Battery charger

• US 4,588,938 A
• Filed: 09/06/1983
• Issued: 05/13/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James P. Cary, Ill. Liautaud
• Original Assignee: James P. Liautaud
• Inventors: Stultz, Peter F., Maloney, David L., Liautaud, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hickey, R. J.
• Application Number:
  US06/529,709
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2-5, 320/13, 320/14, 455/89, 455/90
• US Class Current: 320/115
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/929 Connecting base plate or shelf type holder

Abstract

A battery charger for supplying charging current to the rechargeable battery of a portable battery powered device includes a one-piece housing and removable bottom plate. A first portion of the housing includes a receptacle for receiving the device. Upon insertion of the device into the receptacle electric contacts projecting from the bottom wall of the receptacle are biased by a spring acting against the bottom plate into electrical contact with the device to establish electrical communication between the device and charging circuitry within the housing. A first portion of the circuitry is contained within the first portion of the housing to provide mode indications and switch means user-actuable through an aperture in the bottom wall of the receptacle. A second portion of the circuitry is contained within a second portion of the housing having integral ribs on its exterior surface for improved heat dissipation.

Claims

1. A battery charger for supplying a charging current to a battery-powered device having a pair of spaced-apart charge current receiving contacts on the bottom surface thereof, comprising:

a housing defining an interior chamber and a receptacle having side walls and a bottom wall opening to the exterior of said housing, and including at least one aperture in the bottom wall, for receiving the bottom surface of the battery-powered device;

circuit means within said interior chamber for producing a battery charging current;

contact means for establishing electrical communication between said circuit means and the contacts of the battery-powered device, said contact means including an electrically non-conductive contact carrier disposed within said interior chamber and movable relative to said bottom wall, and having a pair of non-resilient electrically-conductive contact members mounted in spaced relationship thereon, each of said contacts projecting through an aperture in the bottom wall of said receptacle and into mechanical engagement with respective ones of the charge current receiving contacts of the device when the device is seated in the receptacle; and

means comprising a spring for biasing said contact carrier toward said device, said spring engaging said carrier intermediate said contacts at one end and said housing at the other end.

2. A battery charger as defined in claim 1 wherein said charger housing includes a metallic bottom plate enclosing said interior chamber, and said spring comprises a helical spring engaging said carrier at one end and said bottom plate at the other end.

3. A battery charger as defined in claim 2 wherein said bottom plate is deformed to form an engaging surface for said spring.

4. A battery charger as defined in claim 1 wherein said non-resilient contact members comprise rivet-like members extending through said contact carrier.