Abstract:
A charge clip having a main body and plug received through an aperture therein includes a cradle for holding a personal electronic instrument (PEI) thereon. The plug is inserted into a wall outlet and the main body is selectively rotationally moveable with respect to the plug so that the main body is maintained in a vertical orientation regardless of the orientation of the wall outlet. The plug includes at least one rib that is selectively engageable with at least one notch formed in the aperture, preventing rotational movement of the main body with respect to the plug. The plug further includes an AC/DC conversion circuit that converts standard AC power from the wall outlet to DC power for charging the PEI. The charge clip further includes at least one USB port in electrical communication with the AC/DC conversion circuit that receives a USB plug in electrical communication with the PEI.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is related to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/340,756, which was filed on Mar. 22, 2010, and is entitled “Charge Clip”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference and on which priority is hereby claimed. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to devices for charging electrical equipment, in particular, personal electronic instruments such as cellular telephones, calculators, hand held gaming devices, digital cameras and the like. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    Devices for charging portable electrical equipment, in particular, personal electronic instruments such as cellular telephones, hand held gaming devices, digital cameras, PDAs, calculators and the like usually plug into a wall outlet (120 volts AC) and include an AC to DC converter, which is coupled to a rather lengthy wire at one end whose opposite end is coupled to a connector which plugs into the electrical equipment to be charged. Many consumers charge these small appliances or electrical devices in their kitchen (which is becoming the most often used room in the home), plugging the charging unit into a wall outlet and placing the electrical device on a kitchen countertop as the device is being charged. The problem with this conventional method of charging a device is that the device being charged occupies the limited counter space in the kitchen and could be subject to damage due to spilled water or the like. Furthermore, the charging electrical cord, usually about three feet in length, loosely lies on the countertop in an unsightly manner and may become entangled with objects residing on the countertop. 
         [0006]    A wall mounted charging station for charging a personal electronic instrument (PEI) is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0012536 (Glass). However, there are a number of disadvantages and shortcomings in the use and design of such a wall mounted charging station. One shortcoming with such a design is that the charging station disclosed in the aforementioned published application still requires a wire connection, such as with cord  17 , between the charging station  10  and the AC wall outlet  14 . This wire connection may be lengthy, depending upon where the charging station  10  is positioned with respect to the wall outlet  14 , and having such an unsupported loose wire may not be aesthetically pleasing in appearance. 
         [0007]    Another shortcoming of the charging station disclosed in the aforementioned published application is that the PEI rests in a pocket  46  having defined and confining dimensions and, as a result, may receive only certain select PEIs of limited sizes and shapes. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a charge clip for charging a personal electronic instrument (PEI) which is mountable directly to an AC wall outlet. 
         [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a charge clip for charging a PEI which includes an open cradle for supporting a wide variety of PEIs of different sizes and shapes. 
         [0010]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide a charge clip for charging a PEI which can support and charge simultaneously more than one PEI. 
         [0011]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a charge clip for charging a PEI which includes an open cradle for supporting one or more PEIs and which cradle provides multi-directional accessibility to the PEIs supported by the cradle. 
         [0012]    It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a charge clip for charging a PEI which is reconfigurable by the user so that it may be mounted directly to an AC wall outlet irrespective of the orientation of the wall outlet. 
         [0013]    It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a charge clip for charging one or more PEIs which occupies only one socket of a multiple socket wall outlet and which does not obscure or interfere with the use of the other sockets. 
         [0014]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a charge clip for charging a PEI or other electrical device which overcomes the inherent disadvantages of known charging stations. 
         [0015]    In accordance with one form of the present invention, a charge clip includes a main body having a cradle for holding at least one PEI and a power conversion plug. The power conversion plug, having a plurality of prongs exiting a rear wall thereof, is inserted into a wall outlet. The power conversion plug is received within an aperture in the main body of the charge clip and is selectively rotatable therein. 
         [0016]    The power conversion plug further includes at least one outwardly extending rib that may be selectively engaged with a corresponding notch in the aperture of the main body. The power conversion plug is inserted into the wall outlet and the main body is rotated so that the cradle is vertically oriented to hold at least one PEI. The rib of the power conversion plug is then engaged with the notch in the main body making the main body and cradle thereon rotationally immovable with respect to the power conversion plug. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the charge clip includes a plurality of ribs and notches so that the power plug may be inserted into wall outlets of varying orientations while maintaining the vertical orientation of the cradle and PEI therein. 
         [0017]    The power conversion plug further includes a conversion circuit and at least one USB port. The conversion circuit, being in electrical communication with both the USB port and prongs, receives AC power from the wall outlet and converts it to DC power, outputting the DC power to the USB port in electrical communication thereto. The PEI is connected by a conventional USB cable to the USB port of the charge clip. 
