Abstract:
An invisible fence battery charger for dramatically reducing homeowner&#39;s yearly invisible fence operating costs and reducing disposal of non-rechargeable batteries. The invisible fence battery charger includes a battery pack including a battery with battery terminals being in communication with the battery.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to battery packs and more particularly pertains to a new invisible fence battery charger for dramatically reducing homeowner&#39;s yearly invisible fence operating costs and reducing disposal of non-rechargeable batteries. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of battery packs is known in the prior art. More specifically, battery packs heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
     One prior art includes a Control Station with Integrated Collar Recharging Docking Station for Pet Electronics Products, comprising a battery recharging docking station powered by an AC/DC converter that receives a corresponding collar/receiver assembly worn by the animal. Another prior art includes an Electronic Device Having a Removable Battery Pack Assembly, comprising a cylindrical battery device wherein the battery may be removed from a housing structure. A third prior art includes a battery pack assembly being removably insertable within a receptacle of the electronic receiver to electrically connect a cylindrical battery contained within the battery pack assembly to internal electronics of the electronic receiver. While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new invisible fence battery charger. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new invisible fence battery charger which has many of the advantages of the battery packs mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new invisible fence battery charger which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art battery packs, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a battery charging unit including a housing and also including a circuit board being disposed in the housing; and a battery pack including a battery being communicable with the battery charging unit. None of the prior art includes the combination of the elements of the present invention. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invisible fence battery charger in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new invisible fence battery charger which has many of the advantages of the battery packs mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new invisible fence battery charger which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art battery packs, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new invisible fence battery charger for dramatically reducing homeowner&#39;s yearly invisible fence operating costs and reducing disposal of non-rechargeable batteries. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new invisible fence battery charger that is environmentally friendly since several million homes utilize invisible fence systems and millions of invisible fence batteries are thrown away each year. 
     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new invisible fence battery charger that is compact, convenient and easy to use to recharge invisible fence batteries used to confine pets such as dogs. 
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which, there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a new invisible fence battery charger according to the present invention and showing the battery pack, showing underside of the cover of the battery charging unit, and showing the components of the battery charging unit. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded top perspective view of the present invention showing the battery pack and the battery charging unit. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the present invention showing a partial cross-section of the battery pack with the battery pack being disposed upon the circuit board of the battery charging unit. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 3  thereof, a new invisible fence battery charger embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 3 , the invisible fence battery charger  10  generally comprises a battery charging unit  11  including a housing  12  and also including a circuit board  15  being conventionally disposed in the housing  12 ; and a battery pack  31  including a battery  32  being communicable with the battery charging unit  11  when being charged in the battery charging unit  11 . 
     The circuit board  15  includes electrical contacts  16 - 18  being conventionally disposed upon the circuit board  15  and being communicable with the battery  32  for energizing the battery  32  and also includes a light emitting diode  20  being conventionally disposed upon and extending outwardly from the circuit board  15  and being communicable with the battery  32  to indicate the charging state of the battery  32  such as when the battery  32  is charging and when the battery  32  is completely charged. The electrical contacts  16 - 18  include static electrical contacts  16 , 17  each having a first portion and a second portion angled relative to the first portion and being spaced apart and slightly raised and being made of conductive material, and also include a biased electrical contact  18  being conventionally disposed between the static electrical contacts  16 ,  17  and extending outwardly from the circuit board  15  and is essentially a biased element such as a compression spring made of conductive material. 
     The battery charging unit  11  further includes a power supply jack  19  being conventionally connected to and along an edge of the circuit board  15 . The AC current from a power supply is converted to DC current in the electrical plug which is in conventional communication to both an electrical outlet and to the power supply jack  19  which energizes and charges the battery  32 . 
