Directional jumper cables

• US 5,820,407 A
• Filed: 04/22/1997
• Issued: 10/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David Moese
• Original Assignee: David M. Morse, Frank Fletcher
• Inventors: Morse, David M., Fletcher, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Application Number:
  US08/844,879
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 439/504, 439/489, 439/488, 439/490, 320/105, 320/104
• US Class Current: 439/504
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/24 with gripping jaws, e.g. crocodile clip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/66 Structural association with built-in electrical component coupling devices having concentrically or coaxially-arranged contacts H01R24/38
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6608 with built-in single component H01R13/68, H01R13/70 take precedence

Abstract

A set of battery jumper cables for placing a discharged battery parallel with a charged battery in order to increase the amount of electrical energy available to the discharged battery. The battery jumper cables include a pair of conductor cables having at each end disengagable clamp handles for coupling terminals of the charged and discharged batteries. One of the conductor cables includes a half wave rectifier biased to permit an electrical charging current from the positive terminal of the charged battery, but prevent reverse flow and potential damage to automobile computer circuitry. In a preferred embodiment the half wave rectifier is replaceably included in one of the disengagable clamp handles of one of the conductor cables. Alternative embodiments include color coding the conductor cables. Other embodiments also include indicia on a clamp handle indicating the bias of the half wave rectifier.

Claims

1. A directional automobile jumper cable device for connecting positive and negative battery terminals of a stranded vehicle battery and a rescue vehicle battery, comprising:

a first electrical conductive cable having a first and second end, and a second electrical conductive cable having a third and fourth end;

a first and second clamp handle means conductively affixed to said first and second ends for attaching said first cable to the positive battery terminals of the stranded vehicle battery and the rescue vehicle battery;

a third and fourth clamp handle means conductively affixed to said third and fourth ends of said second cable for attaching said second cable to the negative terminals of the stranded vehicle battery and the rescue vehicle battery; and

,

said first cable having a single half wave rectifer for preventing a positive electrical current flowing from the stranded vehicle battery to the rescue vehicle battery.

2. A directional automobile jumper cable device according to claim 1, wherein said half wave rectifier is housed in said first clamp handle means and said first clamp handle means includes indicia for properly orienting the bias of the half wave rectifier.

3. A directional automobile jumper cable device according to claim 1, wherein;

said first conductive cable has a non-conductive insulating red cover and said second conductive cable has a non-conductive insulating black cover.

4. A directional automobile jumper cable device for connecting positive and negative battery terminals of a stranded vehicle battery and a rescue vehicle battery, consisting of:

a first electrical conductive cable having a first and second end and a non-conductive insulating red covering, and a second electrical conductive cable having a third and fourth end and a non-conductive insulating black covering;

a first and second clamp handle means conductively affixed to said first and second end for attaching said first cable to the positive battery terminals of the stranded vehicle battery and the rescue vehicle battery;

a third and fourth clamp handle means conductively affixed to said third and fourth ends for attaching said second cable to the negative terminals of the stranded vehicle battery and the rescue vehicle battery;

a single half wave rectifier serially connected in said first clamp handle means, said half wave rectifier preventing a positive electrical current flow from the stranded vehicle battery to the rescue vehicle battery; and

,

said first clamp handle means having indicia for properly orienting the bias of the half wave rectifier.