WO2004114490A1

WO2004114490A1 - Mobile phone charger unit

Info

Publication number: WO2004114490A1
Application number: PCT/GB2004/002557
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin Charles Kelway-Bamber
Original assignee: Martin Charles Kelway-Bamber
Priority date: 2003-06-17
Filing date: 2004-06-14
Publication date: 2004-12-29
Also published as: GB0413196D0; GB2403942A; GB2403942B; GB0313940D0

Abstract

A mobile phone battery charger unit for being installed in a public place or in a vehicle such as a taxi or railway carriage. The unit has a charger plug (7) mounted on a flexible cable and also includes winding means on which the said flexible cable is supported such that the plug is able to be extended from the unit and then retracted after use. This allows the phone internal battery to be charged whilst it still remains in the phone body and the phone user can thus continue to use the phone for making and receiving calls during the charging session.

Description

MOBILE PHONE CHARGER UNIT

This invention relates to a mobile phone charger unit. It relates particularly to a battery charger unit which is able to recharge a storage battery of a mobile phone.

With the increasing growth of mobile phone communications, the users can be expected normally to operate their instruments during the day and to recharge the internal batteries of the phones overnight. However, as the batteries become older, the battery capacity will decrease and there will be times when it will become necessary to top-up the level of charge during the working day. These top-ups can be done readily enough when the user is at their own desk but there can also be a need to provide a charging station that could be used away from the user's workplace. This use might be needed, for example, in places where people can be expected to remain for some time such as airport departure lounges, business lounges and railway waiting rooms. In some vehicles such as trains and taxis, the traveller can be expected to be settled in a fixed place for some time and the opportunity to charge a phone battery may be helpful. There has already been one proposal of a pay operated charger machine for multiple battery packs as disclosed in patent application No. GB2344680. This device requires the battery to be detached from the phone so that the charging can be done. The use of this machine will therefore put the mobile phone temporarily out of service whilst the charging cycle is in progress.

I have now devised a mobile phone battery charger unit which is able to be used in a public place and which can enable phones of a number of different types to have their batteries recharged whilst these are still mounted in the phone instrument.

According to the invention, there is provided a mobile phone battery charger unit having a charger plug mounted on a flexible cable in which the unit includes winding means on which the said cable is supported such that the plug is able to be extended from the unit. This can enable a battery to be recharged without the need to separate the battery from the phone body. Preferably, the winding means is a reel having an internal rewind mechanism. The charger unit may include from two to ten charger plugs. A reel associated with each charger plug may include a lock mechanism effective to ensure that only a single plug can be withdrawn from the unit at one time.

In one embodiment, the charger plugs are mounted in a common plane associated with a movable door panel such that the plugs can be made accessible by movement of the door panel.

Conveniently, each flexible cable includes a stop member located adjacent the charger plug to ensure that the action of the winding means will be terminated with the plug in a predetermined stop position.

The invention also comprises a motor vehicle when including the said mobile phone charger unit. The vehicle may be a hire car such as a taxi or minicab or the vehicle may be a train, bus or coach. On a vehicle, the charger unit may be accommodated in a passenger seat armrest or in a trim panel adjacent a passenger seat.

By way of example, a particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a fitted armrest in the passenger compartment of a taxi vehicle, the armrest being provided with the internal battery charger unit of the invention,

Figure 2 shows the armrest with a surface cover having been opened by an action similar to the raising of a hinged lid,

Figure 3 shows a single charger plug which has been selected and withdrawn from an array of available plug types,

Figure 4 shows the plug returned to its position in a row of phone plugs after completion of a charging process,

Figure 5 depicts the working mechanism of the phone charger unit, Figure 6 shows a London taxicab vehicle including the phone charger unit of the invention,

Figure 7 shows an alternative vehicle mounting position in a partial view where the charger unit is located in a vertical trim panel surface above a fitted armrest,

Figure 8 shows the charger unit of Figure 7 made ready for use after a sliding door in the vertical panel has been displaced,

Figure 9 shows a different embodiment of a unit intended for a door trim panel, Figure 10 shows a single cable reel mounting for one charger plug, Figure 11 is an exploded view of a cable reel with its housing, and, Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the mobile phone charger unit. As depicted in Figure 1, the mobile phone charger unit is fitted in an unobtrusive manner alongside a seat armrest 1 in a passenger compartment of a London taxicab. The installation of the charger unit does not require any visible difference to be made in the standard trim format of the armrest 1.

The passenger armrest 1 is normally of a hollow construction and it is provided with a padded upper surface cover 2 so as to form a comfortable support area upon which a passenger's arm may be placed. Figure 2 shows that, upon release of a catch provided at one end of the rest, the upper surface cover 2 and part of the armrest side may be caused to hinge upwards under the action of a spring. The surface cover 2 will then be supported vertically in a stable position as depicted in Figure 2 at the right hand side of the Figure.

The movement of the surface cover 2 allows a front fascia 3 and the relevant parts of the charger unit to come into view and these parts comprise a rewind mechanism button 4 and a row 6 of six mobile phone recharge plugs. The six plugs are each of a different type and the range of plugs is chosen so as to fit a large proportion of the mobile phone handsets that are available at the present time. Since there is not a standard model of charger socket used on the mobile phone instruments, this range of plugs is intended to fit most of the current models.

