Battery with strength indicator

• US 5,156,931 A
• Filed: 12/31/1991
• Issued: 10/20/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Strategic Electronics LLC
• Original Assignee: Strategic Energy Ltd.
• Inventors: Burroughs, James R., O'Kain, Alan N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skapars, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US07/816,144
• Time in Patent Office: 294 Days
• Field of Search: 429/90-93, 200/16 D
• US Class Current: 429/93
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/34 with pins coacting with holes or bolt-and-nut adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5044 Cells or batteries structurally combined with cell condition indicating means

Abstract

A battery strength indicating and switch means on a battery which is coupled across the terminals of the battery and which is provided with an indicating means to indicate the strength of the battery and in addition, the battery strength indicating means is also provided with an in-line switch which can easily be depressed to complete the circuit so as to place the indicator means across the terminals of the cell and display the charge of the battery.

Claims

1. A battery having a battery strength indicator comprising:

a battery having a first terminal and a second terminal;

a battery indicator attached to a side of said battery which undergoes a visible change when subject to a voltage potential which exceeds or drops below a predetermined value and a first conductive lead electrically connected between one end of said indicator and said first battery terminal; and

a battery switch comprising a resilient, nonconductive layer disposed over the side of said battery, a switch chamber formed beneath said resilient layer, a second conductive lead extending from within said chamber and connected to the opposite end of the indicator, said portion of said second conductive lead within said switch chamber comprising a switch contact, and a conductive layer normally spaced apart from said switch contact and in electrical contact with said second battery terminal, said battery switch being biased in an electrically open position,

whereby upon pressing of the resilient layer over said switch chamber, the switch contact will be placed in electrical contact with the other terminal of the battery, thereby placing the indicator in electrical contact across the terminals of the battery to indicate the strength of the battery.

2. A battery having a battery strength indicator comprising:

a dry cell battery having a first terminal and a second terminal;

a battery indicator formed in a layer attached to a side of said battery which undergoes a visible change when subject to a predetermined voltage potential and a first conductor electrically connected between one end of said indicator and said first battery terminal; and

a battery switch comprising a resilient, nonconductive, deformable layer disposed over the side of said battery, a switch chamber formed beneath said resilient layer, and a second conductor extending from said chamber and connected to the other end of the indicator, said portion of said second conductive lead within said switch chamber comprising a switch contact, said battery switch being biased in an electrically open position,

whereby upon pressing of the resilient layer over said switch chamber, the switch contact will be placed in electrical contact with a conductive layer in electrical contact with said second battery terminal, thereby placing the indicator in electrical contact across the terminals of the battery to quickly indicate to the user the strength of the battery.

3. A battery having a battery strength indicator comprising:

a dry cell battery having a first terminal and a second terminal;

a battery indicator attached to a side of said battery which undergoes a visible change when subject to a voltage potential which exceeds or drops below a predetermined value and a first conductor electrically connected between one end of said indicator and said first battery terminal; and

a battery switch comprising a resilient, nonconductive, deformable layer disposed over the side of said battery, a switch chamber formed beneath said resilient layer, a second conductor extending from one end of said chamber and connected to the other end of the indicator, and a third conductor extending from the other end of said chamber to said second battery terminal, said battery switch being biased in an electrically open position,

whereby upon pressing of the resilient layer over said switch chamber, the switch places the indicator in electrical contact across the terminals of the battery to quickly indicate to the user the strength of the battery.

4. The battery of claim 3 wherein said resilient layer is transparent about the chamber.

5. The battery of claim 3 wherein said resilient layer is translucent about the chamber.

6. The battery of claim 3 wherein said indicator comprises a chemical redox composition which changes color when the voltage potential across the indicator crosses a predetermined voltage.

7. The battery of claim 3 wherein said indicator comprises a liquid-crystal composition which changes phases when the electric field across the indicator exceeds a predetermined value.

8. The battery of claim 3 wherein said indicator comprises a LED which undergoes a visible change when the voltage applied to the indicator crosses a predetermined value.

