# US 2014/0191033 A1 · Electronic device case for mobile point of sale

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- Number: US 2014/0191033 A1
- Document ID: US20140191033A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/839,415
- Filed: 2013-03-15
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-05
- Assignees: 1 Oak Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: 1 Oak Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: James J. Wojcik; Adam Benzion; Adam D. Center; Matthew M. Glanzer; Lucas Weller; Abhishek Joshi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140191033A1

## CPC

- G06K 7/10009: {sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves}
- G06F 1/1626: {with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]}
- G06F 1/1628: {Enclosures for carrying portable computers with peripheral devices, e.g. cases for a laptop and a printer}
- G06F 1/1632: {External expansion units, e.g. docking stations}
- G06F 1/263: {Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence)}
- G06K 7/0004: {Hybrid readers}
- G06K 7/01: Details
- G06K 7/082: {using inductive or magnetic sensors}
- G06K 7/089: {hand-held scanners}
- G06K 7/10544: {by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum}
- H02J 7/02: for charging batteries from AC mains by converters
- H02J 7/342: {The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging (with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/68)}
- H02J 7/70: characterised by the mechanical construction
- H02J 7/731: {specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries (H02J7/751 takes precedence)}
- H04B 1/3883: Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
- H04B 1/3888: Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
- G06F 2200/1633: Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
- H02J 7/00: Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
- H02J 7/62: against overcurrent
- H02J 7/64: against overvoltage
- H02J 7/65: against overtemperature
- H02J 50/10: using inductive coupling
- H02J 50/80: involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H04B: TRANSMISSION

## Abstract

A case for an electronic device is provided. The case includes a battery, an interface to receive electrical power from an external power source, a payment device reader, a product information input device, and a computer processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions. The computer processor executes the instructions to conduct communications with the electronic device, limit an amount of current of the received electrical power consumed by the case, allocate the amount of current among the battery and the electronic device based on the communications, read product information from a product using the product information input device, and read a payment device using the payment device reader, where the payment device is used to pay for the product.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A case for an electronic device, the case comprising:
an interface to a battery;
an interface to receive electrical power from an external power source;
a payment device reader;
a product information input device;
a computer processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions to:
limit an amount of current of the received electrical power used by each of the case and the electronic device;
read product information from a product using the product information input device; and
read information from a payment device using the payment device reader.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The case of claim 1 wherein to limit the amount of current includes to:
detect a type of the external power source; and
determine a current limit for the power source based on the type of the external power source.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The case of claim 1 wherein to limit the amount of current includes to allocate the amount of current among the case and the electronic device based on a state of the electronic device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The case of claim 3 wherein the state of the electronic device includes one or more of: a charge level of a battery of the electronic device and an operational mode of the electronic device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The case of claim 3 wherein the state of the electronic device is received by the case through communications with the electronic device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The case of claim 3 wherein to allocate includes to allocate using a charging profile that is based on one or more of: a charge level of the battery, a charge level of a battery of the electronic device, an amount of current available from the external power source, and a user preference received from the electronic device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The case of claim 1 wherein to limit the amount of current includes to transmit a command to the electronic device instructing the electronic device to use no more than a specified amount of current.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The case of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a tablet computing device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The case of claim 1 wherein:
the product information is a bar code; and
the product information input device is a bar code reader.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The case of claim 1 wherein the payment device reader is a magnetic strip reader for reading a magnetic strip of a credit card or of a debit card.

### Claim 11

A method of performing power management in a case for a mobile computing device, the method comprising:
limiting electrical current received at the case to a current limit, wherein the electrical current is received from a power source connected to the case;
commanding the computing device to consume no more than a specified amount of the received electrical current;
monitoring an amount of the electrical current consumed by the computing device; and
distributing a balance of the current limit not consumed by the computing device to components of the case, wherein the components of the case include a rechargeable battery, a payment card reader, and a bar code scanner.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 further comprising determining the current limit based on a characteristic of the power source.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 further comprising determining the current limit based on a type of connection used to interface to the power source.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein commanding the computing device to consume no more than a specified amount of the received electrical current includes receiving information from the computing device indicating one or more of: a charge state of a battery of the computing device and an operational mode of the computing device.

### Claim 15

A charging station comprising:
docking locations for a plurality of electronic devices; and
charge control circuitry configured to:
determine a number of the electronic devices docked in the docking locations;
determine available current;
determine an allocation of the available current for each of the electronic devices docked in the charging station based on the available current and the number of the electronic devices; and
limit current consumption of each of the electronic devices based on the allocation.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The charging station of claim 15 wherein the allocation of the available current for each docked electronic device is equal to the allocation of the available current for each of the other docked electronic devices.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The charging station of claim 15 wherein determining an allocation of the available current for each docked electronic device is further based on a charge level of a battery of that electronic device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The charging station of claim 15 wherein to limit current consumption by each docked electronic device includes to limit an amount of current available to each docked electronic device based on the allocation.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The charging station of claim 15 wherein to limit current consumption by each docked electronic device includes to transmit a command to one or more of the docked electronic devices, the command including an instruction to limit current consumption.