Power management systems for product demonstration fixtures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10826313-B2
Application number	US-201614991305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2016
Priority date	Feb 28, 2014
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

Power management systems for an electronic product demonstration fixture for demonstrating portable electronic devices. The product demonstration fixture may include an exhibition portion and a base portion. A portable electronic device offered for sale may be affixed to the exhibition portion. The base portion may include an electronic display, an auxiliary battery, and an auxiliary controller. The auxiliary controller may direct power from the auxiliary battery to the electronic display upon determining that a battery within the electronic display has fallen below a particular selected level. Similarly the auxiliary controller may direct power from the auxiliary battery to the portable electronic device offered for sale upon determining that a battery within the portable electronic device has fallen below a selected level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery control system, comprising:
a first charger;
a second charger;
a first battery connected to the first charger;
a second battery connected to the first charger;
a third battery connected to the second charger; and
a controller,
wherein the controller controls discharge of the batteries in a discharge sequence that switches connection to an electrical load between the batteries in a sequence that does not include switching directly between batteries connected to the same charger.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the discharge sequence includes, in order:
connecting the first battery to the electrical load through the first charger,
connecting the third battery to the electrical load through the second charger, and then disconnecting the first battery from the electrical load,
connecting the second battery to the electrical load through the first charger, and then disconnecting the third battery from the electrical load, and
connecting the third battery to the electrical load through the second charger, and then disconnecting the second battery from the electrical load.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a fourth battery connected to the second charger,
wherein the discharge sequence includes, in order:
connecting the first battery to the electrical load through the first charger,
connecting the third battery to the electrical load through the second charger, and then disconnecting the first battery from the electrical load,
connecting the second battery to the electrical load through the first charger, and then disconnecting the third battery from the electrical load, and
connecting the fourth battery to the electrical load through the second charger, and then disconnecting the second battery from the electrical load.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fourth battery connected to the second charger; and
a fifth battery connected to a third charger,
wherein the discharge sequence includes, in order:
connecting the first battery to the electrical load through the first charger,
connecting the third battery to the electrical load through the second charger, and then disconnecting the first battery from the electrical load,
connecting the second battery to the electrical load through the first charger, and then disconnecting the third battery from the electrical load,
connecting the fourth battery to the electrical load through the second charger, and then disconnecting the second battery from the electrical load, and
connecting the fifth battery to the electrical load through the third charger, and then disconnecting the fourth battery from the electrical load.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein switching between batteries in the discharge sequence occurs after a battery connected to the electrical load has drained a predetermined charge amount.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein switching between batteries in the discharge sequence occurs after a battery connected to the electrical load has drained a predetermined percentage of its charge.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the batteries have different capacities.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein charge levels of the batteries remain within a predetermined amount of percentage points of each other throughout the discharge sequence.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined amount of percentage points is 10 percentage points.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the discharge sequence is repeated during discharge of the batteries, and wherein the batteries are drained by the same percentage during each repetition of the discharge sequence.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electrical load comprises the controller.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electrical load comprises at least two independent electronic devices.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to at least partially discharge each battery within a predetermined time period.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to charge the first battery, the second battery, and the third battery with power received from a power source.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to charge the first battery and the third battery at the same time.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to monitor the charge levels of the first battery, the second battery, and the third battery, and wherein the controller is configured to control the switching of the batteries during the discharge sequence based the charge levels.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to repeat the discharge sequence as needed to power the electrical load.

18. A retail display system comprising:
at least two independent electronic devices;
the battery control system of claim 1 ; and
a housing configured to be displayed on a tabletop;
wherein the at least two electronic devices are displayed by the detail display system,
wherein the battery control system is disposed within the housing, and
wherein the electrical load comprises the at least two electronic devices.

19. A battery control system, comprising:
a first charger;
a second charger;
a first battery connected to the first charger;
a second battery connected to the first charger;
a third battery connected to the second charger; and
a controller,
wherein the controller is configured to charge the first battery, the second battery, and the third battery with power received from a power source, and wherein the controller is configured to charge the third battery and one of the first battery or the second battery at the same time.

20. The system of claim 19 , further comprising a fourth battery connected to the second charger, and
wherein the controller controls charging of the batteries in a charging sequence, and wherein the charging sequence includes:
connecting the first battery to the power source through the first charger,
connecting the third battery to the power source through the second charger,
disconnecting the first battery and the third battery from the power source,
connecting the second battery to the power source through the first charger,
connecting the fourth battery to the power source through the second charger, and
disconnecting the second battery and fourth battery from the power source.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein disconnecting batteries in the charging sequence occurs after a battery connected to the power source has charged to a predetermined charge amount.

22. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls discharge of the batteries to power at least two electronic devices being displayed in an interactive retail display unit, and wherein the electrical load is provided by the at least two electronic devices.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Sanford Emery A
• Havskjold David G
• Herbst Steven G
• Montevirgen Anthony S
• Terlizzi Jeffery J
• Manullang Tyson B
• Schwalbach Charles A
• Henshaw Glenn David
• Agrawal Vikas
• Manthiri Soundararajan

Classifications

• H02J7/70 Primary

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• A47F3/005 Primary

  with glass panels · CPC title

• A47F2005/165

  with inclined display surface · CPC title

• G06F1/28

  Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision · CPC title

• A47F5/16

  Platform-type show stands with flat, inclined, or curved upper surface · CPC title