Abstract:
An electrical charging system includes a charging socket and a standby battery product. The charging socket has a socket casing, and a power input interface on the socket casing and electrically connected to a first conductive contact that extends above the socket casing. The standby battery product has a battery casing with a battery housed inside the battery casing, the battery casing further including a conductive pin and a second conductive contact, with the conductive pin and second conductive contact electrically connected to the battery. When the battery casing is placed on top of the socket casing, the conductive pin is aligned with, and contacts, the first conductive contact, creating a charging path that is defined by the power input interface (which receives external power), the first conductive contact of the socket casing, the conductive pin of the battery casing, and the electricity storage unit of the battery product.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the technical field of maintenance of secondary batteries or secondary battery devices, and in particular, to a standby battery product and a stackable charging system for charging a standby battery product. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     The existing standby battery products, which are normally referred to as “portable power supplies” and also as “mobile batteries”, “external batteries”, “backup batteries”, “digital charging partners”, “charging bars”, “ portable chargeable power supplies”, “portable power packs” and “mini chargers”, are portable chargers integrating power supply and charging, and are capable of charging digital devices such as mobile phones anywhere anytime, or supplying power in the standby mode. Generally, the standby battery products use lithium battery cells or dry batteries as the electricity storage units, and are also called external batteries to differentiate them from batteries disposed inside the products. Moreover, with the characteristics of large capacity, multipurpose, small size, long service life and reliability, the existing standby battery products are functional products which can supply power to a variety of digital products such as mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3, MP4, PDA, hand-held computers and hand-held consoles anywhere anytime or charge them in the standby mode. 
     At present, the most common charging mode for the standby battery products is AC direct charging, charging by an external power supply, wireless charging, solar charging and wind up charging, among others, of which charging by an external power supply is the most common mode, especially for charging by using a USB power supply. 
     For example, Chinese Utility Model No. CN 200520057049.7 discloses a multifunctional power socket capable of supplying two kinds of DC and AC. The multifunctional power socket mainly comprises a socket casing, electrode contacts disposed inside the power socket, and a socket and a switch mounted on the socket casing. The casing consists of an upper casing and a lower casing. A miniature electronic rectifier is disposed inside the socket casing, and a USB interface is disposed on a side face of the socket. An output end of the miniature electronic rectifier is connected to the USB interface. When the multifunctional power socket provided is for charging a communication device such as mobile phone, the communication device can be directly charged simply by connecting the mobile phone with the USB through a USB line. 
     Chinese Utility Model No. CN 201220538700.2 discloses a charging socket, comprising a socket and a charging module disposed inside the socket. The charging module comprises a power adapter and multiple USB interfaces connected in parallel. One end of the power adapter is electrically connected to an AC power supply, and the other end thereof is electrically connected to the USB interfaces. 
     The prior art, represented by the above technical solutions, has the advantage of strong universality, because a charging power supply can be provided as most of the existing digital products use a USB power supply; moreover, most of the personal computers have USB interfaces. However, they are inconvenient use, because each standby battery product must be connected to one USB power supply, and is to be plugged in or pulled out at the beginning and at the end of charging, thereby resulting in poor user experience. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a standby battery product and a stackable charging system for charging the standby battery product, which enables the battery product to have a direct stackable charging function without any external power supply line, so that it would be able to charge multiple standby batteries at the same time. 
     In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention, the present invention provides an electrical charging system that can operate using a charging socket and a standby battery product, or can be part of a standby battery product alone. 
