Replenishing fuel cell powered portable devices

• US 9,569,762 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Energy Limited (Lb-shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Energy Limited (Lb-shell Plc)
• Inventors: Stukas, Anna, Connor, Denis J., McLean, Gerard F., Vanderleeden, Olen Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Obaid, Fateh M
• Application Number:
  US12/067,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20090092864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,795 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/00 Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04201 Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

Portable electronic devices such as portable telephones, portable computers and the like may obtain power from fuel cells that consume fuel from fuel reservoirs of the portable devices. A network of fueling stations permits users of portable devices to main the devices operational by frequently topping up the fuel reservoirs. Payment systems combine payments for fuel with larger payments for other transactions to avoid the overhead of processing individual payments for very small amounts.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a source of fuel;

a connector for connecting to a fuel-cell-powered portable device;

a valve system connected to control dispensation of a liquid or gas fuel from the fuel source to a reservoir in a fuel-cell-powered portable device connected to the connector;

a controller operative to control the valve system to dispense the liquid or gas fuel to the reservoir in the fuel-cell-powered portable device;

a receiver configured to detect a type of the fuel cell powered portable device based upon information retrieved by the fuelling station from the portable device; and

a variable rate controlling mechanism to limit the rate at which the liquid or gas fuel flows into the fuel cell powered device to refuel the fuel cell powered device, wherein the variable rate controlling mechanism is configured to choose the rate limit based on a rate that is safe for the type of the fuel cell powered portable device detected; and

,

wherein the rate-limiting mechanism is configured to set the rate based upon one or more of a user-subscription plan;

a threshold temperature of a portable device;

a threshold temperature of fuel in a portable device;

a pressure in an internal reservoir of a portable device; and

a pressure of fuel in a portable device.

2. The system of to claim 1, wherein the source of fuel comprises a source for one or more of hydrogen;

methanol;

formic acid;

butane; and

borohydride compounds.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the source of fuel comprises sources of a plurality of different fuels.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising multiple different fuel connectors for delivering fuel to portable devices having different kinds of connectors for receiving fuel.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for inhibiting refueling of a connected portable device based upon one or more of:

if the portable device is at a temperature above a threshold temperature;

if a pressure in an internal reservoir of a portable device is not at a correct pressure; and

if a pressure of fuel in a portable device is not at a correct pressure.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for retrieving from a data store accessible to the fueling station a fuel transfer sequence for a connected portable device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the mechanism for retrieving the fuel transfer sequence is configured to set one or more of:

one or more cool down periods during or after fuel transfer,

a variable rate for fuel transfer, and

a set pressure for fuel transfer, according to the fuel transfer sequence retrieved from the data store.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a service mechanism configured to perform one or more service operations on a connected portable device, the service operations comprising one or more of:

performing diagnostics on a fuel cell or other power system;

reconditioning a fuel cell catalyst;

extracting spent fuel residues;

cleaning fuel cell components; and

providing a software upgrade.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for ensuring that only fuel of a correct type is delivered to a connected portable device.

10. The system of claim 1, further including a point-of-sale terminal, wherein the fueling station and point-of-sale terminal are connected by an interface and the point-of-sale terminal is configured to combine a first payment amount related to fueling a portable device with a second payment amount related to a commercial transaction being processed by the point-of-sale terminal.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the point-of-sale terminal comprises a user interface control that is configured to add a set amount for the first payment amount to the second payment amount.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the point-of-sale terminal is programmed to charge a first price for fueling a portable device in a stand alone transaction and a reduced price for fueling the portable device as part of a combined transaction.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the point-of-sale terminal is configured to not combine the first payment amount with the second payment amount if the second payment amount exceeds a threshold value.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the fuel source comprises a fuel generator.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the fuel generator comprises a hydrogen gas generator.

16. The system of claim 1, further including a banking machine or other network kiosk.

17. The system of claim 1, further including a key verification system for determining whether a pre-approval key communicated by a connected portable device is valid.

18. The system of claim 1, further including a reader for reading from a connected portable device an identifier comprising one or more of a procedure for transferring fuel to the portable device;

a reference to a source of external information relating to the portable device; and

information identifying fuel requirements for the portable device.

19. A fueling station for fuel-cell-powered portable devices, the fueling station comprising:

a source of a liquid or gas fuel;

a means for connecting a fuel-cell-powered portable device to the fueling station;

a means for controlling dispensation of the liquid or gas fuel from the fuel source to a reservoir within the fuel-cell-powered portable device;

a means for detecting a type of the fuel cell powered portable device based upon information retrieved by the fueling station from the portable device; and

a means for varying a limit of the rate at which the liquid or gas fuel flows into the fuel cell powered portable device to refuel the fuel cell powered portable device, wherein a selected limit is based on a rate that is safe for the type of fuel cell powered portable device detected; and

,

wherein the rate-limiting mechanism is configured to set the rate based upon one or more of a user-subscription plan;

a threshold temperature of a portable device;

a threshold temperature of fuel in a portable device;

a pressure in an internal reservoir of a portable device; and

a pressure of fuel in a portable device.

20. The fueling station for fuel-cell-powered portable devices of claim 19, wherein the means for controlling dispensation of the liquid or gas fuel from the fuel source further includes a mechanism to ensure that only fuel of a correct type is delivered to the fuel-cell-powered portable device.

21. The fueling station for fuel-cell-powered portable devices of claim 20, wherein the means for controlling dispensation of the liquid or gas fuel from the fuel source further includes a mechanism to ensure that the fuel-cell-powered portable device is in condition in which it can receive fuel.

22. The fueling station for fuel-cell-powered portable devices of claim 21, wherein the means for controlling dispensation of the liquid or gas fuel from the fuel source further includes a mechanism to inhibit transfer of the liquid or gas fuel if the fuel-cell-powered portable device is at a temperature above a threshold temperature.

23. The fueling station for fuel-cell-powered portable devices of claim 22, wherein the means for controlling dispensation of the liquid or gas fuel from the fuel source further includes a mechanism to specify a cool down period during or after fuel transfer.