# US 2014/0191724 A1 · Electronic device case > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0191724 A1 - Document ID: US20140191724A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/908,049 - Filed: 2013-06-03 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-04 - Assignees: 1 Oak Technologies, LLC - Applicants: 1 Oak Technologies, LLC - Inventors: James John Wojcik; Jan Ray Hofland; Adam Douglas Center; Abhishek Joshi; Adam Benzion; Brian Scally - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140191724A1 ## CPC - G06F 1/1632: {External expansion units, e.g. docking stations} - G01R 31/382: Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC - G06F 1/263: {Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence)} - G06F 8/61: Installation - G06F 21/86: Secure or tamper-resistant housings - H02J 4/00: Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as AC or DC; Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks combining AC and DC sections or sub-networks (arrangements using intermediate DC-AC-DC conversion H02J1/002; arrangements using high-voltage DC [HVDC] links H02J3/36) - H02J 4/25: for transfer of electric power between AC and DC networks, e.g. for supplying the DC section within a load from an AC mains system - 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)} - H02J 7/825: {Detection of fully charged condition} - H04M 1/185: {Improving the shock resistance of the housing, e.g. by increasing the rigidity} - H04M 1/7246: by connection of exchangeable housing parts - H04W 52/0296: {switching to a backup power supply} - H05K 5/0086: {portable, e.g. battery operated apparatus (casings for switching devices H01H9/02)} - H05K 5/0247: {Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring} - H02J 7/00: Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries - H02J 7/42: with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones - H02J 7/82: Control of state of charge [SOC] - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract A protective case for an electronic device is provided. The protective case includes an interface for connecting to a rechargeable battery, a group of display elements, a device interface for electrically interfacing with the electronic device, and an external interface. The protective case also includes electrical circuitry configured to receive electrical power from an external power source through the external interface, exchange communications with the electronic device through the device interface, determine a charge rate for the rechargeable battery of the electronic device based on information received in the communications, and supply a portion of the received electrical power to the electronic device through the device interface if a condition is satisfied. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A protective case for an electronic device, the protective case comprising: a rechargeable battery; an interface for connecting to the rechargeable battery; a group of display elements; a device interface for electrically interfacing with the electronic device; an external interface; and electrical circuitry configured to: receive electrical power from an external power source through the external interface; determine a charge state of the rechargeable battery; exchange communications with the electronic device through the device interface to determine a charge state of a rechargeable battery of the electronic device based on information received in the communications; allocate a portion of the received electrical power to the electronic device, a magnitude of the portion based on the determined charge state of the rechargeable battery of the protective case and based on the determined charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device; supply the allocated portion of the received electrical power to the electronic device through the device interface if a condition is satisfied; and supply a remaining portion of the received electrical power to the rechargeable battery of the protective case. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The protective case of claim 1 wherein: the condition is satisfied if the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device is less than a specified charge threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The protective case of claim 1 wherein the information received in the communications includes an operating mode of the electronic device and the magnitude of the portion is further based on the operating mode of the electronic device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The protective case of claim 1 wherein the magnitude of the portion is further determined based on a charge rate of the rechargeable battery of the protective case. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The protective case of claim 1 wherein determining the magnitude of the portion based on the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the protective case and based on the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device includes determining an amount of current to supply to the electronic device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The protective case of claim 5 wherein the amount of current to supply to the electronic device is less than an amount of current the electronic device would consume if connected directly to the external power source. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The protective case of claim 1 wherein the electrical circuitry is further configured to display, on the group of display elements, a charge status based on the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the protective case, the charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device, or a combined charge state of the rechargeable battery of the protective case and the rechargeable battery of the electronic device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The protective case of claim 7 wherein to display includes to activate a subset of the display elements, a size of the subset being proportional to the charge status. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The protective case of claim 8 wherein the group of display elements includes ten light emitting diodes (LEDs) and to activate a subset includes to illuminate a quantity of the ten LEDs that approximates a percentage charge remaining derived from the charge status. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The protective case of claim 7 wherein the group of display elements comprises a plurality of display locations within one display device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The protective case of claim 10 wherein the display device is a liquid crystal display (LCD). ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The protective case of claim 7 further comprising a user input device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The protective case of claim 12 wherein the group of display elements displays the charge status for a specified period of time in response to an input received at the user input device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The protective case of claim 1 wherein the electrical circuitry is further configured to determine an updated charge state of the rechargeable battery of the electronic device and adjust the magnitude of the portion of the received electrical power supplied to the electronic device based on the updated charge state. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The protective case of claim 1 wherein the magnitude of the portion of the received electrical power allocated to the electronic device is further based on one or more of: a capacity of the protective case rechargeable battery, a maximum charging rate of the protective case rechargeable battery, an age of the protective case rechargeable battery, a number of charging cycles the protective case rechargeable battery has endured, a temperature of the protective case rechargeable battery, a health indicator associated with the protective case rechargeable battery, a physical construction of the protective case rechargeable battery, a chemistry of the of the protective case rechargeable battery, a capacity of the electronic device rechargeable battery, a maximum charging rate of the electronic device rechargeable battery, an age of the electronic device rechargeable battery, a number of charging cycles the electronic device rechargeable battery has endured, a temperature of the electronic device rechargeable battery, a health indicator associated with the electronic device rechargeable battery, a physical construction of the electronic device rechargeable battery, and a chemistry of the of the electronic device rechargeable battery. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The protective case of claim 1 wherein the information received in the communications includes one or more of: a time of day, a day of week, a time zone in which the electronic device is currently located, a current location of the electronic device, a velocity of the electronic device, historical power usage data, and a schedule for a user of the electronic device. ### Claim 17 A protective enclosure for a mobile computing device having a rechargeable battery, the protective enclosure comprising: a device interface for electrically interfacing with the mobile computing device; a supplemental battery; a memory containing computer-readable instructions; and a computer processor configured to execute the instructions to: monitor a charge level of the rechargeable battery of the mobile computing device; monitor a charge level of the supplemental battery; determine a first charging current level for the mobile computing device and a second charging current level for the supplemental battery based on the charge level of the rechargeable battery of the mobile computing device and based on the charge level of the supplemental battery; supply a first charging current at the first charging current level to the mobile computing device through the device interface if the monitored charge level is below a charge level threshold for the mobile computing device; and supply a second charging current at the second charging current level to the supplemental battery. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The protective enclosure of claim 17 wherein: the charge level of the rechargeable battery of the mobile computing device includes a charge remaining value that quantitatively indicates a percentage of a full capacity of the rechargeable battery; and to determine a first charging current level for the mobile computing device includes to calculate the first charging current level such that the first charging current level has an inverse relationship to the percentage of full capacity of the rechargeable battery of the mobile computing device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The protective enclosure of claim 17 wherein the mobile computing device is one or more of: a smartphone, a tablet computer, and a cellular phone. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors of a case for an electronic device, direct the one or more computer processors to: receive electrical power from an external power source through a power interface of the case; receive a communication from the electronic device through a device interface of the case; determine a device charging current for a rechargeable battery of the electronic device based on information included in the communication; determine a case charging current based on the device charging current; supply the device charging current to the electronic device through the device interface; supply the case charging current to a battery associated with the case; receive a subsequent communication from the electronic device after a period of time; and adjust the device charging current and the case charging current based on the information from the subsequent communication.