Patent Application
20240136853
The present invention relates generally to charging devices, and more particularly but without limitation, to charging devices that can be mounted against a wall to charge electronic devices.
Charging devices are often comprised of one or more connectors (e.g., plug(s), jack(s), etc.) and a cord. Charging devices are designed to provide electrical power to electronic devices. Often, when charging, the user is required to rest the electronic device on the floor in proximity to an electrical socket or power source. If the user prefers, the electronic device can be placed on a piece of furniture, such as a desk or a nightstand. This design still requires that a cord is separately plugged into the wall and often connected to the device, displaying a cord in an unsightly manner. Cords can produce a messy look in any area of the house. Additionally, cords and plugs can wear out and also prevent safety hazards, such as from electrocution and tripping.
Presently, furniture, such as end tables or sofas, with charging capabilities are commercially available. The furniture may include plugs for wired charging or pads for wireless charging. While this furniture provides a solution for unsightly cords, the item itself is large, bulky, and often expensive. In certain homes or buildings, it may not be feasible to place the furniture in an area that is both accessible to a plug and readily allows for the user to charge his or her device. Moreover, if a charging standard changes, the entire piece of furniture needs to replaced or may be useless. In addition, charging stations and mats are also available for charging electronic devices. However, such charging devices require a piece of furniture or flat surface to put the charging station.
The following summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the discussed technology. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure in summary form as a prelude to the more detailed description.
The charging devices described herein do not require a number of unsightly cords or bulky furniture. The charging devices described herein provide a wireless charging platform that is raised from the electrical plug, while concealing the wires used to power the platform. The charging device can provide for accessible, wireless charging throughout a home without detracting from the aesthetic appeal or requiring bulky dedicated furniture. The charging devices described herein can be moved around from room to room and can be replaced or upgraded for new charging standards. Additionally, the charging device described herein provide increase safety and flexibility while also reducing cost as compared to previous charging solutions.
The term “coupled” is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically; two items that are “coupled” may be unitary with each other. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless this disclosure explicitly requires otherwise. The terms “substantially” and “approximately” are each defined as largely but not necessarily wholly what is specified—and includes what is specified; e.g., substantially or approximately 90 degrees includes 90 degrees and substantially or approximately parallel includes parallel—as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. In any disclosed embodiment, the terms “substantially” and “approximately” may be substituted with “within [a percentage] of” what is specified, where the percentage includes 0.1, 1, 5, and 10 percent.
The terms “comprise” and any form thereof such as “comprises” and “comprising,” “have” and any form thereof such as “has” and “having,” and “include” and any form thereof such as “includes” and “including” are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, an apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” or “includes” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those elements. Likewise, a method that “comprises,” “has,” or “includes” one or more steps possesses those one or more steps, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more steps.
Any embodiment of any of the apparatuses, systems, and methods can consist of or consist essentially of—rather than comprise/include/have—any of the described steps, elements, and/or features. Thus, in any of the claims, the term “consisting of” or “consisting essentially of” can be substituted for any of the open-ended linking verbs recited above, in order to change the scope of a given claim from what it would otherwise be using the open-ended linking verb.
Further, a device or system that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but it can also be configured in ways other than those specifically described.
The feature or features of one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, even though not described or illustrated, unless expressly prohibited by this disclosure or the nature of the embodiments.
Some details associated with the embodiments described above and others are described below.
The following drawings illustrate by way of example and not limitation. For the sake of brevity and clarity, every feature of a given structure is not always labeled in every figure in which that structure appears. Identical reference numbers do not necessarily indicate an identical structure. Rather, the same reference number may be used to indicate a similar feature or a feature with similar functionality, as may non-identical reference numbers. Views in the figures are drawn to scale, unless otherwise noted, meaning the sizes of the depicted elements are accurate relative to each other for at least the embodiment in view.
Referring to
Charging device 10a can be configured to support one or more electronic devices while charger(s) 14 deliver power to them, while also providing a working surface for a user. As shown, for example, platform 16 has multiple chargers 14 and is configured to support multiple electronic devices, each of which can interface with (e.g., be placed on, for inductive chargers as discussed below) a respective one of the chargers, which allows them to be charged simultaneously. Platform 16 can have any suitable size to do so. For example, a surface area of planar surface(s) 18a can be greater than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 square feet (e.g., between 2 and 8 square feet). To further illustrate, a width 28 of platform 16 can be greater than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, or 6 feet and a length 32 of platform 16 can be greater than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, or 2.0 feet.
Charging device 10a can have any suitable charger(s) 14 to deliver power to one or more electronic devices. For example, at least one (up to and including each) of charger(s) 14 can be an inductive charger 20 configured to inductively charge a device disposed on it. An inductive charger 20 can comprise, for example, an induction coil configured to conduct an alternating current therethrough and thereby generate a magnetic field having a time-varying strength. When an electronic device having an induction coil is disposed on inductive charger 20, the inductive charger's time-varying magnetic field may induce an alternating current in the electronic device's coil. The induced alternating current can pass through a rectifier of the electronic device for conversion to a direct current, which can charge a battery of the electronic device and/or power one or more of the electronic device's components. In this way, an inductive charger 20 may transmit electrical power to an electronic device that is not conductively connected to the inductive charger.