Each plug is accommodated in its own recess and when required for use a plug 7 (Figure 3) will be withdrawn from this recess and pulled out to a distance of a half metre bringing a length of a flexible power cable with it. The power cables for each plug are contained on a respective spring loaded cable reel located behind the front panel of the phone charger unit. When any plug has been pulled out, the relevant cable reel will unwind and it will then become locked against further rotation when the cable has been extended. When requiring to return the selected plug 7 to its recess, the rewind button 4 on the front fascia 3 of the charger unit may be depressed and this will then release the locked cable reel and allow this to rewind the extended power cable. The plug 7 will thus return semiautomatically to its recess. This situation is depicted in Figure 4. After use, the surface cover 2 of the armrest may be returned to its closed position and the catch will lock automatically. The armrest 1 will then be able to be used as normal for supporting the arm of a passenger.

Figure 5 shows the battery charger unit from a rear side after it has been removed from the armrest. The surface cover 2 is seen to be supported on a quadrant shaped hinge arm 8. In the charger unit front fascia 3 can be seen the six recesses 9 accommodating the different plugs used for making the appropriate electrical connection to the passenger's mobile phone. Each plug has its own power cable and these cables are coiled onto six cable reels 11 mounted on a common axis. Each reel 11 has its own reel rewind spring which is located internally on the reel. The use of a reel rewind spring is a common feature in articles such as tape measures and the spring is usually a spiral spring which is tensioned when the reel is turned to allow a tape length mounted on the reel to be pulled out.

The locking of the cable reels 11 is obtained by the engagement of a projecting tooth (not shown) on the reel flank with a pivoted release bar 12 when the cable has been extended. The operation by the passenger of the rewind button 4 on the charger unit front panel will cause the release bar 12 to be deflected so that the cable will be able to rewind itself under the force of the reel internal spring arrangement.

The phone charger unit is also provided with a remote means of operating the release bar 12 for a cable reel. This remote means comprises an electrical solenoid 13 which is able to be actuated when required by a driver in the driving compartment of the taxi. The solenoid will thus be able to work the release bar for the cable reel if the driver wishes to take this action. The driver is additionally able to operate the catch 14 for the armrest upper surface cover in a remote manner and to close the hinged cover similarly, if necessary.

Figure 5 also shows that the phone charger unit includes a low voltage fast charge printed circuit board 16 which is connected to the vehicle electrical power supply. The printed circuit board 16 is arranged to provide electrical power to the cable reels so that any connected mobile phone battery can be charged in accordance with its needs.

Figure 6 shows in outline a London taxicab vehicle 17 which has the phone charger unit of the invention mounted in the armrest 1 adjacent a passenger seat.

Figure 7 shows an alternative position for mounting the charger unit in a vehicle such as a taxi. In this embodiment, the charger unit is located in a vertical trim panel 18 which is positioned just above a passenger seat armrest 1. The charger unit 19 is arranged in a recess formed in the surface of the panel 18 and the unit is concealed behind a sliding door in the panel. The sliding door is able to be operated remotely by a taxi driver in the driving compartment of the vehicle. Figure 7 shows the door 21 in the closed position whilst the appearance after the door has been opened is depicted in Figure 8.

Figure 8 shows the row of six plugs 7 which are available to be used by the passenger for a booster charge of a mobile phone battery. The passenger will select a suitable one of these plugs which will fit the charging socket of his/her phone. The plug will be drawn out of the charger unit on its flexible cable and the selection of this plug will indicate to the electronic circuit which provides power to the charger the relevant voltage and current levels that should be delivered in order to provide the correct battery charging characteristics. Figure 8 shows a single one of the plugs 7 having been pulled out to enable it to be inserted in to the phone charging socket. The view also shows a cable rewind button 4 which is able to be pressed at the end of the charging operation to cause a plug on its flexible cable to be retracted back into the charger unit.

Figure 9 shows a practical construction of the mobile phone charger unit that was designed to be located in a vertical trim panel on the inside surface of a taxi passenger compartment door. In this position, the trim panel happens to include a convex curve arranged just below a vertically aligned area of the panel and the hollow region provided inside the curve shape allows the cable reel part of the charger unit to be accommodated within the panel space.

Figure 9 depicts a front fascia 4 of the charger unit which supports a pivoted door 21 and a rewind button 4. The remaining components of the charger unit are located within the hollow space behind the door panel. In this embodiment, the door 21 is pivoted along its upper edge so that when open the door will be folded inwards enabling an upward facing array of six charger plugs to be seen. The Figure shows the door in the open condition.

The charger unit is made up of six cable reels 11 which are each supported in a housing made up of two half shells moulded from a plastics material. The six cable reel housings are secured together side-by-side by means of tie-rods so that a compact block is formed to provide the lower half of the Figure 9 construction.

Figure 10 is an interior view of one half shell 22 of a cable reel housing from which for the sake of clarity the cable reel has been removed. A cable outlet from the housing includes a charger plug 7 mounted on a cable length and beneath the charger plug the cable is seen to support a stop member 23. The stop member 23 serves to prevent the cable from being retracted too far into the reel when the rewind action has taken place. The stop member 23 additionally includes a permanent magnet which will actuate a Hall Effect sensor 24 when the cable has been fully retracted to the stop position. When the Hall Effect sensor has received this input it will indicate to the electronic circuit of the charger unit that the cable has been safely retracted so that the automatic closure of the door 21 may start. This provision ensures that the motorised operation of the door will not be initiated if any of the cables of the charger unit should accidentally be left extended from their respective cable reels.

Figure 10 also shows the leads 26 going to two electrical contact brushes which are supported on the inner wall of the housing. The contact brushes serve to provide electrical continuity to slip rings on the reel flanks so the charger current output can be delivered to the cable length on the reel and thus to the charger plug of the unit.

Figure 11 is an exploded view of the two half shells 22 of the cable reel housing with a cable reel 11 present but in the absence of a cable length being supported on the reel. The cable reel 11 is provided with its own internal spiral spring (not shown) which will be tensioned when a plug with its length of cable is withdrawn from the reel. This spiral spring will then operate to wind the cable length back onto the reel when a user of the charger unit has operated the rewind button 4. The cable entry part of the housing is provided with a wide funnel-like opening 27so that the cable will be guided smoothly onto its reel when the rewind action takes place.

Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the charger unit showing the door 21 in the closed position. The front fascia 3 of the unit then has a smooth external appearance so it will blend in well with the surface of the door trim panel.

The phone charger unit of the invention will as usual be provided with its own devices to prevent electrical overloads and to ensure that when one plug has been selected and pulled out of the unit, all of the remaining plugs will be locked into position. Each cable reel supporting a charger plug lead of the unit is provided with its own slip rings and contact brushes so that the electrical power will be delivered to the plug even if the plug cable has not been fully pulled out from the reel.

In use of the phone battery charger unit of the invention, a passenger in a taxi wishing to charge a phone battery will ask the driver to release the catch 14 of the armrest surface cover 2. When this has been done, the passenger will open the cover 2, take the appropriate plug from its recess and draw out the required amount of cable to enable the plug to be inserted into the mobile phone socket. The phone may then be left on charge for ten or twenty minutes whilst the passenger is being taken to their destination. If any phone calls should need to be made or received during this time, the passenger can attend to these calls as usual. At the end of the journey, the passenger may detach the phone from the charger plug and press the rewind button 4 on the charger unit front panel to allow the plug to be retracted back into its recess. The armrest surface cover 2 may then be closed and the appearance of the conventional armrest will be restored.

If the passenger should fail to retract the cable or to close the armrest cover, the driver may carry out these actions remotely from the taxi driving compartment.

The mobile phone charger unit has been found to be a useful extra service that can be provided to a passenger in a taxi whilst the taxi journey is being undertaken. The unit has been found also to be suitable for use in other places such as minicabs, coaches and trains. It is also convenient to be used in stationary installations such as station waiting rooms, airport departure lounges and business lounges.

The phone charger unit of the invention has been found to be comparatively inexpensive to construct in a suitably robust form. Its components are reliable in operation and it is not expected that any particular mechanical problems will arise in putting the assembly together. The foregoing description of an embodiment of the invention has been given by way of example only and a number of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For instance, it is not essential that the charger unit should accommodate only six charger plugs and in different embodiments a number smaller or greater that six could be provided. The charger unit is not of course restricted for use only on mobile phone batteries and it could be used for alternative suitable kinds of mobile equipment such as laptop computers and data transmission devices.

Claims

1 A mobile phone battery charger unit having a charger plug mounted on a flexible cable in which the unit includes winding means on which the said cable is supported such that the plug is able to be extended from the unit.

2 A charger unit as claimed in Claim 1, in which the said winding means is a reel having an internal rewind mechanism.

3 A charger unit as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the unit includes from two to ten charger plugs.

4 A charger unit as claimed in Claim 3, in which a reel associated with each charger plug includes a lock mechanism effective to ensure that only a single plug can be withdrawn from the unit at one time.

5 A charger unit as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, in which the charger plugs are mounted in a common plane associated with a movable door panel such that the plugs can be made accessible by movement of the door panel.

6 A charger unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which each flexible cable includes a stop member located adjacent the charger plug to ensure that the action of the winding means will be terminated with the plug in a predetermined stop position.

7 A charger unit as claimed in Claim 6, in which the said stop member includes a magnet/Hall Effect device combination arranged to provide an electrical signal when the plug has returned to the said stop position.

8 A charger unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, when supported in a cabinet for floor or wall mounting use in a public place. 9 A charger unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, when supported in a trim panel of a public transport vehicle.

10 A charger unit as claimed in Claim 9, when mounted on a trim panel or passenger seat armrest of a taxi or hire car.

11 A public vehicle, taxi or hire car when including a mobile phone battery charger unit as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10.

12 A mobile phone battery charger unit, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.