Furniture with wireless power
First Claim
1. A furniture component for use in inductively transferring power to an electronic device that includes a secondary coil of an inductive coupling, the furniture component comprising:
- a work surface having an uninterrupted and continuous upper surface, a lower surface disposed opposite and below said upper surface, and an intermediate portion disposed between said upper and lower surfaces;
a primary coil mounted to said lower surface, said primary coil operable to induce a current in the secondary coil when the electronic device is positioned proximate said upper surface and above said primary coil.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Furniture components, such as office furniture components, are configured to include electronic components that transfer electrical power to peripheral electronic devices via wireless technologies, including conductive and inductive technologies. The articles of furniture may include grommet devices received within work surfaces, the grommet devices incorporating or housing the electronics of wireless power systems. The articles of furniture may also include the electronics of wireless power systems physically embedded or integrated within work surfaces in a manner in which the continuous surfaces of the work surfaces are maintained, and the work surfaces may optionally further include lighting or other indication features to indicate the locations of the electronics to a user.
141 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A furniture component for use in inductively transferring power to an electronic device that includes a secondary coil of an inductive coupling, the furniture component comprising:
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a work surface having an uninterrupted and continuous upper surface, a lower surface disposed opposite and below said upper surface, and an intermediate portion disposed between said upper and lower surfaces; a primary coil mounted to said lower surface, said primary coil operable to induce a current in the secondary coil when the electronic device is positioned proximate said upper surface and above said primary coil. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A furniture component for use in inductively transferring power to an electronic device that includes a secondary coil of an inductive coupling, the furniture component comprising:
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a work surface formed at least in part of a translucent material and having an uninterrupted and continuous upper surface, a lower surface disposed opposite and below said upper surface, and an intermediate portion disposed between said upper and lower surfaces; a primary coil mounted to said lower surface and operable to induce a current in the secondary coil when the electronic device is positioned proximate said upper surface and above said primary coil; and at least one illumination marker disposed beneath said upper surface and spaced from said primary coil, said illumination marker illuminating through said translucent material of said upper surface to indicate a location of said primary coil. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A furniture component for use in inductively transferring power to an electronic device that includes a secondary coil of an inductive coupling, the furniture component comprising:
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a work surface having an uninterrupted and continuous upper surface, a lower surface disposed opposite and below said upper surface, and an intermediate portion disposed between said upper and lower surfaces; said lower surface including a cavity extending into said intermediate portion of said work surface without extending through said upper surface; a primary coil positioned within said cavity and operable to induce a current in the secondary coil when the electronic device is positioned proximate said upper surface and above said primary coil; and at least one illumination marker disposed beneath said upper surface and spaced from said primary coil, said illumination marker illuminating through a portion of said upper surface to indicate a location of said primary coil. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification