Patent · US Expired

Systems and methods for recycling of cell phones at the end of life

US7251458B2 · kind B2 · utility

60Cited by
7References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMay 23, 2003
Grant dateJul 31, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 13, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04M1/0287
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for transforming cell phones at end of life into new electronic devices, such as clocks, calculators, PDAs, remote controls, etc. Importantly, the systems and methods of the present invention salvage many of the features and electronics of the cell phone that are not associated with the placement and reception of telephone calls. The electronics of the cell phone are repackaged and/or configured to hide the telecommunications options associated with the phone, leaving intact or upgrading other features of the phone, such as clock, calculator, storage device, etc. In doing so, all or most of the components of the cell phone are successfully recycled over more conventional methods that scavenge the phones for precious metals and reusable components.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.