US20150311733A1 - Smart phone and/or consumer electronics device charger system - Google Patents

Abstract

A consumer electronics charging device having a pair of rotatable blades, wherein the blades are rotatable from a deployed position in which ends of the blades are inserted into a standard wall outlet to a retracted position to decrease the overall thickness of the charger.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION
• The present application claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Applications 61/544,194, filed Oct. 6, 2011, entitled “Smart Phone Charger System,” and to 61/605,118, filed Feb. 29, 2012, entitled “Smart Phone and/or Consumer Electronics Device Charger System,” for which both applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
• The present invention relates to chargers for electronic devices such as smart phones (including iPhones™, iPads™, etc.), and also to chargers for other consumer electronics devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• People rely more and more on their smart phones and these devices are being used for more and more hours of the day. Unfortunately, smart phones tend to be “battery hogs” that consume a significant amount of energy. In many regards, the biggest limitation to these devices is their (relatively short) battery life. They all typically require a daily charging.
• Numerous charging devices already exist for phones and smart phones. Typically, these charging devices include standard plug-in wall cords, and/or power cords that plug into computer USB ports. Many users do not find it convenient to rely on these long charging cables. It's inconvenient to carry them around, and it's also inconvenient to always have to return your smart phone to the same spot to charge it up at the end of the day. Therefore, other solutions on the market include battery packs that fasten directly onto the phone or are connected to the phone by a short plug in cable. The main problem with these devices is their added bulk and weight.
• An example of a charging device for a consumer electronics product is found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,938,653. This device is simply a folding plug at the end of a charging cord. The plug has a pair of plug blades that fold down one on top of the other. The blades rotate in the same direction as they are deployed. This blade folding arrangement unfortunately requires a deep trough into which both blades are folded (one sitting on top of another). In addition, this trough extends fully out the side of the device such that the user must insert their finger and pull upwardly on one of the blades, thereby causing both blades to rotate into position. A primary disadvantage of this system is that the two blades are folded one on top of another. This requires a deep channel/trough into which both blades must be folded. Another disadvantage of this system is that this channel/trough must extend fully out of the side of the device. In addition, one of the blades must have its tip positioned near the end of the channel/trough at the side of the device such that the user's fingers can grip onto it. As a result, the position of the two blades is effectively fixed with respect to the sides of the device.
• It would instead be desirable to overcome the limitations of the '653 patent's folding plug blades. For example, it would be desirable to provide a plug that can be stored without requiring a deep channel into which two blades are folded one on top of one another. It would also be desirable to provide a system in which the user does not have to grasp onto the ends of one of the blades to deploy them. Instead, it would be desirable to provide a system in which the blades automatically deploy at the push of a button under the user's command. It would also be desirable to provide a system in which the blades can be centrally located on the back of the device being charged if desired. Lastly, it would be desirable to completely avoid the charging cord itself, for example when charging an iPhone™ or other smart phone.
• What is instead desired when charging smart phones in particular is a system that uses standard wall power AC outlets, but also avoids the use of a large, bulky extra battery pack. It is also desirable for such a system to completely avoid the use of long power cables running from a charger to the device being charged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention provides a charging device having a pair of rotatable blades or pins. The blades are rotatable from a deployed position in which ends of the blades are inserted into a standard AC wall outlet to a retracted position in which the ends of the blades are spread apart from one another and lie flat against the charger to decrease the overall thickness of the charger.
• The most important advantage of the present invention is that it reduces the overall thickness of the charger itself. Specifically, the plug-in blades are rotated from the parallel orientation (i.e.: in which they are inserted in a standard wall outlet) down to a flattened orientation in which they are instead positioned in the same plane.
• In various embodiments, the present rotatable plug charger is built into (or onto) the body of the smart phone. Alternatively, it may be a separate device that is connected onto the back or bottom of the smart phone. As will be shown, however, the present folding blade charging device can also be used with other suitable consumer electronics devices (for example, battery rechargers, electric toothbrushes, shavers, etc.). In further embodiments, it may be a separate device that is attached by a short cable to the smart phone.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1A is a bottom perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention in a retracted position.
• FIG. 1B is a bottom perspective view of the first embodiment of the invention in a deployed position.
• FIG. 1C is a top perspective view of the first embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 2A is a side view of the first embodiment of the invention in a retracted position.
• FIG. 2B is a side view of the first embodiment of the invention in a deployed position.
• FIG. 3A is a top perspective view of the first embodiment of the invention in a retracted position.
• FIG. 3B is a top perspective view of the first embodiment of the invention in a deployed position.
