Battery charger and rechargeable electronic paging device assembly

• US 5,814,968 A
• Filed: 06/26/1995
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Long Range Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Long Range Systems LLC
• Inventors: Blink, Russell P., Lovegreen, Kenneth J., Henderson, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TSO, EDWARD H
• Application Number:
  US08/494,921
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 320/216, 320/5, 320/15, 429/99, 429/100, 429/149, 429/154, 429/157, 429/158, D13/108, D13/107
• US Class Current: 320/113
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/296 characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/50 Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5011 for several cells simultaneously or successively
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery charger and electronic device assembly is provided for recharging stackable electronic devices in multiple orientation or rotation with respect to each other without the need for either removing batteries or plugging devices into charging racks. In one embodiment of the present invention, a battery charger and rechargeable electronic device assembly includes multiple rechargeable electronic devices with opposing stackable surfaces having a plurality of electrical terminals extending therethrough to place each electronic device in electrical communication with each other device and the battery charger base unit without regard to the orientation the terminals or rotation of the device.

Claims

1. A battery charger and rechargeable electronic device assembly, comprising:

a battery charger base unit having a voltage input port, a voltage output port and an upper supporting surface with a plurality of electrical charging terminals extending perpendicularly above said supporting surface;

a plurality of stackable rechargeable electronic devices, each said device having a perimeter, opposing top and bottom surfaces, and an internal rechargeable power source;

a plurality of electrical terminals in electrical communication with said internal rechargeable power source and disposed transversely through said top and bottom surfaces, each electrical terminal having a first end extending through the top surface of the electronic device and a second end extending through the bottom surface of the electronic device;

wherein said first end of the terminal slidably connects with the second end of any one terminal on an adjacently stacked electronic device to establish an electrical connection between the base unit and the adjacently stacked electronic device for simultaneously recharging the internal power source of each electronic device without regard to the respective orientation of the perimeters of each device.

2. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the first end of the terminal is a concave surface and the second end of the terminal is a convex surface which slidably connects with the concave surface.

3. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein said base unit further comprises two positive electrical charging terminals and two neutral terminals.

4. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein said internal rechargeable power source of said electronic device further comprises a high voltage terminal and a low voltage terminal for supplying operating current to said unit circuitry, and internal rectifier circuitry.

5. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 4, wherein said electronic device includes at least one terminal connected to the rechargeable power source and at least one terminal connected to a ground.

6. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 4, wherein said electronic device includes two positive terminals tied in series to the internal rechargeable power source and two negative terminals tied in series to the ground.

7. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 6, wherein said perimeter of said electronic device has four corners and each said terminal is proximal to a corner of said perimeter.

8. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 6, wherein the terminals are adjacent to the perimeter of the electronic device such that each positive terminal is adjacent to each negative terminal, and diagonally across from the other positive terminal and each negative terminal is adjacent to each positive terminal and diagonally across from the other negative terminal.

9. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the opposing first surface of a first electronic device rests on the supporting surface of the base unit, and the second surface of the first electronic device supports the first surface of a second electronic device, such that the electrical terminals of the first electronic device are in slidable physical contact with the charging terminals of the base unit and the electrical terminals of the second electronic device.

10. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 9, wherein the second surface of the second electronic device supports the first surface of a third electronic device and the electrical terminals of the second electronic device are in slidable physical contact with the electrical terminals of the third electronic device.

11. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the stackable electronic devices are rechargeable paging coasters.

12. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the stackable electronic devices are rechargeable walkie talkies.

13. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the stackable electronic devices are rechargeable electronic pagers.

14. The battery charger and electronic device assembly of claim 1, wherein the stackable electronic devices are rechargeable cellular telephones.