WO2014145241A2

WO2014145241A2 - Mobile device power and data transfer system

Info

Publication number: WO2014145241A2
Application number: PCT/US2014/029965
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Patterson
Original assignee: Michael Patterson
Priority date: 2013-03-15
Filing date: 2014-03-15
Publication date: 2014-09-18
Also published as: WO2014145241A3

Abstract

A mobile device having a female power receptacle, a spring loaded male power receptacle that is concealed behind sliding covers, and moveable between recessed and extended positions, a camera, a cover for concealing the female power receptacle, the spring loaded male power receptacle, and the camera, and a separate cord adapted to operatively engage the blades of the spring loaded male power receptacle, or alternatively engage the female power receptacle, and a second end of the separate cord having a conventional power plug to plug directly into a wall outlet.

Description

Patent Application of Michael Patterson, for "Mobile Device Power and Data Transfer System"

PATENT APPLICATION

FOR

"Mobile Device Power and Data Transfer System"

INVENTOR: MICHAEL PATTERSON, POWELL, OHIO

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS: co-pending US provisional app. no. 61787743

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH: Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING, TABLE, OR COMPUTER PROGRAM COMPACT DISK APPENDIX: Not Applicable

CLAIM OF PRIORITY BASED ON COPENDING APPLICATION: claims benefit of provisional application number: 61787743

The present application is related to the co-pending provisional patent application 61787743 of Michael Patterson filed 3/15/2013, entitled "Mobile Device Power and Data Transfer System", and based on which priority is herewith claimed under 35 U.S.C. 1 19(e) and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully rewritten herein.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

The present invention relates generally to Mobile Hardware Charging & Data Transfer and specifically to systems and methods of delivering power and data to mobile devices.

Wireless data sharing (e.g. infra-red, Bluetooth, WiFi) between mobile devices is not secure in that data can be compromised by various means (e.g. packet sniffing). It is therefore desirable to share data securely by direct connection of the two devices.

Conventional means of charging mobile devices comprises using an adapter that plugs into a power source (e.g. wall outlet, USB port). Thus, an adapter is necessary and problematic when the user forgets or misplaces the power adapter. It is therefore desirable to incorporate the adapter directly into the mobile device.

Conventional systems do not incorporate the ability for users to share power. For instance, a first user experiences a low battery condition and must as a result plug the device in to a conventional power adapter / wall socket or stop using the device. It is therefore desirable to provide a means for sharing power between two devices wherein a second user, having excess power, can share some of that power with the first user by pairing the two devices and initiating a controlled power exchange.

The present invention overcomes the foregoing problems and achieves other objects and advantages as disclosed herein and that will be apparent to those of skill in the art by facilitating the physical pairing of similar mobile devices in order to effectively trans fer/share power from one device to another, securely transfer data between the coupled devices, and allow users to control the both the power and data transfer process. The present invention also incorporates on-device power charging means thereby obviating the need of an external power adapter. In addition to accommodating users in the United States, international users take advantage of this technology by utilizing a small add-on converter.

The two devices are held together using cooperating, alternating polarity, magnets. Once they are "paired", power and/or data are transferred from one device to the other. In one embodiment, two sets of conductors on the back of each mobile device are positioned at the top and the bottom of the back face. The first set are metallic and flat (much like those used on walkie-talkies, and cordless phones cradled in charging stations). The second set of conductors are spring loaded and retractable, and moveable between retracted and extended positions. A sliding cover exposes the conductors and allows the spring loaded conductors to be extended and engage a cooperating set of non-retractable conductors on the other device.

In addition to power sharing, the present invention includes the capability make secure data transfers via the two paired devices (i.e. direct, device-to-device data transfer rather than using unsecure email or Bluetooth). For example, this can be accomplished using the data transfer technology of conventional SD cards that use "flash memory," much like solid-state hard drives. They have no moving parts and are less likely to be damaged with common daily use. These cards typically use seven prongs, each having a separate function: i.e., card detection, data input, ground, power supply, clock, grounding, and data output. Additional data line connections could also be added to these devices. It is to be understood that other known data transfer protocols can be used as well. Several flat metallic connectors (as on the bottom or back of an SD card) are utilized in one embodiment. Spring loaded, retractable prongs are utilized to make the physical connection.

The present invention integrates with the software functionality of the host device.

For example, an iPhone (trademark) has a "settings" control which will be adapted to include a separate user selectable control for the parameters of the present invention to make both the power transfer and data transfer possible. Users can select whether to automatically create a data transfer by locating the file(s) using built in software, then navigating to and transferring selected files. More specifically, the person sharing the files would be able to select the documents that he/she wishes to share or hide using a simple file system (e.g. the "finder" application of the Apple (trademark) OS). Selecting the power transfer mode requires user input as well. By default, the device would be set to accept AC power from a power outlet. For device-to-device power sharing, the user would be required to toggle a switch (hardware or software) from AC to shared DC, similar to the way the conventional "boom boxes" included a hardware switch on the back to route the power from the wall outlet or from the internal battery. Additionally, in order to share power, the two users would need to select a directional button indicating which device would be sending the power and which device would be on the receiving end.

