AU2019100564B4

AU2019100564B4 - Adaptive Mobile Charging Station

Info

Publication number: AU2019100564B4
Application number: AU2019100564A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Mark Leppard
Original assignee: Plexum Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Plexum Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2019-05-28
Filing date: 2019-05-28
Publication date: 2020-12-17
Anticipated expiration: 2027-05-28
Also published as: AU2019100564A4

Abstract

The charging station provides simultaneous industry standards-based Internet Protocol network connectivity and device charging using power over ethernet (POE) to all connected devices through a single USB cable including standards aligned USB data sync and power delivery specifications.

Description

Adaptive Mobile Charging Station

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an adaptive mobile Charging Station for charging

a plurality of devices, such as mobile devices and field devices.

BACKGROUND

[0002] As organizations transition to a digital workplace, the use of and reliance on electronic devices such as phones, laptops and tablets has become core to the day to day operations of the business. The use of large quantities of digital devices in the workplace introduces complexities for deployment, management, maintenance, security, communications, data transfer charging and stowage for system operators. Traditional methods of managing these requirements such as power boards, operating system maintenance and wireless connectivity does not scale at industrial quantities.

[0002A] Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which have been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

[0002B] Throughout the specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

SUMMARY

[0003A] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a charging station for charging a plurality of devices, the charging station comprising: a plurality of vertical discrete slots, each configured to receive a device; and a plurality of connectors, each connector being associated with a vertical discrete slot and configured to connect to a device; wherein the charging station is configured such that when a device is located within a vertical discrete slot and connected to the associated connector, the charging station provides simultaneous industry standards based Internet Protocol network connectivity and slots are configured to separate the plurality of devices from each other.

[0003B] The Adaptive Mobile Charging Station (AMCS) addresses the need for an industrial & enterprise level device storage, charging and data management solution, extending innovation to the broader set of Mobility use-cases to provide efficient

& simplified Charging, Networking and Secure Device Storage capabilities.

[0004] The AMCS consists of individual shelves that can each store multiple devices. Separation of each device is provided by discrete vertical slots within the shelf. Each slot of the shelf provides an individual rugged cable or connector to plug into the charging and data port of the device. where cables are used, the cables extrude from individual holes with grommets and cable harnesses to enable the cable to be pulled out to reach the device port, and pushed back in to enable neat and tidy storage.

[0005] The cable or connector provided to each slot of the charging shelf can be any standard or proprietary type including, but not limited to: USB Type A, USB Type B, USB mini A, USB mini B, USB Micro A, USB Micro B, USB Type-C and/or Apple Lightning.

[0006] each individual cable connects into a Power over Ethernet (PoE 802.3af,at,bt) to USB-power delivery converter that enables a device to receive both data and power over a single Ethernet cable when connected to a PoE- enabled switch or a PoE injector.

[0007] multiple charging shelves can be mounted modularly into a standard 19" communications shelf that, when combined with regulated power distribution mechanism that is also shelf mounted, constitute a single charging station. Multiple charging stations can be daisy chained together to enable a single IP WAN gateway out of a site, or to enable synchronisation between charging stations.

[0008] Coupled with Cisco Meraki Networking and security appliance or appliances capable of providing this PoE connectivity, the AMCS can scale to support of hundreds of devices.

[0009] The AMCS can provide various methods to enable WAN connectivity between the charging station and the WAN or broader private IP connection, including onboard 4G LTE modem with wireless interfaces, Wi-Fi connectivity, Ethernet connectivity via either optical fibre or Shielded twisted pair copper cable.

[0010] the AMCS can provide local hotspot connectivity through the use of an onboard Wi-Fi modem to enable data connection and transmission to nearby connected field devices.

[0011] the AMCS is perfectly suited to help customers with limited Technology expertise to carry out day to day tasks associated with maintaining mobile workforces - secure, always on simplified deployment and management allows organizations to keep pace with the demands of the digital transformation age without the complexity. The goal of the AMCS integrated networking fabric is to enable customer revenue growth by accelerating the rollout of secure business mobility services.

[0012] The AMCS transforms typical passive mobility infrastructure solutions, into an actively managed and operated system. With rich enterprise security features to protect assets through advanced assurance and integrity capabilities, the AMCS ensures that physical assets and logical communications are always visible, monitored and alerted on based on organizationally defined policies. Providing improved resiliency through highly available deployment options can ensure mobile application continuity targets are met.

