Charging battery inside Nikon D5100?

Is there a way to charge the battery of a Nikon D5100 while still inside the camera and or on? It seems there's no way I can do this even connected to my computer or laptop.

Definitely seems like a major flaw in the design seeing how I use a program on my laptop to do time-lapse and even just keeping a charge for the duration of some setups.

I've searched Google for what seems to be eons and haven't found a hint of ideas.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advanced.

Added (1). Is there a way to do this via USB versus AC power?

You can't charge the battery when it is in your camera, but you can power your camera via AC power.

You need the optional EH-5 AC adapter and EP-5A adapter. This will allow you to power your camera via AC power.

If you had a D90 and above, you could have just used the EH-5A AC adapter and charged the battery in your camera, but with the D5100, there's no AC power connector on the camera, so you have to replace the battery with the EP-5A adapter to connect your camera to the EH-5A.

It's on page 208 of your manual.

No.

Serious DSLR cameras require that you use an external charger for their removable batteries.

To tether your D5100 to AC power, you'll need to accessories. You'll need the EH-5a and EP-5A adaptors.
http://www.nikonusa.com/...ector.html
http://www.amazon.com/...B0058OGZIY