The "Smart Cover" technology (i.e. an add on incorporating the various aspects of the present invention), is adaptable to international markets having differing voltages, frequency, and blade arrangements. Such an adaptor snaps onto the back of the device using magnets and connects to the existing conductors as described herein. Alternatively, the present invention can be manufactured with specific international markets in mind to incorporate the various power connector physical specifications as well as the various hardware and software components to accommodate the voltage, frequency, and current specifications of the market.

Today's power adapters / chargers accomplish AC to DC power conversion which includes, rectification, noise filtering, power conditioning, and overload protection using various semiconductor technology, analog, and digital components. An example of such a system comprises a 5 Watt USB power adapter that takes as input an AC power source between 100 and 240 volts and converts it into 5 Volts of conditioned power.

Pairing of the first and second devices can be accomplished using magnets. Such an embodiment is further advantageous because the magnets can serve the multi purposes (in some embodiments of the present invention) of holding the devices together, and facilitating wireless power and/or data transfer with magnetic flux. Transferring power and data with magnetic flux (instead of electric current) obviates the need for electrical conductors achieving the advantages of reduced risk of electrical shock and environmental protection (e.g. moisture) of the device enclosure. The flux passes between the devices. Inside of each receiving device, electrical conductors wrapped around the magnetics are energized by the time-varying flux (created by the sending device) thus generating electrical current and transferring power and/or data. First and second device data interface components 8, 8A & first and second device power interface components 9, 9A are adapted in the various embodiments to incorporate the magnetic power and data transfer capabilities.

In one embodiment, the power and data transfer are accomplished with dedicated conductors. The data transfer capabilities can be alternatively accomplished using optical conductors in accordance with known protocols. In another embodiment, shared conductors are used for the dual purpose of power and data transfer. Systems and methods of data transfer using power conductors are known. Power is transferred at one frequency (e.g. 60 Hertz) while the data signal is at some higher frequency (e.g. 40 kH). The data signal can be isolated and recovered by filtering out the low frequency power signal. First and second device data interface components 8, 8A & first and second device power interface components 9, 9A are adapted in the various embodiments to incorporate the electrical conductor power and data transfer capabilities.

On-device power charging means are achieved by incorporating fold-down blades (for engaging wall outlet, etc) movable between recessed (when not in use) and extended positions. In one embodiment, a retractable cable is used. In another embodiment no such cable is used and the device must be adjacent to the wall outlet for charging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 2 depicts a mobile device 11 having a female power receptacle 12, and a spring loaded male power receptacle (concealed behind sliding covers 13) moveable between recessed and extended positions. Cover 14 conceals female power receptacle 12, sliding covers 13, and camera 15. A first end 15 of separate cord 16 is adapted to operatively engage the blades of the spring loaded male power receptacle (or alternatively engage female power receptacle 12), and a second end 17 of separate cord 16 has a conventional power plug to plug directly into wall outlet 6.

In one embodiment, the blades are sized in accordance with conventional thickness and surface area. A typical wall outlet can deliver as much as 20 Amps of power. Such high currents necessitate thick blades to maximize common surface area between blades and wall socket and to safely carry the current. At 1 10 Volts, such a current is much higher than needed to charge a mobile device. Such devices require as little as 5 Watts. Thus, an opportunity presents itself to use thinner blades. Less current is needed, so the blades can be thinner and of smaller surface area; the sizing thereof proportional to the current required. Such smaller blades achieve certain advantages, including taking up less space which is important considering the small size of today's mobile devices. It is desirable to avoid adding much bulk and/or thickness to such devices. To accomplish the foregoing functionality, it is preferable to incorporate a high-impedance component into power adapter component (5, 5A) to ensure a maximum safe current in the blades to protect against power surges, excessive current, etc.

Existing software and hardware functionality is interfaced to incorporate the present invention with existing mobile devices.

One embodiment (FIG. 1) comprises, software GUI control component 1 that interfaces with and controls hardware control component 2. Software GUI control component 1 incorporates the user interface as well as software functionality necessary to interface with the host smart phone software and hardware functionality. Software GUI control component 1 allows the user to control the data and power sharing as well as monitor the various other components of the present invention.

Hardware control component 2 controls overload protection component 3, thermal protection component 4, power adapter component 5, first device power interface component 9, and first device data interface component 8.

Battery 7, depicted for clarity, is actually part of the host smart phone which has various hardware and software interface components. Accordingly, hardware control component 2 interfaces with this existing functionality as well as such functionality required to carry out the present invention.

First and second devices 10, 10A are substantially similar in design. Thus, the various components of second device 10A function analogously to first device 10.

Claims

What is claimed is: A mobile device comprising: a female power receptacle; a spring loaded male power receptacle being concealed behind sliding covers, and moveable between recessed and extended positions; a camera; a cover for concealing the female power receptacle, the spring loaded male power receptacle, and the camera; a first end of a separate cord being adapted to operatively engage blades of the spring loaded male power receptacle, or alternatively engage the female power receptacle; a second end of the separate cord having a conventional power plug to plug directly into a wall outlet.

The mobile device of Claim 1 further comprising: a software GUI control component that interfaces with and controls a hardware control component; the software GUI control component incorporates a user interface as well as software functionality necessary to interface with the mobile device software and hardware functionality; the software GUI control component allows the user to control the data and power sharing; the hardware control component controls, an overload protection component, a thermal protection component, a power adapter component, a first device power interface component, and a first device data interface component.