Wireless charging of electronic devices

Abstract

A wireless power transmission device comprising a surface adapted to support a container housing a wireless power receiving device, and further comprising a wireless power transmission coil, the wireless power transmitting coil is positioned to couple with a wireless power receiving coil of the wireless power receiving device when the container is placed on the surface. When the container accommodating the wireless power receiving device is placed on the surface, the wireless power transmitting device detects the presence of the wireless power receiving device, and determines whether wireless power transmission is permitted when the wireless power receiving device is within the container. In accordance with a determination that wireless power transmission is allowed when the wireless power receiving device is within the container, the wireless power transmitting device wirelessly transmits power to the wireless power receiving device through the container using the wireless power transmitting coil to charge a battery of the wireless power receiving device.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to the following patent applications: U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18 / 196,991, "IN - BOX SOFTWARE UPDATES", filed on May 12, 2023; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 408,727, "WIRELESS CHARGING OF ELECTRONIC DEVICE", filed on September 21, 2022; and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18 / 196,911, "WIRELESS CHARGING OF ELECTRONIC DEVICE", filed on May 12, 2023. The above - mentioned patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to techniques for wirelessly charging electronic devices. Background Art

[0004] During the manufacture of portable electronic devices such as cellular phones, the battery within the portable electronic device is charged and the software available at the time of manufacture is loaded onto the portable electronic device. Then, the portable electronic device can be placed in a low - power mode (e.g., shelf - life mode, sleep mode, etc.) to conserve power while being enclosed within a retail container. A period of time may pass between the time of manufacture and the time of purchase of the device. Meanwhile, the battery may discharge and updated software may become available. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The customer experience is improved by re - charging the mobile device as appropriate and updating the mobile device to available software before sale so that the customer can quickly enjoy the features of the device after purchase. Thus, apparatuses and techniques for waking a mobile device from a low - power mode, charging the mobile device, and updating its software while the device remains boxed after manufacture are desired. Notably, some mobile devices are enclosed in sealed containers and can thus further benefit from wireless charging and wireless software updates.

[0006] In some embodiments, a wireless power transfer device includes a surface adapted to support a container that houses a wireless power receiving device, and a wireless power transfer coil positioned to couple with a wireless power receiving coil of the wireless power receiving device when the container is placed on the surface. A memory includes computer-executable instructions, and one or more processors communicate with the memory and are configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform operations including: detecting the presence of the wireless power receiving device when the container housing the wireless power receiving device is placed on the surface; determining whether wireless power transfer is permitted when the wireless power receiving device is within the container; and, based on determining that wireless power transfer is permitted when the wireless power receiving device is within the container, wirelessly transferring power to the wireless power receiving device through the container using the wireless power transfer coil to charge a battery of the wireless power receiving device.

[0007] In some embodiments, determining whether wireless power transfer is permitted when the wireless power receiving device is within the container includes communicating with the wireless power receiving device using modulation of a wireless power transfer signal at the wireless power transfer coil. In various embodiments, determining whether wireless power transfer is permitted when the wireless power receiving device is within the container includes communicating with the wireless power receiving device using a wireless communication protocol and circuitry other than the wireless power transfer coil.

[0008] In some embodiments, the wireless communication protocol and circuitry is Near Field Communication (NFC). In various embodiments, the wireless communication protocol and circuitry is Bluetooth, WiFi, or RFID. In some embodiments, the operations further include transmitting an instruction to update an operating system to the wireless power receiving device in response to determining that the battery of the wireless power receiving device has been charged to a threshold level. In various embodiments, transmitting an instruction to update an operating system to the wireless power receiving device includes determining an existing version of the operating system installed on the wireless power receiving device and determining that a more recent version of the operating system than the existing version is available.

[0009] In some embodiments, the operations further include determining that the wireless power receiving device has been removed from the container in response to determining that the wireless power receiving device has been registered to a user account or has been registered to a SIM certificate (physical or e-SIM). In various embodiments, the operations further include determining whether the temperature of the wireless power receiving device exceeds an in-container charging threshold and stopping transmission of a power signal in response to determining that the temperature exceeds the in-container charging threshold.

[0010] In some embodiments, the wireless power transfer device further includes a plurality of wireless power transfer coils, and wherein when a container housing the wireless power receiving device is placed on a surface, detecting the presence of the wireless power receiving device includes detecting a coupling between a particular wireless power transfer coil among the plurality of wireless power transfer coils of the wireless power transfer device and the wireless power receiving coil of the wireless power receiving device, selecting the particular wireless power transfer coil among the plurality of wireless power transfer coils, and wirelessly transferring power to the wireless power receiving device using the selected wireless power transfer coil.

[0011] In some embodiments, the wireless power transfer device further includes a ferrite material adjacent to the wireless power transfer coil, and wherein the ferrite material is shaped to optimize the transfer of magnetic flux generated by the wireless power transfer coil through the wall of the container towards the wireless power receiving coil of the wireless power receiving device.

[0012] In some embodiments, a portable electronic device includes a memory and one or more processors, the memory including computer-executable instructions, the one or more processors communicating with the memory and configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform operations including: detecting a wireless communication signal; in response to detecting the wireless communication signal, determining whether the portable electronic device is enclosed within a container; and in response to determining that the portable electronic device is enclosed within the container, wirelessly receiving power to charge a battery of the portable electronic device.

[0013] In some embodiments, the operations further include wirelessly receiving data through the container and, in response to receiving the data, updating an operating system of the portable electronic device. In various embodiments, the wireless communication signal is received by a first antenna, and wherein the data is received by a second antenna. In some embodiments, the container includes a non-conductive wall, and wherein the portable electronic device is positioned adjacent to the non-conductive wall. In various embodiments, the operations further include, in response to detecting the wireless communication signal, determining whether the portable electronic device is not registered to a user account or not registered to a SIM, and in response to determining that the electronic device is not registered or not registered to the SIM, establishing communication with a wireless power transmitter via the wireless power receiving coil.

[0014] In some embodiments, the operations further include, in response to detecting the wireless communication signal, transitioning from a power-saving mode to an active mode. In various embodiments, the operations further include, in response to detecting the wireless communication signal, determining whether the wireless communication signal is from a charger configured to perform in-box charging of the portable electronic device, and in response to determining that the wireless communication signal is from a charger configured to perform in-box charging of the portable electronic device, wirelessly receiving power to charge a battery of the portable electronic device.

[0015] In some embodiments, the operation further includes, in response to detecting a wireless communication signal, turning on at least one of NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RFID communication circuits based on determining that the wireless communication signal is from a charger configured to perform in-box charging of the portable electronic device. In various embodiments, the operation further includes communicating with the charger to transmit at least one of a battery charge state, an operating system version, or a thermal state based on determining that the wireless communication signal is from a charger configured to perform in-box charging of the portable electronic device.

[0016] To better understand the nature and advantages of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following description and the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that each of the figures is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, as a general rule and unless clearly contrary to the description, if elements in different figures use the same reference numerals, the elements are generally the same or at least similar in function or purpose. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 Depicts a simplified isometric top view of a portable electronic device enclosed within a container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2 Depicts a simplified isometric top view of a charging station that can be used to charge the Figure 1 portable electronic device shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3 Depicts a simplified cross-sectional view of a portable electronic device enclosed within a container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the container is positioned on a charging surface of a charging station;

[0020] Figure 4 Shows a simplified system for charging a portable electronic device enclosed by a container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 5 Shows steps associated with a method for charging a portable electronic device enclosed by a container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 6 Shows a simplified top view of a charging station having multiple wireless power transfer coils according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 7 is a block diagram of an example portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0024] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an example charging station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to techniques for waking up a portable electronic device from a low-power mode, charging a battery of the portable electronic device, and updating software on the device when the device is enclosed in a container such as its retail box. During the manufacture of the portable electronic device, the portable electronic device may be placed in a low-power mode (e.g., shelf-life, sleep mode, etc.), which disables certain device features to conserve battery power. When in the low-power mode, the portable electronic device can selectively respond to inputs, such as in response to a specific type of wireless transmission sent by a charging station, while ignoring responses to other types of inputs, and the charging station is configured to communicate with the portable electronic device when the portable electronic device is enclosed in a container.

