Abstract:
A wall mounted charging station for Personal Electronic Instruments (hereinafter PEI&#39;s), such as cell phones PDA, earpieces and small computers, especially those having electrical wires to connect the PEI to a wall outlet for charging is described. The invention is a unique apparatus to accept and organize the charging cord of a PEI and provide a station for the convenient recharging of the battery associated with the PEI.

Description:
[0001]     This patent application claims the priority of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/830,027 entitled Instrument Charging Station for Portable Electronic Devices, filed on Jul. 11, 2006. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates to wall mounted charging stations for Personal Electronic Instruments (hereinafter PEI&#39;s), especially those having electrical wires to connect the PEI to a wall outlet for charging. The invention is a unique apparatus to accept and organize the charging cord of a PEI and provide a station for the convenient recharging of the battery associated with the PEI.  
         [0003]     The need to charge the batteries of portable electronic instruments (PEI&#39;s), such as cell phones, pagers, PDA&#39;s, MP3 players, computers, Blue Tooth ear pieces or other accessories is well known. Generally, each PEI comes with a transformer for transforming line voltage, generally 110 volts, 60 HZ in the U.S., to battery charging power, generally 2.5 to 10 volts DC. The transformer generally plugs into a standard wall outlet for the line power, and a thin electric cord, generally three feet to four feet in length extends to a proprietary plug for each manufacturer of PEI. The cord ends up being unsightly laid or looped on a counter or the floor.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The invention provides a means for cleaning up the cords by providing an apparatus for coiling the cord and temporarily storing the PEI while it is being charged. The apparatus may or may not have a cover. Preferably the cover may be transparent or translucent, so that it provides a pleasing appearance, especially from a distance, but the owner of the PEI can verify that his PEI is in the charger and being charged. The visual check also acts as a reminder to take his PEI if he is leaving the area in which the PEI is being charged.  
         [0005]     The invention provides a charging station for a portable electronic device or instrument having a charging cord comprising a substantially planar base having a top and a bottom and a pair of sides and means for mounting the base on a wall, a pocket mounted on the base, the pocket having a front wall and opposed side walls, a pair of spaced apart hooks adjacent the pocket, and a cover, the cover being made of translucent or transparent material and hinged adjacent the top or bottom or one side of the base and openable to allow access to the pocket.  
         [0006]     The charging station may also provide an aperture in the base, the aperture adapted to allow the charging cord to pass there through. The charging cord may also pass between a slot located in either the base or the cover or both adjacent the base or cover.  
         [0007]     One of the pair of hooks may have a stem projecting from the base and having a longitudinal axis and an arm extending at a right angle to the stem with the stem rotatable about the longitudinal access. The charging station may further comprise a third hook with the third hook adapted to hold keys. The charging station may also further comprise clips extending from the sidewalls of the pocket. The base has apertures located to accept the clips for detachably mounting the pocket on the base.  
         [0008]     In one aspect of the invention, the cover may be opaque and the station may include an indicator light that signals the presence of a PEI in the station to be charged.  
         [0009]     In another aspect, the invention provides a charging station for a portable electronic device having a charging cord comprising a substantially planar base having a top, a bottom and a pair of side edges, at least one first major aperture and a second minor aperture, the apertures located and adapted to mount the base over an electrical outlet on a wall, a pair of spaced apart hooks mounted on the base, and a pocket also mounted on the base with the pocket having a front wall and opposed side walls and adapted to hold a portable electronic instrument. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention mounted on a wall beside an electrical outlet.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a side view of one embodiment of the invention showing the cover partially open in faint line.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the base portion of the charging station shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
       [0017]     The invention, together with further aspects, objects, features and advantages thereof will be more clearly understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which the elements bear the same reference numerals throughout the various views.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     Referring generally to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in one embodiment the charging station  10  for Personal Electronic Instruments (PEI&#39;s)  12  is generally shown vertically oriented and mounted on a wall  15  beside a standard 110 Volt electric outlet  14 . The electric outlet  14  provides 110 Volt AC current at 60 HZ to a transformer  16  that is plugged into the outlet. The transformer transforms the electrical current from 120 Volts AC to 2.5 to 10 Volts DC to charge the battery (not shown) inside the PEI  12 . The DC current travels through the cord  18  that extends from the transformer to a generally proprietary plug that plugs into a bottom or side of the PEI  12 .  
         [0019]     Transformers  16  have generally been provided with three to four feet of cord  17  in order to allow for their universal use in conjunction with the wall outlets  14 . They are mounted near a floor or by a counter so that the associated a PEI can be laid on the counter or a table nearby for charging, generally, for at least an hour or so. The length of this cord has created an unsightly condition when the transformer is plugged into an outlet that is only a few inches above a countertop and the PEI has been laid on the countertop to be charged. The cord  17  generally snakes around the countertop or becomes tangled with other items laid on the countertop. Accordingly, there is a need for the organization of the cord  17  and a temporary storage location for the PEI  12  while it is being charged. The invention provides a unique apparatus for this purpose.  
