Dry cell battery having electrical spring contact adhered to terminal

• US 4,091,186 A
• Filed: 11/07/1977
• Issued: 05/23/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Spectrum Brands, Inc. (Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ESB, Inc.
• Inventors: Cyr, Richard D., Ward, Thomas F., Ott, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LeFevour, Charles F.
• Application Number:
  US05/849,034
• Time in Patent Office: 197 Days
• Field of Search: 429/157, 429/158, 429/160, 429/178, 429/162, 429/218, 429/225, 429/229
• US Class Current: 429/157
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/50 Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/42 Grouping of primary cells into batteries H01M6/40 takes precedence

Abstract

A spring contact is compressed against and electrically connected to a terminal of a dry cell battery, and the spring-like compressive force between the contact and the terminal is maintained by an adhesive. The spring contact and adhesive may be used with both single cell and multicell batteries. The spring may be situated between two cells of a multicell battery, with the adhesive adhering the two cells together and maintaining the spring-like compressive force between the contact and the terminals of the adjacent two cells. The terminal which is electrically connected with the spring contact may be a thin foil of metal, and the inner surface of the foil may serve as the negative electrode of a cell; the foil may be a metal selected from the group consisting of a zinc, magnesium, lead, aluminum and alloys thereof. The spring contact may have a burr where it electrically connects with the terminal. Where used between adjacent cells, the spring contact may be soldered or welded to the terminal of one of the cells. The spring contact may be compressed against and electrically connected to the outer terminal of an end cell in a multicell battery. A variety of adhesives, including hot melts and pressure sensitive adhesives, may be used.

Claims

1. An improvement in a dry cell battery comprising at least one dry cell, wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) a spring contact electrically connected to a terminal of a cell in the battery, and

(b) an adhesive which maintains the spring contact so that the contact exerts a spring-like compressive force against the terminal.

2. The battery of claim 1 in which the battery comprises only one cell.

3. The battery of claim 2 in which the terminal electrically connected with the spring contact is a thin foil of metal.

4. The battery of claim 3 in which the inner surface of the metal foil is an electrode for the cell.

5. The battery of claim 4 in which the foil is a metal selected from the group consisting of zinc, magnesium, lead, aluminum and alloys thereof.

6. The battery of claim 4 in which the contact is burred where it electrically connects with the terminal.

7. The battery of claim 3 in which the contact is burred where it electrically connects with the terminal.

8. The battery of claim 2 in which the spring-like contact is burred where it electrically connects with the terminal.

9. The battery of claim 2 in which a conductor electrically connected to the spring contact is wrapped around an edge of the battery.

10. The battery of claim 1 in which the battery comprises at least two cells.

11. The battery of claim 10 in which the spring contact is situated between two cells of the battery and electrically connects the confronting terminals of the adjacent cells, with the adhesive causing the contact to exert a spring-like compressive force against both terminals.

12. The battery of claim 11 in which the two terminals electrically connected by the contact are thin foils of metal.

13. The battery of claim 12 in which the inner surface of the metal foil comprising the negative terminal is the negative electrode for its cell.

14. The battery of claim 13 in which the foil comprising the negative terminal is a metal selected from the group consisting of zinc, magnesium, lead, aluminum and alloys thereof.

15. The battery of claim 12 in which the contact is soldered or welded to the outer surface of the metal foil comprising the negative terminal.

16. The battery of claim 15 in which the spring contact is burred where it electrically connects with the positive terminal.

17. The battery of claim 12 in which the spring contact is burred where it electrically connects with the positive terminal.

18. The battery of claim 10 in which the terminal electrically connected with the spring contact is a thin foil of metal.

19. The battery of claim 18 in which the inner surface of the metal foil is an electrode for the cell.

20. The battery of claim 19 in which the foil is a metal selected from the group consisting of zinc, magnesium, lead, aluminum and alloys thereof.

21. The battery of claim 19 in which the contact is soldered or welded to the outer surface of the foil.

22. The battery of claim 18 in which the contact is soldered or welded to the outer surface of the foil.

23. The battery of claim 10 in which the spring-like contact is burred where it electrically connects the terminal.

24. The battery of claim 10 in which a conductor electrically connected to the spring contact is wrapped around an edge of the battery.