[0026] For example, to interrupt the low-power mode, the charging station can be used to wake up the portable electronic device while in the container, and the charging station is configured to charge the portable electronic device through the container. In addition, the charging station can communicate with the portable electronic device via an in-band communication protocol through a coupled wireless charging coil, via a peer-to-peer wireless protocol (e.g., near field communication (NFC), wireless fidelity (WiFi, also known as wireless local area network), Bluetooth, radio frequency identification (RFID), or other suitable communication systems). In some examples, the portable electronic device in the low-power mode is woken up due to an inductive charging signal, and in response to the wake-up caused by the inductive charging signal, communicates via an additional wireless protocol. In some examples, the portable electronic device in the low-power mode is woken up due to certain wireless communications, and in response to the wake-up caused by the wireless communications, enables its wireless charging circuit.

[0027] Wireless charging between the portable electronic device in the container and the charging station can be performed using a charging standard such as Qi or other suitable wireless charging protocols published by the Wireless Power Consortium standards organization. Charging can continue until the battery of the portable electronic device reaches a threshold charge level state (e.g., 80%). The portable electronic device can transmit battery charge state information to the charging station, or can request to stop charging when it obtains a sufficient charge state. Charging can continue when the portable electronic device in the container remains below a threshold temperature level. If the temperature of the portable electronic device exceeds the threshold temperature, the charging station can temporarily stop the charging operation. The portable electronic device can transmit temperature information to the charging station, or can request to stop charging when its temperature exceeds the threshold. The portable electronic device can be authorized to update its software via a wireless communication connection (e.g., WiFi). The portable electronic device can transmit information such as its device type and current software version information to the charging station or other content providers. In some specific implementations, this occurs when the device is fully charged to a threshold level (e.g., 50%).

[0028] When the portable electronic device has completed charging and / or updating software, the portable electronic device can return to the low power mode. The portable electronic device can communicate this status to the charging station so that the status can be presented to the operator of the charging station even if the portable electronic device is still enclosed within the container.

[0029] To better understand the features and aspects of the portable electronic device that can be charged and updated while enclosed in a container according to the present disclosure, additional background of the present disclosure is provided in the following sections by discussing a specific implementation of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. These embodiments are for illustrative purposes only, and other embodiments can be used for other battery-powered electronic devices such as, but not limited to, computers, tablet computing devices, watches, media players, and other electronic devices.

[0030] Figure 1 A simplified isometric top view of a portable electronic device 100 enclosed within a container 105 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is depicted; as Figure 1 shown, the container 105 can be a retail-packaged enclosure and can include an optional outer seal 110. In some embodiments, the container 105 can include a first housing 170 sized and arranged to receive a second housing 175, with a gap 180 defined between the first and second housings. The first housing 170 can include a first wall 115 having first sidewalls 125, second sidewalls 130, third sidewalls 135, and fourth sidewalls 140 extending therefrom, and these sidewalls define a first cavity sized and shaped to receive the second housing 175 via a first opening. The second housing 175 can also have five walls, including a second wall 120 positioned opposite the first wall 115 (when the second housing is received by the first housing). Four sidewalls of the second housing 175 ( Figure 1 (not shown in the figure) extend from the second wall 120 and can define a second cavity sized and shaped to receive the portable electronic device 100 via a second opening. When the second housing 175 is received by the first housing 170 (as Figure 1 shown), they can fit together to form the container 105 that completely encloses the portable electronic device 100.

[0031] Other embodiments may include containers of different geometries and / or configurations within the scope of the present disclosure. Container 105 may be constructed of any suitable material, including paper-based materials (cardboard), plastics, or other suitable non-conductive materials. At least one wall, such as exemplary first wall 115, is constructed of a non-conductive and non-magnetic material, while other portions of container 105 may be constructed of other suitable types of materials.

[0032] Portable electronic device 100 may be a smart phone, tablet computer, portable media player, watch, or other type of battery-powered electronic device. Portable electronic device 100 includes a top surface 150 opposite a rear surface 155, which helps form an outer enclosure 145. A wireless power receiving coil 160 for receiving power from a wireless charger ( Figure 1 not shown) may be positioned within enclosure 145 and near rear surface 155. In some embodiments, wireless power receiving coil 160 may be centered in-plane with first wall 115 such that the coil is positioned near the center of one or both of the X-axis and Y-axis of the first wall. A display screen (not shown) may be positioned near top surface 150. Portable electronic device 100 may also include one or more wireless communication antennas 165 (e.g., NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, RFID, etc.), one or more processors, and a rechargeable battery.

[0033] In some embodiments, the outer surface of first wall 115 may be the "top" surface of container 105 and may include graphics, impressions, etc. that are first presented to the user and that the user may recognize as the "top" of the container. Portable electronic device 100 may be oriented within container 105 with rear surface 155 adjacent to first wall 115 such that when first housing 170 is removed from second housing 175, the rear surface 155 of portable electronic device 100 is first presented to the user. This orientation of portable electronic device 100 within container 105 not only enables the rear surface 155 to be first presented to the user when the container is opened, but also positions wireless power receiving coil 160 near first wall 115 for wireless charging of the portable electronic device through the first wall, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0034] When encapsulated by container 105, portable electronic device 100 may be maintained in a sleep mode (e.g., low power mode) to conserve power and may be configured to respond only to specific wireless signals from a charging station that is configured to communicate with the portable electronic device when the portable electronic device is encapsulated within the container. In response to receiving the specific wireless signal, the portable electronic device may wake from the sleep mode and may receive wireless power and / or perform wireless communication, as described in more detail herein.

[0035] In some embodiments, the seal 110 can be an outer layer of a polymer-based material (e.g., plastic shrink wrap) that fully encapsulates the container 105. In various embodiments, the seal 110 can be an outer layer of a polymer-based material that partially encapsulates or secures the container 105 in a closed position and can optionally include one or more pull tabs that can be used to release a portion of the seal to enable the container to be opened. For example, the material is a layer of polymer-based or paper material. One or more pull tabs can release a portion of the material that holds the container 105 in the closed position. In some embodiments, the seal 110 can be a layer of tamper-evident strip, glue, or other suitable structure that prevents or indicates tampering with the container 105 and / or the portable electronic device 100.

[0036] Figure 2 Depicts a simplified isometric top view of a charging station 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that can be used to charge Figure 1 the portable electronic device 100 shown; as Figure 2 shown, the charging station 200 includes a charging surface 205 that is adapted to support a container 105 (see Figure 1 ) that encapsulates the portable electronic device 100. The charging station 200 further includes a wireless power transfer coil 210 that is positioned to be coupled to a wireless power receiving coil 160 (see Figure 1 ) of the portable electronic device 100 when the container 105 is placed on the charging surface 205. In some embodiments, the wireless power transfer coil 210 and the wireless power receiving coil 160 (see Figure 1 ) of the portable electronic device 100 can form an inductive coupling through which in-band two-way communication can be performed by modulating a wireless power transfer signal at the wireless power transfer coil. The charging station 200 can further include one or more antennas 215 to communicate with the portable electronic device using a wireless communication protocol and circuitry rather than via the wireless power transfer coil (e.g., NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, RFID, etc.).

