
  US12/849,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20120032631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/108, 455/41.1, 4553431-3436, 455/573, 340/538.16, 340/854.6, 340/854.8, 340/870.31
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

An inductive charger adapter element includes a housing, a coil comprising electrically conductive material, the coil contained within the housing, the coil configured to inductively couple to an external primary coil; and a connector supported on the housing, the connector coupled to the coil and configured to couple the inductive charger adapter element to a port provided on a device, the connector including a first pair of conductors for providing power and charging current to a battery in the device.

Claims

1. An inductive charger adapter element comprising:

a housing,

a coil comprising electrically conductive material, the coil contained within the housing, the coil configured to inductively couple to an external primary coil; and

a connector supported on the housing, the connector coupled to the coil and configured to couple the inductive charger adapter element to a port provided on a device, the connector including a first pair of conductors for providing power and charging current to a battery in the device, a pair of brushes, and a pair of conductive rails over which the connector is configured to move with each of the rails being connected to a circuit via a corresponding one of the brushes wherein the connector is adjusted such that the conductor coil in the housing is within a predetermined distance from the external primary coil.

2. The element of claim 1 further comprising at least a second conductor within the connector, the second conductor configured to transfer data between the inductive charger and the device.

3. The element of claim 1, further comprising:

the circuit coupled to the coil, the circuit comprising;

a rectifier, and

a voltage converter to convert an input voltage to the circuit to a constant charging voltage.

4. The element of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a universal serial bus (USB) plug.

5. The element of claim 4, wherein the USB plug is one of a mini-USB plug and a micro-USB plug.

6. The element of claim 1, wherein the coil is one of a flat coil and a spool coil.

7. The element of claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance is less than about 1 inch.