Mobile charging unit for input devices

• US 9,660,477 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Dowd, Geoffrey, Lee, Sang Ik
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kebede, Tessema
• Application Number:
  US13/841,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034

Abstract

Devices, methods, and systems for charging input devices. A charging unit includes a sleeve for receiving a stylus and a base. The charging unit receives electrical power from an external power source via an interface and transfers the power to the stylus via a connection between the base'"'"'s charging contacts and conductive charging zones on a portion of the input device in the base. A method detects insertion of a stylus into a charging unit having an internal battery and an interface capable of receiving power from an external power source. The method determines if the unit is connected to a power source. If so, the stylus is charged by transferring the received energy via a connection between the unit'"'"'s charging contacts and conductive charging zones of the stylus. If energy is not being received from the external power source, the method charges the stylus using the unit'"'"'s internal battery.

Claims

1. A mobile charging apparatus comprising:

a sleeve portion adapted to receive an input device via a first opening at a first end of the sleeve portion, the sleeve portion having a second end presenting a second opening; and

a base portion having a sleeve coupling end adapted for removable coupling to the second end of the sleeve portion, the second opening of the second end being configured to accommodate the sleeve coupling end when the base portion and sleeve portion are in a coupled configuration, the cavity comprising charging contacts coupled to a first rechargeable battery that is disposed within the base portion, the base portion being configured to;

receive electrical power from an external power source to recharge the first rechargeable battery via an interface configured on the base portion; and

charge a second rechargeable battery of the input device when the input device is removably secured to the cavity by transferring electrical power received from the external power source via an electrical connection between the charging contacts and charging zones of a conductive surface of the input device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cavity is adapted to receive an end of the input device including the charging zones, the cavity including a mechanical coupling mechanism configured to removably secure the end of the input device so that, when in a secured configuration:

one of a positive charging contact and a negative charging contact of the base portion is in physical contact with one of a corresponding positive charging zone and a corresponding negative charging zone of the input stylus; and

the other one of the positive charging contact and the negative charging contact of the base portion is in physical contact with the other one of the corresponding positive charging zone and the corresponding negative charging zone of the input stylus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charging contacts comprise:

a first charging contact configured for electrical connection to one of a positive terminal and a negative terminal of the first rechargeable battery; and

a second charging contact configured for electrical connection to the other one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the first rechargeable battery.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input device is a stylus having a tip at an end of the stylus for interacting with a touch surface of a computing device, the conductive surface being proximate to the tip and being electrically isolated from a body of the stylus by an insulating ring disposed between the conductive surface and the body,

wherein the sleeve portion is an elongate housing configured to receive the stylus through the first opening,

and wherein the base portion includes a mechanical coupling mechanism configured to secure the stylus within the elongate housing so that the charging contacts are electrically connected to the charging zones of the stylus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, and wherein the base portion comprises:

a Micro USB receptacle configured to receive electrical power from the external power source via the USB interface;

circuitry configured to convert the received electrical power to electric current having an amperage and voltage needed to charge the input device; and

an electrical connection between the circuitry to the charging contacts.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein first rechargeable battery is configured to:

store electrical power received via the interface with the external power source, the first rechargeable battery having sufficient energy storage capacity to recharge the rechargeable battery of the input device a certain number of times without requiring electrical power from the external power source, and

charge the rechargeable battery of the input device,

the apparatus further comprising;

a light emitting diode (LED); and

a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to indicate a status via the LED, wherein the status is one or more of charging the input device from the external power source, charging the input device from the first rechargeable battery, charging the first rechargeable battery from the external power source, the first rechargeable battery is fully charged, and not charging, wherein the logic comprises instructions to;

cycle the LED on and off so as to iteratively blink the LED when the status is charging the input device from the external power source,

alternate between partially and fully illuminating the LED so as to pulsate the LED when the status is charging the input device from the first rechargeable battery,

illuminate the LED at maximum brightness when the status is the first rechargeable battery is fully charged, and

turn off the LED when the status is not charging.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises:

a light emitting diode (LED); and

a computer readable medium having logic stored thereon, that when executed by a processor, causes the processor indicate a status of the second rechargeable battery of the input device via the LED, wherein the status is one or more of charging, fully charged, substantially depleted, and not charging, and wherein the logic comprises instructions to;

alternate between partially and fully illuminating the LED so as to pulsate the LED when the status is charging,

cycle the LED on and off a predetermined number of iterations when the status is substantially depleted,