[0037] The charging station 200 can further include one or more alignment aids 220a and 220b at the charging surface 205 that assist in the optical and / or mechanical alignment of the container 105 (see Figure 1 ) on the charging surface such that the wireless power transfer coil 210 is aligned with the wireless power receiving coil 160 (see Figure 1)Alignment. Alignment aids 220a and 220b can be adjustable to accommodate different models of portable electronic devices, which can have wireless receiving coils in different positions, different physical geometries, and / or be enclosed in containers with different geometries. More specifically, alignment aids 220a and 220b can be used to assist in aligning wireless power transfer coil 210 with wireless power receiving coil 160 (see Figure 1 ) across different models of portable electronic devices and container geometries. In some embodiments, alignment aids 220a and 220b can include or be assisted by one or more magnets within charging station 200, which are arranged to attract corresponding magnets and / or magnetic materials within portable electronic device 100 and / or within container 105. Charging station 200 can also include more than one wireless power transfer coil 210 and / or power transfer coils in different orientations, as will be explained in more detail below. In some embodiments, charging station 200 can also include integrated cooling plate 225, which can be thermally coupled to portable electronic device 100 through container 105 (see Figure 1 ) to control the temperature of the portable electronic device during charging.

[0038] In some embodiments, charging station 200 is operatively coupled to a circuit that detects whether portable electronic device 100 is present within container 105 placed on charging surface 205. In some examples, the circuit is integrated with charging station 200 as part of encapsulation 230. In various examples, the circuit resides in a coupled host computing device.

[0039] Detection of portable electronic device 100 can be performed via wireless power transfer coil 210, via one or more sensors, or other suitable techniques, such as for example an operator notifying the charging station that the container is in place. Charging station 200 can be configured to transmit a specific wireless signal from wireless power transfer coil 210 to wireless power receiving coil 160 of portable electronic device 100 (see Figure 1 ) when the portable electronic device is enclosed within container 105. More specifically, in some embodiments, the specific wireless signal can be different from the wireless signals to which the portable electronic device will be exposed in a typical after-sale operating environment, while in other embodiments, the specific wireless signal can be the same or a similar wireless signal to which the portable electronic device will be exposed. For example, a wireless charging signal having a unique operating frequency and / or including unique modulation data, etc. can be used, while in other embodiments, a charging signal compliant with the Qi standard can be used to wake up the portable electronic device.

[0040] In response to receiving the specific wireless signal, portable electronic device 100 (see Figure 1) is awakened from the sleep mode and can perform a self-diagnostic process to determine the charge level of its battery, the temperature of the portable electronic device, the version of its operating system, and whether the portable electronic device is within the container 105. For example, in some embodiments, the portable electronic device 100 (see Figure 1 ) can indirectly determine whether it is still in the pre-sale state and thus may be in the container by determining one or more of the following parameters: it is not registered, it has no user information installed, it has no SIM card installed (or the e-SIM is not registered), the physical control device of the portable electronic device has not been activated since it was placed in the sleep mode, etc.

[0041] In some embodiments, the physical control device includes, but is not limited to, buttons, keys, switches, rocker buttons, dials, slide switches, joysticks, LEDs, etc., for controlling or performing various functions, such as power control, speaker volume control, ringtone loudness, keyboard input, scrolling, holding, menu, lock screen, clearing, and ending communication, etc. The physical control device may also include a touch screen or a touchpad for activating or deactivating specific functions. In some embodiments, the touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device, which, unlike the touch screen, does not display a visual output. The touchpad can be a touch-sensitive surface separate from the touch-sensitive display or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch-sensitive display.

[0042] The portable electronic device can transmit information indicating one or more of its current operating parameters to the charging station 200. Based on the information received from the charging station and its self-diagnosis, the portable electronic device can determine whether it will accept wireless power transfer and / or software updates.

[0043] In response to the transmitted information received from the portable electronic device 100 (see Figure 1 ), the charging station 200 can determine that wireless power transfer is allowed when the portable electronic device is within the container. For example, the charging station 200 can verify the device identification of the portable electronic device, whether the portable electronic device is authorized, etc. After determining that the portable electronic device 100 (see Figure 1 ) allows wireless power transfer and / or other suitable parameters (e.g., the temperature of the portable electronic device is below a threshold temperature) within the container 105, the charging station 200 can wirelessly transfer power through the container to the portable electronic device to charge the portable electronic device battery. Figure 2 The charging station 200 shown in only shows one charging surface 205, however, other embodiments may have any suitable number of charging surfaces, including more than 2, between 2 and 20 charging surfaces, between 4 and 10 charging surfaces, and between 5 and 7 charging surfaces.

[0044] Figure 3 depicts a simplified cross-sectional view of a portable electronic device 100 enclosed in a container 105, which is positioned on a charging surface 205 of a charging station 200. As Figure 3 shown, a first wall 115 of the container 105 is positioned adjacent to the charging surface 205. A wireless power receiving coil 160 is located near a rear surface 155 of the portable electronic device 100, so that the distance between the wireless power receiving coil 160 and the wireless power transmitting coil 210 can be minimized. The container 105 is surrounded by an optional external tamper seal 110 (e.g., plastic shrink wrap). The first wall 115 and the tamper seal 110 are non-conductive and non-magnetic, such that the wireless power transmitting coil 210 can wirelessly transmit power through the first wall 115 and through the tamper seal 110 to the wireless power receiving coil 160.

[0045] In some embodiments, the distance between the wireless power receiving coil 160 and the wireless power transmitting coil 210 is 2 millimeters (mm), 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, etc. Due to the presence of the container 105, these distances may be greater than the gap distances that the electronic device 100 typically experiences during normal wireless charging by a consumer. The charging station 200 can be designed to support charging at greater than typical distances. In one embodiment, the charging station 200 includes one or more ferrite and / or shielding layers 305, which are shaped to optimize the transmission of magnetic flux generated by the wireless power transmitting coil through the first wall 115 of the container 105 towards the power receiving coil 160 of the portable electronic device 100. Thus, the charging station 200 can be designed to optimize the efficiency of wireless power transmission at distances greater than the normal spacing between the coils.

[0046] As Figure 3 further shown, an antenna 215 of the charging station 200 can be positionally aligned with a corresponding communication antenna 165 in the portable electronic device 100 to form a wireless communication system operating using a wireless protocol (such as NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, RFID, etc.).

[0047] In some embodiments, the thickness of the first wall 115 can be between 0.1 mm and 3 mm, between 0.5 mm and 2 mm, or between 0.75 mm and 1.5 mm.

[0048] Figure 4 illustrates a simplified system 400 for charging a portable electronic device 100 enclosed by a container 105 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 illustrates in connection with the use of Figure 4The steps associated with method 500 for charging a portable electronic device encapsulated by a container in system 400 shown.

[0049] System 400 includes one or more electronic devices (e.g., portable electronic device 100, charging station 200, host device 405, system server / cloud 410) and can be configured to perform specific operations or actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof installed on the system, which in operation causes the system to perform the action. One or more computer programs can be configured to perform specific operations or actions by including instructions that, when executed by one or more components of system 400, cause the system to perform these actions.

[0050] In block 515 of method 500, container 105 that houses portable electronic device 100 is positioned near charging station 200. In some embodiments, container 105 is oriented "upside down" with the "top" surface of the container positioned against charging surface 205 of the charging device.

[0051] In some embodiments, container 105 is made of a non-conductive and non-magnetic material and facilitates retail of portable electronic device 100. When portable electronic device 100 is positioned within container 105 (e.g., during the manufacturing process), the portable electronic device can be placed in a sleep mode (e.g., low power mode) to extend battery life and can respond only to specific wireless signals from charging station 200 or from user interaction to turn on the portable electronic device.