• FIG. 4A is a rear view of the first embodiment of the invention in a retracted position.
• FIG. 4B is a rear view of the first embodiment of the invention in a deployed position.
• FIG. 5A is a rear view of a second embodiment of the invention in a retracted position.
• FIG. 5B is a rear view of a second embodiment of the invention in a deployed position.
• FIG. 6A is a front view of a third embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 6B is a side view of the third embodiment of the invention in a retracted position.
• FIG. 6C is a side view of the third embodiment of the invention in a deployed position.
• FIG. 7 is a close-up view of the rotating plug blades showing a spring biasing mechanism.
• FIG. 8A is a rear view of a fourth embodiment of the invention in a first position.
• FIG. 8B is a rear view of a fourth embodiment of the invention in a second position with the blades in a retracted position.
• FIG. 8C is a rear view of a fourth embodiment of the invention in a second position with the blades in a deployed position.
• FIG. 9 is a schematic view of another system for releasing the plug blades for deployment.
• FIG. 10A is a rear view of a fifth embodiment of the invention with the blades in a retracted position.
• FIG. 10B is a rear view of the fifth embodiment of the invention with the blades in a deployed position.
• FIG. 11A is a rear view of a sixth embodiment of the invention with the blades in a retracted position.
• FIG. 11B is a rear view of the sixth embodiment of the invention with the blades in a deployed position.
• FIG. 12 is an illustration of the back of the first embodiment of the invention with the back case removed and the blades shown in their deployed position.
• FIG. 13 is a perspective view corresponding to the bottom inside case ofFIG. 12.
• FIG. 14 is a perspective view corresponding toFIG. 12 (with the blades deployed).
• FIG. 15A is a close up view corresponding toFIGS. 13 and 14.
• FIG. 15B is a view similar toFIG. 15A, but with various parts removed for clarity to show operation of the device.
• FIG. 16A is an illustration of the present invention incorporated into a plug-in battery recharger.
• FIG. 16B is an illustration of the present invention incorporated into a smart-phone external battery charger.
• FIG. 16C is an illustration of the present invention incorporated into a hand-held electronic shaver.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIGS. 1A to 4B show a first embodiment of the invention in which a charging device is attached directly to the back of a smart phone, as follows.Smart phone10 includescharger20A mounted thereto.Charger20A comprises ahousing22 with aplug unit30 disposed therein.Plug unit30 has a pair ofrotatable blades32.Blades32 are rotatable from a retracted position in which the ends of the blades are spread apart from one another (as seen inFIGS. 1A,2A,3A and4A) to a deployed position in which ends of the blades are positioned to be received within a wall outlet (as seen inFIGS. 1B,2B,3B and4B).Plug unit30 also comprises amechanism34 for rotating the blades from the retracted position to the deployed position. As will be shown,mechanism34 can be composes of various elements, and it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to any particular embodiment. Also included withplug unit30 is electrical circuitry36 (shown inFIGS. 13 and 14) in thehousing connecting blades32 ofplug unit30 to the internal battery ofphone10.
• As can be seen inFIGS. 1A,2A,3A and4A,blades32 are preferably disposed in the same plane (or almost in the same plane) when in the retracted position. As can be seen inFIGS. 1B,2B,3B and4B,blades32 are disposed in parallel planes when in the deployed position. When it is time to re-chargephone10, the user simply causesblades32 to rotate into their deployed position. Preferably, this is done by pullingswitch38 back insocket39 in direction D1. As will be explained, this movement ofswitch38 will releaseblades32 such that they automatically rotate from their retracted position (FIG. 1A) to their deployed position (FIG. 1B). Preferably,blades32 will be biased to rotate (in opposite directions) throughout their full range of travel (i.e.: from their retracted to deployed positions). Note: it is to be understood that the term “biased” as used herein is understood to mean being pushed, pulled or otherwise urged to move in a preferred direction by any means including, but not limited to spring action. Then, the phone10 (withcharger20A attached thereto) is simply plugged into a standard AC wall outlet for recharging. This arrangement avoids the need for long power cables. Quite simply, a user just plugs their smart phone into the wall to recharge it. In various embodiments, the phone battery may itself be within thephone10 or within thecharger20A. In one preferred aspect,phone10 is an Apple iPhone™. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to any particular model or brand of smart phone. In fact, as illustrated herein, the present invention can also be used to charge devices other than smart phones (e.g.: plug-in battery rechargers, toothbrushes, electric shavers, etc.). As such, it is ideal to charge any electrical device where size, weight and space are at a premium.
• The present invention provides various systems for movingblades32 between retracted and deployed positions. In one example,blades32 may be mounted onto a spring (or otherwise) biasedrotatable member33. Thus,members33 simply rotate by 90 degrees (or approximately 90 degrees) to moveblades32 between retracted and deployed positions.Various mechanisms34 for activating movement ofmembers33 will be described herein.
• In various preferred embodiments,blades32 are geared together such that have to work in unison. In such embodiments, a user simply depressing oneblade32 will cause theother blade32 to move as well. This embodiment is especially convenient such that the user does not need to hold down bothblades32 to push them into a retracted position.
• In yet another preferred embodiment, the charging circuit is not activated until bothblades32 are deployed. With this safety feature, there is no danger that the charging circuit can be turned on until both blades are firmly in their deployed position.
