Battery with tester label and method for producing it

• US 5,538,806 A
• Filed: 01/24/1995
• Issued: 07/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Morgan Adhesives Company (Amcor Plc)
• Original Assignee: Morgan Adhesives Company (Amcor Plc), Eveready Battery Company Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tucholski, Gary R., Weiss, Victor H., Langbehn, John G., Laird, Dean A., Prok, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NUZZOLILLO, MARIA
• Application Number:
  US08/377,178
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 429/90, 429/91, 429/92, 429/93, 324/435
• US Class Current: 429/90
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/005 Indication of measured value by colour change
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 13/403 using passive display devices, e.g. liquid crystal display or Kerr effect display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/119 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery encased with a label containing an integral test circuit device that is activated by depressing a selected area of the label whereupon a thermally sensitive material displays whether the battery has capacity. A method for producing the test circuit device is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A battery having a first terminal and a second terminal of opposite polarity;

said battery at least partially encased with a nonconductive film having a top surface and bottom surface and said film defining a first opening exposing a segment of the first terminal, a spaced apart second opening exposing a segment of the second terminal, and a plurality of openings between said first opening and said second opening and a conductive circuit layer disposed over the first opening, the second opening, and the plurality of openings so that a first segment of conductive circuit layer can be deflected through the first opening to contact the first terminal, a second segment of the conductive circuit layer can be deflected through the second opening to contact the second terminal with the remaining segment of the conductive circuit layer being unable to contact the terminals of the battery through the plurality of openings;

a thermally sensitive material disposed in responsive contact with the conductive circuit layer such that when the first segment and second segment of the conductive circuit layer contact the first terminal and second terminal, respectively, a current will flow through the conductive circuit layer and heat the thermally sensitive material which will indicate the capacity of the battery.

2. The battery of claim 1 wherein the plurality of openings are each sized from 0.0001 square inch to 0.004 square inch.

3. The battery of claim 1 wherein the plurality of openings are each sized from 0.0004 square inch to 0.002 square inch.

4. The battery of claim 1 wherein the battery comprises a housing composed of a cylindrical container closed at one end and open at the opposite end and said container forming the first terminal of the battery;

a cover secured over and electrically insulated from the open end of the container and said cover forming the second terminal of the battery, said first segment of the conductive circuit layer disposed over the first opening and spaced from the first terminal, and said second segment of the conductive circuit layer disposed over the second opening and spaced from the second terminal.

5. The battery of claim 1 wherein a heat shrunk film is secured over the battery.

6. The battery of claim 1 wherein the conductive circuit layer is selected from the group consisting of silver, nickel, iron, copper, carbon, and lead.

7. The battery of claim 6 wherein the conductive circuit layer is silver.

8. The battery of claim 1 wherein the thermally sensitive material is selected from the group consisting of thermochromic ink and liquid crystal material.

9. The battery of claim 7 wherein the thermally sensitive material is thermochromic ink.

10. The battery of claim 8 wherein the thermally sensitive material is thermochromic ink.

11. The battery of claim 1 wherein one segment of the conductive circuit layer is permanently secured to the terminal.

12. The battery of claim 1, wherein the conductive circuit layer is selected from the group consisting of conductive paints, conductive polymers, conductive inks, and mixtures thereof.

13. A method for preparing and attaching a battery test label to a battery comprising the steps:

(a) preparing a nonconductive base film having a top surface and a bottom surface and producing in said film a first opening, a second opening and a plurality of spaced-apart openings between said first opening and said second opening with said plurality of openings each being smaller than the first and second openings;

(b) securing a thermally sensitive material to the top surface of a conductive circuit layer and securing the bottom surface of the conductive circuit layer onto the top surface of the base film and over the first opening, 5he second opening and at least a portion of the plurality of openings such that a selected first area of the conductive circuit layer can deflect into and through said first opening, a selected second area of the conductive circuit layer can deflect into and through the second opening, and the conductive circuit layer cannot be deflected through the plurality of openings; and

(c) adhering the bottom surface of the base film to the housing of a battery having a first terminal and second terminal of opposite polarity such that the first opening is positioned over the first terminal and the second opening is positioned over the second terminal so that said first selected area can be deflected to contact only the first terminal and said second selected area can be deflected to contact the second terminal to complete an electrical circuit between the terminals that will cause current to flow through the conductive circuit layer creating heat that will be detected by the thermally sensitive material.

14. The method for claim 13 wherein in step (a) the base film has an adhesive layer on its bottom surface and a releasable film disposed over the adhesive layer and in step (c) the releasable film is removed and the bottom surface of the base film is secured to the housing of the battery using the adhesive layer.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein in step (b) the bottom surface of the conductive circuit layer has an adhesive layer with the selected first area of the conductive circuit layer and the selected second area of the conductive circuit layer free of said adhesive, and a releasable layer film disposed over the adhesive layer and in step (b) the releasable layer is removed prior to securing the conductive circuit layer to the base film using the adhesive layer.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the following step is added:

d) securing a nonconductive film over the base film containing the conductive circuit layer and thermally sensitive material.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein in step (a) the first opening is an enclosed defined opening and the second opening is a slot at the edge of the base film.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein in step (a) the plurality of openings are each sized from 0.0001 square inch to 0.004 square inch.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein in step (b) the conductive circuit layer is silver.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein in step (a) the thermally sensitive material is a thermochromic ink.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein in step (a) the conductive circuit layer is silver and the thermally sensitive material is thermochromic ink.