Patent Publication Number: US-2015077049-A1

Title: Key charging cabinet

Description:
PRIORITY/CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/867,882, filed Aug. 20, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts generally relate to a system for wirelessly charging key fobs and more particularly inductively charging key fobs and GPS enabled tracking systems. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic key fobs have become increasingly prevalent in modern society. Most modern cars use key fobs in order to perform various functions from a remote distance. These functions include operating door locks, rolling up or down windows, operating the sunroof as well as starting the vehicle. The key fobs run on a battery system. This results in a system that is only functional as long as the battery has power. 
     As additional features are added to the key fob&#39;s capabilities the drain on the battery increases. This increased battery drain could result in key fobs operating at shorter and shorter distances until finally the key fob is inoperable. An inoperable key fob can result in significant inconvenience if the user is unable to enter the vehicle as well as significant danger if the outside conditions present a hostile environment such as in extreme cold conditions. 
     To further complicate this situation, the key fob must be able to fit into a pocket or a purse. Many people place the key fob on their key chain and then into their pocket or purse. The small size requirement results in a smaller battery as well as an inability to place significant charging capabilities, such as cable port. It would be advantageous to create a key fob and system that retains the small size while allowing a user to recharge the key fob in order to prevent the battery becoming nonfunctional. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Disclosed is a device for wirelessly charging a key fob. The device is in the shape of a cabinet preferably having sides and a door in order to conceal the contents. The cabinet features supports for the placement of key fobs. Each support is coupled with an inductive charging unit so that when a key fob is placed on the supports, the inductive charging unit will charge a key fob that is manufactured to facilitate inductive charging. The supports can be of many designs such as hooks, platforms, holsters, cradles or hook and loop fasteners. Additionally, there is a power supply connected to the cabinet. The power supply provides power to each inductive charging unit so that any key fob placed correctly on a support will automatically be charged. The inductive charging units can be attached to the back panel of the charging cabinet in which case, one option would be a hook also attached to the back panel. The inductive charging unit should be placed at an optimal depth within the back panel as well as optimally placed on the back panel in relation to the support in order to allow maximum charging. If the supports are made to be a platform, the inductive charging units can be placed under the surface of the platform. This would allow for a user to simply place the key fob on the support and charging will commence. This can be done with individual charging units in individual platforms or with individual charging units within one platform or one charging unit within a large platform capable of charging multiple key fobs simultaneously. 
     Also disclosed is a system for charging and tracking key fobs. The system involves the use of multiple key fobs with each key fob having a separate battery, vehicle control functions, and a GPS tracking device that is all powered by the battery. Alternatively, the GPS tracking device can be a separate unit, with an individual battery, from the vehicle control fob. The system further includes a storage rack, such as a cabinet, that is configured for charging of multiple key fobs. This cabinet is similar to the one described above where there are multiple supports for the key fobs. Additionally, there are one or more inductive charging units included in the cabinet that charge the key fobs when the key fobs are correctly placed on the supports. A power supply is included for delivering power to the inductive charging units. This system further has GPS tracking capabilities within each key fob. This capability allows a user to track the whereabouts of the key fob in order to determine its location which could be within the cabinet, with a user or misplaced elsewhere. As described above, the supports can be of various types such as hook and loop fasteners, individual platforms, hooks, holsters, cradles or other systems for supporting the key fobs. Further, the inductive charging units can be imbedded within the platforms or within the back panel or side panel of the cabinet depending on the support system chosen. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view of a charging cabinet in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concepts. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of a key fob support in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concepts. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of a key fob placed in a support in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concepts. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of a key fob charging rack in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concepts. 
         FIG. 5  is a view of a key fob in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concepts. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     While the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the inventive concept(s) to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept(s) as defined in the claims. 
     Shown in  FIG. 1  is device  10  for wirelessly charging multiple key fobs. The device  10  is created by use of rack  42 , shown as cabinet  12 . Cabinet  12  can feature doors or other mechanisms to conceal the interior but these features are not necessary for the disclosed concepts. Cabinet  12  features multiple supports  16  for supporting the key fobs  14  during charging. These supports  16  can be of various designs. Shown in  FIG. 1  are platforms  30  and hooks  28  which are used as supports  16 . Hooks  28  can be used when the key fob  14  has a ring, or other hanging support, attached in order to support the key fob  14 . Platforms  30  are useful when the key fob  14  needs to be supported without the use a hanger so that the key fob  14  can rest on the platform  30 . 
