Case with inductive charging system to charge a portable device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9967650-B2
Application number	US-201615273693-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A case for a portable listening device includes a rechargeable battery and a first and a second charging system. The first charging system is configured to charge the portable listening device and the second charging system is configured to wirelessly charge a portable electronic device positioned outside of the case adjacent to an exterior charging surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A case for a portable listening device, the case comprising:
a housing having one or more cavities configured to receive the portable listening device and an exterior charging surface;
a lid attached to the housing and operable between a closed position where the lid is aligned over the one or more cavities and an open position where the lid is displaced from the one or more cavities;
a battery;
a first charging system configured to charge the portable listening device when positioned in the one or more cavities; and
a second charging system including a transmitting coil positioned within the housing adjacent to the exterior charging surface, the transmitting coil configured to wirelessly transmit power to a power receiving coil of an electronic device positioned outside the housing adjacent to the exterior charging surface.

2. The case of claim 1 further comprising an alignment feature that aligns the transmitting coil on a mutual axis with the power receiving coil.

3. The case of claim 2 wherein the alignment feature is an alignment magnet in the case that magnetically mates with a mating alignment magnet in the electronic device.

4. The case of claim 3 wherein the alignment magnet is centered within the transmitting coil.

5. The case of claim 2 wherein the alignment feature is a concave feature within the exterior charging surface that mates with a convex feature formed on a bottom surface of the electronic device.

6. The case of claim 1 wherein a circuit within the case detects whether the portable listening device is within the one or more cavities and whether the electronic device is positioned adjacent the exterior charging surface.

7. The case of claim 6 wherein a circuit within the case preferentially charges the portable listening device before the electronic device if the portable listening device is within the one or more cavities while the electronic device is positioned adjacent the exterior charging surface.

8. The case of claim 1 wherein the first and the second charging systems receive power from a case battery.

9. The case of claim 1 wherein the first and the second charging systems receive power from a case connector.

10. The case of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of magnetic elements disposed within the housing and the lid, configured to secure the lid in the closed position and to resist the lid moving from the open position to the closed position.

11. The case of claim 10 wherein the plurality of magnetic elements comprises a first pair of magnetic elements configured to repel each other and a second pair of magnetic elements configured to attract each other.

12. A case for a pair of earbuds, the case comprising:
a housing having an exterior charging surface and first and second cavities configured to receive first and second earbuds, respectively, in the pair of earbuds;
a lid operable between a closed position where the lid is aligned over the first and second cavities and an open position where the lid is displaced from the first and second cavities;
a battery;
a first charging system configured to charge the first and second earbuds when the first and second earbuds are positioned within the first and second cavities; and
a second charging system including a transmitting coil positioned within the housing adjacent to the exterior charging surface, the transmitting coil configured to wirelessly transmit power to a power receiving coil of an electronic device positioned outside the housing adjacent to the exterior charging surface.

13. The case of claim 12 wherein the case further comprises an alignment magnet configured to align the transmitting coil with the power receiving coil.

14. The case of claim 13 wherein the transmitting coil is an electromagnetic coil that produces a time-varying electromagnetic flux to induce a current within the power receiving coil.

15. The case of claim 12 wherein the lid is separable from the housing.

16. The case of claim 12 wherein the lid is attached to the housing with a hinge.

17. A case for a pair of earbuds, each earbud having an ear interface portion, a stem, an earbud battery and a wireless radio, the case comprising:
a housing having a first cavity configured to receive a first earbud in the pair of earbuds and a second cavity configured to receive a second earbud in the pair of earbuds;
a lid operable between a closed position where the lid conceals the pair of earbuds within the case and an open position where the lid is displaced from the case such that a user can remove the earbuds from the case;
a first charging system including:
a case battery;
a wireless power receiving coil positioned within the housing, and configured to wirelessly receive power from a wireless power source;
a connector configured to couple to each of the first and second earbuds, the connector having at least one contact positioned in the first cavity and at least one contact positioned in the second cavity; and
charging circuitry operatively coupled to charge the case battery and provide power to the connector to charge the first and second earbuds from wireless power received over the wireless power receiving coil;

an earbud detector configured to detect when an earbud is placed in either of the first or second cavities; and
a second charging system including a transmitting coil positioned within the housing and configured to wirelessly transmit power to a power receiving coil of an auxiliary electronic device positioned adjacent the case.

18. The case of claim 17 wherein the transmitting coil is positioned adjacent an exterior charging surface that is a portion of an exterior housing of the case.

19. The case of claim 17 wherein the auxiliary electronic device is a wearable electronic device.

20. The case of claim 17 further comprising an alignment magnet configured to align the transmitting coil with the power receiving coil.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Chawan Arun D
• Panecki Lee M
• Zörkendörfer Rico L
• Stiehl Kurt
• Graham Christopher S
• Walton Christopher J

Classifications

• H04R2201/105

  Manufacture of mono- or stereophonic headphone components · CPC title

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H02J7/731

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

• A45C11/00 Primary

  Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00 (specially adapted for toiletry or cosmetic equipment A45D29/20, A45D44/18; travelling sewing kits A45F3/48) · CPC title

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title