Nokia wants patent on self-regenerating phone batteries, piezoelectrics and much magic involved
In Nokia's own words, what we're looking at is a "piezoelectric kinetic energy harvester." Working along the same principles as kinetic wristwatches have done for a long time already, Nokia's idea is to capture the energy generated by the phone's movements and to refashion it into beautiful, clean-as-a-whistle electric power. By allowing the heavier internal components to move on rails within the phone as part of a "force-transferring assembly," the Espoo think tank has figured out a way to capitalize on all the small forces of acceleration and rotation that we subject our phones to on a daily basis. It would seem overly ambitious to expect this to replace the trusty old charger, but we give credit to Nokia for even thinking about it. Check out some schematics of how this would work after the break.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]


























@decalfx And solarpanels and a hand crank.
@Wehoo Not at all the comment i clicked reply on.
@Wehoo something weird goes on here
Adamantium Batteries. Bub.
@Teslanaut
What did you call me? Did you just call me "blob?"
@Smart People Play Tuba
-1 for quoting a sucky movie?
Now bub, seein' that those claws are adamantium, the strongest metal known,and can slice through vanadium steel like a hot knife through butter, buddy, you gotta ask yourself: do I feel lucky?...do ya, Punk"
@StewieGriffin too long to be funny :P
@StewieGriffin
A waste of typing, I'm afraid. For an example of this done properly, see Subtle's comment here:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/31/asus-prepping-high-end-eee-pc-s-series-for-september/
Nearly two years on and it still cracks me up. Gets my vote for 'best comment ever'.
@jgpuff guys....thats an actual quote from wolverine...do some research geez.
You see, Engadget? This is what happens when you post a graphic that distracts from the actual article: no one comments on the article (myself included). Don't say that comments need to be "on topic" and then bait us with pics of Wolverine, Ballmer's tongue, or a busty chick getting electric shocks with her leopard-print bra showing.
Just sayin'.
love,
SPPT
@StewieGriffin
You really want people to do research on a character that has appeared in God-knows-how-many mediums over the years for a quote as lackluster as that?
And all that so we can think you're funny and up-rank your comment which really has nothing to do with the article about kinetic charging and more to do with the fact that Wolverine is in the pic above?
Why?
Nokia should combine this tech with http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/09/nokia-hopes-to-one-up-touchstone-harness-wireless-power-for-am/ and voila! Goodbye wired chargers, hello independence!
@GeceBekcisi and this is what I'd call "magical and revolutionary"
@GeceBekcisi
Nice dig.
It's what I'd call about bloody time. How slow do these tech companies want to dribble out the obvious to us.
Here's an idea, harvest the waste energy from the air exhaled from the users mouth as they talk into the mic vent with nano windmills.
Or another. Draw energy from the users body heat as they touch the phone, or even a heat exchange between the ambient air and the device, or not just the movement but the friction against the device's skin as it rustles in our pockets. Of course the good ol' casing skin integrated solar and perhaps nano tubes that pick up the minute rushing of air as you move it to your ear. I could go on..
Use all of them to harvest energy, individually minimal but altogether...
Our tech is so lame.
@Cy Starkman
..and altogether minimal.
@Cy Starkman
So says the Guy still plugged into the Matrix...
@Cy Starkman USE MY FART
@Cy Starkman
Have you seen Karl Pilkington on the Ricky Gervais show?
Listen to how Gervais portrays his ideas.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-february-22-2010/ricky-gervais
How do you convert heat energy into electricity? The same way power plants do, right? Please look up how these work. Your "solutions" sound like million-dollar ideas.
I've got an idea, why don't doctors just cure cancer instead of treating it? That way, we wouldn't have to pay researchers so much money to image tumors.
PS, watch for a paper on novel tumor Imaging using near-infrared dyes. Here's a spoiler, Cy5.5 requires higher doses (higher toxicity) and is less tumor-specific than a soon-to-be patented dye.