9. A battery package having a battery-strength indicator comprising:

a package frame;

at least one battery mounted on said package frame, said battery having first and second terminals;

a battery-strength indicator mounted on said package frame and electrically connected to said first terminal of said battery; and

a battery switch comprising a resilient, nonconductive layer disposed over said package frame, a switch chamber formed beneath said resilient layer, a pair of switch contacts normally spaced apart in said chamber, one of said switch contacts being electrically connected to said battery-strength indicator and the other of said switch contacts being electrically connected to said second terminal of said battery, said battery switch being biased in an electrically open position,

whereby upon pressing of the resilient layer over said switch chamber, the switch contacts will place said indicator in electrical contact across the terminals of said battery.

10. A battery package having a battery-strength indicator comprising:

a package frame;

at least one battery mounted on said package frame, said battery having first and second terminals;

a battery-strength indicator mounted on said package frame and electrically connected to said first terminal of said battery; and

a battery switch comprising a resilient, nonconductive layer disposed over said package frame, a switch chamber formed beneath said resilient layer, a first conductor extending from one end of said chamber and connected to said indicator, and a second conductor extending from the other end of said chamber and connected to said second terminal of said battery, said battery switch being biased in an electrically open position,

whereby upon pressing of the resilient layer over said switch chamber, the switch contacts will place said indicator in electrical contact across the terminals of said battery.

11. An electrical switch comprising:

a base;

a resilient, nonconductive top layer attached to the base, a portion of the base and top layer forming a chamber having two spaced apart internal opposing walls;

a first electrical contact on one of the internal walls of the chamber;

a second electrical contact on the other internal wall of the chamber; and

first and second conductors independently and separately sandwiched between the top layer and base and connected respectively to the first and second contacts, the top layer about the chamber adapted to be pushed toward the base so that the first and second contacts come in contact to permit current flow from the first conductor to the second conductor.

12. An electrical switch comprising:

a base;

a resilient, nonconductive top layer attached to the base, a portion of the base and top layer forming a chamber having two spaced apart, internal opposing walls;

first and second spaced apart conductive contacts on one of the internal walls of the chamber;

a third conductive contact on the other internal wall of the chamber; and

first and second conductors independently and separately sandwiched between the top layer and base and connected respectively to the first and second conductive contacts, the top layer about the chamber adapted to be pushed toward the base so that the third conductive contact comes in contact with the first and second conductive contacts to permit current flow from the first conductor to the second conductor.

13. A battery-strength indicator device comprising:

a first nonconductive layer for attachment to the side of a battery;

a second nonconductive layer attached to the first nonconductive layer, a portion of said first and second nonconductive layers forming in part a chamber therebetween having spaced apart internal opposing walls;

a conductive layer sandwiched between said first and second nonconductive layers, the conductive layer reduced to a small cross-sectional area in the chamber; and

a heat-sensitive color-indicating material in said chamber that is adapted to undergo a color change when its temperature crosses a predetermined value, the conductive layer in the chamber rising to the predetermined temperature when the voltage of the current flowing therethrough exceeds a predetermined value.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said first layer is transparent about the chamber.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein said first layer is translucent about the chamber.

16. A battery-strength indicator device comprising:

a first nonconductive layer for attachment to the side of a battery;

a seconds nonconductive layer attached to the first nonconductive layer, a portion of said first and second nonconductive layers forming in part a chamber therebetween having spaced apart internal opposing walls;

a conductive layer sandwiched between said first and second nonconductive layers, the conductive layer reduced to a small cross-sectional area in the chamber; and

a pyrotechnic material contained within said chamber adapted to decompose when the temperature of the conductive layer in the chamber exceeds a predetermined temperature, the conductive layer in the chamber adapted to exceed said predetermined temperature when the voltage of the current through said conductive layer exceeds a predetermined value.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein said first layer is transparent about the chamber.

18. The device of claim 16 wherein said first layer is translucent about the chamber.

19. A battery-strength indicator device comprising;

a first nonconductive layer for attachment to the side of a battery;

a second nonconductive layer attached to the first nonconductive layer, a portion of said first and second nonconductive layers forming a chamber therebetween having spaced apart internal opposing walls; and

a conductive layer sandwiched between said first and second nonconductive layers, a portion of the conductive layer reduced to a small cross-sectional area in the chamber such that when the voltage of a current flow through the conductive layer in the chamber exceeds a predetermined value, the current flow through said conductive layer in the chamber raises the temperature of the conductive layer in the chamber to the melding point of the conductive layer, causing the conductive layer to melt and form an open circuit.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein said first layer is transparent about the chamber.

21. The device of claim 19 wherein said first layer is translucent about the chamber.