         [0020]     The charging station  10  comprises a base  18  constructed preferably of plastic material, such as polypropylene or polystyrene that, in the embodiment shown, has a top edge  20 , a bottom edge  22  and a pair of side edges  24  and  26 . The base can be mounted on the wall  15  by conventional means, such as screws extending through apertures or adhesive or double-sided sticky tape, or hook and loop type fasteners one associated with the wall and one associated with the back side of the base. Alternatively, the base can be set on the countertop and merely leaned up against the wall so that it is merely associated with the wall and not mounted thereto.  
         [0021]     Appended on the front side  30  of the base  18  is a pair of hooks  32  and  34 . In the embodiment shown, the lower hook has a fixed stem  36  and a fixed wing  38  extending substantially at a right angle to the stem  36 . Beneath the wing  38  is a window  40  to provide for easier molding of the fixed hook  34 .  
         [0022]     The top hook, in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , has a stem  42  that allows for the rotation of the wing  44 . Either the stem itself can rotate about the base  18  or the wing  44  can rotate about the stem  42 . In either event, the wing can rotate from the storage position shown in  FIG. 1  wherein the wing  44  extends away from the opposed hook  34  to a release position in which the wing  44  extends toward the fixed hook  34 . In the storage position, the cord  17  can be easily wound up on the hooks and stored. In the release position, the cord  17  can be easily removed from the pair of hooks if the cord  17  and transformer  16  need to be moved to another location.  
         [0023]     Adjacent the pair of hooks is a PEI pocket  46 . In the embodiment shown the pocket comprises a lower portion  48  having a front wall  50  and a pair of sidewalls  52  and  54 . The pocket  46  also comprises an upper portion  56  also having a front wall  58  and a pair of sidewalls  60  and  62 .  
         [0024]     The pocket is adapted to hold the PEI, in this case, a cell phone. The cord  17  is plugged into the bottom of the cell phone while it is at least partially removed from the pocket and the cell phone is lowered into the pocket with the cord attached, or it can be plugged in after the phone is inserted into the pocket. Accordingly, the pocket has a bottom wall, not shown, that only extends partly across the sidewalls so the cord can extend through a portion of the bottom. The pocket  46  may have alternative slots or openings to allow for easy access to the plug at the end of the cord for attachment and detachment to the PEI  12 . In other embodiments, the pocket may have a holder for the proprietary plug that renders the plug oriented in such a way that the cord is connected to the PEI  12  automatically when placing the PEI into the pocket  46 .  
         [0025]     The charging station  10  also comprises a cover  64 . The cover has a handle  66  that allows the user to open the cover by rotating the cover about the hinge  68 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the hinge is located adjacent the bottom edge  22  of the base  18 . In operation, the user can rotate the cover  64  downward, the cord  17  can be attached to the PEI and the PEI can be slid into the pocket for charging. The cover is then rotated upward into the positions shown in  FIG. 1  to create a pleasing appearance to the PEI user. The cover can be made of transparent or translucent material such as polystyrene so that the user of the PEI is aware that the PEI is in the station being charged. This acts as a visual reminder to the user to take the PEI with him when he leaves the area. The cover  64  can be made at least partially of a material that accepts dry marker for making notes by the user. Alternatively, it can have a clip or detent for holding a note pad or set of Post-It® notes.  
         [0026]     In one embodiment, the charging station  10  also comprises an indicator light that signals the presence of a PEI in the station  10  to be charged. The light may be placed on the base  18 , the pocket  46  or on the cover  64  and may be actuated by, for example, a switch activated by the placement of the PEI in the pocket  46 , a switch signaling the cover  64  is fully closed or a switch sensing current in the cord  17 .  
         [0027]     In one preferred embodiment, the station also comprises a third hook for holding other personal items such as the user&#39;s keys. Often times, keys and a PEI are kept together. By creating a charging station  10  that also provides for a temporary storage of keys, the two items can be closely associated and either one or the other is not left behind when the user leaves the area. The third hook  70  may be located in any of numerous locations. As seen in  FIG. 3 , the third hook  70  can be molded into the front wall  80  of the pocket  46 . Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the third hook  70  can be molded into the base in a manner similar to a stationary cord hook  34 . Or, as seen in  FIG. 6 , the third hook  70  can be molded into the cover  64  especially the stationary central portion of the cover.  
         [0028]      FIG. 3  shows a second embodiment of the charging station  10 . In this embodiment, the base is elongated to also act as a cover for the electrical outlet  14 . In this embodiment, there is no need for an aperture in the base  18  to allow the cord to go from the outlet  14  to the interior of the charging station, since the base of the charging station also acts as the cover for the outlet. The base has a pair of major apertures  72  and  74 , only one of which is shown since the transformer  16  hides the second aperture. The base  18  also includes a minor aperture  76  that accepts a screw for holding the base  18  to the electrical outlet  14  and accordingly, the wall  15  (not shown in this view). In this embodiment, both hooks  36  and  42  are provided with means to allow the wings  34  and  44  to rotate about a longitudinal access extended through the respective stems  36  and  42 . It is to be understood that either one or both of the hooks  34  and  42  could be stationary as shown in bottom hook of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0029]     In any event, the electric cord  17  is wrapped around the hooks in a manner similar to that described above and then allowed to pass through a bottom portion of the pocket  46 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3  the pocket has a single front wall  80  and single piece sidewalls  82  and  84 . Each of the sidewalls also comprises a pair of clips  86  and  88 . Only the clips on the right side wall  82  are shown in  FIG. 3 . Each of the clips  86  and  88  and the complimentary clips on the left sidewall are associated with apertures  90  and  92  in the base  18  as better shown in  FIG. 4 . In operation, the sidewalls  82  and  84  of the pocket  80  can be squeezed slightly so that the clips can move in the apertures and the pocket can be removed from the base. In this way, pockets  46  can be adapted for specific sizes of PEI, for example the Palm Pilot® shown in  FIG. 3 , can be easily substituted depending on the type of PEI that is owned by the user.  
         [0030]      FIG. 4  shows a third embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the base acts as a cover for the electrical outlet similar to that shown in  FIG. 3 . Specifically, the base has a pair of major apertures  72  and  74  (not shown, hidden by the transformer  16 ) and a minor aperture  76  again for receiving a screw for holding the base  18  onto the electrical outlet and accordingly the wall. The mounting can be supplemented with a hook and loop fastener such as Velcro®.  
         [0031]     In the  FIG. 4  embodiment however, there is a pair of hooks and a pair of pockets for charging two PEI&#39;s simultaneously. The pockets are also shown having clips  86  and  88  and associated apertures  90  and  92  for mounting the respective pockets on the base. As can be appreciated, the pockets may be different and associated with specific sizes of PEI&#39;s.  
         [0032]     As seen in  FIG. 5 , the base  18  may have a varying cross section in thickness. The portion near the center for mounting on the electrical outlet  14  may be thin so that the transformers can mount properly onto the outlet. The outer sides may be thicker so that they can be more structurally rigid for mounting the hooks and pockets. In addition, an additional mounting aperture  94  may be provided on at least one or most preferably both sides of the base  18 . In a preferred embodiment, the mounting aperture is hidden by the removable pocket  46  and extends through the base at a location behind the pocket front wall  80 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 6  shows another embodiment of the charging station  10 . As in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , this embodiment also provides for charging two PEI&#39;s simultaneously. Furthermore, this embodiment also discloses a cover  64  comprising three parts. On the outer left hand side and outer right side, the cover is allowed to swing open about hinges  68  that are located adjacent the left hand side  26  of the base and the right hand side  24  of the base respectively. These cover portions are preferably translucent or transparent so that the operator is aware of whether the PEI is being charged or not. The center portion of the cover is more permanently affixed to the base. For example, this cover could have clips and apertures similar to the clips and apertures described earlier for holding the pockets onto the base. The center portion of the cover is generally made of more an opaque plastic material so that the transformer and electrical outlet  14  is not visible to the operator. The center portion should also be vented or louvered in order to dissipate heat generated by the transformer.  16 .  
         [0034]     The embodiment shown in  FIG. 7  is similar to the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6  in that it provides for charging a pair of PEI&#39;s simultaneously. It also provides for a cover that has two portions, an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion is generally opaque and covers the electrical outlets and transformers. The upper portion of the cover can be hinged  68  adjacent the upper edge  20  of the base  18  and is generally translucent or transparent so the user can see whether his PEI is being charged.  
         [0035]     In all of the embodiments the third hook  70  may preferably be associated with the charger. As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4  and  6 , the third hook can be located on the pocket  46  or adjacent the wall  18  or on a cover  64 . The third hook  70  can also extend outwardly from the wing of one of the hooks so the keys can be hung immediately adjacent to the electric cord. The third hook  70  can be covered by the cover  64  or be outside the cover, as in  FIG. 6 , to act as a more forceful reminder of the need to remember the items to be stored on the hook  70 , such as a user&#39;s keys.  
         [0036]     Since other changes and modifications varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the examples chosen for purposes of illustration, and includes all changes and modifications which do not constitute a departure from the true spirit and scope of this invention as claimed in the following claims and equivalents thereto.