         [0018]    The main body of the charge clip further includes a channel formed between the front and back plates that may be used to store any excess length of the USB cable attached to the PEI. 
         [0019]    These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a charge clip formed in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a rear elevational view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a right elevational view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , a left elevational view thereof being a mirror image of the right elevational view shown in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a bottom plan view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-5 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a rear perspective view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the charge clip of the present invention, shown supporting a personal electronic instrument (PEI) and illustrating the connection between the PEI and the charge clip using a charge cord for charging the PEI. 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is a front perspective exploded view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-8 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 10  is a top plan exploded view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-9 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 11  is a right elevational exploded view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-10 . 
           [0031]      FIGS. 12A-12D  are front plan views of the charge clip of the present invention mounted to an AC wall outlet, where the AC wall outlet is shown in four different orientations. 
           [0032]      FIG. 13  is a rear perspective exploded view of the charge clip of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-12 . 
           [0033]      FIG. 14  is a simplified schematic/block diagram of the electrical circuit of the charge clip of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0034]    As can be seen from  FIGS. 1-11 , a charge clip  2  or station for charging a small appliance or electrical device, in particular but not limited to personal electronic instruments  4  such as cellular telephones, hand held gaming devices, digital cameras, PDAs, calculators and the like, and constructed in accordance with one form of the present invention, is preferably formed from two mateable portions, that is, a main body  6  and a power conversion plug  8 . 
         [0035]    The power conversion plug  8  is preferably cylindrical in shape. The power conversion plug  8  includes a circumferential side wall  10 , a front wall  12  which is preferably for aesthetic purposes convexly shaped, and a rear wall  14  which is opposite the front wall  12 . 
         [0036]    The rear wall  14  of the power conversion plug  8  includes hot and neutral AC power prongs  16  and an AC power ground prong  18  extending outwardly therefrom so that the power conversion plug  8  may be connected directly to a socket of an AC wall outlet  20 . 
         [0037]    At least one, but preferably two, or more, USB ports or connectors  22  are situated on the front wall  12  of the power conversion plug  8 . As is well known, oftentimes personal electronic instruments  4  are charged by connection to a USB port provided on a computer or other device, where +5 volts DC (direct current) is provided on a certain pin of the USB port or connector. Accordingly, and as will be described in greater detail, the charge clip  2  of the present invention provides such a DC charging voltage to a selected pin on each of the USB ports or connectors  22  mounted on the power conversion plug  8 , as well as providing a ground connection to another pin on each of the USB ports or connectors  22 . 
         [0038]    A simplified schematic/block diagram of a circuit housed by the power conversion plug  8  and situated in an interior cavity defined by the cylindrical side wall  10 , front wall  12  and rear wall  14  thereof is shown in  FIG. 14 . Basically, the power and ground prongs  16 ,  18  of the power conversion plug  8  are electrically connected to an AC-to-DC (AC/DC) converter circuit  24  situated within the power conversion plug  8 . The AC/DC converter circuit  24  receives the 110 volt AC (alternating current) power provided by the wall outlet  20  to which the charge clip  2  is connected, and converts the AC voltage to a DC voltage, and in particular, a +5 volt DC voltage. The +5 volt DC voltage is provided to each of the USB connectors or ports  22  mounted on the front wall  12  of the power conversion plug  8  through electrical lines connected between the AC/DC converter circuit  24  and the USB connectors or ports  22  and, similarly, ground potential is provided by electrical lines connected between the AC/DC converter circuit  24  and the USB connectors or ports  22 . In this way, a user may connect one or more PEIs  4  to the USB connectors or ports  22  situated on the power conversion plug  8  with a power charging cord  26  which is compatible with the USB connectors or ports  22  and the PEIs  4  being charged. 
         [0039]    The power conversion plug  8  is received by an aperture  28  formed through the thickness of the main body  6  of the charge clip  2 , as can be seen from  FIGS. 9 and 13 . As can also be seen, the power conversion plug  8  may be removed from the aperture  28  and repositioned therein in one of several different orientations. 
         [0040]    More specifically, the power conversion plug  8  includes preferably four ribs  30  extending outwardly from the outer surface of the side wall  10 , with adjacent ribs  30  being spaced apart about the circumference thereof by 90 degrees. The ribs  30  extend at least partially over the outer surface of the side wall  10  of the power conversion plug  8  in an axial direction between the front wall  12  and the rear wall  14  thereof. 
