Patent Publication Number: US-2016233701-A1

Title: Multiple smartphones charging station

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to battery charging stations, and particularly to a multiple smartphones charging station for charging the batteries of multiple smartphones. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     People today can become dependent on their smartphones, which are becoming a relatively greater part of our everyday lives. Smartphones can allow a user to make calls, send and receive emails, and take pictures, among other abilities. Thus, a charged smartphone can be a necessity for many people. 
     As users go about their day, a charged smartphone can be difficult to maintain. To remedy concerns about having a charged phone, some users may take a charging cord with them at all times. Further, a single cord may only charge one type of device, and the user may have more than one device that needs a charge. However, this approach can be impractical for some users. Other users may take a charging case with them. This approach can also be impractical because of the relatively bulky size of the charging case. Further, the charging case itself may need charging at some point in the future. 
     Bars, restaurants, coffee shops, hair and nail salons, offices, are places people visit where they may need to have a charged phone. Further, the user may have multiple electronic devices that may need charging. 
     There is a need for a charging station that is scalable in size and that can charge multiple smartphones all at the same time. Thus, a multiple smartphones charging station addressing the aforementioned problems is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The multiple smartphones charging station includes a planar plate having a front face and a rear face. A mounting bracket is disposed on the upper portion of the rear face of the planar plate, and a charger compartment is disposed on the lower portion of the rear face. An electrical charging unit is seated within the compartment and includes charging cords extending from the compartment. A plurality of shelves extend from the front face of the planar plate. Each shelf includes a short offset bar extending substantially normal to the plate and an elongate ramp sloping upward from the offset bar. Apertures are defined in the planar plate so that the charging cords from the electrical charging unit can communicate with the smartphone on the shelf ramp. The apertures are arranged on opposing sides of each shelf. 
     These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a multiple smartphones charging station according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of a multiple smartphones charging station according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a multiple smartphones charging station according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The multiple smartphones charging station is an apparatus that supports multiple cellular telephones or smartphone while charging their batteries. The multiple smartphones charging station includes a planar plate having a front face and a rear face. A mounting bracket is disposed on the upper portion of the rear face of the planar plate, and a charger compartment is disposed on the lower portion of the rear face. An electrical charging unit is seated within the compartment and includes charging cords extending from the compartment. A plurality of shelves extend from the front face of the planar plate. Each shelf includes a short offset bar extending substantially normal to the plate and an elongate ramp sloping upward from the offset bar. Apertures are defined in the planar plate so that the charging cords from the electrical charging unit can communicate with the smartphone on the shelf ramp. The apertures are arranged on opposing sides of each shelf. 
     The multiple smartphones charging station is scalable in size and is capable of charging multiple smart phones all at the same time. It can be constructed from durable material, such as acrylic/plexiglas, with multiple shelves to hold various electronic devices. The multiple smartphones charging station includes holes to allow for charging cables to connect from an electrical charging unit that is plugged into an electrical wall outlet. The multiple smartphones charging station can be mounted on the wall or stand on a counter. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the multiple smartphones charging station  100  includes a planar plate  102  that has a front face and a rear face. An open top box-shaped compartment  104  is disposed on the lower portion of the rear face of the planar plate  102 . An electrical charging unit  106  is seated within the compartment  104 . The electrical charging unit  106  can be various power units, for example, a multi-port USB charger. Battery chargers with multiple USB ports for simultaneously charging lithium or nickel-cadmium (NICAD) battery packs are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, are commercially available, and need not be described further. The electrical charging unit  106  includes a power cord  108  that connects to an electrical power supply, such as an electrical wall outlet. 
     The electrical charging unit  106  may have multiple charging cords  110  connected to and extending from the electrical charging unit  106 . The multiple charging cords  110  can have various attachments  110   a  so that various smartphone devices  122  can be connected and charged by the charging cords  110 . The multiple charging cords  110  with the multiple attachments  110   a  allow for multiple smartphone devices  122  to be charged all at the same time. As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the attachments  110   a  can be a micro USB, a 5 pin connector, or any other common connector for available phones. Alternatively, the charging unit  106  may have the USB ports mounted directly in its housing, and the user may use his own USB cable threaded through the apertures defined in the planar plate and plugged into the USB ports in the charging unit  106 . 
     Additionally, a mounting bracket  112  is mounted on the upper portion of the rear face of the planar plate  102 . The mounting bracket permits the charging station  100  to be mounted on a wall or other vertical support, if desired. A plurality of shelves  116  extend from the front face of the planar plate  102 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , each shelf  116  has an elongate offset bar  117  extending substantially normal to the planar plate  102  and a ramp  118  that slopes upward away from the offset bar  117  to provide a panel or platform to support a smartphone  122  while the smartphone&#39;s battery is charging, The offset bar  117  spaces the ramp  118  from the plate  102 , and the ramp  118  tilts the side of the smartphone  122  so that the user can readily see the USB port in the side of the smartphone, making it quicker and easier to attach the USB charging cable to the smartphone. The shelves  116  are spaced apart vertically on the planar plate  102 . Multiple apertures  120  are defined in the planar plate  102 . The apertures allow for the charging cords to extend from the electrical charging unit  106  and to connect to the smartphone device  122  positioned with the rack  116 . The apertures can be circular or any other shape that allows for the charging cords  110  to pass through the planar plate  102 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the apertures  120  may include at least one aperture disposed above each shelf  116  and arranged laterally on opposite sides of each shelf  116 . 
     Additionally, the multiple smartphones charging station  100  can be mounted onto a wall or can be stood up against a counter top to allow for accessibility. Also, the multiple smartphones charging station  100  can be used to charge other electronic devices, such as tablets. Further, the multiple smartphones charging station  100  can be made in various shapes and sizes, as desired. For example, the planar plate  102  can have a curvilinear shape, a rectangular shape, or other geometric shapes. The planar plate  102  may, for example, have the profile of a beverage bottle or other ornamental design to match the decor of the establishment where the charging station  100  is to be used. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.