Abstract:
An automated provider of predesigned mechanical motion to self powered cell phones is disclosed which avoids the need for users thereof to perform manual manipulations of the phones for power restorative purposes. An optimized kinetic generator of electrical currents for such phones is also disclosed based upon use of a linear wire coil-wrapped tubular raceway through which a permanent magnetic member moves in substantially perpendicular orientation of its magnetic flux relative to the wire coils.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   I. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to self powered cell phones and, more particularly, to a driver system which provides automated physical motion to such phones in order to generate therein kinetic electrical currents during such motion and thereby restore the phones&#39; operating power. 
   II. Problems in the Prior Art 
   The present applicants have previously filed co-pending application Ser. No. 11/120,255 entitled SELF POWERED CELL PHONE, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. That application describes a new system of generating operating power for cell phones without dependence upon external power sources such as AC adaptors, batteries or the like. 
   Briefly, that new system comprises an internal kinetic electric current generator within the cell phone, for example, a hollow raceway wrapped with multiple coils of conductive wire, with a ball-shaped permanent magnet within the raceway. As the cell phone is put into physical motion, the magnetic ball rolls through the raceway and the resulting passage of magnetic flux through the wire coils generates variable electrical voltages and currents within the wire conductor, in accordance with Faraday&#39;s law. Such currents are rectified, stored in internal rechargeable batteries and supplied to the cell phone&#39;s operating circuit, thus enabling the phone to be recharged at will whenever desired or required, without reliance upon external electrical or other power. 
   One of the points made in the prior application is that the generation of restorative electrical current can be carried out by manual motions of the cell phone by a user. However, this will occupy the user&#39;s hand and attention for as long as may be required to complete any given recharging time period, especially if the goal is to fully restore the phone&#39;s maximum operating power. Therefore, there is a need for freeing the user from being compelled to manually perform the recharging process. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
   The present invention satisfies the foregoing needs by providing a driver device and system that automates the recharging process by imparting physical restorative motion to self powered cell phones, without requiring a user to perform that process. This is accomplished by securing the cell phone to a support, coupling the support to an activatable drive system that moves the supported phone in predetermined manner to self generate internal variable electrical currents, and activating and maintaining the drive system in motion for chosen periods of time, thereby restoring the operating power of the phone during such periods. In addition, the drive system is preferably fully mechanized so that it too, like the cell phone, can be operated without any need for or dependence upon external electrical or other source of power. Thus, the preferred embodiment enables unlimited use of self powered cell phones anywhere on the planet at any time. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     Further details of the invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and the following description, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a self powered cell phone secured to a support that is coupled to a mechanical drive system; 
       FIG. 2  is a similar view showing the system in one stage of operation after it has been activated; 
       FIG. 3  is a similar view showing the system in a subsequent stage of operation; and 
       FIG. 4  is a similar view showing a preferred embodiment of a kinetic electric current generator secured to the support of the drive system. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , it illustrates the interior of an outer case or housing  10 . Within the case is a support  12  shaped like a carriage or cradle with its opening extended upwardly. A self powered call phone is placed on its side within the support  12 . Thus, a plane passing through the thickness of the cell phone is also oriented vertically upward. 
   Support  12  is attached by link  16  to a disc-shaped hub  18  which is pivotable about a central stud  20  supported by stanchion  22 . A similar stud and stanchion are included on the opposite side of hub  18  (not shown) As a result, hub  18  is supported for rotational motion in either clockwise or counter clockwise direction about the central studs  20 . 
   The right side of hub  18  includes an interior channel indicated by the dashed lines  24 . Disposed within this channel is a bar-shaped retractable and extendible lever arm  26 . Arm  26  extends out from channel  24  to an opposite end  28  which is connected pivotally to a stud  30  positioned at the periphery of a driver wheel  32  supported within bearing block  34  for rotational motion. 
   The left side of hub  18  includes a bar shaped extension  36  aligned linearly with lever arm  26 . The terminal end of extension  36  is attached at  38  to one end of compression spring  40 , the opposite end of which is attached to the base of housing  10 . 
   Cell phone  14  includes an interior tubular raceway  42  which is wrapped with conductive wire coils about its exterior. Sealed within raceway  12  is a spherically shaped permanent magnet  44 , as previously illustrated and described in applicants&#39; above cited earlier filed application. The interior ends of tubular raceway  42  are provided with resilient bumpers  46  for cushioning purposes. 
