Apple Patent Points To Scheduled, Long-Range Wireless Charging

An Apple patent published on Thursday shows the company is looking into long-range wireless charging, as well as schedules to charge separate devices.

The patent, simply called “Charging System,” was filed earlier this year with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The documents suggest Apple is interested in wireless charging from a distance, similar to the Energous WattUp system, which was recently granted approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

Apple’s patent includes technology in which a “power adapter may supply power using wired links and wireless links.” The patent also looks into scheduling devices to charge, which could allow users to prioritize which gadgets should get charged first and for how long. That means a user can set up to charge their iPhone first, then their iPad or another gadget.

The patent described the wireless charging technology as:

“A method of prioritizing wireless charging of batteries in electronic devices, comprising: with control circuitry in a power adapter having wireless power transmitter circuitry coupled to a plurality of wireless power transmitters and associated wireless charging coils, gathering information that includes battery charge state information for each of the batteries, device type for each of the electronic devices, and user device charging priority information for the electronic devices; and with the control circuitry, directing the wireless power transmitters and associated wireless charging coils to supply different amounts of power to each of the electronic devices based on the gathered information.”

The patent also details gathering information on usage to determine wireless charging routines:

“[...] gathering the information comprises gathering device usage history information and wherein directing the wireless power transmitters and associated wireless charging coils to supply different amounts of power to each of the electronic devices comprises directing the wireless power transmitters and associated wireless charging coils to supply different amounts of power to each of the electronic devices based at least partly on the device usage history information.”

The wireless charging patents come after Apple released its first iPhones with the technology this year. The iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus all support wireless charging with a separately-bought Qi charging pads.

The technology specified in the patent is an idea Apple is interested in, but it doesn’t mean the company will actually follow through. However, it has been previously reported that Apple has been working with Energous since 2014. Regulatory documents show Energous indicated “Apple compliance testing” when talking about its WattUp system. Recently granted Energous’ technology would allow devices to charge without physical contact with a charging pad, like it is seen on the iPhone X and iPhone 8. The The WattUp mid-field transmitter uses focused radio frequency to power up devices at a distance of up to three feet.