     The charging socket has a socket casing, a power input interface provided on the socket casing and electrically connected to a first conductive contact that extends above the socket casing, and a plurality of first couplers provided on an upper part of the socket casing. The standby battery product has a battery casing with an electricity storage unit housed inside the battery casing, the battery casing further including a conductive pin and a second conductive contact, the conductive pin and second conductive contact being electrically connected to the electricity storage unit, the battery casing further including a plurality of second couplers. When the battery casing is placed on top of the socket casing, the conductive pin is aligned with, and contacts, the first conductive contact, and the first couplers engage the second couplers. This creates a charging path that is defined by the power input interface (which receives external power), the first conductive contact of the socket casing, the conductive pin of the battery casing, and the electricity storage unit of the battery product. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides an electrical charging system that has first and second standby battery products. The first standby battery product has a first battery casing with a first electricity storage unit housed inside the first battery casing, the first battery casing further including a first power input interface on the first battery casing, a first conductive pin and a first conductive contact, the first conductive pin and first conductive contact being electrically connected to the first electricity storage unit and the first power input interface, the first battery casing further including a plurality of first couplers. The second standby battery product has a second battery casing with a second electricity storage unit housed inside the second battery casing, the second battery casing further including a second power input interface on the second battery casing, a second conductive pin and a second conductive contact, the second conductive pin and second conductive contact being electrically connected to the second electricity storage unit and the second power input interface, the second battery casing further including a plurality of second couplers. When the second battery casing is placed on top of the first battery casing in a stacking arrangement, the second conductive pin is aligned with, and contacts, the first conductive contact, and the first couplers engage the second couplers, when the second battery casing is placed on top of the first battery casing. This stacking arrangement creates two charging paths, a first charging path that is defined by the first power input interface of the first battery casing and the first electricity storage unit, and a second charging path that is defined by the first power input interface of the first battery casing, the first conductive contact of the first battery casing, the second conductive pin of the second battery casing, and the second electricity storage unit of the battery product. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a standby battery product using a charging socket and a stackable charging system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a multi-layer stackable charging system using a charging socket according to a second embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 3  illustrates a stackable charging system by fully using charging standby battery products for stackable charging according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the charging socket according to the second embodiment hereof.  FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the standby battery product according to the second embodiment hereof. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the multi-layer stackable charging system using a charging socket according to the second embodiment hereof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a standby battery product  1701  using a charging socket  1601  within a stackable charging system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 1  is divided into an upper part and a lower part by a middle arrow, in which the part above the arrow illustrates the standby battery product  1601  before stacking, and the part below the arrow illustrates the standby battery product  1601  being stacked or coupled to the charging socket  1701 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the charging socket  1601  comprises a casing  1001  having a thin rectangular shape with rounded corners. Magnets  1303  and  1305 , at least one conductive contact  1401 , and a power input interface  1101  are all disposed inside the casing  1001  at the locations shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . The upper surface and the lower surface of the casing  1001  are generally parallel. The conductive contact(s)  1401  are disposed adjacent to an upper part of the casing  1001  and oriented in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the casing  1001 . The power input interface  1101  is disposed on one side of a short edge of the casing  1001  and is electrically connected to the conductive contact  1401  via a PCB  1313 . The magnet(s)  1305  is disposed on the other side of the short edge of the casing  1001  and opposite to the power input interface  1101 . The magnet  1303  is disposed on the PCB  1313  adjacent to the upper surface of the charging socket  1601 . The power input interface  1101  is supplied with power from an external cable through an interface, such as USB interface, to provide power for the purpose of charging the standby battery product  1701  and the stackable charging system. A balancing weight  1315  can be provided in the casing  1001 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , a standby battery product  1701  comprises a casing  1201  that also has a thin rectangular shape with rounded corners. Magnets  1301 ,  1302  and  1304 , an electricity storage unit  1414 , at least one conductive elastic pin  1501 , at least one conductive contact  1401 , and a power input interface  1102  are all disposed inside the casing  1201 . The upper surface and the lower surface of the casing  1201  are generally parallel. The electricity storage unit  1414  is used for storing electric energy and can be made of lithium battery cells or rechargeable battery cells. The conductive contact(s)  1401  of the standby battery product  1701  has the same structure as the conductive contact  1401  of the charging socket  1601 , and are disposed adjacent to an upper part of the casing  1201  and oriented in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the casing  1201 . Each conductive elastic pin  1501  corresponds to a conductive contact  1401  and is disposed adjacent to the lower part of the casing  1201  and oriented in a direction perpendicular to the lower surface of the casing  1201 . The conductive contact(s)  1401  and the conductive elastic pin(s)  1501  are aligned in longitudinal and linear directions, and are electrically connected to each other to allow electric charge to pass therethrough. The power input interface  1102  is disposed on one side of a short edge of the casing  1201  and is electrically connected to the conductive contact  1401  via a PCB  1413 . The magnet(s)  1304  is disposed on the other side of the short edge of the casing  1201  and opposite to the power input interface  1102 . There can be two magnets  1304  to correspond to the two magnets  1305  on the charging socket  1601 . The magnet  1303  is disposed on the PCB  1313  adjacent to the upper surface of the standby battery product  1701 . The electricity storage unit  1414  is disposed inside an open space in the casing  1201 , and the position thereof may be determined based on the specific application requirements or ornamental design of the standby battery product  1701 . 