[0052] In some embodiments, an optional seal ( Figure 4 not shown in ) is formed on or around container 105. In various embodiments, the seal can be an outer layer of a polymer-based material (e.g., plastic shrink wrap) that completely encapsulates container 105. In some embodiments, the seal can be an outer layer of a polymer-based material that can partially encapsulate or secure container 105 and can optionally include one or more pull tabs that can be used to release the glued or heat-riveted portions of the seal to gain access to the container. In various embodiments, the seal can be a layer of tamper-evident strip, glue, or other suitable structure that prevents or indicates tampering with container 105 and / or portable electronic device 100.

[0053] In block 520 of method 500, charging station 200 transmits a specific wireless signal to portable electronic device 100. Portable electronic device 100 is configured to receive the specific wireless signal when it is located within container 105 and responds by, for example, waking one or more processors from the sleep mode.

[0054] In some embodiments, a specific wireless signal is transmitted via a wireless power transfer coil 210 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ) using a wireless charging communication protocol, while in other embodiments a specific wireless signal is transmitted via a communication antenna using a wireless communication protocol other than the wireless charging communication protocol (e.g., NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, RFID, etc.).

[0055] In some embodiments, the specific wireless signal transmitted via the wireless power transfer coil is an industry standard signal, such as, for example, a Qi - compatible communication signal. However, in other embodiments, the specific wireless signal transmitted via the wireless power transfer coil is a non - standard signal that is customized using, for example, a proprietary operating frequency, data modulation scheme, proprietary data, or other suitable techniques.

[0056] In some embodiments, the specific wireless signal transmitted from the communication antenna is an industry standard signal, such as, for example, an NFC signal compatible with NFC Forum standards (e.g., ISO14443, 18092, or FeliCa), a WiFi standard (such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, and / or IEEE 802.11n), a Bluetooth signal compatible with Bluetooth standards (e.g., IEEE 802.14.1), or other suitable communication standards. However, in other embodiments, the specific wireless signal transmitted via the communication antenna is a non - standard signal that is customized using, for example, a proprietary operating frequency, data modulation scheme, proprietary data, or other suitable techniques.

[0057] In some embodiments, when the portable electronic device 100 is enclosed in the container 105, the portable electronic device can be configured to receive only one specific wireless signal from the charging station (e.g., transfer data to the processor of the portable electronic device in response to receiving the one specific wireless signal by one or more antennas of the portable electronic device). That is, when in the container 105, the portable electronic device 100 can be configured not to receive and / or respond to other wireless communication signals that it would typically receive and / or respond to when the portable electronic device is outside the container.

[0058] In some embodiments, when the portable electronic device 100 is enclosed in the container 105, the portable electronic device can be configured to receive and / or respond to only two, three, four, or more specific wireless signals from the charging station. In various embodiments, the portable electronic device 100 can be configured to receive and / or respond to fewer wireless communication signals than it would when outside the container.

[0059] In block 525 of method 500, data may be transmitted using the portable electronic device 100. In some embodiments, data may be transmitted bidirectionally between the portable electronic device 100 and the charging station 200, while in other embodiments, data may be transmitted between the portable electronic device and the host device 405 or between the portable electronic device and another device (e.g., a WiFi access point). Any suitable wireless communication protocol may be used to transmit data, including but not limited to in-band wireless communication via the wireless power transfer coil 210 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ), NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RFID.

[0060] In some embodiments, during data transmission, the charging station 200 receives data from the portable electronic device 100 indicating that the portable electronic device is within the container 105. For example, in some embodiments, after the portable electronic device 100 wakes up from the sleep mode, it may determine whether it is in the container 105 by determining one or more of the following parameters: it is not registered, it does not have user information installed, it does not have a SIM card installed (or the e-SIM is not registered), the physical control device of the portable electronic device has not been activated since it was placed in the sleep mode, etc. In some embodiments, during communication, a device identifier is received from the portable electronic device 100 and verified using the server / cloud 410 to verify the authenticity of the portable electronic device, the software version, or other relevant information of the portable electronic device. In additional embodiments, the charging station 200 and / or the host 405 receive the charging status of the battery of the portable electronic device 100, the temperature level of the portable electronic device, the software version of the portable electronic device, or other suitable information.

[0061] In block 530 of method 500, when the portable electronic device is enclosed within the container 105, the charging station 200 charges the battery of the portable electronic device 100 via wireless power transfer. In some embodiments, charging is performed in response to determining that the charging level of the battery of the portable electronic device 100 is below a threshold level. The charging station 200 may be configured to charge the portable electronic device 100 when the distance between the inductive charger and the electronic device is 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, etc.

[0062] In block 535 of method 500, the temperature of the portable electronic device 100 can be compared with a threshold. In some embodiments, the temperature of the portable electronic device 100 is sent to the charging station 200 and / or the host device 405, while in other embodiments, a parameter indicating the temperature of the portable electronic device (e.g., voltage level, etc.) is sent. The charging station 200, the host device 405, and / or the portable electronic device 100 can determine whether the temperature of the portable electronic device 100 is above or below the threshold. If the temperature of the portable electronic device 100 is above the threshold, the charging station 200 and / or the host device 405 proceeds to block 540, where charging is paused. In some embodiments, the pause can last for a pre-determined duration, while in other embodiments, the pause can last until the temperature of the portable electronic device 100 is below a lower threshold temperature. In additional embodiments, a charging duty cycle can be predefined to keep the temperature of the portable electronic device 100 below the threshold without transmitting and comparing the temperature of the portable electronic device.

[0063] At the end of the pause, method 500 returns to block 535, where the temperature of the portable electronic device 100 is compared with the threshold level. If the temperature of the portable electronic device 100 is below the threshold level, method 500 proceeds to block 545, where the charging process continues. In some embodiments, the threshold temperature used in block 535 can be different from the threshold used during normal operation of the portable electronic device 100 outside the container 105. For example, when outside the container 105 under normal user conditions, the portable electronic device 100 may be able to operate at a higher temperature because it is not enclosed in a container and can dissipate more heat energy.

[0064] In block 550 of method 500, the charge level of the battery of the portable electronic device 100 can be compared with a threshold. In some embodiments, the charge level of the battery of the portable electronic device 100 is sent to the charging station 200 and / or the host device 405, while in other embodiments, a parameter indicating the charge level of the battery of the portable electronic device (e.g., voltage level, etc.) is sent. If the charging station 200, the host device 405, and / or the portable electronic device 100 determines that the charge level of the battery is below the threshold, method 500 returns to block 535, where the device temperature is compared with the threshold. If the charging station 200 and / or the host device 405 determines that the charge level of the battery is above the threshold level, method 500 proceeds to block 555, where the charging process stops. If communication with the portable electronic device 100 is lost at some point during the charging process, the method can return to block 520 to restart the entire process.

[0065] In block 560 of method 500, the battery of the portable electronic device 100 has been charged to a threshold level, and the charging station 200 and / or the host device 405 may optionally transmit instructions to the portable electronic device to download data. In some embodiments, the portable electronic device 100 may receive permission to search for a wireless network from which to download data. For example, the network may be a WiFi network, and the portable electronic device 100 may be provided with a network ID, which is a service set identifier (SSID) that identifies a particular access point. The portable electronic device may obtain an access certificate for the network during manufacturing or during communication with the charging station 200 and / or the host device 405 (such as communication that occurs in-band during wireless power transfer). Once a connection to the network is established, the portable electronic device 100 may be instructed to update the operating system or perform other functions.

[0066] It should be understood that method 500 is illustrative, and variations and modifications are possible. Some of the blocks described in sequence may be executed in parallel, the order of some blocks may be changed, and blocks may be modified, combined, added, or omitted.

