Quick change battery drawer for external electrical stimulator

• US 5,637,417 A
• Filed: 11/07/1995
• Issued: 06/10/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Jacoby, Mark E., Engmark, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, T.
• Application Number:
  US08/554,882
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 429/97, 429/96, 429/98-100, 439/500, 607/9, 607/33
• US Class Current: 429/97
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3625 External stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Disclosed is a quick change battery drawer for rapidly substituting a fresh battery for an exhausted battery in the battery drawer of an external, battery powered therapeutic electrical stimulator while the stimulator continues to emit electrical stimulation to treat a patient. A push button is normally biased outward and a release member latches the battery drawer in the latched position through the interaction of first catches on the battery drawer and second catches on the release member. The terminals of a battery loaded in the battery drawer bear against and compress spring terminals that thereby spring load the battery drawer with a bias force and assist in keeping the battery drawer latched. When the release button is depressed, the first and second catches are disengaged, and the bias force acts to eject the battery and battery drawer forcefully into an ejected position where the battery drawer is prevented from completely ejecting from the side opening. In the ejected position, the battery can be grasped and easily removed. A fresh battery is inserted into the battery drawer, and the user manually presses against the drawer end cap against the spring terminal bias force until the first and second catches are engaged. The spring loaded catches and the use of seals around the end cap and release button allows the tolerances between the battery drawer and the side opening, as well as internal drawer and release guides, to be relaxed, preventing any binding from slowing the action.

Claims

1. In an external medical stimulator having a housing for containing an electrical pulse generator circuit and supporting controls for controlling the operating parameters of said pulse generator, a quick release battery drawer operating system, comprising:

a battery drawer receiving chamber formed in said housing having a housing opening;

a battery drawer operable in a latched position and an ejected position with respect to said housing opening providing a battery receptacle for receiving a battery having at least one battery terminal oriented inwardly; and

a battery drawer releasing and engaging mechanism for effecting rapid movement of said battery drawer out of said opening in said housing to said ejected position, for engaging said battery drawer into said latched position upon depression of said battery drawer back into said opening, and for making an electrical connection of said at least one battery terminal with said electrical pulse generator circuit when said battery drawer is in said latched position, wherein said releasing and engaging mechanism further comprises;

a release member supported in said housing and manually movable from an engaged position to a released position; and

at least one electrical spring terminal attached to said housing and aligned in respect of said inwardly oriented battery terminal such that the spring terminal is compressed while establishing electrical and mechanical contact with the at least one battery terminal when said battery drawer is in said latched position, such that biasing force is released by said compressed spring terminal upon release of said release member to eject said battery drawer from said opening and into said ejected position.

2. The external medical stimulator of claim 1 wherein said medical stimulator is a cardiac pacemaker.

3. In an external medical stimulator having a housing for containing an electrical pulse generator circuit and supporting controls for controlling the operating parameters of said pulse generator, a quick release battery drawer operating system, comprising:

a battery drawer receiving chamber formed in said housing having a housing opening;

a battery drawer operable in a closed latched position and an open ejected position with respect to said housing opening providing a battery receptacle for receiving a battery having at least one terminal oriented inwardly;

first catch means formed in said battery drawer;

a battery drawer releasing and engaging mechanism for effecting rapid movement of said battery drawer out of said opening in said housing to said ejected position, for engaging said battery drawer into said latched position upon depression of said battery drawer back into said opening, and for making an electrical connection of said at least one battery terminal with said electrical pulse generator circuit when said battery drawer is in said latched position, wherein said releasing and engaging mechanism further comprises;

a release member supported in said housing and manually movable from an engaged position to a released position, said release member having second catch means for engaging said first catch means in said engaged position when said battery drawer is manually pushed into said housing to said closed position and for releasing said first catch means when manually moved to said released position;

biasing means for biasing said release member to said engaged position; and

at least one electrical spring terminal attached to said housing and aligned in respect of said inwardly oriented battery terminal such that the spring terminal is compressed while establishing electrical and mechanical contact with the at least one battery terminal when said battery drawer is in said latched position, such that biasing force is released by said compressed spring terminal upon release of said release member to eject said battery drawer from said opening.

4. The external medical stimulator of claim 3 wherein said medical stimulator is a cardiac pacemaker.

5. In an external medical stimulator having a housing for containing an electrical pulse generator circuit and supporting controls for controlling the operating parameters of said pulse generator, a quick release battery drawer operating system, comprising:

a battery drawer operable in a closed latched position and an ejected position with respect to an opening in said housing and further comprising;

a base connecting a pair of parallel drawer sidewalls, an outer drawer face end wall, and an inner drawer end wall providing a battery receptacle for receiving a battery having at least one terminal oriented toward said inner drawer end wall;

at least one end opening formed in said inner drawer end wall aligned with the at least one battery terminal;

first catch means formed in said base of said battery drawer having a first cam surface;

