US Patent 8421407 Inductively coupled work surfaces

Inductively coupled work surfaces with integrated primary coils are provided. Power is inductively coupled from a work surface with an integrated primary coil to a handheld device containing a secondary coil. The inductively coupled work surface may be a home work surface, an ergonomic industrial work bench, a work surface installed in the interior of a vehicle, or a collapsible work surface accessible from the exterior of a vehicle. Primary coils integrated into a work surface may provide varying amounts of power. Devices containing secondary coils, such as laptop computers, PDAs, cell phones, and power tools, are charged when placed on the work surface where primary coils are integrated.