GB2448330A

GB2448330A - Mobile phone charger unit incorporating an automatic cut off timer

Info

Publication number: GB2448330A
Application number: GB0706938A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gopinath Patel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-04-11
Filing date: 2007-04-11
Publication date: 2008-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 2027-04-11
Also published as: GB2448330B; GB0706938D0

Abstract

A mains power operated mobile phone charger that has zero percentage wastage of energy whilst on standby. A timer (9,Fig.3) is provided to cut off the mains supply (2a) via circuit breaker (8a) within the charger after a predetermined time. The charger may be manually activated by means of a push button switch 5 that can also be set to operate automactically. The charger also includes an indicator 6 to indicate when charging has ended.

Description

* 244833Q

IMPROVEMENTS TO A MOBILE PHONE CHARGER

The present invention is a mains charger unit of the type which is incorporated into a mains power plug and which includes an automatic cut off timer. The unit S is intended for use as an accessory with a mobile phone.

It has long since been recognised that the cost of leaving appliances on standby is a significant cost and can add much to a commercial or domestic electricity bill.

This has led to a marked increase in the number of timers which have been incorporated into many of the different types of commercial and domestic appliances which are available today. It is now common for anything from washing machines to 1V and audio equipment to be equipped with timers.

These timers which are commonly part of the appliance can either be of the type which cuts off the appliance after a pre-deterrninecj time has elapsed, or, particularly in heavier domestic appliances, they can of the type which switches on the appliance when the cost of electricity has been reduced for example at night.

There are now appliances having timers which are designed to take the appliance from a standby state to the off condition either after a pre-determined time period or after a programmable time elapsed period. The primary purpose of such timers is to achieve energy savings particularly now that it has been recognised that standby conditions can carry a significant cost.

Turning now to specifically, battery chargers, again as in the case of electrical appliances, there is a tong history of commercial and domestic charging systems which incorporate automatic cut off systems. However the presence of these systems in battery chargers is, historically, because of entirely different reasons to those which led to timers in domestic and commercial appliances.

Batteries do not store electricity; they are in fact chemical generators of electricity. A chemical process takes place within a battery as a result of which electrons are caused separate from their mother atoms thus leading to the creation of a electrical potential difference which results in a flow of electricity in any suitable circuit which is attached to the battery. This flow will continue until the chemical action ceases, which is usually when chemicals within the battery have reacted to the point that there is no chemical energy remaining.

The process of charging a battery is to force an electric current through the battery which reverses the chemical process and moves the chemical balance to the highly charged state and the whole process can begin over again.

There are many different battery systems employing different chemicals and different constructions but almost without exception, unless the charging process is a very slow one, then batteries can be damaged by an excessively long charge time or overcharging as it is known. It is therefore for this reason that historically, cut off systems have been incorporated into battery chargers for some considerable time. They are frequently based on temperature, voltage or current sensing circuits. However these complex cut out systems or even simple timers are not seen in small plug top power supplies which are defined in this specification as those power supplies which are integrated into a mains plug.

Purchases of small appliances such as mobile phones are usually accompanied by a plug top battery charger of some type and without exception the type supplied is of the sort which delivers a continuous charge to the phone. The battery within the phone is protected from any damage which may result from overcharging by cut off circuits contained within the phone itself which effectively break the connection between the phone and the charger.

In the circumstances outlined, the charger is frequently left plugged in and is constantly consuming power even though the phone has switched off the charge internally within the phone itself. This is a significant waste of energy and carries an associated cost and the present invention is focussed on providing a solution for energy waste particularly in the plug top type of charger systems where timers provided for energy saving are not normally seen.

Any number of plug top type charger systems can benefit from the application of the present invention. This specification has focussed on describing a mobile phone system by way of example only. Mainly because the widespread use of mobile phones today make energy saving charging systems desirable.

It is the object of the present invention to provide for a mobile phone charging unit which once started will run for a pre-determined time period which is sufficient to fully charge a phone battery from flat and then cut off the power within the charger such that no current is consumed when the pre-deterniined time period has elapsed.

