Battery charge indicator

• US 4,497,881 A
• Filed: 01/31/1983
• Issued: 02/05/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Renee Z. Bertolino
• Original Assignee: Renee Z. Bertolino
• Inventors: Bertolino, Renee Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skapars, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US06/462,264
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 429/90-93
• US Class Current: 429/91
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5044 Cells or batteries structurally combined with cell condition indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An electrical storage cell includes a charge producing compound in the interior of the cell which inherently and without the addition of additives or structure changes color as the charge of the battery is dissipated. The battery includes a window in either the top or the side of the battery to provide visual access to the charge producing compound. A suitable color chart is positioned around the window through the battery housing to enable an observer to see the charge producing compound in the interior of the battery and to compare the color of that charge producing compound against a color on the comparison chart to determine the battery charge remaining in the battery.

Claims

1. An improved electrical storage cell for generating electrical charge in response to a chemical reaction comprising:

a housing having a side region and two end regions;

a charge producing compound in the housing, the charge producing compound being free of charge indicating additives, but itself changing color as the cell charge is depleted;

window means in the housing whereby the charge producing compound can be viewed by a user, the remaining charge of the storage cell being indicated by the color of the charge Producing compound.

2. The cell of claim 1 further comprising a color comparison chart positioned on the housing whereby the color of the charge producing compound can be visually compared to the color on the chart to determine the charge remaining in the cell.

3. The cell of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises:

a transparent ply and

an opaque ply, with an orifice therethrough, the window means comprising that portion of the transparent ply juxtaposed with the orifice through the opaque ply.

4. The cell of claim 2 wherein the housing comprises:

a transparent ply and

an opaque ply, with an orifice therethrough, the window means comprising that portion of the transparent ply juxtaposed with the orifice through the opaque ply.

5. The cell of claim 1 wherein the window means is positioned in one of the end regions of the housing.

6. The cell of claim 2 wherein the window means is positioned in one of the end portions of the housing.

7. The cell of claim 3 wherein the window means is positioned in one of the end portions of the housing.

8. The cell of claim 1 wherein the window means is positioned in the side region of the housing.

9. The cell of claim 2 wherein the window means is positioned in the side region of the housing.

10. The cell of claim 3 wherein the window means is positioned in the side region of the housing.

11. The cell of claim 1 wherein the housing has an orifice therethrough and the window means comrprises a transparent member having a disk-like portion and a tube-like portion extending perpendicularly to disk-like portion, at least part of the cylindrical portion being positioned in the housing orifice to enable visual observation of the charge producing compound.

12. The cell of claim 11 wherein the disk-like portion bifurcates the tube-like portion.