`Kerai et al.
`
`USOO6531845B2
`(10) Patent No.:
`US 6,531,845 B2
`45) Date of Patent:
`Mar. 11, 2003
`
`9
`
`9/2000 Atwater ...................... 320/131
`6,118,251 A
`2/2001 Yang .......................... 320/110
`6,184,652 B1
`2/2001 Hatular ....................... 320/139
`6,184,660 B1
`4/2001 Matsuda ..................... 320/115
`6,211,649 B1
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`10854.00
`3/2000 ............. GO6F/1/26
`2 286 732
`8/1995
`2 293 283
`3/1996
`
`EP
`GB
`GB
`
`(54) BATTERY CHARGING
`
`(75) Inventors: Kanji Kerai, London (GB); Kalle
`Tuulos, Turku (FI)
`(73) Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones Limited, Espoo
`(FI)
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`
`patent is extended O adjusted under 35
`
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/864,273
`(22) Filed:
`May 25, 2001
`(65)
`Prior Publication Data
`US 2002/0005707 A1 Jan. 17, 2002
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`(30)
`May 26, 2000 (GB) ............................................. OO12946
`(51) Int. Cl.................................................... H02. 7700
`(52) U.S. Cl. ....................................................... 320/107
`(58) Field of Search ................................. 320/106, 107,
`320/110
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,371,453 A 12/1994 Fernandez .................. 320/136
`5,592,528 A
`1/1997 Nelson et al. .
`... 324/538
`5,814,969 A * 9/1998 Banyas ...
`... 32O/112
`6,087,804 A
`7/2000 Suda .......................... 320/106
`
`
`
`1/2000
`
`- - - - - - - - - - - - - GO6F/1/26
`
`... GO6F/1/26
`1/2000
`... GOSF/1/OO
`1/2000
`... HO2J/7/00
`5/2000
`6/2000 ............ HO4M/1/72
`
`JP
`
`2OOO2O175
`
`2OOO2O176
`JP
`200029544
`JP
`2OOO139032
`JP
`2OOO165513
`JP
`* cited by examiner
`Primary Examiner Edward H. Tso
`ASSistant Examiner Pia Tibbits
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Antonelli, Terry, Stout &
`Kraus, LLP
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`A battery charging circuit is described in which power is
`derived from a communications port Such as a USB interface
`(22) and is Supplied to a rechargeable battery of a commu
`nications device. The communications device, which may be
`a mobile radio telephone, can be charged from the power
`Supply or internal battery of a laptop computer equipped
`with a USB port and connected thereto with a suitable cable
`thereby avoiding the need for a user to carry a dedicated
`battery charger for the radio telephone.
`
`44 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
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`Petitioners Ex. 1012
`IPR USP 8,624,550
`Page 1 of 12
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`U.S. Patent
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`Mar. 11, 2003.
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`Sheet 1 of 6
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`US 6,531,845 B2
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`Petitioners Ex. 1012
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`Petitioners Ex. 1012
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sheet 3 of 6
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`US 6,531,845 B2
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`US 6,531,845 B2
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`US 6,531,845 B2
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`U.S. Patent
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`U.S. Patent
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`F.G. 6
`FIG. 6
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`14
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`Sheet 5 of 6
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`US 6,531,845 B2
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`POWER / DATA
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`POWER CONNECTION
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`DATA CONNECTION
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`USB STATUS
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`OPTIONS
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`FG. 7a
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`CHARGING
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`CHARGING USB
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`t,
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`102
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`FIG. 7b
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`31
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`35
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`7 -32
`Y ~33
`internal-34
`FIG. 8
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`MANTAN POWER
`CONNECTION WHEN
`BATTERY LOW 2
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`FIG. 9
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`1
`BATTERY CHARGING
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`US 6,531,845 B2
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`1. Field of the Invention
`The present invention relates to a battery powered device
`incorporating a communication port, particularly although
`not exclusively a USB interface.