   Key  48  connects to a mainspring mechanical movement used to create and store mechanical energy. Such movements are available, for example, from S. LaRose, Inc., located in Greensboro, N.C. This company&#39;s “2002–2004 Keep Book” catalog offers, at pages 261–264, a number of 8- or 9-day windup mechanical clock movements which are compact in size and well suited for use in the present invention. One of such movements is placed within housing  10  and its seconds output gear or shaft is linked to a mating central drive shaft of drive wheel  32 . Key  48  is used to wind the movement up in preparation for rotation of drive wheel  32  in clockwise direction. An on/off clutch  50  is included to stop or allow such rotation. 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , it illustrates a stage in the operation of the invention after the wind up has been completed and the clutch  50  has been pivoted to the ON position. Drive wheel  32  has rotated clockwise from the horizontal position of  FIG. 1  to an angularly displaced position, causing lever arm  26  to retract into channel  24  and thereby tilt link  16 , support  12  and cell phone  14  downwardly toward the right. As a result, magnetic ball  44  rolls down the correspondingly tilted raceway  42  to its right end, and its travel is gently stopped and cushioned by the bumper  46  at the end of such motion. As the magnetic flux lines pass through the wire coils wrapped around the raceway, electric currents are electromagnetically generated, which can be rectified into DC currents and stored in rechargeable batteries included in the cell phone, as illustrated and described in applicants&#39; earlier filed application. 
     FIG. 3  illustrates another stage of operation of the invention. Drive wheel  32  has rotated approximately 270° from its rest position in  FIG. 1 , causing the lever arm  26  to extend out of channel  24  and tilt link  16 , tubular raceway  12 , support  12  and cell phone  14  downwardly toward the left. Magnetic ball  44  now rolls down to the left end of raceway  42  whereby electric currents of opposite polarity are generated in the wire coils wrapped around the exterior of the raceway. Again, these currents can be rectified into DC and stored in the cell phone&#39;s rechargeable batteries for use as the operating power of the phone, as taught in applicants&#39; earlier filed application. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , it is identical to the previous embodiment of  FIGS. 1–3 , except that the permanent magnet is configured in the shape of a cylinder  52 , instead of the ball  44 . The cylindrical magnet has opposite magnetic poles at its ends and the resulting magnetic flux lines, therefore, always remain in a fixed orientation relative to the surrounding wire coils, as the magnet slides through the raceway  42 . This orientation establishes substantially complete perpendicularity between the motion of the flux lines and the wire coils to achieve optimum electromagnetic generation of electric currents under Faraday&#39;s law. In all of the specific embodiments, spring  40  provides a bias which moderates and smoothes the periodic oscillations of hub  18  and the other components linked to it. 
   The invention has now been described in terms of its functional principles and illustrative specific embodiments. Many variations of the specific embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, raceways of other shapes than the  FIG. 8  and straight tubular form disclosed in applicants&#39; applications. One such shape is a circular loop. If that shape is implemented and unidirectional rotation of it is employed relative to a rolling magnetic member within the loop, the variable electrical currents will always have the same polarity which will avoid having to include rectification of them into DC during current generation. Similar design considerations and alternatives will be obvious to those skilled in the art. 
   Readers of this application may likely conclude that the epitomy of the present invention&#39;s significance is the fact that it enables, for the first time, sustained cell phone usage in remote places on the planet where electricity or batteries are not available. However, this should not be regarded as a limitation of the invention. In the many advanced societies or regions of the world where electrical power or batteries are commonplace, those sources of power can be readily adapted to drive a self powered cell phone in power restorative motion through use of certain devices known as watch winder mechanisms that can be used impart rotational or oscillatory motion to the supported cell phones described herein. Thus, all-in-one type products can be manufactured that contain the purely mechanical windup mainspring type of driver mechanism of the present invention, together with electric motor winder mechanisms that are operated with AC power cords, AC adaptors or batteries. 
   Such a mechanism is described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,270, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent discloses a watch winder which includes a mandrel that is rotationally driven by an electrically powered gear motor. The motor is operated by either an AC power cord or a battery. One of the watch supports is cup-shaped with two slots that hold the watch to be wound ( FIGS. 10–12 ). These slots can be readily dimensioned to hold a self powered cell phone on its side and then rotated to self generate power restorative electrical currents as taught in the present application. 
   Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,929, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent describes a watch winder mechanism which is operated by a battery driven electric motor and which includes an open cup shaped watch holder. The drive system rotates the watch under motor power to an apex stage at which point the watch support is released to undergo inertial and gravitational multiple free swinging oscillations before repetition of the next cycle. This mechanism is readily adaptable to holding a self powered cell phone and oscillating it in reversing clockwise and counter clockwise directions to self generate power restoring electrical currents, as taught in the present application. 
   Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,761, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes another watch winder mechanism which is driven by a DC electric motor. Among other things, the patent teaches that the holder for the watch may include spring loaded clamping jaws. The same type of gripping means may be used to hold and support a self powered cell phone for power restorative motion as taught in this application. 
   It should be understood that all variations or modifications of the specific embodiments disclosed herein are intended to be covered by the ensuing claims and all equivalents thereof.