Each of inductive charger(s) 20 can be shaped and dimensioned to permit inductive charging of various types of electronic devices, for example computers, tablets, phones, watches, headphones, and/or the like as discussed above, disposed on a charging surface 24 (e.g., that overlies or is defined by the inductive charger). As shown, for example, charging surface 24 may be rectangular, but in other embodiments the charging surface can be square, triangular, or otherwise polygonal, or circular, elliptical, or otherwise rounded. Furthermore, a surface area of charging surface 24 can be greater than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 0.01, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 square feet (e.g., between 0.1 and 2 square feet) and/or a maximum transverse dimension (e.g., length or diameter) of the charging surface can be greater than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 inches. The inductive charger(s) 20 may include an induction unit (not shown in
As shown, at least one of inductive charger(s) 20 can be coupled to platform 16 to define one or more charging surfaces 24 on the platform, e.g., such that each of those inductive charger(s) is configured to inductively charge a device disposed on one of the platform's planar surface(s) 18a. To allow a user to continue to use and/or access to an electronic device that is receiving power from one of such inductive charger(s) 20, charging device 10a can be configured to allow platform 16 (e.g., at least one of its planar surface(s) 18a) to be positioned at a traditional desk height (e.g., between approximately 28 and 30 inches above a ground surface) or higher (e.g., for use as a standing desk). Charging device 10a's leg 12 can facilitate such positioning (e.g., when plug 26 is received in an electrical receptacle positioned close to the ground surface, discussed in further detail below). By way of example, a length 34 of leg 12 (e.g., measured in a direction aligned with an axis that extends between the leg's top and bottom ends 22a and 22b) can be greater than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, or 4.5 feet.
Further, leg 12 can provide discrete coverage of wire(s) 30 that can place charger(s) 14a in electrical communication with plug 26, while also supporting platform 16 so that the platform may be used as a working surface. To do so, leg 12 can be relatively narrow. By way of example, a minimum width 36 of the leg 12 can be less than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, ⅓rd, ¼th, ⅙th, or 1/12th of platform 16's width 28 (e.g., each measured perpendicularly to the leg's length 34) and/or less than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, ⅕th, 3/20th, 1/10th, or 1/20th of the leg's length, such as less than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 6. 5.5, 5, 4.5, 4, 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, or 0.5 inches (e.g., between 0.60 and 2.75 inches). Leg 12 can also be relatively thin, with a minimum thickness 78 of the leg, measured perpendicularly to the leg's width and length 34, being less than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, ⅓rd, ¼th, ⅙th, or 1/12th of platform 16's length 32, such as less than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 4, 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, or 0.5 inches. Such a narrow and thin leg 12—whose width and thickness can, but need not (as discussed below with respect to
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Additionally or alternatively, charging device 10a can comprise one or more adhesive strips 50 to attach and/or secure leg 12 to the wall. Adhesive strip(s) 50 can be disposed between leg 12 and the wall to adhere the leg thereto, and they can each have a width 52 that is less than a width of the leg where the strip is positioned (e.g., less than the leg's minimum width 36) such that the strip remains hidden behind the leg.
In such implementations where the charging device 10a comprises inductive charger(s) 20, some users may prefer to power electronic devices using wired charging, and some electronic devices do not have inductive charging capabilities. Referring to
As shown, each of receptacle(s) 54 can be positioned closer to top end 22a of leg 12 than to bottom end 22b of the leg, allowing access to the receptacle(s) for charging. For example, each of receptacle(s) 54 can be coupled to leg 12 of charging device 10b (e.g., at upper end 22a) (
Some of the present charging devices may have different geometries to define a user-friendly work surface. Shown in
Some of the present charging devices can be configured to provide additional storage and charging capabilities. Referring to
Each of compartment(s) 66 can be positioned closer to top end 22a of leg 12 than to the leg's bottom end 22b to allow access thereto. For example, housing unit 70 can be defined by a portion of leg 12 at top end 22a and can be coupled to platform 16.
For added stability and/or to provide room for electronic device(s) in housing unit 70 (if included), at least a portion of leg 12 may be larger than that of charging device 10a whose leg, as shown, has a substantially constant width. For example, the width of leg 12, instead of being substantially constant, can vary along length 34 of the leg, such as in a tapered portion that is coupled to platform 16 and (if compartment(s) 66 are included) defined housing unit 70. In the tapered portion of leg 12, the leg's width, measured perpendicular to the leg's length 34, can decrease moving along the length of the leg toward the leg's bottom end 22b. As shown, in the tapered portion, the wide of leg 12 decreases from a maximum width 72 of the leg to the leg's minimum width 36 (which can be any of the minimum widths discussed above). Maximum width 72 can be greater than or equal to, or between any two of, 1.5, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10, 20, or 30 times minimum width 36, such as greater than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 40, or 50 inches. As shown in
To further account for any added load in compartment(s) 66 and/or increase the carrying capacity thereof, leg 12 of charging device 10d may also have a thickness 78, measured perpendicularly to the leg's length 34 and width, that is larger than that of the charging device 10a. For example, leg 12's thickness 78 can be greater than or equal to any one of, or between any two of, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, or 6.0 inches.
While some of the present charging devices include a platform 16 with a single planar surface 18a (e.g., as shown for devices 10a-10e), in other embodiments the platform can have multiple (e.g., two or more) planar surfaces. Referring to
Some of the present charging devices can facilitate a user's continued use of an electronic device while the device is charging, such as by facilitating a user's view of the device's screen. For example, referring to
Referring to
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The above specification and examples provide a complete description of the structure and use of illustrative embodiments. Although certain embodiments have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of this invention. As such, the various illustrative embodiments of the methods and systems are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, they include all modifications and alternatives falling within the scope of the claims, and embodiments other than the one shown may include some or all of the features of the depicted embodiment. For example, elements may be omitted or combined as a unitary structure, and/or connections may be substituted. Further, where appropriate, aspects of any of the examples described above may be combined with aspects of any of the other examples described to form further examples having comparable or different properties and/or functions, and addressing the same or different problems. Similarly, it will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments.
The claims are not intended to include, and should not be interpreted to include, means-plus- or step-plus-function limitations, unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a given claim using the phrase(s) “means for” or “step for,” respectively.