`2. Description of the Prior Art
`Customarily, hand held electronic devices Such personal
`digital assistants (PDA), and cellular handsets have been
`powered by a rechargeable battery, the term battery being
`intended to encompass a collection of one or more cells. AS
`a consequence, it is necessary for the user of Such a device
`to recharge the battery regularly using a dedicated charger,
`always assuming a Source of electrical power is publically
`available. Where a user possesses more than one Such device
`and perhaps a laptop computer, it is necessary to carry a
`corresponding number of chargers. Typically, battery charg
`erS are heavy, bulky and inconvenient to transport due to
`their trailing leads and connectors. Furthermore, where a
`user is traveling abroad, even should the charger prove
`compatible with the local electrical power Supply, a power
`outlet adapter will almost certainly be necessary adding to
`expense and further inconveniencing the user.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`It is thus an object of the present invention to overcome
`the disadvantages Set out above and to further provide a
`device which permits a user to remove the need to carry a
`plurality of chargers and adapters when traveling. It is a Still
`further object of the invention to permit the charging of a
`device in the absence of a locally available electrical Supply.
`Thus, according to one aspect of the present invention
`there is provided a battery powered device including a
`communications port and a charging circuit connectable to
`a battery, the charging circuit having a further connection to
`the communications port wherein the port, in use, provides
`power to the charging circuit.
`Although the port may include a power line Such as is
`found, for example, in a USB port, preferably the charging
`circuit obtains power from the data and/or control lines.
`Conveniently, the connection to the charging circuit is
`Switched Such that the controller or processor may make or
`break the connection in accordance with instructions
`received via a user interface of the device. Such instructions
`could arise from the detection of the onset of a communi
`cation over the data line in particular where this is a Source
`of power. By disconnecting the charging circuit from the
`data line, the capacitance of the line is reduced and the data
`rate of the port is Substantially maintained. It may also be
`appropriate to break the connection where an additional
`power Supply is connected to a dedicated input to the
`charging circuit. By disconnecting the charging circuit from
`the port in Such circumstances, the risk of over charging the
`battery is reduced. The device may also include means for
`providing data indicative of the Status of a battery connected
`to the battery charger.
`In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there
`is provided a battery powered device including a commu
`nications port and a charging circuit connectable to a battery,
`the charging circuit being connected to at least one data
`and/or control line of Said port, whereby power is received
`by Said circuit during operation of Said at least one line.
`Particularly in the case of a so-called USB communica
`tions port, it is possible to deliver power to a battery
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`charging circuit during communication activity between the
`device and a further device connected via Suitable cabling
`thereto. Such communication activity may include the trans
`fer of data and/or control Signals. A Switch may be provided
`to control the delivery of power to the charging circuit where
`the transmission conditions of the port dictate.
`According to another aspect of the present invention,
`there is provided a method of charging a battery powered
`device containing a communications port, Said device fur
`ther including a charging circuit connectable to a battery, the
`method comprising connecting Said charging circuit to at
`least one data and/or control line during delivery of data
`and/or control Signals to Said port whereby power is Supplied
`from Said at least one line to the charging circuit.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`In order to understand more fully the invention, several
`embodiments thereof will now be described by way of
`example and with reference to the accompanying drawings,
`in which:
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the topology of the
`known USB serial interface;
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a battery powered radio
`telephone handset according to the present invention;
`FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a port according to a
`further embodiment of the invention;
`FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a variant of the port of
`FIG. 3;
`FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a further variant of the
`port of FIG. 4;
`FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the radio telephone handset
`of FIG. 2 connected to a laptop computer;
`FIG. 7a is a view of a display of the handset of FIG. 2
`showing a menu of a user interface;
`FIG. 7b is a similar view showing a simplified menu;
`FIG. 8 is a view of a display of the laptop computer of
`FIG. 7 showing a menu of a Software application, and
`FIG. 9 is a similar view showing a simplified menu.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`Referring now to FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a
`typical bus topology 1 of a well known Serial interface
`standard, namely the USB interface, details of which may be
`found in the Universal Serial Bus Specification Revision 1.1.
`The USB standard provides that in addition to carrying
`data bi-directionally, a USB cable 2 must also supply
`electrical power unidirectionally. The power and data passes
`through pre-defined terminals or pin-outs provided on a
`standardised plugs 3,4 on each free end 5.6 of the USB cable
`2. The plugs 3.4 are defined in the Standard as having
`different forms at upstream and downstream ends 7.8. Each
`plug 3.4 can mate only with a complementary shaped
`receptacle or port 9,10 provided in the USB devices 11, 12 to
`be connected. Thus, the Standard ensures that a cable 2 can
`only be connected to provide power from an upstream port
`9 to a downstream port 10. The USB standard further
`provides the device 11 may have its own power Supply. Such
`a device is known as a Self-powered device 11. A device 12
`which relies exclusively on power Supplied from the
`upstream device or hub is known as a bus-powered device.
