Patent ID: 7888907

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a load; a first power source capable of providing the electric power required by the load when at least partially charged; a second power source that is intermittently available, wherein the second power source is unable itself to provide the electric power required by the load, and wherein the second power source is selectively employed to charge the first power source; a capacitive element; and a power converter interposed between a pole of the load and the first and second power sources, imposing a limit on an amount of current permitted to flow through a portion of the power converter to thereby limit an amount of current permitted to flow through the load, causing the capacitive element to charge at a time where the load attempts to draw a relatively small amount of current, causing the capacitive element to discharge at a time where the load attempts to draw a relatively large amount of current such that the load is supplied with the relatively large amount of current as the capacitive element discharges, and changing the limit imposed by the power converter in response to receiving a signal indicating an availability of the second power source.