Gaming system with wireless charging system and method of determining wireless charging status thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12394272-B2
Application number	US-202418753910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2024
Priority date	Oct 11, 2018
Publication date	Aug 19, 2025
Grant date	Aug 19, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an electronic gaming system with a wireless charger for providing wireless charging of a user's wirelessly chargeable device(s). The electronic gaming system may include a wireless charging status determination system that may measure an aspect of power supplied to the wireless charger by the electronic gaming system and may determine a charging status of the wireless charger from such measurements, thereby allowing determination of charging status of the wireless charger (and, correspondingly, a determination of charge status for a wirelessly chargeable device being charged by wireless charger) by the wireless charging status determination system without requiring any data communication between itself and the wireless charger and/or the wirelessly chargeable device. This may allow the wireless charging status determination system to communicate charging status information with, for example, the electronic gaming system without exposing the electronic gaming system to potential malicious interference from the wirelessly chargeable device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless charging status determination system comprising:
a power input port, wherein the power input port is configured to be electrically connected with a power supply and to thereby receive electrical power therefrom; and
a power supply port, wherein the power supply port is configured to be electrically connected with a wireless charger and to thereby provide electrical power obtained from the power input port thereto;
sensing circuitry configured to obtain measurements indicative of an amount of electrical power flowing from the power input port to the power supply port; and
one or more controllers, the one or more controllers configured to:
obtain one or more measurements indicative of an amount of electrical power received by the wireless charging status determination system via the power input port and provided by the wireless charging status determination system via the power supply port,
compare the one or more measurements against one or more thresholds, and
determine, without data communication between the wireless charging status determination system and a) the wireless charger and b) a wirelessly chargeable device charged by the wireless charger and based on the comparisons of the one or more measurements against the one or more thresholds, a charging status of the wireless charger.

2. The wireless charging status determination system of claim 1 , further comprising a gaming machine cabinet, wherein the power input port, the power supply port, the sensing circuitry, and the one or more controllers are located within the gaming machine cabinet.

3. The wireless charging status determination system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more measurements are measurements of electrical current supplied to the power supply port.

4. The wireless charging status determination system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more measurements are measurements of electrical current and electrical voltage supplied to the power supply port.

5. The wireless charging status determination system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more thresholds include one or more of:
an upper steady-state level,
a lower steady-state level, and
a pinging level.

6. The wireless charging status determination system of claim 5 , wherein the upper steady-state level is representative of power supplied to the wireless charger while charging a wirelessly chargeable device when the wirelessly chargeable device is not in a fully charged state.

7. The wireless charging status determination system of claim 5 , wherein the lower steady-state level is representative of power supplied to the wireless charger while charging a wirelessly chargeable device when the wirelessly chargeable device is in a fully charged state or almost fully charged state.

8. The wireless charging status determination system of claim 5 , wherein the pinging level is representative of power supplied to the wireless charger while the wireless charger is searching for a nearby wirelessly chargeable device.

9. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a wireless charging status determination system having a power input port that is configured to be electrically connected with a power supply and to thereby receive electrical power therefrom, a power supply port configured to be electrically connected with a wireless charger and to thereby provide electrical power obtained from the power input port thereto, and sensing circuitry configured to obtain measurements indicative of an amount of electrical power flowing from the power input port to the power supply port, cause the one or more processors to:
obtain one or more measurements indicative of an amount of electrical power received by the wireless charging status determination system via the power input port and provided by the wireless charging status determination system via the power supply port,
compare the one or more measurements against one or more thresholds, and
determine, without data communication between the wireless charging status determination system and a) the wireless charger and b) a wirelessly chargeable device charged by the wireless charger and based on the comparisons of the one or more measurements against the one or more thresholds, a charging status of the wireless charger.

10. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the one or more measurements are measurements of electrical current supplied to the power supply port.

11. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the one or more measurements are measurements of electrical current and electrical voltage supplied to the power supply port.

12. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the one or more thresholds include one or more of:
an upper steady-state level,
a lower steady-state level, and
a pinging level.

13. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the upper steady-state level is representative of power supplied to the wireless charger while charging a wirelessly chargeable device when the wirelessly chargeable device is not in a fully charged state.

14. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the lower steady-state level is representative of power supplied to the wireless charger while charging a wirelessly chargeable device when the wirelessly chargeable device is in a fully charged state or almost fully charged state.

15. The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the pinging level is representative of power supplied to the wireless charger while the wireless charger is searching for a nearby wirelessly chargeable device.

16. A method of operating a wireless charging status determination system having:
a power input port, wherein the power input port is configured to be electrically connected with a power supply and to thereby receive electrical power therefrom;
a power supply port, wherein the power supply port is configured to be electrically connected with a wireless charger and to thereby provide electrical power obtained from the power input port thereto; and
sensing circuitry configured to obtain measurements indicative of an amount of electrical power flowing from the power input port to the power supply port, the method comprising:
obtaining one or more measurements indicative of an amount of electrical power received by the wireless charging status determination system via a power input port of the wireless charging status determination system and then provided by the wireless charging status determination to a power supply port of the wireless charging status determination system,
comparing the one or more measurements against one or more thresholds, and
determining, without data communication between the wireless charging status determination system and a) the wireless charger and b) a wirelessly chargeable device charged by the wireless charger and based on the comparisons of the one or more measurements against the one or more thresholds, a charging status of a wireless charger connected with the power supply port.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more measurements are measurements of electrical current and electrical voltage supplied to the power supply port.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more measurements are measurements of electrical current supplied to the power supply port.

Assignees

• Aristocrat Technologies Au
• Aristocrat Technologies Au

Inventors

• Perrow Shane
• Dennison Myron
• Thompson David

Classifications

• H02J7/90

  Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/80

  including monitoring or indicating arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/825

  Detection of fully charged condition · CPC title

• G07F17/3211

  Display means · CPC title