`Device 12 is a bus-powered device. A device may provide
`only a function, in which case it is defined as a node and has
`an upstream connection only, or it may be hub to which
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`further USB devices (or hubs) may be connected down
`Stream. A hub may also provide a function. The above
`standard further defines a root hub 13 from which all
`downstream connections depend. The root hub 13 forms part
`of a host that is normally a personal computer.
`The USB specification was motivated, at least in part, by
`the desire to integrate telephony with personal computers.
`Thus, FIG. 2 shows a portable radio telephone 14 powered
`by a rechargeable battery pack 15. The telephone 14 includes
`a transceiver 16 and all the other features conventionally
`found in a cellular telephone, as shown Schematically in
`FIG. 2. Since these aspects of the telephone 14 are not
`directly relevant to the present invention, no further details
`will be given here, except to Say that a microprocessor 17 is
`employed to control all the basic functions of the telephone
`14 and to control the keypad and display functions. The
`telephone 14 also comprises a memory unit 18 for Storing
`user defined data Such as telephone numbers in a Subscriber
`number index, or identify codes for telephone banking
`Systems. Abattery charger control circuit 19 is also included
`in the telephone 14. This circuit 19 delivers power to the
`rechargeable battery 15. In a conventional manner, external
`power for Supplying charge to the battery 15 is provided via
`a charger jack 20 located in the housing of the telephone.
`The telephone 14 further incorporates a USB interface or
`port shown generally as P. The USB interface P comprises
`a connector 22 having data 23, power 24 and ground pins or
`terminals. The connector 22 is provided in the handset
`housing to which a downstream plug of a USB cable is
`connectable in use. A pair of conductors 25.26 carry differ
`ential data signals D- and D+ between the data pins 23 of
`the connector 22 and the USB interface ASIC 21 mounted on
`the handset PCB. The interface ASIC 21 is suitably pro
`grammed to provide the benefits of USB functionality to the
`handset. In addition, ground connection (not shown) is made
`from the ground pin of the connector 22 to the PCB.
`A conductor 27, which carries power signals (Vbus) from
`the power pin 24 of the connector 22 to the Interface ASIC
`21, is also connected via a Switch 28 in series with a diode
`100 to a conductor 101 connecting the charger jack 20 to the
`charger control circuit 19. The Switch 28 is under the control
`of the interface ASIC 21 whilst the diode 100 prevents
`power from being Supplied in an upstream direction via the
`connector 22, in accordance with the above USB standard.
`It will also be appreciated that in addition to the above
`described connections there will exist further non-illustrated
`connections with and between the above-described compo
`nents and other circuit elements of the handset 14. These
`additional connections, to the extent that they are directed to
`providing conventional known functions of a radio tele
`phone 14, are not described in further detail.
`In use, a user is able to select, via a menu (see FIG. 7a)
`provided on an otherwise conventional user interface (UI)
`display 30 of the handset 14, one of a number of modes of
`operation of the power and data transfer connections.
`However, before the UI permits these modes to be selected,
`the handset USB connector 22 must be connected via a USB
`cable 2 to a USB hub such as a laptop computer 29. Once
`connected, the interface ASIC 21 detects the presence of a
`USB cable 2 connection to the data terminals D+/D-23 and
`signals this fact via the UI to the user. The interface ASIC 21
`is also in receipt of a signal indicative of the State of charge
`of the battery 15. Whether the interface ASIC 21 closes the
`Switch 28 and thereby connects Vbus to the battery 15 via
`the charging circuit 19 will depend on the mode selected by
`the user. It is immaterial with respect to the charger control
`circuit 19, what Source of power is being used.
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`In a first mode, both data 23 and power 24 transfer
`connections are enabled. In a Second mode the data connec
`tion 23 only is enabled, although a further feature may be
`operative in this mode in which the charger control circuit 19
`continually monitors the state of the handset battery 15 and
`in the event that the charge falls below an acceptable level
`prompts the user via the UI display 30 to enable the power
`connection 24 to the handset 14 and thereby increase the
`charge of the handset battery 15. In a third (default) mode,
`the power connection 24 only is enabled.