         [0041]    Corresponding notches  32 , each of which is dimensioned to closely receive a respective rib  30  on the power conversion plug  8 , are formed in the rear surface  34  of the main body  6  of the charge clip  2  and which extend at least partially through the thickness thereof toward the front surface  36  of the main body  6  of the charge clip. Preferably, the notches  32  do not extend all the way through the thickness so that they are not visible on the front surface  36  of the main body  6 , which provides a more aesthetically pleasing appearance to the charge clip  2  and so that a user may push on the main body  6  of the charge clip to force the power and ground prongs  16 ,  18  into a wall outlet  20  without the power conversion plug  8  moving axially within the plug receiving aperture  28  of the main body  6 . As can be seen from the figures, the ribs  30  extend from the rear wall  14  of the power conversion plug  8  towards the front wall  12 , but, preferably, are recessed from the front wall  12 . In this manner, the power conversion plug  8  may be inserted into the aperture  28  of the charge clip  2  from the rear surface  34  thereof, and may be removed therefrom by pulling outwardly on the plug  8  from the rear surface  34  of the main body  6  of the charge clip  2 . The power conversion plug  8  may be orientated in one of four positions within the aperture  28  of the main body  6  of the charge clip and, as will be explained in greater detail, this feature which allows the power conversion plug  8  to be reoriented with respect to the main body  6  of the charge clip permits the charge clip  2  to be used with AC wall outlets  20  which may have been installed in four different orientations (see  FIGS. 12A-12D ). 
         [0042]    As can be seen from  FIGS. 1-13 , the main body  6  of the charge clip  2  is an elongated member, preferably slightly longer than a conventional wall outlet cover plate. It includes a planar back plate  38  and a front plate  40  situated in front of the back plate  38 , the front and back plates  40 ,  38  being joined together to define lateral side walls  42 , a top wall  44  and a bottom wall  46  of the main body  6 . 
         [0043]    A groove or channel  48  is formed in the adjoining lateral side walls  42 , top wall  44  and bottom wall  46  of the main body  6  where the front and back plates  40 ,  38  are joined together. The groove  48  is provided for cord management, that is, so that excess length of the charging cord  26  connected between the USB ports or connectors  22  on the power conversion plug  8  and the PEIs  4  being charged may be conveniently wrapped about the main body  6  in the groove  48  between the front  40  plate and the back plate  38 . 
         [0044]    The upper portion or segment  50  of the back plate  38  extends upwardly, while the upper portion or segment  52  of the front plate  40  diverges from the plane in which the back plate  38  resides at an acute angle therefrom in a direction outwardly of the front of the main body  6 . The widths of the front plate  40  and the back plate  38  are preferably substantially the same, and so are the thicknesses. Thus, the upper portion  50  of the back plate  38  and the upper portion  52  of the front plate  40 , where the two diverge, define a cradle  54  which may receive and support one or more PEIs  4 , as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 11 . As shown in these drawings, the PEIs  4  are supported by the main body  6  of the charge clip  2  in the cradle  54  when the charge clip  2  is in an upright (vertical) position. The cradle  54  has a depth and width which are selected to receive one or more of the electrical devices  4  (e.g., cellular telephones, hand held gaming devices, PDAs, shavers or the like) and holds such electrical devices in a safe and convenient location on the charge clip  2 , as shown in the drawings. In this way, the electrical devices  4  do not have to occupy space on the countertop or other horizontal surface when being charged and are not subjected to damage from liquid spillage and the like. Furthermore, the charge clip  2  of the present invention is adapted to hold the portable electrical device  4  during charging, as well as providing a location for maintaining the device  4  when the device is not being used so that the device can be easily found. Furthermore, the charge clip  2  of the present invention, with its top cradle  54 , keeps the device  4  clean and out of harm&#39;s way while the device is being charged. Preferably, the angled upper segment  52  of the front plate  40  does not extend vertically as high as the upper segment  50  of the back plate  38 , as can be seen in  FIG. 4 , so that any electrical device  4  held in the cradle  54  may be easily placed there or retrieved by a user from the front of the charge clip  2 . 
         [0045]    It is been found that AC wall outlets  20  may be disposed in one of four orientations, such as shown in  FIGS. 12A-12D . For example, a two socket AC wall outlet  20  may be disposed with the ground contacts of the each socket in a bottom position (see  FIG. 12A ), in a right position (see  FIG. 12B ), in a top position (see  FIG. 12C ) and in a left position (see  FIG. 12D ). The charge clip  2  of the present invention is reconfigurable by removing the power conversion plug  8  from the aperture  28  formed in the main body  6  of the charge clip, rotating the plug  8  and reinserting the plug  8  into the aperture  28  in a different orientation, with the ribs  30  being received by corresponding notches  32  formed in the main body  6 , so that the power prongs  16  and ground prong  18  on the power conversion plug  8  may be properly received by a socket of the wall outlet  20  and with the main body  6  of the charge clip  2  being oriented longitudinally in a vertical or upright position when the charge clip is plugged into a socket of the wall outlet  20 . Thus, the charge clip  2  of the present invention ensures that the cradle  54  is always in an upright position when the charge clip  2  is mounted on a wall outlet  20  to hold one or more PEIs  4  or other electrical devices in the cradle  54 . 