Patent office doesn't except patent applications for perpetual motion machines.
Anymore..
@Extinction
Really because apple has 5.
@Extinction
"Patent office doesn't except patent applications for perpetual motion machines."
... without a working model.
"With the exception of cases involving perpetual motion, a model is not ordinarily required by the Office to demonstrate the operability of a device. If operability of a device is questioned, the applicant must establish it to the satisfaction of the examiner, but he or she may choose his or her own way of so doing."
They will issue a patent for perpetual motion machine if you include a working model with aplication. Its the only patent that still needs physical demontration.
@James
Hello sir I am a lawyer for Apple. We have actually patented having any knowledge of our patents. By having knowledge of our patents you have violated one of our patents.
@glamajamma
Really, I never knew such a patent exis-- oh crap, now I'm violating it! That patent is iNgenious!
This one is going to be really heavy. Prefer to recharge it the old way.
@gollu Why "really heavy"? Are you taking that awsome image a bit to literally? It will Actually not include admantium.
So this thing will recharge itself every time I visit fleshbot??
@spaz1 I see what you did there.
@Virus Cannon You watched him you pervert!
Note the non-vague intricacy of the patent diagram, and it's succinct no-nonsense wording of the patent.
@spaz1 maybe thats why they own the largest "essential" wireless (gsm) patent portfolio that all but one company licence?
@Munk
Of course, it was a dig at a certain company with a pending lawsuit which uses all the opposite terms to what I've stated above :)
The self winding Tissot watch my Grandfather gave me used this principle, as do some other brands if I am not mistaken, so perhaps Nokia can license or learn from the watch industry to save on re-inventing (some) of the wheel?
@Oflife
I'm pretty sure they already have the working prototypes by this stage, not just some pretty diagrams and a patent application. ;)
@spaz1 Like a certain other well known company? ;)
So Nokia is dropping this on the US now I think they are starting to play Apple at there on game. Since they already have this patented in Europe they have been developing this for 2 years
@TheOne and this will be seen within the next few months in phones in Europe. Hopefully in US models later.
Now, that is some real innovation and good hardcore engineering, not Apple broad and vague UI patents.
@Kunta Kinte
Your name is George.
Anyway, were it Apple it wouldn't happen cos it's free.
Watch out Nokia! Apple might beat you to the punch with a troll-patent and sue you afterwards!
@Bahumbug A troll-patent huh? Seems like you've allready got one.
Finally, something that will lend credibility to the argument that smacking/smashing/hitting a malfunctioning device actually helps it :D
Will be seen in an iPhone near you sooner than later. Because paying licenceses are a big bag of hurt.
@everyone saying watches had it for ages:
Those watches are self-winding mechanical watches. I'm not sure about the exact realization, but AFAIK they use small pendulums to wind up the spring which drives the mechanics inside as you swing your arms while walking.
Using piezoelectric crystals to do it is the new thing here.
(OK, I might be unaware about a similar system built into a watch, but watches usually apply solar panels on their faces to harvest power)
@Gerusz
We are talking about things like the Seiko kinetics:
http://www.seikowatches.com/technology/kinetic/
@ayle I see. The principle is the same (as for every piezoelectric device), however the mechanics an the aim of Nokia's version is different enough to be a separate patent. The exact difference lies in that the system above could convert energy wasted by the irregular shaking in your pocket, while the kinetic watch could use only the energy from swinging (as it uses an angular pendulum).
Where are all the trolls that complain that Nokia doesnt "innovate" anything? If the R&D arm of Nokia isnt impressive anyone and moving the industry forward with potential ground breakers such as these i dont know what is. Far more innovate and useful than "pinch & zoom" that Apple and HTC/Google are now fighting over.
@saladin
Agreed. and anyway pinch & zoom isnt all that great, go the tap to zoom. much nicer..
Now, this is what I call a revolutionary Idea. Now we wait and see is some company claims the credit if you know what I mean.
it'll be even cooler if someone invent a screen that mends scratches...