`To facilitate both ease of use and the minimization of any
`changes to the UI software, FIG.7b shows a simplified menu
`of the user interface which may be displayed as an alterna
`tive to the above described menu on the display 30 of the
`handset 14. This simplified menu provides a Single option
`102 of allowing charging of the handset battery 15 via the
`USB connector 22. However, this option is active only when
`a USB connection is present and no power is being Supplied
`via the charger jack 20.
`Where the handset 14 is connected to a laptop computer
`29 shown in FIG. 6 via the USB connector 22, as shown in
`FIG. 3, then further functionality may be provided in the
`form of a Software application residing on the laptop com
`puter 29 and utilizing the full capability of the USB interface
`protocol to communicate with the handset 4 over the USB
`cable 2. Thus, the application Software may, through a
`suitable graphical user interface (GUI) provide control of the
`battery charge and data communication connections with the
`handset. FIG. 8 shows a laptop computer display on which
`a graphical indication 31 of the State of charge of the handset
`battery charge is given. In addition, there are displayed icons
`32.33 indicating that both a data and a power connection
`exist between the handset 14 and the laptop computer 29. A
`further icon 34 indicates that the laptop computer is oper
`ating on its own internal batteries rather than on publically
`available electrical power. Hence the display further
`includes a bar graph 35 indicative of the State of charge of
`the laptop's own battery. In use, a user may Select, using
`conventional point and clock operations with a mouse,
`various options for the Supply of power and transfer of data
`with the handset. Most conveniently, the application will
`provide a set of operation modes Selectable by the user and
`similar to those provided by the handset UI.
`Thus in a first mode, both data and power transfer
`connections are enabled but with the Safeguard that where
`the laptop computer 29 is detected as operating on internal
`battery power, the power connection is terminated when the
`battery charge of the laptop computer falls below a prese
`lected level. This feature guards against the laptop computer
`battery becoming completely discharged.
`In a Second mode, the data connection only is enabled.
`Although a further feature may be enabled in this mode that
`continually monitors the state of the handset battery 15.
`Consequently, in the event that the handset battery charge
`falls below an acceptable level, the laptop computer 29
`prompts the user, via a pop-up display, to connect the power
`connection to the handset and thereby increase the charge of
`the handset battery.
`In a third mode, the power connection only is enabled
`although again the feature of preventing discharge of the
`laptop computer battery is provided to end the connection
`when the laptop computer battery charge falls below a
`predetermined level.
`To provide for emergencies where it may be necessary to
`charge the handset battery 15 even at the expense of the
`laptop computer battery, there is further included an override
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`function in each of the three modes that maintains the power
`connection. It will be appreciated that the existence of the
`power connection does not imply that power will be con
`tinuously transferred from the laptop computer. Indeed, the
`charging circuit of the handset continually monitors the
`handset battery 15 and provides a signal indicative of the
`level of charge to the charger control circuit 19. Thus, should
`the handset battery 15 reach a Satisfactory level of charge,
`the charger control circuit 19 will cause the Switch 28 to
`open preventing further depletion of the laptop computer
`battery and equally preventing overcharging of the handset
`battery.
`Again, where ease of use is required and a minimal
`change to an otherwise conventional UI is desired, then an
`option box 103 (FIG. 9) is generated on the laptop computer
`display. This box provides only the first of the above
`described options in that the only option provided is that of
`maintaining a power connection in an emergency at the
`expense of the laptop battery.
`It will be understood from the foregoing that the pro
`gramming of the various user interfaces is within the ability
`of those skilled in the art and the precise implementation will
`depend to Some extent on the hardware.
`Using the same reference numerals to identify corre
`sponding elements, FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 respectively illustrate
`a further embodiment of the invention and two variants
`thereof. In FIG. 3, there is shown a serial port P of a
`battery-powered handset 14. A pair of data terminals 23 are
`connected internally to the interface ASIC 21 by conductors
`25.26 and are also connectable, Via Suitable cabling, to a
`Serial port (not shown) of a laptop computer for example.
