US5300372A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Rechargeable cell or cell pack contact configuration
Assignee: Motorola Solutions Inc
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Filing: 1992-10-26
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Granted: 1994-04-05
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Expires: 2012-10-26
Abstract
Abstract A consumer insertable battery pack assembly (70) comprises a plurality of substantially parallelipiped shaped rechargeable cells (61, 62, and 63) having a positive terminal (68) and a negative terminal (66). The positive terminal of one cell is coupled to the negative terminal of an adjacent cell. Insulation (17) is used on at least one of the terminals of the cells to offset the terminal location to prevent the charging of consumer insertable primary cells. The cells are within a housing (74) having contacts (76 and 86) for charging being arranged and constructed to mate with the offset terminals (68 and 66 respectively) of the cells. In this manner, the cells are unable to mate with the terminals of consumer inserted primary cells having centrally located terminals.
Inventors
- 👤 Adnan Aksoy
- 👤 Mark S. Bresin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 19:55
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01M; H01M50/00; H01M50/20; H01M50/204; H01M50/207; H01M50/209; H01M50/50; H01M50/572; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/10; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
65 words
A rechargeable battery cell having a contact configuration, comprising: a substantially prismatic shaped rechargeable cell having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; said positive and negative terminals each being flat and each substantially covering an end of the cell; and masking means applied to at least one of the terminals to prevent a portion of the terminal from being able to make electrical contact.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
65 words
A rechargeable battery cell having a contact configuration, comprising: a substantially prismatic shaped rechargeable cell having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; said positive and negative terminals each being flat and each substantially covering an end of the cell; and masking means applied to at least one of the terminals to prevent a portion of the terminal from being able to make electrical contact.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The rechargeable battery cell contact configuration of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery cell is a parallelipiped shaped cell.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The rechargeable battery cell contact configuration of claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery cell is selected from the group consisting of nickel metal hydride, nickel cadmium, lithium ion, zinc air, and lead acid.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
90 words
A battery pack having a rechargeable battery including a cell contact configuration, comprising: a plurality of substantially prismatic shaped rechargeable cells having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; said positive and negative terminals each being flat and each substantially covering an end of the cells; coupling means for coupling the positive terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of another cell adjacent thereto; and masking means applied to at least one of the terminals to prevent a portion of the terminal from being able to make electrical contact.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
90 words
A battery pack having a rechargeable battery including a cell contact configuration, comprising: a plurality of substantially prismatic shaped rechargeable cells having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; said positive and negative terminals each being flat and each substantially covering an end of the cells; coupling means for coupling the positive terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of another cell adjacent thereto; and masking means applied to at least one of the terminals to prevent a portion of the terminal from being able to make electrical contact.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The battery pack of claim 4, wherein the coupling means comprises metal straps coupled between adjacent cells.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The battery pack of claim 4, wherein the masking means applied to at least one of the terminals of the cells is substantially centrally disposed on the cell terminal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The battery pack of claim 4, wherein the rechargeable cell is a parallelipiped shaped cell.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The battery pack of claim 4, wherein the rechargeable cell is selected from the group consisting of nickel metal hydride, nickel cadmium, lithium ion, zinc air, and lead acid.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
The battery pack of claim 4, wherein the configuration further includes shrink wrapping around the plurality of cells.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
87 words
A consumer insertable battery pack assembly, comprising: a plurality of substantially prismatic shaped rechargeable cells having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; coupling means for coupling the positive terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of another cell adjacent thereto; means for preventing the charging of the cells comprising insulation on at least one of the terminals of the cells to offset the terminal location; and a housing having contacts for charging being arranged and constructed to mate with the offset terminals of the cells.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
87 words
A consumer insertable battery pack assembly, comprising: a plurality of substantially prismatic shaped rechargeable cells having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; coupling means for coupling the positive terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of another cell adjacent thereto; means for preventing the charging of the cells comprising insulation on at least one of the terminals of the cells to offset the terminal location; and a housing having contacts for charging being arranged and constructed to mate with the offset terminals of the cells.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The battery pack assembly of claim 10, wherein the coupling means comprises metal straps coupled between adjacent cells.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
The battery pack assembly of claim 10, wherein the insulation applied to at least one of the terminals of the cells is substantially centrally disposed on the cell terminal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
The battery pack assembly of claim 10, wherein the rechargeable cells are parallelipiped shaped cells.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The battery pack assembly of claim 10 wherein the rechargeable cell is selected from the group consisting of nickel metal hydride, nickel cadmium, lithium ion, lithium air, and lead acid.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
The battery pack assembly of claim 10, wherein the battery pack further includes shrink wrapping around the plurality of cells.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-04-04 | 1997-10-04 | 1998-04-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-04-04 | 2001-10-04 | 2002-04-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-04-04 | 2005-10-04 | 2006-04-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |