Variable geometry battery compartment for accommodating different sized batteries in telephone craftsperson's test set

• US 5,872,831 A
• Filed: 11/20/1996
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ackmann, Dennis, Sterling, Kenneth, Foulger, Kurt, Soto, Roy L., Zoiss, Edward J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N.
• Application Number:
  US08/754,076
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 379/428, 379/433, 379/434, 379/21, 381/322, 381/324, 381/325, 381/327, 381/328, 136/230, 429/175, 429/176, 429/9, 429/99, 429/100, 429/123, 429/177, 324/73.1, 324/723, 324/511, 324/522
• US Class Current: 379/21
• 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: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A variable geometry battery compartment of an electronic communication device, such as a telephone test set, is readily reconfigurable by the user, so that different sized batteries can be used to power the circuitry of the device. For this purpose, a moveable battery contact wall is repositionable between spaced apart locations relative to a fixed battery contact wall. A charging switch controls the establishment of a charging path for rechargeable batteries, and can only be engaged when the moveable wall is positioned to accommodate longer sized rechargeable batteries. Changing the position of the moveable battery contact wall to accommodate shorter, non-rechargeable batteries, will prevent the charging switch from being engaged by an activating boss in a cover of the device, so that shorter non-rechargeable batteries cannot be placed in circuit with a battery charger.

Claims

1. A battery compartment for a utility device comprising a main housing section having a battery compartment, which is closed by a battery compartment cover therefor,

said battery compartment being sized to accommodate plural sets of batteries of respectively different lengths adjacent to a printed wiring board,

said printed wiring board including a battery charging receptacle that is ported to the exterior of said utility device for providing a charging path for rechargeable batteries installed in said battery compartment,

a first end of said battery compartment having a first plurality of spaced apart fixed battery contacts that engage first terminals of respective batteries of a set of batteries installed parallel to one another in said battery compartment,

a second end of said compartment having a moveable wall, which is selectively positionable at different separation distances from said first end of said battery compartment to accommodate different length battery sets,

said moveable wall containing

a second plurality of spaced apart battery contacts that engage second terminals of said batteries, and are connected to a power supply terminal of said printed wiring board, and

a battery charging switch affixed with said moveable wall, so that

said battery charging switch is engaged by a battery charging switch-operating element of an interior surface of said battery compartment cover, and places said battery charging receptacle in circuit with rechargeable batteries installed in said battery compartment, when said moveable wall is installed at a first position of said battery compartment, separated from said first end of said battery compartment by a first distance associated with the length of a rechargeable battery set, and so that

said battery charging switch is not engaged by said battery charging switch-operating element, when said moveable wall is installed at second position of said battery compartment, separated from said first end of said battery compartment by a second distance, different from said first distance, associated with the length of a non-rechargeable battery set.

2. A battery compartment for a utility device according to claim 1, wherein said battery charging switch-operating element of an interior surface of said battery compartment cover comprises a boss that is configured to engage a plunger of said charging switch and place said battery charging receptacle in circuit with rechargeable batteries installed in said battery compartment, only when said moveable wall is installed at said first position of said battery compartment.

3. A battery compartment for a utility device according to claim 1, wherein said interior surface of said battery compartment cover has a plurality of spaced apart posts projecting therefrom and arranged to pass between adjacent ones of pairs of said first plurality of spaced apart fixed battery contacts at said first end of said battery compartment, when said battery compartment cover closes said main housing section.

4. A battery compartment for a utility device according to claim 1, wherein said utility device comprises a telephone test set.