Patent ID: 8847546

Claim:
An inductive power supply system capable of charging a battery comprising: an inductive power supply including a primary circuit and a primary for wirelessly transferring power; a remote device separable from said inductive power supply, said remote device including a secondary for wirelessly receiving power from said inductive power supply and a secondary circuit that includes a battery characteristic detection system for detecting a characteristic of said battery indicative of said battery type, said characteristic of said battery including at least one of a battery voltage characteristic, a battery current characteristic, and a battery temperature characteristic; a memory located in said remote device, said memory including a plurality of battery charging algorithms; a controller adapted to communicate with said memory, said controller located in said remote device, wherein said controller is programmed to select a battery charging algorithm from said plurality of battery charging algorithms in said memory based at least in part on said detected battery characteristic indicative of said battery type; and a communication system for wireless communication between said remote device and said inductive power supply, said communication system including: a remote device communication system for wirelessly communicating with said inductive power supply including at least one of a signal resistor for communicating using said secondary and a wireless transmitter; and an inductive power supply communication system for wirelessly communicating with said remote device including at least one of a current sensor for communicating using said primary and a wireless receiver.