     Each support  16  is coupled an inductive charging units  18 . Each inductive charging unit  18  is placed to optimize the charging of the key fob  14  when the key fob  14  is placed on the associated support  16 . When supports  16  are hooks  28 , the inductive charging unit  18  can be placed in the back panel  20  of cabinet  12 . When placing the inductive charging unit  18  in the back panel  20  of cabinet  12  the inductive charging unit  18  is placed at an optimal height relative to the support  16  as well as an optimal depth in relation to support  16  and back panel  20  so that the key fob  14  sits at the most efficient and effective position relative to inductive charging unit  18 . 
     In the alternative embodiment where support  16  are platforms  30 , the inductive charging units  18  can be placed into the support  16 . In this embodiment, the key fob  14  is placed directly on top of the support  16  with the inductive charging unit  18  placed at an optimal depth within the support  16 . In one embodiment, multiple inductive charging units  18  are placed within each platform that is being used for support  16 . The embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  shows a potential for three key fobs  14  being placed on each platform. As one alternative to this system, one long inductive charging unit  18  can be placed to run the entirety of the support  16  wherein the support  16  is a platform  30 . The key fobs  14  can be placed anywhere along the platform  30  as long as they are oriented correctly with the inductive charging unit  18 . A similar system can be used for the hooks, wherein a single inductive charging unit  18  runs vertically or horizontally in order to charge each key fob  14  that is placed on a hook  28 . 
     Also shown in  FIG. 1  are two separate key fobs  14 . One key fob  14  is supported by hook  28  and the other by platform  30 . Each of these key fobs  14  is placed adjacent to an inductive charging unit  18  to allow the key fob  14  to charge while being stored in the cabinet  12 . This allows the key fob battery to be at full charge when it is removed from the cabinet  12 , preventing the user from having an unusable key fob  14  that can result in potentially dangerous situations where a user cannot enter the vehicle during adverse weather. In order for the inductive charging units  18  to wirelessly charge the key fobs  14 , power supply  26  is attached. Power supply  26  can be of various styles with  FIG. 1  showing an a/c power supply such as what would plug into a standard home power outlet. Other power supplies are foreseeable, such as solar power or batteries. The power supply  26  is attached to each inductive charging unit  18  in order to supply power. If large numbers of inductive charging units  18  are utilized, a higher wattage power supply  26  can be used, or multiple power supplies  26  can be used. 
       FIG. 2  shows another possible design of support  16 . Shown in  FIG. 3  is the use of cradle  36  to charge a GPS tracking device  44 . The cradle  36  can be used to charge the GPS tracking device  44  as well as the key fob  14 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , cradle  36  is preferably designed to hold a single key fob  14 . The cradle  36  holds the key fob  14  at an optimized location relative to an inductive charging unit  18 .  FIG. 5  shows an embodiment where the rack  42  is configured to be a series of panels  38  with cradles  36  attached. The panels  38  can be single or double sided. In the double sided configuration a single inductive charging unit can be used to charge key fobs stored on both sides. The panels are supported by base  40  that is large enough to provide support and balance to the panels. In certain embodiments the base  40  can have internal storage. Attached to base  40  is power supply  26 . Power supply  26  is further attached to the inductive charging units  18 . The panels  38  can be supported in multiple additional ways including being attached to a wall or sliding rack systems. 
     Also disclosed is a system for charging and tracking key fobs. The charging system is identical to the system described above but the key fobs  14 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , have an additional feature of a GPS tracking device  44  that is also powered by the battery. The GPS tracking device  44  can be included in the key fob  14 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , or operated as a separate unit, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The key fob  14  shown has multiple buttons  34  for performing tasks. While specific functions are shown, other functions could be included such as opening of a trunk or a gas cap cover. This GPS transmitter supplies a signal  32  in order to be located by a user at another location. The GPS transmitter will send a signal  32  so that a user can identify if the key fob  14  is in the cabinet, if it is being moved or if it is located within the building but not in the cabinet. This system would be advantageous in locations where multiple key fobs  14  are being used such as in a vehicle rental facility or a construction company where multiple vehicles are used or other similar operations. The GPS locator allows a user who needs a specific vehicle to quickly locate the key fob  14  and therefore the keys to the vehicle rather than wasting valuable time searching for the key fob in order to continue working. 
     While certain exemplary embodiments are shown in the figures and described in this disclosure, it is to be distinctly understood that the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims.