IP Library Granted Patent US 8,294,427
Granted Patent B2
US 8,294,427 · App. 12/060,548 · Granted Oct 23, 2012

Battery charger for multiple mobile devices

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,294,427
App. No.
12/060,548
Granted
Oct 23, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A disclosed battery charger comprises multiple interfaces provided corresponding to multiple mobile devices, the interfaces being connected to the mobile devices in wired or wireless connection; a charge parameter setting unit setting one or more charge parameters for the mobile devices; a switching control unit switching timing of charging the multiple mobile devices based on the charge parameters set by the charge parameter setting unit; and a charging unit charging one of the mobile devices selected by the switching control unit.

Claims (25)

1. A battery charger, comprising:

multiple interfaces provided corresponding to multiple mobile devices, the interfaces being connected to the mobile devices in wired or wireless connection;

a charge parameter setting unit setting a number of charge cycles specified by a user for the mobile devices, the number of charge cycles being a number of cycles over which an equal amount of charge will be delivered to a mobile device of the user such that the mobile devices of the user is fully charged when the number of charge cycles is complete;

a switching control unit switching timing of charging the multiple mobile devices based on the number of charge cycles specified by the user; and a

a charging unit charging one of the mobile devices selected by the switching control unit via a corresponding interface, the charging unit charging each of the mobile devices intensively by a respective charge amount, the respective charge amount being a quotient derived from division of a required charge amount of a mobile device of the user divided by the number of charge cycles specified by the user.

2. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

a condition detection unit detecting a charge condition and/or a connection condition of each of the mobile devices; and

a charge necessity determination unit determining whether each of the mobile devices has to be charged based on the detected condition,

wherein when the charge necessity determination unit determines that one of the mobile devices does not have to be charged, the switching control unit skips the mobile device and selects a next one of the mobile devices.

3. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the switching control unit determines whether the charge parameters set by the charge parameter setting unit are satisfied, and when the charge parameters are satisfied, the switching control unit switches to a next one of the mobile devices.

4. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

a charge condition detection unit detecting a charge condition of each of the mobile devices,

wherein if the charge condition detection unit detects that a current one of the mobile devices has been fully charged, the switching control unit switches to a next one of the mobile devices even when the charge parameters have not been satisfied.

5. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the charge parameters are satisfied for one of the mobile devices as a result of a previous charge cycle, the switching control unit skips the one of the mobile devices in a current charge cycle.

6. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

a connector for receiving power from another battery charger.

7. The battery charger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the number of charge cycles is equal to two.

8. A method of charging multiple mobile devices, the method comprising:

connecting the multiple mobile devices to a single battery charger in wired or wireless connection;

setting a number of charge cycles specified by a user for each of the mobile devices, the number of charge cycles being a number of cycles over which an equal amount of charge will be delivered to a mobile device of the user such that the mobile device of the user is fully charged when the number of charge cycles is complete;

switching timing of charging the mobile devices based on the number of charge cycles specified by the user; and

charging one of the mobile devices selected in the switching step, the charging including charging each of the mobile devices intensively by a respective charge amount, the respective charge amount being a quotient derived from division of a required charge amount of a mobile device of the user divided by the number of charge cycles specified by the user.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising:

detecting a charge condition of each of the mobile devices,

wherein if it is detected in the detecting step that a current one of the mobile devices has been fully charged, the charging is switched to a next one of the mobile devices in the switching step even when the charge parameters have not been satisfied.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 2, 2017
From: GOOGLE INC.
To: GOOGLE LLC
Reel/Frame 044101/0405 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 31, 2016
From: NTT DOCOMO, INC.
To: GOOGLE INC
Reel/Frame 039885/0615 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 26, 2008
From: INOUE, TAKAHIRO; ITO, SHOGO
To: NTT DOCOMO, INC.
Reel/Frame 021154/0482 →