Battery holder

• US 5,211,579 A
• Filed: 05/15/1992
• Issued: 05/18/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Molex Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Molex Incorporated
• Inventors: Wong, Yuen P., Seong, Au Y. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Larry I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHIEM M
• Application Number:
  US07/884,492
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 439/500, 439/621, 439/622, 439/627, 439/698, 439/830, 429/96, 429/97, 429/100
• US Class Current: 439/500
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/107 having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/103, H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• 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 50/50 Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7076 for connection between PCB and component, e.g. display
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10325 Sockets, i.e. female type connectors comprising metallic connector elements integrated in, or bonded to a common dielectric support
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10606 Permanent holder for component or auxiliary PCB mounted on a PCB clamping a component by an element or a set of elements H05K2201/10393
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/301 by means of a mounting structure H05K3/325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery holder is disclosed which is of one piece construction and which includes a housing having a base and a pair of spaced end walls. One of the end walls is longer than the other and defines a recess therein which is configured to receive one end of the battery when the battery is inserted in the housing. A resilient terminal contact is provided at both ends of the housing and the terminal contact at the end opposite the recess is configured in a manner such that as the battery is being inserted in the housing the terminal contact is biased toward its end of the housing, and when the battery has been inserted into the housing the resilient terminal contact moves into overlying relationship with its end of the battery to hold that end of the battery against removal from the housing. In addition, terminal tails are provided on the terminal contacts which are kinked across their width to retain the connector on a circuit board prior to soldering.

Claims

1. A holder for holding a battery therein comprising:

a housing including an elongate base having a width, and also having a length the latter of which is longer than the length of the battery which is to be held;

a pair of housing end walls formed integrally with said base one at each end of the length of said base, said end walls extending upwardly from said base and spaced from each other so as to define an elongate space between said end walls which is at least about as long as the length of the battery which is to be held to permit insertion of the battery between the end walls;

a portion of at least one of said end walls which faces said space having a recess which is configured to receive an end of the battery therein and overlie that end of the battery when the battery is inserted into said housing to hold the battery against removal from said housing;

a pair of terminal contacts one adjacent each of said end walls for electrically contacting the ends of the battery when it is inserted in said housing, at least one of said contacts being resilient and positioned to resiliently bias the end of the battery into said recess in said one end wall, said resilient contact including a latching projection which is positioned to be biased toward the end of the housing at which it is located by the battery as the battery is being inserted in said housing, and to move into overlying relationship to at least a portion of the battery when the battery is fully inserted in the housing to hold the battery against removal from said housing and a second projection between said latching projection and said base which resiliently biases the battery into said recess, said latching projection exerting a force toward said base to retain the battery in the housing; and

a terminal tail electrically coupled to each of said terminal contacts and extending from and beneath said base to electrically couple said terminal contacts to a circuit board.

2. The holder of claim 1, wherein each of said end walls comprises a pair of projections extending upwardly from said base and spaced from each other in the direction of the width of said base to define a space therebetween, said terminal contacts being positioned adjacent said space between said projections.

3. The holder of claim 1, wherein said one end wall having said recess therein is longer in the direction of the length of said base than the length of the other end wall in said direction.

4. The holder of claim 3, wherein said one end wall having said recess therein is configured to receive the negative end of the battery to be held.

5. The holder of claim 1, wherein said one end wall having said recess therein is configured to receive the negative end of the battery to be held.

6. The holder of claim 1, wherein said housing is one piece, and said recess and latching projection hold the respective ends of the battery when it is positioned in the housing against removal from the housing.

7. The holder of claim 1, wherein both of said terminal contacts are resilient.

8. The holder of claim 1, wherein said terminal tails are formed integrally with their respective terminal contacts.

9. The holder of claim 8, wherein said terminal tails include compliant portions intermediate their length beneath said base.

10. A holder for holding a battery therein comprising:

a one piece housing including an elongate base having a width, and also having a length the latter of which is longer than the length of the battery which is to be held;

a pair of housing end walls formed integrally with said base one at each end of the length of said base, said end walls extending upwardly from said base and spaced from each other so as to define an elongate space between said end walls which is at least about as long as the length of the battery which to be held to permit insertion of the battery between the end walls;

a portion of at least one of said end walls which faces said space having a recess which is configured to receive an end of the battery therein and overlie that end of the battery when the battery is inserted into said housing to hold the battery against removal from said housing;

a pair of terminal contacts one adjacent each of said end walls for electrically contacting the ends of the battery when it is inserted in said housing, at least one of said contacts being resilient and positioned to resiliently bias the end of the battery into said recess in said one end wall, said resilient contact includes a latching projection which is positioned to be biased toward the end of the housing at which it is located by the battery as the battery is being inserted in said housing, and to move into overlying relationship to at least a portion of the battery when the battery is fully inserted in the housing to hold the other end of the battery against removal from said housing and a second projection between said latching projection and said base which resiliently biases the battery into said recess, said latching projection exerting a force toward said base to retain the battery in the housing;

each of said end walls comprises a pair of projections extending upwardly from said base and spaced from each other in the direction of the width of said base to define a space therebetween, said terminal contacts being positioned adjacent said space between said projections;

said one end wall having said recess therein is longer in the direction of the length of said base than the length of the other end wall in said direction; and

a terminal tail electrically coupled to each of said terminal contacts and extending from and beneath said base to electrically couple said terminal contacts to a circuit board.

11. A The holder of claim 10, wherein said terminal tails are formed integrally with their respective terminal contacts.

12. The holder of claim 11, wherein said terminal tails include compliant portions intermediate their length beneath said base.