illuminate the LED at a maximum brightness when the status is fully charged, and

turn off the LED when the status is not charging.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is configured so that the LED of the input device remains visible through one or more of the first opening, a transparent portion of the sleeve portion, and a translucent portion of the sleeve portion.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, the base portion comprising:

an induction coil configured to;

inductively couple to an inductive charging coil of the external power source,

receive energy wirelessly from the inductive charging coil in the form of electromagnetic waves,

convert the received energy to electrical current, and

wherein the first rechargeable battery is configured to;

receive the electrical current,

store energy corresponding to the received current, and

charge the second rechargeable battery of the input device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base portion comprises:

a light emitting diode (LED); and

circuitry having logic encoded thereon, that when executed by a processor, causes the processor to indicate a status via the LED, wherein the status is one or more of charging the input device, charging the first rechargeable battery of the apparatus, conductive coupling to the external power source, inductive coupling to the external power source, and not charging, wherein the logic comprises instructions to;

solidly illuminate the LED when the status is charging the second rechargeable battery of the input device;

pulsate the LED when the status is charging the first rechargeable battery of the apparatus;

turn off the LED when the status is not charging;

blink the LED when the status is conductive coupling to the external power source; and

pulsate the LED a predetermined number of times when the status is inductive coupling to the external power source.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is adapted to protect a body and a tip of the received input device from external mechanical forces when the base portion and sleeve portion are in the coupled configuration.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the sleeve portion and the base portion are each encased with one or more outer layers comprising shock absorbing materials.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first opening and the second opening of the sleeve portion is substantially triangular.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sleeve portion presents a translucent or transparent opening for maintained visibility of an LED configured on the received stylus.

20. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the positive charging contact and the negative charging contact of the base portion are each disposed on opposing sides of the mechanical coupling mechanism.

12. A method for charging a rechargeable stylus, the method comprising:

detecting insertion of a stylus into a housing of a charging unit, the housing comprising a protective sleeve adapted to receive the stylus through a first open end, and a charging base portion having a protective sleeve coupling end for removable coupling to a second open end of the protective sleeve, the charging base portion having a first rechargeable battery and an interface configured to receive electrical power from an external power source, the housing being adapted to protect a body and a tip of the inserted stylus from external mechanical forces when the protective sleeve and the charging base portion are in a coupled configuration;

determining whether the charging unit is coupled to the external power source;

in response to determining that the charging unit is not coupled to the external power source, charging the second rechargeable battery of the inserted stylus utilizing the first rechargeable battery of the charging unit.

13. The method of claim 12, the charging unit including a light emitting diode (LED) and a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon, instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to indicate a status via the LED, wherein the status is one or more of charging the second rechargeable battery of the inserted stylus, conductively charging the internal battery of the charging unit, inductively charging the internal battery of the charging unit, and not charging, wherein the instructions comprise:

instructions for illuminating the LED when the status is charging the second rechargeable battery of the inserted stylus;

instructions for blinking the LED when the status is conductively charging the first rechargeable battery of the charging unit;

instructions for pulsating the LED a predetermined number of times when the status is inductively charging the first rechargeable battery of the charging unit; and

instructions for turning off the LED when the status is not charging.

14. A system for charging a stylus, the system comprising:

an external power source adapted to transmit electrical power via an interface; and

a charging unit comprising;

an elongate housing having a body portion and a base portion adapted to be removably coupled to the body portion, wherein at least the base portion presents an opening adapted to receive the stylus when the base portion and the body portion are in a decoupled configuration, the body portion and the base portion being adapted to encase a body and a tip of the received stylus for protection from external mechanical forces when in a coupled configuration,

a mechanical coupling mechanism adapted to secure the received stylus within the elongate housing,

charging contacts adapted to transfer electrical current via an electrical connection from one of a first rechargeable battery of the charging unit and the power source to charging zones of a conductive surface of the secured stylus;

wherein the charging unit is configured to;

detect the stylus received via the opening,

receive electrical power from the external power source via the interface; and

charge a second rechargeable battery of the secured stylus by transferring electrical power received from the external power source to the second rechargeable battery via an electrical connection between the charging contacts and the charging zones.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the charging unit is further configured to charge the first rechargeable battery of the charging unit, instead of the second rechargeable battery of the received stylus, with the electrical power received from the external power source based on a determination that the first rechargeable battery needs to be charged.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the first rechargeable battery is disposed within the elongate housing.