It is not proposed in this specification to describe the circuit elements in detail since each element contains already well known technology and a unit as so far described can be constructed by anyone skilled in the art from the information

contained within this specification.

Further versions of the charger may be supplied incorporating indicators and programmable time periods with programming means or an automatic start without the need for a start or activation button.

According to a first feature of the invention there is provided a mobile phone battery charger of the type which incorporates a mains power plug, characteriseci by the inclusion of a timer designed to cut off the mains supply within the charger after pre-determined period of time.

According to a second feature of the invention there is provided a mobile phone battery charger according to the first feature which includes means for indicating when charging has finished.

According to a third feature of the invention there is provided a mobile phone battery charger according to the first feature or the first and second features which includes means for setting the charger to an operational state.

According to a fourth feature of the invention there is provided a mobile phone battery charger according to any previous feature which includes means for programming the length of the said time period.

The invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which: -Figure 1 Is a view of the underside one version of the complete charger unit Figure 2 Is a top view showing a start button and indicator for versions where these are provided.

Figure 3 Is one example of many different circuit diagrams which may be used to implement the present invention.

Referring now to figure 1, the charger unit consists of a body 1, pins 2a and b which connect to the mains supply when the unit is plugged into a mains outlet socket and pin 3 which is the earth connection.

An activation button 5, and an indicator 6, may or may not be mounted typically as shown in figure 2, or any other suitable place and there is an outlet cable 4 which would terminate in a plug suitable for insertion into a mobile phone.

Referring to figure 3, In operation, the unit is plugged into the mains and receives mains live and neutral supply via inputs at 2a and b.

To start the unit operating button 5 is pressed and power is connected to the charge circuit 7. This circuit reduces the input voltage and may also control the charge current using methods which are already well know in the art.

The output to the mobile phone will be Direct Current at 4a and b and is also fed to timer circuit 9. Timer circuit 9 in turn supplies power to the coil 8b of relay 8.

When this relay is energised contacts 8a are closed and this maintains a power connection to the charge circuit 7 after press button 5 has been released.

When the time period has elapsed timer 9 removes the power to relay coil 8b which releases contacts 8a and switches off power to the timer. There is no remaining standby power consumption.

The connections for the indicator 6 are not shown in the circuit diagram which is illustrated in figure 3, it can be connected in any suitable place as would be obvious to anyone skilled in the art.

It will be appreciated that the above detailed description contains only one example of an embodiment of the present invention and that any number of different physical layouts and circuit diagrams can be made to work by a man skilled in the art. Novelty is therefore claimed for any mobile phone charger unit built into a plug top power supply which incorporates a cut off timer whether a pre-determjnecj time period or a programmable time period.

Claims

Claims for Patent application number: 0706938.8 Claims: 1. A mains

operated mobile phone charger unit that incorporates an automatic cut off timer.
2. A mobile phone charger unit of claim 1, wherein the timer controls the electrical isolation device so that the charger circuit can be internally cut off from mains supply.
3. A mobile phone charger unit of claim 2, wherein the timer can be activated automatically or manually.
4. A timer unit of claim 3, wherein an automatic activation of the unit can be done by sensing the presence of the mains voltage
5. A mobile phone charger unit of claim 3, wherein the manual activation is done by means of push button switch incorporated within the unit.
6. A mobile phone charger unit of claim 3, wherein the timer's active period can be programmable to set fixed or variable.
7. A mobile phone charger unit of claim 4, wherein the minimum active ON time period is sufficiently set so as to allow a mobile phone battery to be fully recharged from fully flat situation.
8. A mobile phone charger unit of claim 1, wherein the active stage of the timer can be indicated by means of an LED indicator, which also turns off automatically when the pre-determined period as in claim 6 elapsed. S.

* .
9. A mobile phone charger unit of claim 1, wherein the timer *:. circuit is compatible with any type of charger circuit for mains voltage or frequency operated. * S.
10. A mobile phone charger unit of claim 2, wherein the timer and cut off devices can be solid-state, semiconductor, microcontroller or electromechanical type.