[0067] Figure 6 A simplified top view of a charging device 600 having multiple coils 605a to 605c is shown. In some embodiments, the charging device 600 may form part of the charging station 200 discussed above with reference to Figure 2 Exemplary charging coils 605a, 605b, 605c may be arranged in a DDQ configuration to facilitate coupling with a wireless receiving device such as the portable electronic device 100 ( Figure 1 ). For example, when a container that houses the portable electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 the container 105 therein) is placed near the center of the charging surface 615 of the charging device 600, the coil 605c may be coupled to the portable electronic device 100. Additionally, if the container that houses the portable electronic device is offset along the Y-axis 610 of the charging device 600, the coils 605a and 605b are positioned to be coupled to the portable electronic device 100. In other embodiments, the charging device 600 may have fewer than three or more than three wireless power transfer coils. In some embodiments, the charging device 600 has one coil that is located at the center of the charging surface 615 of the charging station 200.

[0068] Positioning multiple coils (e.g., coils 605a and 605b) adjacent to each other provides greater flexibility in positioning the portable electronic device 100 along the Y-axis 610 of the charging device 600. Thus, the charging station 605 can align portable electronic devices of various geometries and associated containers of various sizes with the power transfer coil. In additional embodiments, fewer than three or more than three coils may be positioned at the charging surface 615 such that the portable electronic device 100 can be positioned at a desired location on the charging surface and charged. Any suitable combination of the number of charging coils, the rotation of the charging coils, and / or the alignment of the charging coils may be used in the charging station.

[0069] Figure 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary portable electronic device 700 according to an embodiment. In some embodiments, the portable electronic device 700 represents the portable electronic device 100 as described above with reference to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 and may include a wireless power receiving coil configured to receive power from a charging station (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 the charging station 200 in Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 ) when the portable electronic device is enclosed in a container (e.g.,

[0070] The device 700 generally includes a computer-readable medium 702, a processing system 704, an input / output (I / O) subsystem 706, a wireless circuit 708, and an audio circuit 710 including a speaker 712 and a microphone 714. These components may be coupled via one or more communication buses or signal lines 703. The device 700 can be any portable electronic device, including a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a media player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a keychain, a car key, an access card, a multifunctional device, a mobile phone, a portable gaming device, a headset, a watch, etc., including combinations of two or more of these items.

[0071] Obviously, Figure 7 the architecture shown is only one example of the architecture of the device 700, and the device 700 may have more or fewer components or components with different configurations than shown. Figure 7 The various components shown in

[0072] The radio circuitry 708 is configured to send and receive information via a wireless link or network to conventional circuitry of one or more other devices, such as an antenna system, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a codec (CODEC) chipset, memory, and the like. The radio circuitry 708 may use various protocols, such as the protocols described herein. In various embodiments, the radio circuitry 708 is capable of establishing and maintaining communication with other devices using one or more communication protocols, including time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), LTE, long term evolution advanced (LTE), Wi-Fi (such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, and / or IEEE 802.11n), Bluetooth, Wi-MAX, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), near field communication protocol (NFC), protocols for electronic mail, instant messaging, and / or short message service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the date of submission of this document).

[0073] The radio circuitry 708 is coupled to the processing system 704 via the peripheral device interface 716. The peripheral device interface 716 may include conventional components for establishing and maintaining communication between the peripheral devices and the processing system 704. Voice information and data information received via the radio circuitry 708 (e.g., in a voice recognition or voice command application) are sent to one or more processors 718 via the peripheral device interface 716. The one or more processors 718 are capable of being configured to process various data formats of one or more applications 734 stored on the medium 702.

[0074] The peripheral device interface 716 couples the input and output peripheral devices of the device 700 to one or more processors 718 and the computer-readable medium 702. The one or more processors 718 communicate with the computer-readable medium 702 via the controller 720. The computer-readable medium 702 can be any device or medium capable of storing code and / or data for use by the one or more processors 718. The computer-readable medium 702 can include a memory hierarchy, including cache, main memory, and secondary memory. The memory hierarchy can be implemented using any combination of random access memory (RAM) (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), double data rate random access memory (DDRAM)), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, magnetic storage devices, and / or optical storage devices (such as disk drives, tapes, CDs (compact discs), and DVDs (digital versatile discs)). In some embodiments, the peripheral device interface 716, the one or more processors 718, and the controller 720 can be implemented on a single chip such as the processing system 704. In some other embodiments, they can be implemented on separate chips.

[0075] The one or more processors 718 can include hardware and / or software elements that perform one or more processing functions, such as mathematical operations, logical operations, data manipulation operations, data transfer operations, controlling the reception of user input, controlling the output of information to the user, etc. The processor 718 can be embodied as one or more hardware processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.

[0076] The device 700 can also include a power system 742 for powering the various hardware components. The power system 742 can include a power management system, one or more power sources (including batteries, alternating current (AC) systems), a recharge system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)), and any other components typically associated with the generation, management, and distribution of power in a mobile device.

[0077] In some embodiments, the device 700 includes a charging system 755, which can include a wireless power receiving coil that receives power from a charging station having a wireless power transmission coil (e.g., Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4The charging station 200) receives power wirelessly. The received power can be used to charge the battery of the device 700 and / or operate the circuitry. In various embodiments, the charging system 755 can also operate as a communication system that can use modulation of the wireless power transfer signal for in-band two-way communication with the wireless power transfer coil of the charging station 200.

[0078] In some embodiments, the device 700 includes a camera 744. In some embodiments, the device 700 includes a sensor 746. The sensor can include an accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, pressure sensor, audio sensor, light sensor, barometer, etc. The sensor 746 can be used to sense aspects of location, such as an audible marker or a light marker of the location.

[0079] In some embodiments, the device 700 can include a GPS receiver sometimes referred to as a GPS unit 748. The mobile device can use a satellite navigation system such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) to obtain location information, timing information, altitude, or other navigation information. During operation, the GPS unit can receive signals from GPS satellites orbiting the Earth. The GPS unit analyzes the signals to estimate the transmission time and distance. The GPS unit can determine the current location (current position) of the mobile device. Based on these estimates, the mobile device can determine the location bearing, altitude, and / or current speed. The location bearing can be geographical coordinates, such as latitude information and longitude information.

[0080] One or more processors 718 run various software components stored in the medium 702 to perform the various functions of the device 700. In some embodiments, the software components include an operating system 722, a communication module 724 (or instruction set), a location module 726 (or instruction set), and other application programs 734 (or instruction set).

[0081] The operating system 722 can be any suitable operating system, including iOS, Mac OS, Darwin, Real-Time Operating System (RTXC), LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks. The operating system can include various programs, instruction sets, software components, and / or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitating communication between various hardware and software components.

[0082] The communication module 724 facilitates communication with other devices via one or more external ports 736 or via the wireless circuitry 708, and includes various software components for processing data received from the wireless circuitry 708 and / or the external ports 736. The external ports 736 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, Lightning connector, 60-pin connector, etc.) are adapted to be directly or indirectly coupled to other devices via a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless local area network (LAN), etc.).

[0083] The location / motion module 726 may assist in determining the current location (e.g., coordinates or other geographical location identifiers) and motion of the device 700. Modern positioning systems include satellite-based positioning systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), cell network positioning based on "cell ID", and Wi-Fi positioning technology based on Wi-Fi networks. GPS also relies on the visibility of multiple satellites to determine a position estimate, which may be invisible (or have a weak signal) indoors or in "urban canyons". In some embodiments, the location / motion module 726 receives data from the GPS unit 748 and analyzes the signals to determine the current position of the mobile device. In some embodiments, the location / motion module 726 may use Wi-Fi or cellular location technology to determine the current position. For example, knowledge of nearby cell sites and / or Wi-Fi access points and their locations may be used to estimate the position of the mobile device. Information identifying the Wi-Fi or cellular transmitter is received at the wireless circuitry 708 and passed to the location / motion module 726. In some embodiments, the location module receives one or more transmitter IDs. In some embodiments, a sequence of transmitter IDs may be compared to a reference database (e.g., a cell ID database, a Wi-Fi reference database) that maps or correlates the transmitter IDs to the location coordinates of the corresponding transmitters, and the estimated location coordinates of the device 700 are calculated based on the location coordinates of the corresponding transmitters. Regardless of the particular positioning technology used, the location / motion module 726 receives information from which a location bearing can be derived, interprets the information, and returns location information such as geographical coordinates, latitude / longitude, or other location bearing data.

