WIRELESS VISUAL NOTIFICATION CAR CHARGER FOR MOBILE DEVICE

摘要

Disclosed herein is a car charger comprising a visual notification device capable of wirelessly connecting to a mobile device to provide visual and/or audible notification to users of status changes on their mobile device, such as receipt of SMS, MMS, phone calls, voice mails, calendar appointments, and battery status in a location different from that of the mobile device. In operation a user can plug the device into an automobile charging port so that the device is in a location different than the user's mobile device The user can visually and/or audibly notified of status changes by simply glancing at the device. The notifications can be user customizable through a user application on the mobile device. Additional user interfaces can be incorporated into the device to provide a set of remote controls for various operation of the mobile device. The user therefore need not repeatedly and continuously open and close the mobile device to determine whether there has been a status change, which is not only time consuming, an unnecessary consumption of battery life, but can also be burdensome and a hazardous distraction.

主权项

1. A car charger for drawing power from a vehicle battery or electrical system including a wireless visual notification for receiving notifications from a mobile device, the car charger comprising:
a housing including a semi-transparent upper portion; an external Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection housed in the semi-transparent upper portion and configured to supply power to external devices; an assembled printed circuit board (PCBA) housed within said car charger that includes at least one notification ring LED positioned beneath the semi-transparent upper portion and encircling the USB connection and configured to direct light through the semi-transparent portion, a Bluetooth interface module capable of being wirelessly paired with the mobile device, and a microcontroller that controls the duration, intensity, and color of light that is emitted by the at least one LED; one or more electrical connectors housed within said housing configured to draw power from the car battery or electrical system to provide power to the at least one notification LED, the Bluetooth module, the microcontroller, and the USB connection; a depressible button connected to the PCBA that, when depressed, triggers various operations selected from a group consisting of: (a) activating the car charger to allow pairing with the mobile device, (b) cancel a visual or audible notification, (c) triggering a demo mode operation of the car charger to present a pre-set display of light colors at specified durations or patterns, and (d) turning on and off the power to the device; and wherein said microcontroller is configured to control the at least one notification LED based on notification signals wirelessly sent from the mobile device and received by the Bluetooth module.