Battery charger with night light for a cordless telephone

Claim 1

A battery charger, wherein said battery charger is energized by a power supply and said power supply is accessible through an electrical outlet having upper and lower receptacle pairs, comprising: a housing having an aperture for receiving a cordless telephone handset having rechargeable batteries and handset contacts electrically connected to said batteries, wherein said housing includes charger contacts for forming an electrical connection with said handset contacts; upper and lower prongs extending from said housing, said upper and lower prongs being adapted to be inserted into said upper and lower receptacle pairs, respectively, for removably securing said housing to said electrical outlet when said handset is positioned within said aperture; said housing including: charging means for charging said batteries, said charging means being electrically connected to said charger contacts and including an indicator disposed on said housing for indicating that said battery is being charged; a phototransistor for detecting whether a level of light impinging on said housing is below a predetermined level; a lamp disposed on said housing for providing illumination adjacent said housing; first circuit means for supplying electrical power from said power supply to energize said charging means, said light sensing means and said lamp; second circuit means for supplying electrical power from said battery to energize said lamp when said power supply is disconnected from said battery charger and when said light detection means detects a level of light below said predetermined level; and a switch for turning said lamp on or off.