Various Electrical Equipment and Batteries

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/ 144,948 filed on 2/2/2021.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[001] The invention relates generally to the field of electrical devices. In particular, the invention pertains to battery and electrical equipment charging devices.

BACKGROUND

[002] Due to great amount of rechargeable electrical equipment and battery types that exist nowadays, it is hard for users to conveniently-charge multiple different batteries and/ or different equipment and gear with built-in or removable batteries. Even equipment made by the same brand can use different batteries or have different charging ports. To conveniently-charge multiple different pieces of equipment or batteries, users have to utilize multiple separate chargers, which is very inconvenient due to the requirement of having multiple A.C. outlets with many wires going in and out — lots of wiring makes moving chargers inconvenient. Current proprietary solutions, that provide possibility to charge different batteries and equipment using one device are limited to charging no more than five to seven different batteries or pieces of equipment simultaneously due to their shape and form and/or provide the possibility to only charge batteries of the similar shape or brand.

[003] The charging industry has begun developing charging stations for multiple types of proprietary batteries. United States Patent No. US6605926B2 granted to Crisp et. al. discloses a multiple battery charger; however, no modularity is included with the device. United States Patent No. US8508188B2 granted to Murtha e. al. teaches of a universal charge module; however, it does not appear to have a base board for mounting various charging modules for different types of proprietary batteries. United States Patent No. US6833683B2 granted to Winkler disclosed a universal battery charger; however, it includes an engine with alternator and is not portable. United States Patent No.US6337557Bl granted to Kates et. al. teaches of a universal battery charger; however, it does not incorporate a base with different charging modules. The Thales Group discloses a universal battery charger (www.sparks- military.com/ en/ radio/ 1018-thales-modular-universal-battery-charger-mubc.html); however, the power supply appears to be external the unit itself and is not readily portable. In addition, it appears to be limited to charging only military equipment with specific military standards, and cannot be considered a ‘universal’ charger per se. What is needed is a novel multi-brand and type battery and equipment charger, so that users can charge all of their equipment and batteries in one centralized, easily-movable, and easily-configurable unit for different types of batteries and equipment types without buying chargers separately for every device.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[004] The device herein disclosed and described provides a solution to the shortcomings in the prior art through the disclosure of a modular charging device for various electrical equipment and batteries. The system is designed for various electrical equipment and batteries, which is made up of the following components: A base plate and a variety of charging modules for different equipment and battery types. These components work as follows: The base plate is supplied with electrical energy from any outside or built-in energy source. Electrical circuits built into base plate, transform (if needed) and supply the above-described electrical energy to the negative and positive terminals of the base plate. An object of the system is to allow users to charge multiple, proprietary device batteries together at once. For example, professionals and amateurs that work in different fields like photography, videography, construction and others use various portable equipment like battery-powered tools, cameras, drones etc. and it is important to keep this equipment charged at any given point of time and at any location. Currently, these people usually carry a charger for every single piece of equipment with them to achieve this — it can be very exhausting, especially if user owns multiple different pieces of equipment and batteries from different manufacturers, which is usually the case. The disclosed device advantageously fills these needs and addresses the aforementioned deficiencies by providing a quick and easy way to charge batteries and equipment.

[005] Another object of the system is to allow for the charging of various battery shapes using charging modules that are compatible with an array of different batteries. These charging modules are connected to the base plate using thread, magnets, fasteners or any other technologically possible means.

[006] Another object of the system is to allow users to understand the status of charging for each battery or piece of equipment affixed to the base plate. Electrical circuits to charge, discharge and monitor the state of a battery or connected equipment can be located inside of the charging module and/ or inside of the base plate - as well as charge state indicators, which are located on the outside of each of the charging modules in the form of easy-to-see LEDs or electronic displays and are in plain view of the user. If LED indicator is the case, one color or pattern may indicate charging while another color or pattern color may indicate a charge is complete.

[007] Another object of the system is to allow for different power input options. Power options may also have one or more of the following: built-in plug for an external AC power; built-in plug for an external DC power; a case, in which base plate can be embedded as a part of a bigger assembly for receiving power from it and device carrying and storing convenience. A battery that is built-in into the base plate to supply electrical energy to the base plate input for autonomous operation of the device when an external power source is unavailable. A wireless charger built-in the base plate may also be provided for charging of wireless charging compatible equipment like modern smartphones.

[008] Another object of the system is to allow for modularity with regards to battery positioning on the base plate. The disclosed device is unique when compared with other known devices and solutions because it is much easier and more intuitive to use. Modular system allows users to easily interchange charging modules in case there is a need to do so. After purchasing new equipment user is not required to purchase a fully functional charger but can get a compatible module for the disclosed device, which can be more convenient, eco-friendly and cost-effective.

[009] Another object of the system is to minimize the use of multiple forms of cabling typically associated with recharging devices. The disclosed device is unique in that it is structurally different from other known devices or solutions. The single power supply of the device helps to get rid of significant amount of unnecessary cabling when charging multiple batteries or pieces of equipment. With charging modules connected firmly to the disclosed device it forms a single device that is easy to carry around and store.

[010] This disclosure will now provide a more detailed and specific description that will refer to the accompanying drawings. The drawings and specific descriptions of the drawings, as well as any specific or alternative embodiments discussed, are intended to be read in conjunction with the entirety of this disclosure. The universal modular battery and equipment charger may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided byway of illustration only and so that this disclosure will be thorough, complete and fully convey understanding to those skilled in the art.

[Oil] It is briefly noted that upon a reading this disclosure, those skilled in the art will recognize various means for carrying out these intended features of the invention. As such it is to be understood that other methods, applications and systems adapted to the task may be configured to carry out these features and are therefore considered to be within the scope and intent of the present invention, and are anticipated. With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention herein described is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[012] As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. As used in the claims to describe the various inventive aspects and embodiments, "comprising" means including, but not limited to, whatever follows the word "comprising". Thus, use of the term "comprising" indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present. By "consisting of is meant including, and limited to, whatever follows the phrase "consisting of. Thus, the phrase "consisting of indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, and that no other elements may be present.

[013] By " consisting essentially of is meant including any elements listed after the phrase, and limited to other elements that do not interfere with or contribute to the activity or action specified in the disclosure for the listed elements. Thus, the phrase "consisting essentially of indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present depending upon whether or not they affect the activity or action of the listed elements. The objects features, and advantages of the present invention, as well as the advantages thereof over existing prior art, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are accomplished by the improvements described in this specification and hereinafter described in the following detailed description which fully discloses the invention, but should not be considered as placing limitations thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[014] In this description, the directional prepositions of up, upwardly, down, downwardly, front, back, top, upper, bottom, lower, left, right and other such terms refer to the device as it is oriented and appears in the drawings and are used for convenience only; they are not intended to be limiting or to imply that the device has to be used or positioned in any particular orientation. Conventional components of the invention are elements that are well-known in the prior art and will not be discussed in detail for this disclosure.

[015] FIG 1. Illustrates a perspective view of the base plate.

[016] FIG 2. Shows a perspective view of the base plate with various charging modules.

[017] FIG 3. Illustrates a wiring diagram of the base plate.

[018] FIG 4. Illustrates a wiring diagram of the charging module (s).

[019] FIG 5. Illustrates a representative view of the device’s method.

[020] Other aspects of the present invention shall be more readily understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and the following detailed description, neither of which should be considered limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[021] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/ or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/ or “comprising”, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/ or components, but do not prelude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/ or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant at and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[022] In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specifications are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

[023] New battery and equipment charging devices, apparatus and methods for charging different batteries and pieces of equipment using one device are discussed herein. In the following description, for purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

[024] The present invention will now be described by referencing the appended figure representing preferred embodiment. FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the elements that may comprise a modular charging device according to various embodiments of the present invention. In preferred embodiment, base plate 1 is rectangular in shape and has electrical circuitry located inside the enclosed case 15. Said case 15 being constructed of a rigid material such as but not limited to plastic, metal and the like. Small apertures (having conductive contacts inside) known as power terminals 4 are distributed over the base plate in a rectangular or any other pattern and are providing power to the charging modules located at any part of the base plate. Power terminals are of two types: positive and negative, distributed in such a way, that every module that connects to the base plate is connected to at least one positive terminal and one negative terminal. In other embodiments, said terminals can be both positive and negative or simply separated. A control panel 3 is configured along a distal portion of base plate 1 and is hollow to house a power transformer 16, onboard battery block 17 and micro controller 18 therein.

[025] FIG. 2 showing a perspective view of the device with various charging modules that have cavities and include but are not limited to: drill battery module 13 (compatible with various proprietary drill batteries 8); still camera module 19 (compatible with various digital camera batteries 5); cell phone module 14 (compatible with cell phones 6); movie camera module 10 (compatible with proprietary movie camera batteries 7); and small battery module 12 (compatible with AA batteries 20) and the like. Each module having a multitude of status LEDs 12 that flash varying colors during stages of charging. Other charging modules not shown in FIG. 2 can be of any shape and size but have to have power terminals 4 in the same geometrical pattern as the base plate terminals pattern to exactly match it. In preferred embodiment power is being supplied to the charging modules by flowing from base plate’s power terminals to module’s power terminals. Power terminals 4 are made out of conductive materials and do not have to be visible from the top side of the charging modules. In preferred embodiment charging modules are being attached to base plate 15 by aligning power terminals 4 with the base plate’s power terminals 4 and by using magnetic force, threaded connection or fastener with receptacle to fix module in place on the base plate. Still other embodiments can include the use of twist locks and quick disconnects as anchoring methods. Other embodiments of the system can include ‘Qi’ compliant wireless charging.

[026] FIG. 3 showing a wiring diagram of the base plate, including the control panel, which includes but is not limited to the following parts: a micro controller with Qi-compliant wireless transmitter (wireless, resonant, inductive power transfer with and DC to DC voltage level transformer, and Qi controller);

USB ports with DC to DC controller; a system controller with indicators (state indication and fault detection), thermal sensor (detecting overheating), micro controller unit, DC/DC controller; AC/DC power supply (input 110V/220V filter to remove noise from the incoming signal), rectifier (converting AC to DC), power switches, power transformer (ramping and un-ramping voltages), isolators, PWM controller (provide a constant output current), and comparator (larger voltage determination); onboard battery block with charging controller, DC/DC controller, and battery cells; and a buck/boost module (adjust electrical voltage) as well as voltage output to the module contact block to which modules are being connected using the device use. FIG 4. Illustrates a wiring diagram of the charging module having parts that include but are not limited to: power inputs; DC/DC controller; a system controller (with module control unit, indicators and a thermal sensor); a charger block (with voltage converter); filter (removes noise from the incoming signal) and battery contacts. FIG. 5 shows a representative view of the modular charging device’s method. Said method includes but is not limited to the following steps: selecting a charging module compatible with a proprietary battery; inserting the battery into the charging module, installing the charging module onto the base plate; the base plate detecting the charging module; the battery is being charged through the module; lighting the status LEDs; removing the module from the base plate; and removing the battery from the charging module.

[027] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiment and specific example thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/ or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims.

[028] In some embodiments, the platforms, systems, media, and methods disclosed herein may include software, server, and/ or database charging modules and/ or base plate, or use of the same. In view of the disclosure provided herein, any software or firmware developed for charging modules and/ or base plate that are created may use techniques known to those of skill in the art using machines, software, and languages known to the art. Any software for charging modules and/ or base plate disclosed herein are implemented in a multitude of ways. In various embodiments, such software for any modules may comprises a file, a section of code, a programming object, a programming structure, or combinations thereof. In further various embodiments, any software for the modules and/ or base plate may comprises a plurality of files, a plurality of sections of code, a plurality of programming objects, a plurality of programming structures, or combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the one or more software programs for any charging modules and/ or base plate comprise, by way of non-limiting examples, a web application, a mobile application, and a standalone application. In some embodiments, any software for the charging modules and/ or base plate are in one computer program or application. In other embodiments, any software for the charging modules and/ or base plate are in more than one computer program or application. In some embodiments, software for any of the charging modules and/ or base plate are hosted on one machine. In other embodiments, software for any of the charging modules and/ or base plate are hosted on more than one machine. In further embodiments, software for any of the charging modules and/or base plate are hosted on cloud computing platforms. In some embodiments, software for the charging modules and/ or base plate are hosted on one or more machines in one location.

In other embodiments, software for the charging modules and/ or base plate are hosted on one or more machines in more than one location.

[029] It is additionally noted and anticipated that although the device is shown in its most simple form, various components and aspects of the device may be differently shaped or slightly modified when forming the invention herein. As such those skilled in the art will appreciate the descriptions and depictions set forth in this disclosure or merely meant to portray examples of preferred modes within the overall scope and intent of the invention, and are not to be considered limiting in any manner. While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the invention have been shown and described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will be apparent that in some instances, some features of the invention may be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should also be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.