     The power input interface  1101  and the power input interface  1102  are disposed in longitudinal and parallel directions. The conductive contact  1401  of the charging socket  1601  and the conductive elastic pin  1501  and conductive contact  1401  of the standby battery product  1701  are also aligned in a longitudinal and linear directions. The magnets  1301 ,  1302  and  1303  are all also aligned in longitudinal and linear directions with each other. The magnets  1304  and  1305  are aligned in longitudinal and linear directions. The magnetic poles of the magnets  1302  and  1303  are opposite in magnetic attraction; in other words, in counterpoint attraction. The magnetic poles of the magnets  1304  and  1305  are also opposite in magnetic attraction. A group consisting of the magnet  1301 , the magnet  1302  and the magnet  1303  will not interfere with a group consisting of the magnet  1304  and the magnet  1305  in a horizontal direction. 
     As shown in the upper part of  FIG. 1 , the arrow between the charging socket  1601  and the standby battery product  1701  shows that the standby battery product  1701  is stacked on the charging socket  1601 . When stacked in this manner, the standby battery product  1701  and the charging socket  1601  have shapes in concave-convex alignment in the direction towards each other; for example, the shapes in concave-convex alignment between the aligned conductive contact(s)  1401  and the conductive elastic pin(s)  1501 . 
     As shown in the lower part of  FIG. 1  and in  FIG. 6 , the aligned conductive contact(s)  1401  and the conductive elastic pin(s)  1501  respectively disposed inside the stacked charging socket  1601  and standby battery product  1701  automatically provide conductive contact by using the attraction forces (actually, counterpoint attraction, in which two magnets are disposed in the corresponding structural positions in the stacking direction such as in longitudinal direction, and represent the magnetic effect of the mutual attraction being larger than the mutual repulsion) of the magnets  1301 ,  1302  and  1303 , and the attraction forces (actually, counterpoint attraction) of the magnets  1304  and  1305  between the charging socket  1601  and the standby battery product  1701 , and the aligned shapes in the concave-convex alignment of the charging socket  1601  and the standby battery product  1701 . In this way, when the external power supply provides power to the power input interface  1101  through a cable, in order to cause the standby battery product  1701  to be charged, the electricity energy is transmitted to the conductive contact(s)  1401  of the charging socket  1601  from the power input interface  1101 , then to the aligned conductive elastic pin(s)  1501  of the standby battery product  1701  through the conductive contact, then to the conductive contact(s)  1401  of the standby battery product  1701 , and finally to the electricity storage unit  1414  of the standby battery product  1701 . Because the charging socket  1601  and the standby battery product  1701  are stacked together, the standby battery product  1701  can be charged without the need for it to be directly connected to the external power supply. Once the standby battery product  1701  is stacked on the charging socket  1601 , the charging is started. The charging is stopped (completed or partially charged) when the standby battery product  1701  is removed from the charging socket  1601 . The display of the charging states (e.g., comprising the information of whether the standby battery product is being charged, whether the charging is completed, and whether the standby battery product has the charging power, etc.,) can be achieved by means such as state indicator lamps on each of the charging socket  1601  and the standby battery product  1701 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment above is that there are two standby battery products  2701  and  2702  stacked on the charging socket  2601 . The standby battery products  2701  and  2702  in  FIG. 2  are identical to the standby battery product  1701  in the first embodiment, but are labeled using different numerals. Similarly, the charging socket  2601  is identical to the charging socket  1601 . The charging operation would be identical to the first embodiment above. For the stacking between the standby battery product  2702  and the standby battery product  2701 , the standby battery product  2701  and the standby battery product  2702  also have a concave-convex alignment to allow for a similar alignment between the conductive contact(s)  1401  and the conductive elastic pin(s)  1501 . The magnets inside each of the standby battery product  2701  and the standby battery product  2702  are respectively also in counterpoint arrangement in the direction towards the mutual stacking of the two standby battery products  2701  and  2702  so as to be in mutual attraction in the direction towards the mutual stacking (i.e., counterpoint attraction, where at least one pair of magnets is in counterpoint attraction in the direction towards the mutual stacking). 
