Battery tester having sections of different resistivity
First Claim
1. A battery tester comprising:
- a heating element for generating heat in response to current supplied from a battery, said heating element having a central portion and first and second connecting end portions on opposite ends of said central portion that are adapted to be coupled to opposite terminals of the battery; and
an indicator overlapping said central portion of said heating element, said indicator having a visual property that changes in response to the heat generated by said heating element,wherein said connecting end portions of said heating element have a lower resistivity than said central portion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The battery tester of the present invention includes a heating element for generating heat in response to current supplied from a battery, and an indicator provided in proximity to the heating element for providing a visual indication of the remaining capacity of the battery in response to the heat generated by the heating element. The heating element has a display portion and first and second connecting portions on either side of the display portion that are selectively coupled to opposite terminals of the battery. The connecting portions of the heating elements have a lower resistivity than the display portion thereby reducing the heat generated at the switch contacts that are pressed by the user to activate the tester.
16 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A battery tester comprising:
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a heating element for generating heat in response to current supplied from a battery, said heating element having a central portion and first and second connecting end portions on opposite ends of said central portion that are adapted to be coupled to opposite terminals of the battery; and an indicator overlapping said central portion of said heating element, said indicator having a visual property that changes in response to the heat generated by said heating element, wherein said connecting end portions of said heating element have a lower resistivity than said central portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A battery label comprising:
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a label substrate; a conductive element provided on said label substrate and having connecting end segments adapted to be coupled to opposite terminals of a battery and a central segment connected between said connecting end segments, said central segment having a higher resistivity than said connecting end segments, such that said central segment exhibits a greater change in temperature in response to changes in discharge level of the battery; and an indicator provided on said central segment of said conductive element and having a visual property that changes in response to changes in temperature of said conductive element. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A battery comprising:
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an electrochemical cell having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; a label substrate adhered to an outer peripheral surface of said electrochemical cell; a conductive element provided on said label substrate and coupled to said terminals of said electrochemical cell, said conductive element changes temperature in response to changes in discharge level of said electrochemical cell and has a central segment and a switching segment for selectively coupling an end of said central segment to one of said terminals of said electrochemical cell, said central segment having a resistivity that is higher than that of said switching segment; and an indicator provided on said central segment of said conductive element and having a visual property that changes in response to changes in temperature of said conductive element. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An on-label battery tester comprising:
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a heating element having first and second ends adapted to be coupled to opposite terminals of a battery, at least one of the ends is formed as a switch pad, said heating element generates heat in response to current supplied from the battery; and a thermochromic indicator layer overlapping a central portion of said heating element, said thermochromic indicator layer changes color in response to the heat generated by said heating element, wherein said heating element includes said central portion and end portions made of the same material and said end portions being positioned on opposite ends of said central portion, said central portion having a property different from that of said end portions so as to provide said central portion with a higher resistivity than said end portions. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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Specification