[0013] Combined with industry leading Cisco Meraki software presenting open APIs, the AMCS provides what is needed now with future investment protection as technology evolves. Supporting modular expansion, Plug-n-Play provisioning supporting Enterprise level integrations, the AMCS is positioned suitably to industry standard aligned infrastructures and Operational Support Systems such as ServiceNow.

[0014] The AMCS standard solution offering is powered by Cisco Meraki Technology, incorporating Software Defined Networking (SON) capabilities entirely managed from the Cloud. This architecture provides deployment and operational flexibility and design simplicity. The AMCS provides optimal integration modularity and scalability ensuring investment protection now and in the future. The AMCS key value proposition delivering a full turnkey infrastructure mobility solution catering for small-to-medium businesses to enterprise level deployments.

[0015] With native Mobile Device Management support, the AMCS can reduce operational costs by removing complex integrations thereby streamlining mobility operations through its out-of-the-box intelligent provisioning, configuration automation and operational monitoring and alerting capabilities regardless of organization location or technology maturity along the digital transformation journey.

[0016] Incorporating latest innovations and standards in USB and Power Delivery standards, aligned to industry standards in networking and telecommunications, the AMCS is a perfect entry level solution for small-to-medium Commercial-Off- The-Shelf (COTS) applications. Supporting tailored options upon customer request, the AMCS is also able to meet Enterprise level requirements through unrestrained environmental, connectivity and operational support possibilities.

BRIEF DESCIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016A] Certain exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0016B] Figure 1 shows a photographic image of a charging station for charging a plurality of devices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The AMCS components are designed to fit and mount into a standard 19" communications rack.

[0018] The AMCS Supports redundant power supply inputs.

[0019] The AMCS Supports Modular uplinks and field-replaceable network modules provide infrastructure investment protection by allowing use of UTP or optical fibre infrastructure connectivity to networks or equipment.

[0020] The AMCS Delivers power supply redundancy and resiliency for a variety of power requirements, including Power over Ethernet (PoE). It helps ensure uninterrupted operation and protection against device power supply failures by providing seamless failover.

[0021] The AMCS Supports the following power delivery methods: 802.3af,at,bt Power over Ethernet (PoE) Standards, IEEE 802.3at PoE (up to 15W per port) Is supported to lower the total cost of ownership for deployments that incorporate IP phones, wireless access points, or other standards-compliant PoE+ end devices. PoE+ removes the need to supply wall power to PoE-enabled devices and eliminates the cost of adding electrical cabling and circuits that would otherwise be necessary in IP phone and WLAN deployments.

[0022] The AMCS Supports redundant device charging during a switch reload, so that there is no disruption during a switch reboot.

[0023] The AMCS Provides visual feedback of charging status of devices via LED or signal status light indicators.

[0024] The AMCS Supports addition of base ventilation system to aid in climate control and remove excess as devices charge.

[0025] The AMCS Supports Wi-Fi hotspot.

[0026] The AMCS Supports location tracking of the station.

[0027] The AMCS Supports daisy chaining of multiple charging stations in a master/slaveconfiguration.

[0028] The AMCS can have cable or cable-less connection options whereby the devices either connect through a cable or directly to a mounted connector like a docking station.

[0029] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments and/or aspects without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. For example, it will be apparent that certain features of the invention can be combined to form further embodiments. The present embodiments and aspects are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Several embodiments are described above with reference to the drawings. These drawings illustrate certain details of specific embodiments that implement the systems and methods and programs of the present invention. However, describing the invention with drawings should not be construed as imposing on the invention any limitations associated with features shown in the drawings.

Claims

1. A charging station for charging a plurality of devices, the charging station comprising:

a plurality of vertical discrete slots, each configured to receive a device; and

a plurality of connectors, each connector being associated with a vertical discrete slot and configured to connect to a device;

wherein the charging station is configured such that when a device is located within a vertical discrete slot and connected to the associated connector, the charging station provides simultaneous industry standards based Internet Protocol network connectivity and charging using power over ethernet (POE), and

wherein the plurality of vertical discrete slots are configured to separate the plurality of devices from each other.

2. The charging station of claim 1 being in the form of a standard 19 inch communications rack.

3. The charging station of claim 1 or 2, wherein each connector is attached to a cable that connects into a Power over Ethernet to USB-power delivery converter.

4. The charging station of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the charging station is configured to enable WAN connectivity such that a system administrator can manage one or more devices connected to the charging station.

5. The charging station of any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a Wi-Fi modem to provide local hotspot connectivity to enable wireless data connection.

EDITORIAL NOTE 28 May 2019

2019100564

There is two pages of the drawings only .