ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE AND CHARGER

• US 20080284374A1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energizer Brands, LLC (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Eveready Battery Company Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kotsis, Angelo, Gardner, Joseph P., Squires, Michael S., Rugendyke, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,164,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/115
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/085 Pocket lamps
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus includes a charger (104) and a portable appliance such as a flashlight (102). The flashlight includes first and second flashlight electrical contacts. The charger includes first (122a) and second (122b) flashlight supports or jaws that support the flashlight in a flashlight receiving region of the charger (104). The flashlight supports (122) include a tapered surface that varies a dimension of the battery receiving region as a function of a longitudinal position of the flashlight supports (122). The charger (104) also includes a light source (120) that indicates when the flashlight (102) has been correctly inserted in the charger (104).

Claims

1. A charger that charges a rechargeable energy source of a flashlight received in a flashlight receiving region of the charger, the charger comprising:

a charger body;

a first charger electrical contact that provides an electrical connection to a corresponding first flashlight electrical contact;

a first longitudinally extending flashlight support;

a second longitudinally extending flashlight support that is located opposite the flashlight receiving region from the first support and is mounted for pivotal motion relative to the charger body, wherein the second support defines a flashlight receiving region radial dimension that varies as a function of the longitudinal position along the second support.

2. The charger of claim 1 wherein the flashlight includes a generally cylindrical flashlight body and an enlarged flashlight head, the first flashlight electrical contact is located on the flashlight body, and the first and second flashlight supports support the flashlight body.

3. The charger of claim 1 wherein the flashlight includes a conical housing portion located between the flashlight body and an enlarged portion of the flashlight head, the charger includes a substantially planar, forward facing surface located behind and substantially adjacent the conical housing portion when the flashlight is received in the flashlight receiving region, the conical portion is angled away from a longitudinal axis of the flashlight at a first angle, the forward facing surface is angled away from a longitudinal axis of the flashlight receiving region at a second angle, and the first and second angles are equal, whereby the forward facing surface aids in the removal of the flashlight from the flashlight receiving region.

4. The charger of claim 1 wherein the first and second flashlight supports define a gap through which the flashlight is received and the radial dimension includes a dimension of the gap.

5. The charger of claim 1 wherein the first flashlight support is mounted for pivotal motion relative to the charger body and defines a flashlight receiving region radial dimension that varies as a function of the longitudinal position along the first flashlight support.

6. The charger of claim 1 wherein the second flashlight support includes a head end and a tail end, and the defined radial dimension includes a minimum located between the head and tail ends.

7. The charger of claim 6 wherein the second flashlight support is fabricated using a molding process and the minimum is located at a parting line of the molding process.

8. The charger of claim 7 wherein the charger includes a head end facing flashlight alignment recess and the minimum is located between a head end and a tail end of the alignment recess.

9. The charger of claim 6 wherein the charger includes a second charger electrical contact that is longitudinally displaced from the first electrical contact and makes an electrical connection with a corresponding second flashlight electrical contact, and wherein the minimum is located between the first and second electrical contacts.

10. The charger of claim 1 wherein the second support includes a flashlight receiving region facing portion and a head end, and wherein the flashlight receiving region facing portion includes a head end facing radial taper.

11. The charger of claim 10 wherein the second support includes a tail end, and wherein the flashlight receiving region facing portion includes a tail end facing taper.

12. The charger of claim 1 wherein the flashlight includes a body, the first and second flashlight supports support the flashlight body in the flashlight receiving region and include spaced apart, forward portions that form an opening through which the flashlight is received, and wherein the longitudinal dimensions of the forward portions are greater than or equal to about 25% of the longitudinal dimension of the flashlight body.

