Battery cartridge

Claim 2

A disposable, sealed, removable battery cartridge, comprising a case of insulating plastic material to accommodate and to enclose a battery having a plurality of cells; said case including a bottom tray for receiving and supporting the cells, and a cover for closing said bottom tray; terminal means for said battery of cells including terminals having respective planar terminal expanses; and openings serving as windows in the case and disposed in front of said terminal means respectively in coplanar relation with said terminal expanses for providing access to abuttingly engage said terminal expanses from outside said cartridge for electrically coupling the battery to an external circuit, said case embodying support means for isolating any pressure directed onto said terminal expanses from said cells, said cartridge further including electrically conductive means electrically connected to said terminal means and to polar surfaces of said cells to provide desired battery potentials at said terminal means.

Claim 3

A battery cartridge, as in claim 1, in which such electrical connections of said electrically conductive means to said terminal means and said polar surfaces are permanently bonded connections.

Claim 4

A battery cartridge, as in claim 1, in which said bottom tray has a substantially rectangular floor with full length side walls and no end walls; and said cover embodies an upper rectangular ceiling extending a full width over the area between the two side walls of the bottom tray, and further embodies two vertically depending end walls to cover selected areas at the two ends of the bottom tray, one of said end walls defining said windows.

Claim 5

A battery cartridge, as in claim 1, in which said bottom tray embodies integrally formed elements defining said support means and providing reaction bracing surfaces against which said terminal expanses are pressed by external contacts to establish an electrical circuit connection between the battery and an external circuit.

Claim 6

A battery cartridge, as in claim 4, in which the cover for said bottom tray embodies a cut-out portion defining said windows and disposed in front of said integrally formed elements, thereby to provide access for external contact elements to pass through said windows to engage said terminal expanses.

Claim 7

A battery cartridge, as in claim 5, in which said windows provide access to two said terminal means or respective opposite polarity; and wherein a side wall of the case is provided with integral guide means to require the case to be inserted in a predetermined mode in an external device in which the battery cartridge is to be used, whereby said terminal means will be connected to the external circuit in proper polarity relation.

Claim 8

A battery cartridge, as in claim 1, in which said bottom tray has two spaced posts integral therewith defining said support means and disposed at locations adjacent the ends of two of said cells, wherein said terminal means comprises a terminal having such terminal expanse and anchored on each said post; and wherein said electrically conductive means includes a strip member bonded to and electrically connected to each said terminal and to a polar surface of an adjacent cell.

Claim 9

A battery catridge, as in claim 7, in which each said post is non-circular in cross-section; and such terminals are shaped to fit for direct application to said posts and to be held substantially against relative movement with respect to said posts, each said terminal embodying a freely extending tab extension fixedly electrically connected to one said strip member.

Claim 10

A battery cartridge, as in claim 8, in which each said post is shaped to have a substantially flat front surface; and each said terminal is shaped to permit direct axial slip-on onto one of said posts, with such flattened shape of the assembled post and terminal serving to hold each terminal against relative angular movement on its post, each post serving as a reaction-pressure surface to brace its terminal against the applied pressure of an external contact element of an external circuit.

Claim 11

A battery cartridge, as in claim 1, wherein said support means comprises elements integrally formed with said case, wherein said terminal means includes terminals anchored on said integrally formed elements and wherein said electrically conductive means comprises metal strips.

Claim 12

A battery cartridge comprising: (a) an elongate electrically insulative case defining an interior containing a plurality of cells interconnected to provide a potential difference between a pair of polar surfaces thereof, said case defining apertures for access by external contact members to said interior thereof, said case restraining said cells from movement along the longitudinal axis thereof; (b) cartridge terminal means; (c) support means formed integrally with said case for supporting said terminal means interiorly of said apertures in position to be abuttingly engaged by said external contact members on movement thereof interiorly of said case and for supporting said terminal means in spaced relation to said polar surfaces of said cells; and (d) electrically conductive means electrically interconnecting said terminal means and said cell polar surfaces, whereby such connections of said electrically conductive means respectively with said terminal means and with said cell polar surfaces are isolated from forces applied to said terminal means by said external contact members on such abutting engagement thereof.

Claim 13

A battery cartridge comprising: (a) an elongate electrically insulative case defining an interior containing a plurality of cells interconnected to provide a potential difference between a pair of polar surfaces thereof, said case defining apertures for access by external contact members to said interior thereof, said case restraining said cells from movement along the longitudinal axis thereof; (b) cartridge terminal means; (c) support means formed integrally with said case for supporting said terminal means interiorly of said apertures in position to be abuttingly engaged by said external contact members on movement thereof interiorly of said case and for supporting said terminal means in spaced relation to said polar surfaces of said cells; and (d) electrically conductive means electrically interconnecting said terminal means and said cell polar surfaces, whereby such connections of said electrically conductive means respectively with said terminal means and with said cell polar surfaces are isolated from forces applied to said terminal means by said external contact members on such abutting engagement thereof.