• FIGS. 5A and 5B show rear views of asecond charger20B. InFIG. 5A,blades32 are shown in their retracted position. InFIG. 5B,blades32 are shown in their deployed position.Charger20B has the advantage of being smaller thancharger20A.Charger20A is preferably plugged into the bottom ofphone10. Most preferably,charger20B is simply plugged into the standard 30 pinpower cable connector11 on the bottom ofPhone™10. A further advantage of this second embodiment of the charger is that it can be removed and a standard power re-charging cable can be used instead (should the user want both options). All the user needs to do is to unplugcharger20B fromconnector11, and insert the end of a standard power cable intoconnector11.
• FIGS. 6A to 6C show a third embodiment of the present charging system.Charger20C provides a “cradle” forphone10 as it charges. Specifically,charger20C deploys blades32 (using mechanisms as described above).Phone10 is plugged ontoelectrical component21 that is received into standard 30pin connector11. Thus,phone10 simply sits in the cradle formed bycharger20C which is then plugged into a standard AC wall outlet.
• FIG. 7 shows a close up of an exemplary biasing mechanism in which aspring35 urges blades32 (in direction D2) into their deployed position.Spring35 acts as an electrical conductor thereby permitting each ofblades32 to be mounted onto a non-conductingrotatable element33. The spring-biasing approach shown inFIG. 7 can be used with various mechanisms described below that simply holdblades32 in the retracted position until they are released.
• For example,FIGS. 8A to 8C show acharger20A on the back ofphone10.Charger20A includes a moveable slidingsection25. InFIG. 8A, slide25 covers blades32 (keeping them in their retracted position). Next, slide25 is moved to the position shown inFIG. 8B, exposingblades32. Sinceblades32 are spring biased, they will immediately rotate to the deployed position shown inFIG. 8C.
• In another approach,FIG. 9 shows a schematic of tworotatable wheels26A and26B. When the wheel is in the position shown bywheel26A, it will keepblade32 in its retracted position. However, when the wheel is rotated to the position shown bywheel26B, it will then releaseblade32, andblade32 will spring into its deployed position.
• FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate another embodiment of the invention. This embodiment is similar to that ofFIGS. 1A to 4B, however, the orientation of theplugs32 has been rotated by 90 degrees. The advantage of this design is that the iPhone™ is itself rotated when charging and now sits sideways when plugged into the wall socket. As a result, the adjacent second AC wall socket is not blocked by the iPhone™, and is clear to be used.
• FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate yet another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, plugs32 lay flat against the back ofsmart phone10 when in their retracted position (FIG. 11A). Next, the plugs are both rotated upwardly and twisted when moved into their deployed position (FIG. 11B). Note: In this embodiment, eachrotatable member33 rotates 90 degrees about both axes R1 and R2.
• It is to be understood that other options forrotating blades32 between their retracted and deployed positions are also possible. For example,blades32 need not be biased. Instead, they may be simply rotated by manually turning a wheel or lever. They may also simply be manually rotated by a user individually grasping onto the blades one by one and rotating them into position. Alternatively, the blades can be geared together such that movement of one causes the other to move (this has the advantage that only one blade needs to be depressed to move both blades into their retracted position). It is also to be understood that the various mechanisms described herein may be used to rotateblades32 together or individually. A “click down to release” biasing option is also available, as will be explained below.
• FIG. 12 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention showing the bottom comprises of a bottom outside case50 and a bottom insidecase52.Blades36 are shown in their deployed position.
• FIGS. 13 to 15B show further details ofmechanism34 for rotating the blades from the retracted position to the deployed position (with outside case50 removed for clarity), as follows.Mechanism34 comprises a biasingspring60 which pushes switch38 forward.Switch38 has aforward extension61 projecting therefrom. Eachblade32 is biased to rotate in direction D2 by a spring62 (only one is shown). Preferably, this biasing occurs through the full range of motion from the retracted to the deployed positions. In addition, eachblade32 is held on aroller63 that has aslot64 running therealong. As seen most clearly inFIG. 15B,forward extension61 is received intoslot64 whenblade32 is in its retracted position. Next, whenswitch38 is pulled back (in direction D1),spring60 will be compressed andforward extension61 will slip out ofslot64. This action releasesblade32 to rotate in direction D2 (into its fully deployed position) byspring62.
• After use (i.e.: when theblades32 are removed from the wall outlet), the user simply depressesblades32 to their retracted position. At this time, biasingspring60 will slideforward extension61 back intoslot64 thereby holding the blades back in their retracted position. One particular advantage of this system is that only a simple one finger push and slide ofswitch38 is required forblades32 to be automatically deployed. The user does not have to grab onto the blades and pull them out to deploy them. Thus, there is no need for a blade slot that reaches the side of the device. Instead, the tips ofblades32 can be positioned away from the edges of the device when they are in their retracted position. Moreover, the user's finger moves in direction D1 (i.e.: away from the deploying blades) as the blades deploy. Thus, there is no danger of the blades springing out and hitting the user's fingers. Advantageously as well, there is no need with the present invention for one blade to be folded on top of the other. Instead, each can be separately received in its own shallow receptacle on the back of the phone when they are in their retracted position. This advantageously minimizes the depth/thickness of the overall device.
• FIG. 16A shows the present invention incorporated into a plug-in battery recharger100 (FIG. 16A).
• FIG. 16B shows the present invention incorporated into a smart-phoneexternal battery charger120. Specifically,phone10 has a battery/SIM card125 that is removed and placed intoexternal battery charger120 which is in turn plugged into the wall.
• FIG. 16C is an illustration of the present invention incorporated into a hand-heldelectronic shaver130.

