Hand held computerized data collection terminal with rechargeable battery pack sensor and battery power conservation

• US 5,602,456 A
• Filed: 06/13/1995
• Issued: 02/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Darrell L. Boatwright, Keith K. Cargin Jr, Stephen J. Kelly, William T. Gibbs
• Inventors: Kelly, Stephen J., Gibbs, William T., Cargin, Keith K. Jr., Boatwright, Darrell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hecker, Stuart N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Law, Patrick B.
• Application Number:
  US08/489,887
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2, 429/96, 429/97, 429/98, 429/99, 429/100, 429/7
• US Class Current: 320/112
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10574 Multiple sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10702 Particularities of propagating elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors G06K7/10831 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10811 Focalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 : constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1093 : sensing, after transfer of the image of the data-field to an intermediate store, e.g. storage with cathode ray tube
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 : the scanning arrangement having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 : Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 : Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 : Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 : by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 : with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2258 : used with computer equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 : disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 : using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 : Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 : using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 : Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3894 : Waterproofing of transmission device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 : Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0032 : Without explicit signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 : with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 : for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/12 : Precharging analysis, e.g. determining presence of battery

Abstract

An improved hand-held data terminal is provided. A sensing circuit senses the presence of rechargeable batteries. A rechargeable battery pack can be used in the hand-held data terminal. The battery pack can include a short circuit element. The short circuit element comes into contact with the hand-held data terminal when the rechargeable battery pack is assembled with the hand-held data terminal. The short circuit element, when in contact with the hand-held data terminal, serves to indicate the presence of the rechargeable battery pack and to thereby enable the recharging capabilities of the hand-held data terminal. A battery pack which does not contain the short circuit element cannot be recharged by the hand-held data terminal since the recharging circuit of the data terminal would remain in a disabled state. Further, the battery pack can be shaped asymmetrically so that it can only be assembled with the hand-held data terminal in an operational orientation.

Claims

1. A battery pack system for providing rechargeable battery power for a portable data collection terminal and for enabling recharging while received in power supplying relation to such a terminal, said battery pack system comprising:

(a) a battery pack comprised of a multiplicity of side by side rechargeable battery cells having parallel longitudinal axes, said battery pack having a positive conductive contact and a negative conductive contact;

(b) said battery pack further comprising a plate with an electrically conductive short-circuit element;

(c) the battery pack having opposite sides providing broad extended surfaces to define a generally oblong cross sectional contour with the short-circuit element only at one of the opposite sides; and

(d) wherein said electrically conductive short-circuit element is positioned so as to be capable, when said battery pack is in operational engagement with the portable data collection terminal, of contacting two probes of the portable data collection terminal and to thereby enable sensing of the presence of the battery pack, and wherein said plate and said electrically conductive short-circuit element do not contact said positive conductive contact or said negative conductive contact of said battery pack.

2. A battery pack system according to claim 1, wherein said battery pack further comprises key means, said key means being secured with said battery pack so as to define an asymmetrical battery pack cross sectional contour and serving as a key insuring that the electrically conductive short-circuit element must be positioned in a correct orientation relative to a receiving portable data collection terminal.

3. A battery pack system according to claim 2, wherein said asymmetrical battery pack cross sectional contour comprises three similarly shaped corners and one differently shaped corner providing said key means.

4. A battery pack system according to claim 3, wherein said plate is formed to provide said differently shaped corner.

5. A battery pack system for providing rechargeable battery power for a portable data collection terminal and for enabling recharging when charging power is applied to the terminal, said battery pack system comprising:

(a) a battery pack comprised of a multiplicity of side by side rechargeable battery cells having parallel longitudinal axes, said battery pack having a positive conductive contact and a negative conductive contact for transferring current to the portable data collection terminal;

(b) said battery pack having an electrically conductive short-circuit element mounted thereon for enabling sensing of the presence of the battery pack; and

(c) said battery pack having opposite sides providing broad extended surfaces to define a generally oblong cross sectional contour with the short-circuit element at one of the opposite sides;

said electrically conductive short-circuit element being positioned so as to be capable, when said battery pack is in operational engagement with the portable data collection terminal, of contacting two probes of the portable data collection terminal and to thereby enable sensing of the presence of the battery pack, and wherein said electrically conductive short-circuit element does not contact said positive conductive contact or said negative conductive contact of said battery pack.

6. A battery pack system according to claim 5, wherein said battery pack has an asymmetric cross-sectional contour to ensure that said electrically conductive short-circuit element is properly positioned relative to a receiving portable data collection terminal when said battery pack is assembled with the receiving portable data collection terminal.

7. A battery pack system according to claim 6, wherein the asymmetric cross-sectional contour of said battery pack comprises three similarly shaped corners and one differently shaped corner.

8. A battery pack system according to claim 7, wherein said battery pack further comprises a conductive plate formed to provide said differently shaped corner, and said conductive plate being further formed to create said electrically conductive short-circuit element.

9. A system for providing electrical power to a portable device, comprising:

(a) a plurality of rechargeable batteries physically and electrically connected to each other to form a battery pack member, said battery pack member having electrically conductive contacts for providing electrical power to the portable device when placed in electrical contact with the electrically conductive contacts; and

(b) a conductive element located on a surface of said battery pack member, said conductive element being positioned to avoid contact with the electrically conductive contacts, and said conductive element being positioned to come into contact with two probes of the portable device to enable the portable device to recognize the presence of said battery pack member when said battery pack member has been assembled with the portable device.

10. A system for providing electrical power to a portable device according to claim 9, wherein said conductive element of said battery pack is positioned to complete a circuit of the portable device when said battery pack member is assembled with the portable device, and to thereby enable the portable device to recharge said battery pack member while said battery pack member remains assembled with the portable device, the portable device being unable to attempt to recharge a battery pack member which does not contain said conductive element.

11. A system for providing electrical power to a portable device according to claim 9, wherein said battery pack member further comprises a plate located on an external surface of said battery pack member in a manner permitting said battery pack member to be assembled with the portable device in only one physical configuration, thereby assuring that said battery pack member is properly and operationally assembled with the portable device.

12. A system for providing electrical power to a portable device according to claim 9, wherein said battery pack member further comprises opposite sides providing broad extended surfaces to define a generally oblong cross sectional contour with said conductive element at one of the opposite sides.

13. A system for providing electrical power to a portable device according to claim 12, wherein said battery pack member has an asymmetric cross-sectional contour to ensure that said conductive element is properly positioned relative to a receiving portable device when said battery pack is assembled with the receiving portable device.

14. A system for providing electrical power to a portable device according to claim 13, wherein the asymmetric cross-sectional contour of said battery pack member comprises three similarly shaped corners and one differently shaped corner.

15. A system for providing electrical power to a portable device according to claim 9, wherein said conductive element of said battery pack is positioned to complete a circuit of the portable device when said battery pack member is assembled with the portable device.