`Each conductor 25.26 is tapped, via a switch 28, to a
`respective logic detector 50. The Switches 28 are operable
`under the condition of the interface ASIC 21. A connection
`from the output of each detector 50 is made to a correspond
`ing reservoir capacitor 51. The capacitorS 51 themselves are
`connected in parallel and Supply a power or charging ter
`minal 52 via a diode 100 with current of Some tens of
`milliamps at a typical voltage of around five Volts. The
`charging terminal 52 is connected to the battery charging
`circuit 19 as previously described above.
`In use, the data terminals 23 are connected via Suitable
`cabling to a communications port of another device Such as
`a laptop computer, for example. AS is well known, the data
`lines of a Serial connection are held high when the connec
`tion is inactive and will vary between a high and low State
`whilst communication over the ports takes place. Thus, each
`logic detector 50 detects the State of a corresponding line
`25.26 and, where the state is found to be high, permits
`current to flow into a corresponding capacitor 51. The output
`from each capacitor 50 Supplies the charging terminal 52
`which is connected to the battery charging circuit 19. In
`order to disable the Supply of current to the charging
`terminal 52, the Switches 28 may be opened at the command
`of the interface ASIC 21. Aside from reasons set out above
`in relation to the UI of the handset 14, such a step may be
`necessary if the additional capacitance 52 is having a
`detrimental effect on the data rate of the port P.
`In a variant of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, rather
`than using the data lines 25.26 to Supply power to the
`charging circuit 19 the control lines 53 are utilised instead.
`Such an arrangement is possible where XON/XOFF logic,
`for example, is being employed to control communication
`over the data lines 25.26 of the port P. In which case, the
`control lines 53 are redundant. Consequently, the logic State
`of these lines 53 can be held high and they can then be used
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`to Supply a charging terminal 52 with current. Furthermore,
`the presence of additional capacitance in the control lines 53
`should not have any detrimental effect on the data rate over
`the data lines 25,26. Nevertheless, to enable charging to be
`placed under Software control, a Switch 28 controlled by the
`interface ASIC 21 is provided. The provision of Switching
`for the control lines is advantageous in that it the capacitance
`mentioned above can be temporarily removed during a
`communications Session where the control lines are utilised.
`FIG. 5, shows a further variant of the further embodiment
`in which a parallel port 60 of an external device such as a
`laptop computer 29 is used to communicate with a Serial port
`P of the communications device. A parallel connector 22 on
`the handset 14 provides connections to an external parallel
`cable 61 of which two lines carry received and transmitted
`data 62.63 respectively to the parallel port 60 of the laptop
`29. The remaining lines 53 of the cable 61 are unused and
`are thus held high in accordance with usual practice. Internal
`connections 25.26 from the connector 22 are made to a
`parallel to serial conversion block 64 in which parallel
`communication signals received from the external device 29
`are translated to Serial signals and Vice versa for Signals
`transmitted from the handset 14. The conversion block 64
`includes a number of ICs (not shown) which are supplied
`with power from the power terminal 52 connected to the
`reservoir capacitorS 51 Supplied by the unused data/control
`lines 53 in the manner described previously. In addition, the
`power from the terminal 52 is used to supply the battery
`charging circuit 19 of the handset 14.
`It will be recognized that although the further embodi
`ment and its variants differ in the manner in which power is
`derived from the port for charging the battery, it is within the
`ability of those skilled in the art to adapt the user interface
`(UI) described in relation to the first embodiment.
`Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the approach Set out
`in the further embodiment and its variants to deriving power
`from the data and/or control lines could be used to Supple
`ment the power obtained from a dedicated power line Such
`as that described in relation to the first embodiment. Finally,
`although the foregoing embodiments have illustrated the
`invention in the context of mobile Station Such as a handset,
`the invention could, of course, be applied to any battery
`powered device having a charging circuit and a communi
`cation port Such as a handheld computer console, a bar code
`reader and data capture device or the like.