         [0046]    Furthermore, it should be realized that the lower portion  56  of the charge clip  2  is preferably circular and has a diameter which is less than the width of the major portions of the front and back plates  40 ,  38  of the main body  6 . This is to ensure that the charge clip  2 , when mounted on an AC wall outlet  20 , only occupies one electrical socket thereof and does not overlap an adjacent electrical socket of the wall outlet  20  or interfere with the use thereof independently of the charge clip  2 , as can be seen from  FIGS. 12A-12D . 
         [0047]    It should be further noted that the design of the cradle  54  formed in the upper portion of the charge clip  2  and, in particular, the main body  6  thereof, allows one or more PEIs  4  to be accessed from a number of directions, including the front of the charge clip, the left and right side of the charge clip and from the top (in an upward direction) of the charge clip. 
         [0048]    It should be further realized that, although the power conversion plug  8  is described herein as being preferably cylindrical in form, with ribs  30  extending from the outer surface of the cylindrical side wall  10  thereof, and the aperture  28  formed in the main body  6  of the charge clip is described as being circular, it should be understood that the power conversion plug  8  may be formed in other geometrical shapes, including rectangular, square or polygonal, with a conformingly shaped aperture  28  formed in the main body  6  of the charge clip  2  to receive the power conversion plug  8 , whereby the power conversion plug  8  may be removed from the main body  6  of the charge clip  2 , reoriented and repositioned therein so that the main body  6  of the charge clip is always oriented in an upright position, with the cradle  54  formed therein situated at the top of the charge clip  2  to support, without falling, one or more electrical devices  4  therein. 
         [0049]    Additionally, it is envisioned to be within the scope of the present invention to form the power conversion plug  8  in a cylindrical shape, and the aperture  28  formed in the main body  6  of the charge clip in a round shape, without ribs  30  or notches  32  being formed on and in the power conversion plug  8  and main body  6 , respectively, so that the power conversion plug  8  is receivable by the aperture  28  with a frictional fit, and the main body  6  of the charge clip  2  is frictionally rotatable on the power conversion plug  8  to orient the main body  6  of the charge clip  2  in a vertically upright position thereon. Furthermore, although the notches  32  have been described as being formed on the main body  6  about the aperture  28 , and the ribs  30  have been described as being formed on the power conversion plug  8 , it should be understood that the positions of the ribs  30  and the notches  32  may be reversed, with the ribs  30  being formed on the main body  6  to partially extend into the aperture  28 , and the notches  32  being formed in the cylindrical side wall  10  of the power conversion plug  8 . 
         [0050]    As mentioned previously, the width of the main body  6  is preferably about that of a small sized (two socket) cover plate forming part of the AC wall outlet  20 , and the main body  6  of the charge clip  2  is preferably slightly taller than the small wall cover plate. 
         [0051]    The charge clip  2  of the present invention is a two piece solution with all of the electronics for the conversion to a USB DC voltage in the power conversion plug  8  which plugs directly into an electrical socket of the wall outlet  20 . The main body  6  of the charge clip  2  is provided to hold electrical devices  4  and is preferably formed from a plastic material, with no electronic circuitry formed therein or thereon, and it can be attached to the power conversion plug  8  in one of four orientations, ensuring that the cradle  54  for holding electronic devices  4  is always situated at the top no matter how the wall outlets  20  (and the power conversion plug  8 ) are oriented. This two piece solution solves the issues relating to having wall outlets  20  disposed in various orientations to allow the user to have a device situated in the cradle  54  and held thereby, which cradle  54  will always be in a vertical position and at the top of the charge clip  2  no matter how an electrician installed the AC wall outlets  20 . Furthermore, the groove or channel  48  formed about the side walls  42 , top wall  44  and bottom wall  46  of the charge clip  2  provides cord management and allows the user to wrap thereabout excess charging cord  26  between the USB port or connector  22  on the power conversion plug  8  and the PEI  4 . 
         [0052]    Preferably, the cradle  54  may have situated therein a rubberized “taco shell” strip of material (not shown) to help secure the electronic devices therein. Additionally, it should be realized that the power conversion plug  8  may be removed from the main body  6  of the charge clip and used separately, without the main body  6 , to provide power to an electrical device  4 . 
         [0053]    Furthermore, it is envisioned to be within the scope of the present invention to provide an AC power outlet (not shown) on the front wall  12  of the power conversion plug  8  in lieu of, or in addition to, the USB connectors  22  so that, if the electrical device  4  to be charged has its own transformer forming part of the charging cord  26 , the transformer may be plugged into the AC power outlet on the plug  8  to charge the electrical device  4  rather than using the USB connector  22 . 
         [0054]    Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.