Eyewear device charging case
A carry case for an electronics-enabled eyewear device, such as smart glasses, has charging contacts that are movable relative to a storage chamber in which the eyewear device is receivable. The charging contacts are connected to a battery carried by the case for charging the eyewear device via contact coupling of the charging contacts to corresponding contact formations on an exterior of the eyewear device. The charging contacts are in some instances mounted on respective flexible walls defining opposite extremities of the storage chamber. The contact formations on the eyewear device are in some instances provided by hinge assemblies that couple respective temples to a frame of the eyewear device.
1. A holder for a portable electronic device, the holder comprising:
a body that defines a storage chamber for holding the device, the body comprising:
a front wall and a rear wall that are hingedly displaceable relative to one another; and
a flexible wall that forms part of the holder body and that at least partially defines the storage chamber, the flexible wall extending transversely between the front wall and the rear wall and having a fold portion configured automatically to move inwards towards the storing space responsive to hinged movement of the front wall and the rear wall towards one another from a maximally opened condition of the holder;
a power arrangement configured to provide electrical power for charging an onboard battery of the device while the device is held in the storage chamber; and
a charging contact mounted on the fold portion of the flexible wall for engagement with a complementary contact formation on the device, the charging contact being conductively connected to the power arrangement to enable charging of the device via the charging contact,
wherein the charging contact and the device contact formation are configured to be magnetically attractive towards one another, such that conductive contact after reception of the device in the storage chamber when the holder is in the maximally opened condition is facilitated both by movement of the fold portion towards the device responsive to hinged movement of the front wall and the rear wall towards one another and by permission of movement under magnetic action of the charging contact towards the device via deformation of the flexible wall on which it is mounted.
2. The holder of claim 1 , wherein one of the charging contact and said complementary contact formation includes a magnetic element, and wherein the other one of the charging contact and the complementary contact formation is at least partially of a ferromagnetic material that is magnetically responsive to said magnetic element.
3. The holder of claim 1 , wherein each of the charging contact and the complementary contact formation includes a magnetic element positioned for attractive magnet action between the charging contact and the complementary contact formation.
4. The holder of claim 1 , wherein the charging contact is of composite construction, comprising a core magnet on which is provided a surface layer of electrically conductive material.
5. The holder of claim 4 , wherein the surface layer comprises metallic plating deposited on the core magnet.
6. The holder of claim 1 , wherein the holder comprises a pair of charging contacts mounted on respective flexible walls at opposite extremities of the storage chamber, each of the charging contacts being configured for magnetically attractive interaction with a respective corresponding contact formation on the device.
7. The holder of claim 6 , wherein:
the power arrangement comprises a battery housed by the holder body; and
wherein the charging contacts are connected to the power arrangement such as to have opposite polarities during charging of the device.
8. The holder of claim 7 , wherein the battery is connected by respective conductive paths to the charging contacts such as to form an interrupted charging circuit that is closable by insertion of the device in the storage chamber such that each charging contact of the holder is coupled with the respective contact formation on the device at opposite lateral ends thereof.
9. The holder of claim 7 , further comprising a charging port housed by the body for connection to an external power source, the charging port being conductively coupled to the battery of the holder such as to enable charging of the battery by the external power source via the charging port.
10. The holder of claim 6 , wherein the holder is a carry case for an electronics-enabled eyewear device, the respective contact formations of the device being provided by a pair of hinge assemblies connecting respective temples of the device to a frame thereof, each charging contact being positioned such as to be in register with a corresponding one of the pair of hinge assemblies when the device is stored in the storage chamber in a collapsed mode.
11. The holder of claim 6 , wherein the holder body comprises a pair of flexible walls extending transversely between the front wall and the rear wall at opposite ends of the body, so that the flexible walls define end walls closing off opposite ends of the storage chamber, each of the flexible end walls having mounted thereon a respective charging contact.
12. The holder of claim 10 , wherein the flexible end walls are of a conductive fabric material, each flexible end wall defining at least part of an electrically conductive path connecting the respective charging contacts with the power arrangement.
13. A kit comprising:
a portable electronic device comprising:
onboard electronics;
an onboard battery connected to the onboard electronics for providing electrical power thereto; and
a contact formation conductively coupled to the onboard battery for enabling charging of the onboard battery by an external power source via connection to the contact formation; and
a holder for the device, the holder comprising:
a body that defines a storage chamber for the device, the body comprising:
a front wall and a rear wall that are hingedly displaceable relative to one another; and
a flexible wall that forms part of the holder body and that at least partially defines the storage chamber, the flexible wall extending transversely between the front wall and the rear wall and having a fold portion configured automatically to move inwards towards the storing space responsive to hinged movement of the front wall and the rear wall towards one another from a maximally opened condition of the holder;
a power source housed by the holder body;
and
a charging contact mounted on the fold portion of the flexible wall for engagement with a complementary contact formation on the device, the charging contact being conductively connected to the power source to enable charging of the device via the charging contact,
wherein the charging contact of the holder and the contact formation of the device are configured to be magnetically attractive towards one another, such that conductive contact after reception of the device in the storage chamber when the holder is in the maximally opened condition is facilitated both by movement of the fold portion towards the device responsive to hinged movement of the front wall and the rear wall towards one another and by permission of movement under magnetic action of the charging contact towards the device via deformation of the flexible wall on which it is mounted.
14. The kit of claim 13 , wherein:
the device has a pair of contact formations conductively coupled to the onboard battery; and
the holder has a corresponding pair of charging contacts mounted on respective flexible walls defining opposite extremities of the storage chamber.
15. The kit of claim 14 , wherein the pair of charging contacts and the pair of contact formations each includes a magnetic element positioned for attractive magnet action between each pair of complementary charging contact and contact formation.
16. The kit of claim 14 , wherein each charging contact is of composite construction, comprising a core magnet on which is provided a surface layer of electrically conductive material.
17. The kit of claim 16 , wherein the surface layer comprises metallic plating deposited on the core magnet.
18. The kit of claim 14 , wherein:
the portable electronic device is an eyewear device that is collapsible and configured for reception in the holder in a collapsed mode; and
wherein each contact formation of the device is provided by a respective hinge assembly that connects an associated temple of the device to a lens-holding eyewear frame of the device such as to permit articulated movement of the temple relative to the frame.
19. The kit of claim 14 , wherein the flexible end walls are of a conductive material, each flexible end wall defining at least part of an electrically conductive path connecting the respective charging contacts with the power source of the holder.