13. A apparatus that charges a rechargeable energy source of a flashlight received in a flashlight receiving region of the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a body;

a first jaw attached to the body for radial motion relative to the battery receiving region;

a second jaw attached to the body for radial motion relative to the battery receiving region, wherein the first and second jaws cooperate to support the flashlight in the flashlight receiving region and define a battery receiving region radial taper.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the taper includes a head end facing taper.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the taper includes a tail end facing taper.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the first and second jaws define a longitudinally extending gap through which the flashlight is inserted into the battery receiving region, and the radial taper includes a radial taper of the gap.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the first and second jaws include spaced apart, forward portions that form a flashlight receiving opening, and the longitudinal dimensions of the forward portions of the first and second jaws are greater than or equal to about 20% of the longitudinal dimension of the flashlight.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the charger includes a longitudinally extending flashlight alignment recess that engages a corresponding flashlight alignment member of the flashlight, the first and second jaws define a minimum battery receiving region radial dimension, and a longitudinal position of the minimum radial dimension coincides with a longitudinal position of the alignment recess.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the charger includes first and second longitudinally displaced electrical contacts that make an electrical connection with corresponding electrical contacts of the flashlight, the first and second jaws define a minimum flashlight receiving region radial dimension, and the longitudinal position of the minimum radial dimension is located longitudinally between the first and second charger electrical contacts.

20. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the first and second jaws are formed using a molding process and the taper corresponds to a draft of the molding process.

21. The apparatus of claim 13 including the flashlight.

22. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the flashlight includes a body and electrical contacts that extend circumferentially about the body.

23. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the first and second jaws are pivotally attached to the body.

24. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the taper includes a taper angle of between about 1 and 3 degrees.

25. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the flashlight can be removed from the flashlight receiving region by pulling the flashlight forward through the jaws, and the apparatus includes a generally forward facing, rearward angled surface located at a head end of the jaws that contacts an angled surface of the flashlight during the removal of the flashlight, thereby serving as a fulcrum that aids in the removal of the flashlight.

26. A charger that charges a rechargeable energy source of a flashlight received in a flashlight receiving region of the apparatus, the charger comprising:

a charger body;

a first longitudinally extending flashlight support attached to the body for motion relative to the battery receiving region;

a second longitudinally extending flashlight support located across the flashlight receiving region from the first flashlight support and attached to the body for motion relative to the battery receiving region, wherein the first and second flashlight supports cooperate to support the flashlight in the flashlight receiving region;

a diffuse light source that illuminates to indicate that a flashlight received in the flashlight receiving region is in electrical communication with the charger.

27. The charger of claim 26 wherein the diffuse light source illuminates substantially an entire first surface of the charger.

28. The charger of claim 27 wherein the first surface includes a head end surface.

29. The charger of claim 27 wherein the diffuse light source illuminates at least a portion of a second surface of the charger.

30. The charger of claim 26 wherein the diffuse light source comprises a source of light and a diffuser.

31. The charger of claim 30 wherein the diffuser includes an illuminated graphic.

32. The charger of claim 31 wherein the diffuser includes an optically opaque region that surrounds the graphic.

33. The charger of claim 26 wherein the diffuser is snappingly attached to the body.

34. The charger of claim 26 wherein the diffuse light source includes a dual color LED.

35. The charger of claim 26 comprising means for mounting a rear of the charger to a generally planar surface and wherein the diffuse light source illuminates the surface.

36. A method comprising:

receiving a flashlight including a head and a rechargeable energy source in a flashlight receiving region of a charger that includes first and second spaced apart flashlight supports that cooperate to support the flashlight in the flashlight receiving region;

sensing whether the flashlight is in electrical communication with the charger;

if the flashlight is in electrical communication with the charger, illuminating a diffuse light source of the charger.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein illuminating includes illuminating a head end surface of the charger.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the method includes illuminating a head end portion of a second surface of the charger.

39. The method of claim 36 wherein receiving the flashlight includes receiving the flashlight through a gap formed by the first and second battery supports, wherein the gap includes a head end and a tail end facing taper.

40. A method of manufacturing a charger that charges a rechargeable energy source of a flashlight received in a flashlight receiving region of the charger the method comprising:

selecting from at least first and second versions of a component of a diffuse light source, wherein the first version includes a first graphic visible to an end user of the charger during the charging of the energy source and the second version includes a second, different graphic visible to the end user during the charging of the energy source;

installing the selected component on the charger.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the component includes a diffuser and the graphic indicates a source or a model of the charger.