a battery drawer releasing and engaging mechanism for effecting rapid movement of said battery drawer out of said opening in said housing to said ejected position, for engaging said battery drawer into said latched position upon depression of said battery drawer back into said opening, and for establishing electrical connection between said at least one battery terminal and said electrical pulse generator circuit when said battery drawer is in said latched position, wherein said releasing and engaging mechanism comprises;

a release member supported in said housing and manually movable from an engaged position to a released position, said release member having second catch means for engaging said first catch means when said battery drawer is manually pushed into said housing to said closed position and a second cam surface aligned to bear against said first cam surface as said battery drawer is moved into and out of said closed position;

biasing means for biasing said release member to said engaged position; and

at least one electrical spring terminal attached to said housing and aligned in respect of said at least one end opening such that the spring terminal is compressed while establishing electrical and mechanical contact with said at least one battery terminal when said battery drawer is in said latched position, such that biasing force is released by said compressed spring terminal upon release of said release member to eject said battery drawer from said opening.

6. The external medical stimulator of claim 5 wherein said medical stimulator is a cardiac pacemaker.

7. The external medical stimulator of claim 5 wherein said biasing means comprises a coil spring.

8. An external medical stimulator, comprising:

(a) an external pulse generator circuit;

(b) controls for controlling the operating parameters of the pulse generator circuit;

(c) a housing having an interior portion and an exterior surface, the pulse generator circuit being disposed within the interior portion, the exterior surface supporting the controls, the housing having a battery drawer receiving chamber formed in the interior portion thereof, the chamber being defined approximately by at least a rear wall, a side wall, and a bottom wall, the housing further having a battery drawer opening formed in the exterior surface thereof and contiguous with the chamber, the opening opposing the rear wall;

(d) a quick release battery drawer conforming approximately to the volume and shape of the chamber, the drawer fitting within the chamber through the opening and being supported by the bottom wall when in a first closed, latched position, the drawer having a receptacle disposed therein for receiving a standard nine-Volt battery having its terminals oriented inwardly towards the rear wall, the drawer being in a second open position when ejected from the chamber, the drawer having a first catch formed thereon;

(e) an engaging mechanism having a second catch formed thereon, the engaging mechanism being attached to the housing, the position of the first catch corresponding to the position of the second catch such that the first catch engages the second catch and the battery drawer is held in the first latched position when the drawer is pushed sufficiently far into the chamber;

(f) a manually moveable release mechanism attached to the housing, a portion of the release mechanism engaging or forming a portion of the engaging mechanism, wherein as the release mechanism is manually moved to a released position the second catch disengages from the first catch and the battery drawer is ejected into the second open position, and

(g) at least one compressible electrical spring terminal having first and second ends electrically connected to one another, the first end being attached to the housing and electrically connected to the pulse generator circuit, the second end engaging and establishing electrical contact with one terminal of the nine-Volt battery as the battery drawer is moved from the second open position to the first latched position, the spring terminal being compressed as the battery drawer is moved from the second open position to the first latched position, the compressed spring terminal providing a biasing force for ejecting the battery drawer into the second open position when the release mechanism is moved into the released position.

9. An external medical stimulator, comprising:

(a) circuit means for generating external pulses;

(b) means for controlling the operating parameters of the circuit means;

(c) means for housing having an interior portion and an exterior surface, the circuit means being disposed within the interior portion, the exterior surface supporting the means for controlling, the housing means having a battery drawer receiving chamber formed in the interior portion thereof, the chamber being defined approximately by at least a rear wall, a side wall, and a bottom wall, the housing means further having a battery drawer opening formed in the exterior surface thereof and contiguous with the chamber, the opening opposing the rear wall;

(d) means for a quick release battery drawer conforming approximately to the volume and shape of the chamber, the drawer means fitting within the chamber through the opening and being supported by the bottom wall when in a first closed, latched position, the drawer means having a receptacle disposed therein for receiving a standard nine-Volt battery having its terminals oriented inwardly towards the rear wall, the drawer means being in a second open position when ejected from the chamber, the drawer means having a first means for catching formed thereon;

(e) a means for engaging having a second means for catching formed thereon, the engaging means being attached to the housing means, the position of the first catching means corresponding to the position of the second catching means such that the first catching means engages the second catching means and the drawer means is held in the first latched position when the drawer means is pushed sufficiently far into the chamber;

(f) a manually moveable means for releasing attached to the housing means, a portion of the releasing means engaging or forming a portion of the engaging means, wherein as the releasing means is manually moved to a released position the second catching means disengages from the first catching means and the drawer means is ejected into the second open position, and

(g) at least one spring terminal means for establishing electrical connection, the spring terminal means being compressible and having first and second ends electrically connected to one another, the first end being attached to the housing and electrically connected to the circuit means, the second end engaging and establishing electrical contact with one terminal of the nine-Volt battery as the drawer means is moved from the second open position to the first latched position, the spring terminal means being compressed as the drawer means is moved from the second open position to the first latched position, the compressed spring terminal means providing a biasing force for ejecting the battery drawer means into the second open position when the releasing means is moved into the released position.