[0084] One or more applications 734 on the device 700 may include any application installed on the device 700, including but not limited to browsers, address books, contact lists, email, instant messaging, social networking, word processing, keyboard emulation, desktop widgets, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, voice reproduction, (a music player for playing back recorded music stored in one or more files such as MP3 or AAC files), and the like.

[0085] There may be other modules or instruction sets (not shown), such as a graphics module, a time module, etc. For example, the graphics module may include various conventional software components for presenting, animating, and displaying graphical objects (including but not limited to text, web pages, icons, digital images, animations, etc.) on a display surface. In another example, the timer module may be a software timer. The timer module may also be implemented in hardware. The time module may maintain various timers for any number of events.

[0086] The I / O subsystem 706 may be coupled to a display system (not shown) that may be a touch-sensitive display. The display presents visual output to the user in a GUI. The visual output may include text, graphics, video, and any combination thereof. Some or all of the visual output may correspond to user interface objects. Although the display may use LED (light-emitting diode), LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, or LPD (light-emitting polymer display) technology, other display technologies may be used in other embodiments.

[0087] In some embodiments, the I / O subsystem 706 may include a display and user input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and / or a touchpad. In some embodiments, the I / O subsystem 706 may include a touch-sensitive display. The touch-sensitive display may also accept input from the user at least partially based on haptic and / or tactile contact. In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive display forms a touch-sensitive surface for accepting user input. The touch-sensitive display / surface (along with any associated modules and / or instruction sets in the computer-readable medium 702) detects contact (and any movement or release of the contact) on the touch-sensitive display and converts the detected contact into an interaction with a user interface object, such as one or more soft keys that are displayed on the touch screen when the contact occurs. In some embodiments, the point of contact between the touch-sensitive display and the user corresponds to one or more fingers of the user. The user may use any suitable object or accessory, such as a stylus, a pen, a finger, etc., to contact the touch-sensitive display. The touch-sensitive display surface may use any suitable touch-sensitive technology to detect contact and any movement or release thereof, including capacitive technology, resistive technology, infrared technology, and surface acoustic wave technology, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with the touch-sensitive display.

[0088] In addition, the I / O subsystem 706 may also be coupled to one or more other physical control devices (not shown), such as buttons, keys, switches, rocker buttons, dials, slide switches, joysticks, LEDs, etc., for controlling or performing various functions, such as power control, speaker volume control, telephone ringtone loudness, keyboard input, scrolling, holding, menu, lock screen, clearing, and ending communication, etc. In some embodiments, the physical control device may also include a touch screen or a touch pad (not shown) for activating or deactivating specific functions. In some embodiments, the touch pad is a touch-sensitive area of the device, which, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touch pad may be a touch-sensitive surface separate from the touch-sensitive display, or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch-sensitive display.

[0089] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary charging station 800 according to an embodiment. In some embodiments, the charging station 800 represents the charging station 200 as described above with reference to Figure 2 and may include a wireless power transfer coil configured to charge a portable electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 within a container (e.g., the container 105 within Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 ). In various embodiments, the charging station 800 includes the features of the charging station 600 as described above with reference to Figure 6 and may include more than one wireless power transfer coil.

[0090] The station 800 generally includes a computer-readable medium 802, a processing system 804, an input / output (I / O) subsystem 806, a wireless circuit 808, and an audio circuit 810 including a speaker 812 and a microphone 814. These components may be coupled via one or more communication buses or signal lines 803. The station 800 may include a charging device (e.g., the charging station 200 as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 4 ; Figure 6 the charging station 600 as shown in Figure 4 ), which includes at least one charging surface for wirelessly charging a portable electronic device within a container. The station 800 may include or may be coupled to a computing device, which may be, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or a mobile phone. In some embodiments, the computing device may be coupled to a cloud server system (e.g., the server system / cloud 410 in

[0091] Obviously, Figure 8The architecture shown is only an example of the architecture of the station 800, and the station 800 may have more or fewer components than shown, or have a different component configuration. Figure 8 The various components shown can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing circuits and / or application specific integrated circuits.

[0092] The wireless circuitry 808 is for sending and receiving information via a wireless link or network to conventional circuitry of one or more other devices, such as an antenna system, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a codec (CODEC) chipset, memory, etc. The wireless circuitry 808 can use various protocols, such as the protocols described herein. In various embodiments, the wireless circuitry 808 is capable of establishing and maintaining communication with other devices using one or more communication protocols, including time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), LTE, long term evolution advanced (LTE), Wi-Fi (such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, and / or IEEE 802.11n), Bluetooth, Wi-MAX, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), near field communication protocol (NFC), protocols for email, instant messaging, and / or short message service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document.

[0093] The wireless circuitry 808 is coupled to the processing system 804 via the peripheral device interface 816. The peripheral device interface 816 may include conventional components for establishing and maintaining communication between the peripheral devices and the processing system 804. Voice information and data information received via the wireless circuitry 808 (e.g., in a voice recognition or voice command application) are sent to one or more processors 818 via the peripheral device interface 816. One or more processors 818 can be configured to process various data formats of one or more applications 834 stored on the medium 802.

[0094] The peripheral device interface 816 couples the input peripheral devices and output peripheral devices of the station 800 to one or more processors 818 and the computer-readable medium 802. The one or more processors 818 communicate with the computer-readable medium 802 via the controller 820. The computer-readable medium 802 can be any device or medium that can store code and / or data for use by one or more processors 818. The computer-readable medium 802 may include a memory hierarchy, including cache, main memory, and auxiliary memory. The memory hierarchy can be implemented using any combination of random access memory (RAM) (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), double data random access memory (DDRAM)), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, magnetic storage devices, and / or optical storage devices (such as, disk drives, tapes, CDs (optical disks) and DVDs (digital video disks)). In some embodiments, the peripheral device interface 816, one or more processors 818, and the controller 820 can be implemented on a single chip such as the processing system 804. In some other embodiments, they can be implemented on separate chips.

[0095] The processor 818 may include hardware and / or software elements that perform one or more processing functions, such as mathematical operations, logical operations, data manipulation operations, data transfer operations, controlling the receipt of user input, controlling the output of information to a user, etc. The processor 818 may be embodied as one or more hardware processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.

[0096] The station 800 also includes a power system 842 for powering the various hardware components. The power system 842 may include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., batteries, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED)), and any other components typically associated with the generation, management, and distribution of electricity in a mobile device.

[0097] Station 800 also includes a charging system 855 that can be used to charge a portable electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The charging system 855 may include one or more wireless power transfer coils and may be configured to wirelessly charge the portable electronic device while it is in a container (such as a retail box). More specifically, in some embodiments, the charging system 855 may receive power from the power system 842 and may be configured to wirelessly charge the portable electronic device 100 while it is in the container 105 (Figure 1 ) When inside, it is inductively charged via an inductively coupled coil pair. In various embodiments, the charging system 855 can also be used as a communication system that can perform in-band two-way communication with the wireless power receiving coil of the portable electronic device 100 using modulation of the wireless power transmission signal.

[0098] In some embodiments, the station 800 includes a camera 844 that can be capable of detecting a portable electronic device placed on the charging surface of the charging station. In some embodiments, the station 800 includes a sensor 846. The sensor can include an accelerometer, a compass, a gyroscope, a pressure sensor, an audio sensor, a light sensor, a barometer, a proximity sensor, etc. The sensor 846 can be used to sense aspects of position, such as audible or light signals of the position, and can be capable of detecting a portable electronic device placed on the charging surface of the charging station.

