Stackable battery pack with wireless charging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11043844-B2
Application number	US-201916519895-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2019
Priority date	Aug 14, 2018
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

A rechargeable battery pack includes a rechargeable battery, electrical circuitry, and an inductive coil for wirelessly transmitting power to an electronic device. The rechargeable battery pack further includes a first set of electrical contacts to interface with electrical contacts of a charging base. The rechargeable battery pack is programmed to transmit a first data communication including a first identification code to the charging base through the first set of electrical contacts and receive first electrical power from the charging base if the identification code is verified. The rechargeable battery pack includes a second set of electrical contacts positioned on a top surface of the rechargeable battery pack for providing second electrical power to a second instance of the rechargeable battery pack. The second electrical power provided to the second instance of the rechargeable battery pack is a portion of the first electrical power received from the charging base.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rechargeable battery pack configured for use with a plurality of charging bases and with an electronic device having a wireless charging interface, the rechargeable battery pack comprising:
a rechargeable battery;
electrical circuitry;
an inductive coil configured for wirelessly transmitting stored electrical power from the rechargeable battery to the wireless charging interface of the electronic device when the electronic device is positioned in proximity to the inductive coil of the rechargeable battery pack;
a first set of electrical contacts located on a bottom surface of the rechargeable battery pack, the first set of electrical contacts positioned to interface with electrical contacts of the charging bases when the rechargeable battery pack is stacked on top of one of the charging bases, wherein the rechargeable battery pack is configured to transmit a first data communication including a first identification code from the electrical circuitry to the one charging base through the first set of electrical contacts, and wherein the rechargeable battery pack is further configured to receive first electrical power from the one charging base through the first set of electrical contacts after verification of the first identification code, wherein the transmitted first identification code is configured to cause the one charging base to send the first electrical power to the rechargeable battery pack, but will not cause another instance of the charging base that is programmed differently to send electrical power to the rechargeable battery pack; and
a second set of electrical contacts located on a top surface of the rechargeable battery pack, the second set of electrical contacts configured to electrically contact a first set of electrical contacts of a second instance of the rechargeable battery pack for providing second electrical power to the second instance of the rechargeable battery pack when the second instance of the rechargeable battery pack is stacked on the rechargeable battery pack, wherein the second set of electrical contacts is configured to be activated for providing the second electrical power to the second instance of the rechargeable battery pack only after receiving a second data communication from the second instance of rechargeable battery pack through the second set of electrical contacts and verifying the second identification code;
wherein the rechargeable battery pack is alternatively programmable to one of a first type and a second type, wherein the first identification code of the first type is compatible with both a first subset of the plurality of charging bases and a second subset of the plurality of charging bases that is different than the first subset of the plurality of charging bases, and the first identification code of the second type is compatible with the first subset of the plurality of charging bases but is not compatible with the second subset of the plurality of charging bases.

2. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 further comprising one or more magnets for aligning the first and second sets of electrical contacts with the electrical contacts of the charging base and with the electrical contacts of the second instance of the rechargeable battery pack, respectively.

3. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 2 wherein each of the one or more magnets extends from an area near the top surface of the rechargeable battery pack to an area near the bottom surface of the rechargeable battery pack and is configured to attract objects proximate both the top and bottom surfaces of the rechargeable battery pack.

4. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 wherein the second electrical power provided to the second instance of the rechargeable battery pack is only provided when the first electrical power is being received from the charging base.

5. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first set of electrical contacts and the second set of electrical contacts of the rechargeable battery pack includes floating or spring-loaded contacts.

6. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 further comprising one or more display elements for displaying a mode or status of the rechargeable battery pack.

7. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 further comprising an electrical port that is separate from the first electrical contacts and the second electrical contacts, wherein the electrical port is configured for receiving electrical power from a first external device for recharging the rechargeable battery as well as providing electrical power from the rechargeable battery to a second external device.

8. A rechargeable battery pack configured for use with a plurality of charging bases and with an electronic device having a wireless charging interface, the rechargeable battery pack comprising:
a rechargeable battery;
electrical circuitry;
an inductive coil configured for wirelessly transmitting electrical power stored in the rechargeable battery to the wireless charging interface of the electronic device when the electronic device is positioned in proximity to the inductive coil of the rechargeable battery pack;
a first set of electrical contacts positioned on a bottom surface of the rechargeable battery pack, the first set of electrical contacts positioned to interface with electrical contacts of the charging bases, respectively, wherein the rechargeable battery pack is programmed to be compatible with a first subset of the plurality of charging bases and the electrical circuitry is configured to transmit a first data communication including a first identification code to one of the charging bases through the first set of electrical contacts, and wherein the rechargeable battery pack is further configured to receive first electrical power from the one charging base through the first set of electrical contacts if the one charging base is one of the first subset of the plurality of charging bases with which the rechargeable battery pack is compatible as determined based on the transmitted first identification code; and
a second set of electrical contacts positioned on a top surface of the rechargeable battery pack, the second set of electrical contacts configured to electrically contact a first set of electrical contacts of a second instance of the rechargeable battery pack for providing second electrical power to the second instance of the rechargeable battery pack when the second instance of the rechargeable battery pack is stacked on the rechargeable battery pack, wherein the second electrical power provided to the second instance of the rechargeable battery pack is a portion of the first electrical power received from the one charging base;
wherein the rechargeable battery pack is one of a first type and a second type, the first identification code of the first type is compatible with both the first subset of the plurality of charging bases and a second subset of the plurality of charging bases that is different than the first subset of the plurality of charging bases, and the first identification code of the second type is compatible with the first subset of the plurality of charging bases but is not compatible with the second subset of the plurality of charging bases.

9. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 8 wherein the rechargeable battery pack is programmed to be the first type and further comprises an electrical port that is separate from the first electrical contacts and the second electrical contacts, wherein the electrical port is configured for receiving electrical power from an external device for recharging the rechargeable battery.

10. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 9 wherein the electrical port is further configure

Assignees

• Otter Products Llc

Inventors

• Langlois Christopher R
• Fitzgerald John P
• Peterson Joshua K
• Boehner Will A

Classifications

• H02J7/731

  specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries (H02J7/751 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/47

  Arrangements for checking compatibility or authentication between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source · CPC title

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H02J7/44 Primary

  between battery management systems and power sources · CPC title

• H02J50/10 Primary

  using inductive coupling · CPC title