Arrangement consisting of a battery handle for electro-optical diagnostic instruments, of a charger and of a storage cell

• US 4,382,219 A
• Filed: 12/11/1980
• Issued: 05/03/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Propper Manufacturing Co. Inc.
• Original Assignee: Heine USA Limited (Heine)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Otto H., Heine, Helmut A., Spitschan, Hans J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hickey, R. J.
• Application Number:
  US06/215,558
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2, 320/3-5, 320/25, 429/7, 362/183
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/227 for ears, i.e. otoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1208 Multiple lens hand-held instruments
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/08 characterised by means for in situ recharging of the batteries or cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/597 Protection against reversal of polarity
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An improved battery handle system which provides for safe use of either a rechargeable storage cell or non-rechargeable batteries. This system comprises a battery handle adapted to hold the storage cell, having a positive pole adapted to interact with the charger to provide recharging of the storage cell as desired. The charger has a biased contact pin which makes electrical contact with the positive pole of a storage cell. However, if a battery handle with non-rechargeable batteries is inadvertently connected to the charger, the pin cannot extend sufficiently into the battery handle so as to contact the non-rechargeable batteries.

Claims

1. A system comprising the combination of a battery handle for electro-optical diagnostic instruments, said handle housing a storage cell, one end face of said handle being provided with an aperture, said handle having a casing at least a portion of the outside surface of which is electrically conductive, charger means for charging said storage cell, having a connecting pin, said charger means being connected to said battery handle in a charging position, whereby said pin projects into the aperture of the battery handle, and said storage cell having a positive pole which protrudes from an end face thereof and, when housed in said battery handle, projects into the aperture thereof, characterized in that

said handle casing has an end wall portion which defines said aperture, said connecting pin of the charging means is movable in the axial direction and is elastically pre-tensioned in the direction of said battery handle, and means limiting the movement of said pin into said aperture by a distance which is smaller than the axial extent of said end wall portion of said battery handle, and storage cell having a contact ring surrounding said positive pole and a negative electrode connected to said contact ring, and connecting means for connecting said electrically conductive part of said battery handle casing to said contact ring, and

a conical compression spring which is arranged concentrically in said battery handle aperture, said spring acting in the axial direction and having a diameter which corresponds, at the end located inside, to that of said contact ring.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that said battery handle aperture is provided with a bottom cap which can be unscrewed.

3. A system comprising the combination of a battery handle for electro-optical diagnostic instruments, said handle housing a storage cell, one end face of said handle being provided with an aperture, said handle having a casing at least a portion of which is electrically conductive, charger means for charging said storage cell, having a connecting pin, said charger means being connected to said battery handle in a charging position, whereby said pin projects into the aperture of the battery handle, and said storage cell having a positive pole which protrudes from an end face thereof and, when housed in said battery handle, projects into the aperture thereof, characterized in that

said handle casing has an end wall portion which defines said aperture, said connecting pin of the charging means is movable in the axial direction and is elastically pre-tensioned in the direction of said battery handle, and means limiting the movement of said pin into said aperture by a distance which is smaller than the axial extent of said end wall portion of said battery handle, said storage cell having a negative electrode connected to a contact ring surrounding said positive pole, connecting means for connecting said electrically conductive part of said battery handle casing to said contact ring, said storage cell further having an insulating washer which is provided with an insulating bush surrounding said positive pole of the storage cell and located between the positive pole of the storage cell and said contact ring connected to the negative electrode thereof.