[0099] In some embodiments, the station 800 can include a GPS receiver, sometimes referred to as a GPS unit 848. The station 800 can use a satellite navigation system, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), to obtain positioning information, timing information, altitude, or other navigation information. During operation, the GPS unit can receive signals from GPS satellites orbiting the Earth. The GPS unit analyzes the signals to estimate the transmission time and distance. The GPS unit can determine the current location (current position) of the station. Based on these estimates, the station can determine the position azimuth, altitude, and / or current speed. The position azimuth can be geographical coordinates, such as latitude information and longitude information.

[0100] One or more processors 818 run various software components stored in the medium 802 to perform various functions of the station 800. In some embodiments, the software components include an operating system 822, a communication module 824 (instruction set), and / or a positioning module 826 (or instruction set).

[0101] The operating system 822 can be any suitable operating system, including iOS, Mac OS, Darwin, a real-time operating system (RTXC), LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks. The operating system can include various programs, instruction sets, software components, and / or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.), and facilitating communication between various hardware and software components.

[0102] The communication module 824 facilitates communication with other devices via one or more external ports 836 or via the wireless circuitry 808, and includes various software components for processing data received from the wireless circuitry 808 and / or the external ports 836. The external ports 836 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, Lightning connector, 60-pin connector, etc.) are adapted to be coupled directly or indirectly via a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless local area network (LAN), etc.) to other devices.

[0103] The location / motion module 826 may assist in determining the current location (e.g., coordinates or other geographical location identifiers) and motion of the station 800. Modern location systems include satellite-based location systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), cell network location based on "cell ID", and Wi-Fi location technology based on Wi-Fi networks. GPS also relies on the visibility of multiple satellites to determine a position estimate, which may be invisible (or have a weak signal) indoors or in "urban canyons". In some embodiments, the location / motion module 826 receives data from the GPS unit 848 and analyzes the signals to determine the current position of the mobile device. In some embodiments, the location / motion module 826 may use Wi-Fi or cellular location technology to determine the current position. For example, knowledge of nearby cell sites and / or Wi-Fi access points and their locations may be used to estimate the position of the mobile device. Information identifying Wi-Fi or cellular transmitters is received at the wireless circuitry 808 and passed to the location / motion module 826. In some embodiments, the location module receives one or more transmitter IDs. In some embodiments, a sequence of transmitter IDs may be compared with a reference database (e.g., a cell ID database, a Wi-Fi reference database) that maps or correlates the transmitter IDs to the location coordinates of the corresponding transmitters, and the estimated location coordinates of the station 800 are calculated based on the location coordinates of the corresponding transmitters. Regardless of the particular location technology used, the location / motion module 826 receives information from which a location bearing can be derived, interprets the information, and returns location information such as geographical coordinates, latitude / longitude, or other location bearing data.

[0104] In some embodiments, the wireless circuitry 808 may be used to communicate with a portable electronic device while the portable electronic device is being charged by the charging system 855 of the charging station 800. The charging station may receive data from the portable electronic device, such as the charging status of the battery of the portable electronic device, whether the portable electronic device is within a container, the temperature of the portable electronic device, or other relevant information.

[0105] One or more applications 834 on the station 800 can include any applications installed on the station 800, including but not limited to browsers, address books, contact lists, email, instant messaging, social networks, word processing, keyboard emulation, widgets, Java-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, voice replication, music players (playing recorded music stored in one or more files, such as MP3 or AAC files), etc. In some embodiments, the station 800 can include a user interface that indicates the status of the wireless charging process and / or the status of software updates of one or more portable electronic devices (e.g., the portable electronic device 100 coupled to the charging station 200 as described in Figure 3 and Figure 4 . In various embodiments, the station 800 can include an application that transmits the status of charging and / or software updates to a separate mobile computing device.

[0106] There may be other modules or instruction sets (not shown), such as a graphics module, a time module, etc. For example, the graphics module can include various conventional software components for presenting, animating, and displaying graphical objects (including but not limited to text, web pages, icons, digital images, animations, etc.) on the display surface. In another example, the timer module can be a software timer. The timer module can also be implemented in hardware. The time module can maintain various timers for any number of events.

[0107] The I / O subsystem 806 can be coupled to a display system (not shown) that can be a touch-sensitive display. The display presents visual output to the user in the GUI. The visual output can include text, graphics, video, and any combination thereof. Some or all of the visual output can correspond to user interface objects. Although the display can use LED (light-emitting diode), LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, or LPD (light-emitting polymer display) technology, other display technologies can be used in other embodiments.

[0108] In some embodiments, the I / O subsystem 806 can include a display and user input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and / or a touchpad. In some embodiments, the I / O subsystem 706 can include a touch-sensitive display. The touch-sensitive display can also accept input from a user at least partially based on haptic and / or tactile contact. In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive display forms a touch-sensitive surface for accepting user input. The touch-sensitive display / surface (along with any associated modules and / or sets of instructions in the computer-readable medium 802) detects contact (and any movement or release of the contact) on the touch-sensitive display and converts the detected contact into an interaction with a user interface object, such as one or more soft keys displayed on the touchscreen when the contact occurs. In some embodiments, the point of contact between the touch-sensitive display and the user corresponds to one or more fingers of the user. The user can use any suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, a pen, a finger, etc., to contact the touch-sensitive display. The touch-sensitive display surface can use any suitable touch-sensitive technology to detect contact and any movement or release thereof, including capacitive technology, resistive technology, infrared technology, surface acoustic wave technology, and other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with the touch-sensitive display.

[0109] In addition, the I / O subsystem 806 can also be coupled to one or more other physical control devices (not shown), such as buttons, keys, switches, rocker buttons, dials, slide switches, joysticks, LEDs, etc., for controlling or performing various functions, such as power control, speaker volume control, ringtone loudness, keyboard input, scrolling, hold, menu, lock screen, clear, and end communication, etc. In some embodiments, in addition to the touchscreen, the station 800 can include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or deactivating specific functions. In some embodiments, the touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device, which, unlike the touchscreen, does not display a visual output. The touchpad can be a touch-sensitive surface separate from the touch-sensitive display or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch-sensitive display.

[0110] Circuits, logic modules, processors, and / or other components can be configured to perform the various operations described herein. Those skilled in the art should understand that, depending on the specific implementation, such configuration can be accomplished through the design, setup, interconnection, and / or programming of specific components, and again depending on the specific implementation, the configured components can be reconfigurable or not reconfigurable for different operations. For example, a programmable processor can be configured by providing appropriate executable code; a dedicated logic circuit can be configured by appropriately connecting logic gates and other circuit elements; and so on.

[0111] Any software component or functionality described in this patent application can be implemented as software code executed by a processor, which uses any suitable computer language, such as, for example, Java, C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, or a scripting language such as Perl or Python using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques. Additionally, any software component or functionality described in this application can be implemented as software code in a compiled format (e.g., machine language binary code executable by a processor). The software code can be stored on a computer-readable medium as a series of instructions or commands for storage and / or transmission. Suitable non-transitory computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic media (such as a hard disk drive or a floppy disk), or optical media (such as a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), flash memory, etc. The computer-readable media can be any combination of such storage devices or transmission devices.

[0112] A computer program consisting of software code and incorporating various features of the present disclosure can be encoded on various computer-readable storage media; suitable media include magnetic disks or tapes, optical storage media such as compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs), flash memory, etc. The computer-readable storage medium encoded with the software code can be packaged together with a compatible device or provided independently of other devices. Additionally, the software code can be encoded and distributed via wired optical and / or wireless networks (including the Internet) that comply with a variety of protocols, allowing, for example, distribution via Internet downloads. Any such computer-readable medium can reside on or within a single computer product (e.g., a solid-state drive, a hard disk drive, a CD, or an entire computer system), and can be present on or within different computer products within a system or network. The computer system can include a monitor, a printer, or other suitable display for presenting any of the results mentioned herein to a user.