     In  FIG. 2 , a conductive elastic pin and a conductive contact inside the standby battery product  2701  and a conductive elastic pin and a conductive contact inside the standby battery product  2702  form an electrical connection when the standby battery product  2702  is stacked on top of the standby battery product  2701  using the attraction of the magnets in counterpoint attraction and setting shapes in concave-convex alignment. The two pairs of magnets in mutual attraction are formed by respective magnets of the standby battery product  2701  and the standby battery product  2702  in the direction towards the mutual stacking. The power transmitted to the conductive contact of the standby battery product  2701  from the external part through the charging socket is not only used for charging the electricity storage unit inside the standby battery product  2701 , but is also transmitted to the conductive contact of the standby battery product  2702  through the conductive elastic pin of the standby battery product  2702  to charge the electricity storage unit inside the standby battery product  2702 . As a result, the charging operation is started merely by stacking the standby battery product  2701  on the charging socket  2601 , and by stacking the standby battery product  2702  on the standby battery product  2701 , without the need to plug or unplug any connections between the charging socket and any of the standby battery products. After the charging is completed, the standby battery products  2701 / 2702  that need to be charged are taken away from the charging socket  2602 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the third embodiment and the second embodiment above is that the charging socket  2601  is removed to enable the external power supply to transmit power directly among multiple standby battery products  2701 / 2702  stacked together through the power input interfaces of the standby battery products  2701  and  2702 , in order to charge the electricity storage unit inside each standby battery product  2701 ,  2702 . In this embodiment, the external power supply can be coupled to the power input interface (i.e., same as  1102 ) of the standby battery product  2701 , and the power would be used to charge both the standby battery products  2701 / 2702 , as well as any other standby battery products that may be stacked on top of the standby battery product  2702 . 
     Even though the drawings herein show that the conductive elastic pins  1501  and conductive contacts  1401  are oriented in a certain direction, the directions and locations of the conductive elastic pins  1501  and the conductive contacts  1401  can be reversed. In addition, the number of, and the electric parameters of, the conductive elastic pins  1501  and the conductive contacts  1401  are determined depending on the number of, and the charging current of, the standby battery products  1701  to be stacked and charged. In this way, by simply adjusting the number of, and the electric properties of, the elastic pins  1501  and the contacts  1401 , the requisite requirements of supplying different charging currents or stacking additional standby batteries for charging can be met. 
     In addition, the charging voltage required by the stackable charging system can be derived from any one of the above power input interfaces  1101  and  1102 ; in other words, because the power input interface  1101  inside the charging socket  1601  and the power input interface  1102  of the standby battery products  1701  have the power with the same electric parameters at input and output, the power supply for charging the entire stackable charging system can be supplied simply by leading the external power supply into any one of the power input interfaces  1101 ,  1102  during the stacking. 
     The conductive elastic pins  1501  are metal elastic pins. The charging mode of the standby battery product  1701  in each embodiment not only can be the stackable charging of multiple standby battery products  1701 , or of one or more standby batteries on the charging socket  1601 , but the charging can be accomplished by directing the external power supply from a power input interface  1102  of a standby battery product  1701  itself, and then transmitting the power to an electricity storage unit  1414  inside the standby battery product  1701  through the conductive elastic pin  1501  and the conductive contact  1401  inside the standby battery product without stacking the charging socket  1601  or other standby battery products  1701  to the standby battery product  1701  that is being charged. 
     In addition, the charging socket  1601  can be configured to provide better charging protection than the standby battery product  1701 , such as by providing temperature detection and accurate over-voltage protection. The charging system of the present invention can also include other features that are well-known in the art, such as power control, charging allowance control, power indication, charging state, charging progress indication, and the thermal design. Also, instead of magnets, other known couplers (e.g., latches, clips, etc.) can be used to couple the battery products  1701  on top of each other, or the charging socket  1601 ) in a stacking arrangement. 
     The present invention provides the following advantages. 
     1. The standby battery product to be charged is not required to be plugged in or pulled out at the beginning or at the end of charging. 
     2. Once the standby battery product to be charged is stacked on the charging socket  1601  or on another standby battery product  1701 , the charging is started. 
     3. Once the standby battery product  1701  to be charged is taken away from the charging socket  1601 , the charging is completed. 
     4. The stackable charging for the product is achieved by continuously stacking battery products  1701  of the same design on an existing standby battery product  1701  to be charged. 
     5. Simply by adjusting the number of, and the electric properties of the elastic pins  1501  and the contacts  1401 , the requirements of supplying different charging currents or stacking additional standby batteries for charging can be met. 
     While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention. For example, the arrangement and improvement to the number of the conductive contacts  1401  and the conductive elastic pins  1501 , and the specific aligned positions thereof, and other alignment designs such as non-concave-convex alignment to the shape counterpoint, are all encompassed herein.