Yesterday Patently Apple posted a report titled "A Rumor Report from Mark Gurman claims that Apple is continuing to work on a Wireless Charging Pad, Reverse Charging and more." Our report had pointed to a series of Apple patents supporting reverse charging. Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates to reverse charging, even though technically, the technology isn't referred to that in the patent.

Apple's patent covers a wireless power system that has a wireless power transmitting device (which may also be referred to in some instances as an inductive power transmitter) that transmits power wirelessly to a wireless power receiving device (which may also be referred to in some instances as an inductive power receiver).

The wireless power transmitting device is a device such as a wireless charging mat, wireless charging puck, wireless charging stand, wireless charging table, or other wireless power transmitting equipment.  

The wireless power transmitting device may also be a stand-alone device or built into other electronic devices such as a laptop or tablet computer, cellular telephone or another electronic device.

The wireless power transmitting device has one or more coils that are used in transmitting wireless power to one or more wireless power receiving coils in the wireless power receiving device. The wireless power receiving device is a device such as a cellular telephone, watch, media player, tablet computer, pair of earbuds, remote control, laptop computer, electronic pencil or stylus, other portable electronic device, or other wireless power receiving equipment.

During operation, the wireless power transmitting device supplies alternating-current signals to one or more wireless power transmitting coils. This causes the coils to generate an alternating magnetic field and to transmit alternating-current electromagnetic signals (sometimes referred to as wireless power signals) to one or more corresponding coils in the wireless power receiving device. Rectifier circuitry in the wireless power receiving device converts received wireless power signals into direct-current (DC) power for powering the wireless power receiving device.

Wireless power transmitting and receiving devices can be designed to cooperate specifically with each other. For example, the size, shape, number, dimensions and configuration of coils of one or both of the devices may be selected based on the other device. Magnetic elements may also be included in the transmitting and/or receiving device, and the size, shape, number, dimensions and configuration of the magnetic elements may be selected based on the other device.

An illustrative wireless power system is illustrated in Apple's patent FIG. 1 below. As shown, a wireless power system 8 includes a wireless power transmitting device (which may also be referred to in some instances as an inductive power transmitter) #12 and one or more wireless power receiving devices such as wireless power receiving device (which may also be referred to in some instances as an inductive power receiver) #10.

Device #12 may be a stand-alone device such as a wireless charging mat, may be built into furniture, laptop or tablet computers, cellular telephones or other electronic devices, or may be other wireless charging equipment like a MacBook.

To clarify, Apple states that device #10 is a portable electronic device such as a wristwatch, a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, an electronic pencil or stylus, or other electronic equipment. Illustrative configurations in which device 12 is a tablet computer or similar electronic device and in which device 10 is an electronic accessory that couples with the tablet computer or similar electronic device during wireless power transfer operations.

For example, in one embodiment electronic device #10 is a tablet computer and electronic device #12 is a stylus configured to attach to electronic device (tablet) #10 and be wirelessly (e.g., inductively) charged by electronic device (tablet) #10.

Illustrative configurations in which device #12 is a mat or other equipment that forms a wireless charging surface and in which device #10 is a portable electronic device or electronic accessory that rests on the wireless charging surface during wireless power transfer operations.

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Apple's patent FIG. 2 below illustrates a block circuit diagram of an example inductive power transfer system #100 including an inductive power transmitter #102 and inductive power receiver #104.

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For more details, review Apple's granted patent 11,190,050.