[0113] As described above, one aspect of the present technology relates to transmitting device information, such as battery charge status, software version number, and device type information, between an electronic device within a case and a charging station and / or software update station. Although the present technology is particularly useful in a pre-sale context, which means that the device (e.g., electronic device 100) does not yet contain customer information, implementers are reminded that to the extent personal information data is transmitted, such transmission is carried out after obtaining user approval. Entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage, or other use of such personal information data must comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to privacy policies and measures that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be accessible to users and should be updated as the collection and / or use of data changes.

[0114] Although the present disclosure has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is intended to cover all modifications and equivalent forms within the scope of the following claims.

[0115] For all purposes, all patents, patent applications, publications, and specifications mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. No admission is made that any document is prior art.

[0116] Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure set forth in the claims.

[0117] Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus, although the disclosed technology is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and have been described in detail above. However, it is to be understood that the intention is not to limit the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalent forms falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0118] In the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in the context of the following claims), the terms "a", "an", "the", and similar indicative words will be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise specified herein or clearly contradicted by the context. Unless otherwise stated, the terms "comprising", "having", "including", and "containing" shall be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including but not limited to"). The term "connected" is construed to be included, attached, or joined together in whole or in part even with intervening things. The phrase "based on" should be understood as open-ended and not limited in any way, and is intended to be construed or otherwise understood as "at least partially based on" where appropriate. Unless otherwise specified herein, the recitation of a numerical range herein is merely intended as a simple way to separately refer to each individual value falling within the range, and each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were separately recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order, unless otherwise specified herein or clearly contradicted by the context. Unless otherwise stated, the use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein is merely intended to better illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any language in the specification should not be construed as indicating that any unstated element is essential for the practice of the present disclosure. Unless explicitly indicated to the contrary, the use of "or" is intended to mean "inclusive or" rather than "exclusive or". The mention of a "first" component does not necessarily require the provision of a second component. Additionally, unless explicitly stated, the mention of a "first" component or a "second" component does not limit the mentioned component to a particular location. The term "based on" is intended to mean "at least partially based on".

[0119] Unless otherwise specifically stated, disjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, or Z" is understood in context to generally be used to present items, terms, etc., that can be X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and / or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language generally does not and should not imply that certain embodiments require the presence of at least one of each of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z. Additionally, unless otherwise specifically stated, conjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, and Z" should also be understood to mean X, Y, Z, or any combination thereof, including "X, Y, and / or Z".

[0120] This document describes the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the present disclosure. After reading the foregoing description, variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The inventors expect those skilled in the art to appropriately employ such variations, and the inventors intend the present disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, as permitted by applicable law, the present disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto. In addition, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context, the present disclosure includes any combination of all possible variations of the above elements.

[0121] All references cited herein, including publications, patent applications, and patents, are hereby incorporated by reference as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and set forth in its entirety herein.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer device, the wireless power transfer device comprising: A surface adapted to support a container containing a wireless power receiving device; A wireless power transfer coil positioned to couple with a wireless power receiving coil of the wireless power receiving device when the container is placed on the surface; A memory including computer-executable instructions; And One or more processors in communication with the memory and configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform operations including the following: Detect the presence of the wireless power receiving device when the container containing the wireless power receiving device is placed on the surface; Determine whether wireless power transfer is permitted when the wireless power receiving device is within the container; And In response to determining that wireless power transfer is permitted when the wireless power receiving device is within the container, wirelessly transfer power to the wireless power receiving device through the container using the wireless power transfer coil to charge the battery of the wireless power receiving device.

2. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein determining whether to allow wireless power transfer when the wireless power receiving device is within the container includes: Communicate with the wireless power receiving device using modulation of the wireless power transfer signal at the wireless power transfer coil.

3. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein determining whether to allow wireless power transfer when the wireless power receiving device is within the container includes: Communicate with the wireless power receiving device using a wireless communication protocol and circuitry other than the wireless power transfer coil.

4. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the wireless communication protocol and circuitry is Near Field Communication (NFC).

5. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the wireless communication protocol and circuitry is Bluetooth, WiFi, or RFID.

6. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the operation further comprises: Transmit an instruction to the wireless power receiving device to update the operating system in response to determining that the battery of the wireless power receiving device has been charged to a threshold level.

7. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 6, wherein transmitting an instruction to the wireless power receiving device to update the operating system comprises: Determine the existing version of the operating system installed on the wireless power receiving device and determine that a newer version of the operating system than the existing version is available.

8. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the operation further comprises: Determine that the wireless power receiving device has been removed from the container in response to determining that the wireless power receiving device has been registered to a user account or has been registered to a SIM certificate (physical or e-SIM).

9. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the operation further comprises: Determine whether the temperature of the wireless power receiving device exceeds a charging threshold within the enclosure and stop transmitting the power signal in response to determining that the temperature exceeds the charging threshold within the enclosure.

10. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless power transfer device further includes a plurality of wireless power transfer coils, and wherein detecting the presence of the wireless power receiving device includes: when the container accommodating the wireless power receiving device is placed on the surface Detect the coupling between a specific wireless power transfer coil of the plurality of wireless power transfer coils of the wireless power transfer device and the wireless power receiving coil of the wireless power receiving device; Select the specific wireless power transfer coil from the plurality of wireless power transfer coils; And Wirelessly transfer power to the wireless power receiving device using the selected wireless power transfer coil.

11. The wireless power transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless power transfer device further comprises a ferrite material adjacent to the wireless power transfer coil; and Wherein the ferrite material is shaped to optimize the transmission of magnetic flux generated by the wireless power transfer coil through the wall of the container towards the wireless power receiving coil of the wireless power receiving device.

12. A portable electronic device, the portable electronic device comprising: a memory including computer-executable instructions; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory and configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform operations including: detecting a wireless communication signal; responsive to detecting the wireless communication signal, determining whether the portable electronic device is enclosed within a container; and responsive to determining that the portable electronic device is enclosed within the container, wirelessly receiving power to charge a battery of the portable electronic device.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the operation further comprises: Wirelessly receiving data through the container and, responsive to receiving the data, updating an operating system of the portable electronic device.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein the wireless communication signal is received by a first antenna and wherein the data is received by a second antenna.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the container includes a non-conductive wall and wherein the portable electronic device is positioned adjacent to the non-conductive wall.

16. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the operation further comprises: responsive to detecting the wireless communication signal, determining whether the portable electronic device is unregistered with a user account or unregistered with a SIM; and responsive to determining that the electronic device is unregistered or unregistered with a SIM, establishing communication with a wireless power transmitter via a wireless power receiving coil.

17. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the operation further comprises: responsive to detecting the wireless communication signal, transitioning from a power saving mode to an active mode.

18. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the operation further comprises: responsive to detecting the wireless communication signal, determining whether the wireless communication signal is from a charger configured to perform in-box charging of the portable electronic device; and responsive to determining that the wireless communication signal is from a charger configured to perform in-box charging of the portable electronic device, wirelessly receiving the power to charge the battery of the portable electronic device.

19. The portable electronic device according to claim 18, wherein the operation further comprises: responsive to detecting the wireless communication signal, turning on at least one of an NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RFID communication circuit based on determining that the wireless communication signal is from a charger configured to perform in-box charging of the portable electronic device.

20. The portable electronic device according to claim 18, wherein the operation further comprises: Based on determining that the wireless communication signal is from a charger configured to perform in-box charging of the portable electronic device, communicating with the charger to transmit at least one of a battery charge state, an operating system version, or a thermal state.

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