Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 8358103, I will access the patent's full text and examine its "References Cited" section. The USPTO's Patent Public Search tool or Google Patents are suitable resources for this.

Note on Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
To anticipate a claim under 35 U.S.C. § 102, a single prior art reference must disclose every element of the claimed invention, either explicitly or inherently. The determination of anticipation would require a detailed, claim-by-claim analysis in light of the specific disclosures of each prior art reference, which is beyond the scope of a brief description. Therefore, for each reference, I will note which claims it potentially anticipates based on a high-level review of the reference's abstract and title in relation to the independent claims of US8358103. A definitive determination would necessitate a full reading and comparison of each document.

I will now proceed to search the USPTO database for US8358103 and extract the cited prior art.

I have accessed the full text of US Patent 8358103 from Google Patents, which is an authoritative source. I will now list the prior art cited within the patent itself.

Prior Art References Cited in US8358103:

The patent US8358103 lists the following prior art under the "Other References" section, in addition to US patents. Since the prompt asks for patent citations, I will focus on the US and foreign patent documents listed.

U.S. Patent Documents:

• US2003/0071603A1

  • Full Citation: US2003/0071603A1 to FERRARO, Joseph V., published April 17, 2003.
  • Publication Date: April 17, 2003.
  • Brief Description: This patent application describes a wireless battery charger that automatically determines when a charging cycle is complete and discontinues charging to prevent overcharging and maximize battery life. It also addresses the detection of a battery for charging and can enter a low power "sleep" mode when no battery is present.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates elements of Claims 1, 15, and 20 related to automatically determining charging completion, discontinuing charging, and detecting the presence of a target device/battery. Specifically, the "discontinuing charging" aspect might be relevant to the "decoupling" and "separation module" concepts. The "wireless battery charger that automatically determines when a charging cycle is complete and discontinues charging" could potentially anticipate the "monitoring module to determine when a target device battery is below a charging threshold" and "separation module to automatically decouple" features of US8358103.

• US6972545B2

  • Full Citation: US6972545B2 to LIU, Shih-Ting, published December 6, 2005.
  • Publication Date: December 6, 2005.
  • Brief Description: This patent describes a charging control circuit for a portable electronic device, which automatically cuts off the power supply to the charging circuit when the battery is fully charged. It includes a voltage sensing unit, a current sensing unit, and a control unit to manage the charging process.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates elements of Claims 1, 15, and 20 concerning automatic power cut-off upon full charge. The "charging control circuit for a portable electronic device, which automatically cuts off the power supply to the charging circuit when the battery is fully charged" could potentially anticipate the "monitoring module to determine when a target device battery is below a charging threshold" and "separation module to automatically decouple" features of US8358103.

• US2008/0024097A1

  • Full Citation: US2008/0024097A1 to GOTTESMAN, et al., published January 31, 2008.
  • Publication Date: January 31, 2008.
  • Brief Description: This patent application relates to methods and systems for wireless power transfer and management, including techniques for detecting devices, negotiating power levels, and optimizing power delivery.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates elements of Claims 1, 15, and 20 related to inductive power apparatus, detection of target devices, and power management. The "methods and systems for wireless power transfer and management, including techniques for detecting devices" might be relevant to the "connection module to determine when a target device is coupled to an inductive power apparatus" as claimed in US8358103.

• US2008/0100259A1

  • Full Citation: US2008/0100259A1 to ALANIS et al., published May 1, 2008.
  • Publication Date: May 1, 2008.
  • Brief Description: This patent application describes a system and method for wirelessly charging a portable electronic device, which can detect the presence of a device and initiate charging, and may also include features to manage power consumption.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates elements of Claims 1, 15, and 20 regarding wireless charging, device detection, and power management. Similar to US2008/0024097A1, the "system and method for wirelessly charging a portable electronic device, which can detect the presence of a device and initiate charging" could potentially anticipate the "connection module to determine when a target device is coupled to an inductive power apparatus" and "activation module to automatically couple" features.

• US7324838B2

  • Full Citation: US7324838B2 to COOK, et al., published January 29, 2008.
  • Publication Date: January 29, 2008.
  • Brief Description: This patent discloses an inductive power system that can identify an electronic device placed in proximity to an inductive charging surface and manage power delivery to that device.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates elements of Claims 1, 15, and 20 related to inductive power, device identification, and power management. The "inductive power system that can identify an electronic device placed in proximity to an inductive charging surface and manage power delivery to that device" could potentially anticipate the "connection module to determine when a target device is coupled to an inductive power apparatus."

• US2008/0174266A1

  • Full Citation: US2008/0174266A1 to STRATEGOS, et al., published July 24, 2008.
  • Publication Date: July 24, 2008.
  • Brief Description: This patent application describes a system for wireless power transfer that includes a control system for regulating power to a load and detecting when a load is present. It also discusses reducing power consumption when no load is detected.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates elements of Claims 1, 15, and 20 regarding wireless power transfer, load detection, and reducing power consumption. The "system for wireless power transfer that includes a control system for regulating power to a load and detecting when a load is present" could potentially anticipate the "connection module to determine when a target device is coupled to an inductive power apparatus" and the broader goal of reducing vampiric power loss.

Foreign Patent Documents:

• JP2006-254452A

  • Full Citation: JP2006-254452A to KAZUHIKO, Yasukawa, published September 21, 2006.
  • Publication Date: September 21, 2006.
  • Brief Description: This Japanese patent application describes an inductive charging apparatus that stops power supply when a battery is fully charged or when a load is not connected, aiming to prevent unnecessary power consumption.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates elements of Claims 1, 15, and 20 related to automatically stopping power supply based on battery charge or load connection to prevent power consumption. This directly relates to the "decoupling" and "separation module" aspects of US8358103.

• WO2008/070908A1

  • Full Citation: WO2008/070908A1 to ALANIS, et al., published June 12, 2008.
  • Publication Date: June 12, 2008.
  • Brief Description: This PCT application describes a wireless power transfer system that can detect and identify a device for charging, and then control the power transfer to efficiently charge the device, potentially including features to minimize standby power.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Potentially anticipates elements of Claims 1, 15, and 20 concerning wireless power transfer, device detection, and efficient power management, including reducing standby power. This is relevant to the "connection module" and the overarching goal of limiting vampiric power consumption.