`What is claimed is:
`1. A battery powered apparatus comprising:
`a charging circuit for charging a rechargeable battery;
`a processor for controlling the battery operated apparatus
`and for communicating with an external electronic
`device including an electrical power Supply;
`at least one conductor for connection to the external
`electronic device which receives data or control Signals
`including when the charging circuit charges the
`rechargeable battery;
`a user input for receiving a user command;
`means for determining if charging the rechargeable bat
`tery using the electrical power Supply of the external
`electronic device is allowed, based on the user com
`mand; and wherein
`the charging circuit receives electrical power from the
`electrical power Supply of the external electronic
`device through the at least one conductor and
`charges the battery with the received electrical power
`if the charging of the rechargeable battery using the
`electrical power Supply of the external electronic
`device is allowed.
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`2. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 1
`wherein:
`the means for determining if charging the rechargeable
`battery using the electrical power Supply of the external
`electronic device is allowed uses the received data or
`control Signals as a basis for the determination.
`3. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 2,
`comprising:
`a Switch operable to disconnect the charging circuit from
`the electrical power Supply.
`4. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 3,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`5. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 2,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`6. A battery operated apparatus to claim 1, comprising:
`the user input is a user interface for receiving the user
`command; and wherein
`the means for determining if charging the rechargeable
`battery using the electrical power Supply of the
`external electronic device is allowed uses the user
`interface during the determination if charging is
`allowed.
`7. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 6,
`comprising:
`a Switch operable to disconnect the charging circuit from
`the electrical power Supply.
`8. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 7,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`9. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 6,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`10. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 1,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises at least one electrical
`power line conductor and the received electrical power
`is derived from the external electronic device through
`the at least one electrical power line conductor and the
`charging of the battery with the received electrical
`power is derived from the at least one electrical power
`line conductor.
`11. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 10,
`wherein:
`the charging circuit comprises a connector which provides
`an electrical connection with the electrical power Sup
`ply.
`12. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 11,
`comprising:
`a Switch operable to disconnect the charging circuit from
`the electrical power Supply.
`13. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 12,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`14. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 11,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`15. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 10,
`comprising:
`
`1O
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`US 6,531,845 B2
`
`8
`a Switch operable to disconnect the charging circuit from
`the electrical power Supply.
`16. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 15,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`17. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 10,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`18. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 1,
`comprising:
`a Switch operable to disconnect the charging circuit from
`the electrical power Supply.
`19. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 18,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`20. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 1,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`21. A battery powered apparatus comprising:
`a charging circuit for charging a rechargeable battery;
`a processor which controls the battery operated apparatus
`and communicates with an external electronic device
`including an electrical power Supply;
`at least one conductor for connection to the external
`electronic device which conducts data or control Sig
`nals from the external electronic device when the
`charging circuit is charging the rechargeable battery;
`and wherein
`the charging circuit derives electrical power from the
`data or control Signals conducted on the at least one
`conductor from the external electronic device for
`charging the rechargeable battery.
`22. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 21,
`wherein:
`the charging circuit comprises means for providing elec
`trical power from the data or control Signals conducted
`on the at least one conductor from the external elec
`tronic device to the rechargeable battery.
`23. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 22
`wherein the means for obtaining electrical power comprises:
`at least one capacitor.
`24. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 23
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`25. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 24
`comprising:
`means for determining if charging the rechargeable bat
`tery using the electrical power Supply of the external
`electronic electronicS device is allowed which uses
`received data or control Signals as a basis for the
`determination.
`26. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 24,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises at least one electrical
`power line conductor and the received electrical power
`is derived from the external electronic device through
`the at least one electrical power line conductor and the
`charging of the battery with the received electrical
`power is derived from the at least one electrical power
`line conductor.
`
`Petitioners Ex. 1012
`IPR USP 8,624,550
`Page 11 of 12
`
`
`
`US 6,531,845 B2
`
`27. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 23
`comprising:
`means for determining if charging the rechargeable bat
`tery using the electrical power Supply of the external
`electronic electronicS device is allowed which uses
`received data or control Signals as a basis for the
`determination.
`28. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 23,
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises at least one electrical
`power line conductor and the received electrical power
`is derived from the external electronic device through
`the at least one electrical power line conductor and the
`charging of the battery with the received electrical
`power is derived from the at least one electrical power
`line conductor.
`29. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 23,
`comprising:
`a Switch operable to disconnect the charging circuit from
`the electrical power Supply.
`30. A battery operated apparatus according to claim 22
`wherein:
`the at least one conductor comprises a universal Serial bus
`port.
`31. A battery operated a