Claims (23)

What is claimed is:

1) A charging device, comprising:

(a) a housing;

(b) a plug unit in communication with the housing, the plug unit having:

(i) a pair of blades, wherein the blades are positionable from a deployed position to a retracted position, the deployed position defined by ends of the blades oriented to be received by a wall outlet; and

(ii) a mechanism for transitioning the blades from the retracted position to the deployed position; and

(c) electrical circuitry operable to electrically connect the blades of the plug unit to a battery of a consumer electronics device.

2) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the blades are disposed in parallel planes when in the deployed position.

3) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the blades rotate away from each other about parallel axes into the deployed position.

4) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the blades are positionable together such that manual positioning of one blade causes the other blade to move.

5) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the blades are biased to rotate throughout a range of motion between retracted and deployed positions.

6) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the blades are substantially parallel when in the retracted position.

7) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the blades are positionable by being folded away from one another when moved between deployed and retracted positions.

8) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the battery is operatively connected to the housing.

9) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the charging device is electrically connected to the battery of the consumer electronics device, the consumer electronics device being a smart phone, a battery charger, an electric toothbrush, or an electric shaver.

10) The charging device ofclaim 9, further comprising a slide moveable between a first position that exposes the blades, and a second sliding position that substantially covers the blades.

11) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein a base of each of the blades are mounted onto a spring biased member.

12) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the housing is attached to a rear portion or a bottom portion of a smart phone.

13) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a cradle operable to receive the consumer electronics device.

14) The charging device ofclaim 1, further comprising: a spring biasing system that urges the blades into the deployed position.

15) The charging device ofclaim 14, further comprising: a restraint mechanism for holding the blades in the retracted position, wherein releasing the restraint mechanism causes the blades to transition to the deployed position.

16) The charging device ofclaim 1, further comprising: a latching mechanism for holding the blades in the retracted position, the latching mechanism comprising:

a spring for each blade;

a roller in communication with respective blades and springs;

a switch having a forward projection positioned on a side of the rollers; and

wherein each spring is operable to advance the switch such that a forward projection of the switch remains positioned on the side of the rollers thereby preventing the blades from moving from the retracted position.

17) The charging device ofclaim 16, wherein sliding the switch away from the blades causes the forward projection to release each of the rollers causing the springs to move the blades to the deployed positions.

18) The charging device ofclaim 1, wherein the blades are planar with the housing in the retracted position, and wherein the blades rotate upwardly and are twisted when transitioning from the retracted position to the deployed position.

19) The charging device ofclaim 18, wherein each blade rotates is operable to rotate 90 degrees about a corresponding longitudinal blade axis.

20) A charging system for a consumer electronics device, comprising:

(a) the consumer electronics device having: a battery, and a power connector configured to electrically connect an external power supply to the battery;

(b) a charging device, having:

(i) a housing;

(ii) a plug unit in communication with the housing, the plug unit having:

(a) a pair of blades, wherein the blades are positionable from a deployed position to a retracted position, the deployed position defined by ends of the blades oriented to be received by the external power supply; and

(b) a mechanism for transitioning the blades from the retracted position to the deployed position,

(iii) electrical circuitry operable to electrically connect the blades of the plug unit with the power connector, the battery, and the external power supply.

21) The charging system ofclaim 20, wherein the charging device plugs into the power connector of the consumer electronics device.

22) The charging system ofclaim 20, wherein the consumer electronic device is a smart phone, a battery recharger, an electric toothbrush, or an electric shaver.

23) The charging system ofclaim 22, wherein the power connector is a 30 pin connector.

Images