Battery charger for a portable radio

• US 4,214,197 A
• Filed: 12/26/1978
• Issued: 07/22/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Mann, Friedrich H., Sensabaugh, Paul F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hickey, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US05/973,646
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2-4, 325/16, 325/356, 325/361
• US Class Current: 320/110
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery charger for a portable radio having a battery pack forming a radio-battery unit and arranged to accommodate various combinations of both radio and battery lengths, the charger being provided with a recess for positioning a radio-battery unit in a selected axial position therein with a plurality of axially spaced sets of charging contacts disposed within the recess, each set being arranged for selective circuit making engagement with charging terminals on the battery pack in accordance with the length of the radio inserted with the charger recess.

Claims

1. A battery charger for portable radios of variable lengths having a battery pack and a plurality of charging terminals on the outer surface of said battery pack comprising, in combination, a housing having a central recess for slidably accommodating a portable radio, stop means on said housing engagable with a radio inserted in said recess for positioning said portable radio at a fixed axial position within said recess, a plurality of sets of charging contacts arranged in axially spaced relationship on the inner wall of said central recess for circuit making engagement with said charging terminals on said battery pack, one of said sets of charging contacts being arranged for circuit making engagement with the charging terminals on the battery pack of a portable radio of one selected length and another set of charging contacts being arranged for said circuit making engagement with the charging terminals on the battery pack on the radio of another selected length.

2. A battery charger in accordance with claim 1 including means disposed within said central recess for supporting said plurality of sets of charging contacts.

3. A battery charger in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means for supporting said plurality of sets of charging contacts comprise a sleeve for supporting each of said sets of charging contacts .

4. A battery charger in accordance with claim 2 or claim 3 wherein each of said sets of charging contacts include a plurality of contact elements disposed in laterally spaced relationship on said supporting means for circuit making engagement with one of said contact terminals on said battery pack.

5. A battery charger in accordance with claim 4 wherein each of said charging contacts include a spring contact having an inner end portion for said circuit making engagement with one of said contact terminals.

6. A battery charger in accordance with claim 4 wherein each of said sets of charging contacts includes an associated pair of laterally spaced contact elements for circuit making engagement with a correspondingly spaced pair of charging terminals on said battery pack and at least one contact element in laterally spaced relationship with said pair of contact elements for circuit making engagement with a contact terminal on said battery pack.

12. A battery charge in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 wherein each of said charging contacts include a spring contact having an inner end portion for said circuit making engagement with one of said contact terminals.

13. A battery charger in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 wherein each of said sets of charging contacts includes an associated pair of laterally spaced contact elements for circuit making engagement with a correspondingly spaced pair of charging terminals on said battery pack and at least one contact element in laterally spaced relationship with said pair of contact elements for circuit making engagement with a contact terminal on said battery pack.

14. A battery charger in accordance with claim 5 wherein each of said sets of charging contacts includes an associated pair of laterally spaced contact elements for circuit making engagement with a correspondingly spaced pair of charging terminals on said battery pack and at least one contact element is laterally spaced relationship with said pair of contact elements for circuit making engagement with a contact terminal on said battery pack.

7. A portable radio having a battery pack and a battery charger for said radio comprising in combination, a portable radio having a selected length, a battery pack of a selected length fixed to one end of said radio, detent means on the outer surface of said radio, a plurality of charging terminals on the outer surface of said battery pack, a housing having a central recess for slidably accommodating said radio, stop means on said housing for engagement with said detent means for locating said radio in a fixed axial position within said recess, a plurality of sets of charging contacts on the inner wall of said central recess for circuit making engagement with said charging terminals on said battery pack, one of said plurality of sets of charging contacts being arranged for circuit making engagement with the charging terminals on the battery pack of a portable radio of one selected length and another set of charging contacts being arranged for circuit making engagement with the battery pack charging terminals on the radio of another selected length.

8. A portable radio in accordance with claim 7 wherein said detent means comprise a projection on the outer surface of said radio.

9. A portable radio in accordance with claim 7 or claim 8 wherein said stop means comprises a projection on the inner wall of said central recess.

10. A portable radio in accordance with claim 7 or claim 8 including a strip of insulating material on the outer surface of said radio for engagement with one of said sets of charging contacts in the circuit making position of another set of charging contacts with said charging terminals.

11. A portable radio in accordance with claim 9 including a strip of insulating material on the outer surface of said radio for engagement with one of said sets of charging contacts in the circuit making position of another set of charging contacts with said charging terminals.