     The housing  12  is made of any suitable material and includes a base  13  and a cover  14  being conventionally fastenable to the base  13  and having a main wall  26  and also having a battery-receiving opening  30  being disposed through the main wall  26  and further having a light-receiving hole  22  being disposed through the main wall  26 . The cover  14  further includes slots  24 , 25  being disposed in a side wall  23  forming the battery-receiving opening  30  with the battery-receiving opening  30  being aligned with the electrical contacts  16 - 18 . The slots  24 , 25  extend longitudinally through top and bottom edges of the side wall  23 . The cover  14  also includes a boss  21  being conventionally disposed upon the main wall  26  with the battery-receiving opening  30  being disposed through the boss  21 . The cover  14  further includes alignment members  27 , 28  such as pins, poles, or pegs being conventionally attached to and depending from a bottom of the main wall  26 . The circuit board  15  further includes holes  53 , 54  being disposed therethrough with the alignment members  27 , 28  being received in the holes  53 , 54  upon the cover  14  being fastened upon the base  13 . 
     The battery pack  31  includes battery terminals  33 - 35  being conventionally connected to the battery  32 . The battery terminals  33 - 35  include cantilevered battery terminals  33 , 34  being cantilevered from a bottom of the battery  32  and being in contactable relationship with the static electrical contacts  16 , 17  respectively. The cantilevered battery terminals  33 , 34  are conventionally connected at a perimeter of the battery  32  and are opposed to one another with the cantilevered battery terminals  33 , 34  being transversely curved. The battery terminals  33 - 35  also include a proximate battery terminal  35  being in communication with and conventionally disposed below the battery  32  between the cantilevered battery terminals  33 , 34  and being in contactable relationship with the biased electrical contact  18 . The proximate battery terminal  35  has a planar portion  55  which is disposed below the battery  32  between the cantilevered battery terminals  33 , 34  and also has wing portions being conventionally attached to the battery  32 . The battery pack  31  also includes a circuit element  36  being in conventional communication with the battery terminals  33 - 35  and being conventionally disposed about the battery  32 . The battery pack  31  further includes a battery protection circuit module  37  being in conventional communication with the circuit element  36  to protect against over discharging, over charging and short circuiting. 
     The battery pack  31  also includes a housing member  38  for carrying the battery  32 , and further includes battery guide members  47 , 48  being conventionally disposed upon the housing member  38  and being receivable in the slots  24 , 25  for guiding the battery pack  31  into the battery-receiving opening  30 . The housing member  38  is made of any suitable material and includes an upper portion  56  and a lower portion  39 . The lower portion  39  has a side wall  40  and a bottom wall  41  with the bottom wall  41  having a centrally-disposed opening  42  being disposed therethrough and being aligned with the biased electrical contact  18  when the battery  32  is inserted into the battery charging unit  11  and also aligned with the proximate battery terminal  35 . The bottom wall  41  also has holes  43 , 44  being disposed therethrough with the cantilevered battery terminals  33 , 34  each being disposed through a respective hole  43 , 44 . The battery guide members  47 , 48  are tabs being conventionally disposed on the side wall  40  of the housing member  38  and near a bottom of the lower portion  39  and each being dimensioned to be removably received in a respective slot  24 , 25 . The upper portion  56  has an endless eave  45  dividing the upper and lower portions  39 , 56  and also has recessed portions  49 - 51  being disposed thereabout and therein for aiding insertion of the battery pack  31  into the battery charging unit  11 . The battery pack  31  further has an O-ring  46  being conventionally disposed about the housing member  38  and being conventionally disposed adjacent to the endless eave  45  for sealing the battery pack  31  to a collar. 
     In use, the user plugs the battery charging unit  11  into an electrical outlet using a suitable power cord which also plugs into the power supply jack  19 . The user inserts the battery pack  31  bottom first into the battery-receiving hole  30  by aligning the tabs  47 , 48  with the slots  24 , 25  so that the battery pack  31  slides down into the battery-receiving hole  30  so that the tabs  47 , 48  completely pass through the slots  24 , 25  with the user then rotating the battery pack  31  so that the battery terminals  33 - 35  make contact with the respective electrical contacts  16 - 18 . The tabs  47 , 48  as a result of being rotated will be engaged to the bottom edge of the side wall  23  of the battery-receiving opening  30 . The light-emitting diode  20  indicates the charging of the battery  32  and also when the battery  32  is fully charged. Once the battery  32  is fully charged, the user again rotates the battery pack  31  to align the tabs  47 , 48  with the slots  24 , 25  and then pulls the battery pack  31  out of the battery-receiving opening  30  and can now put the battery pack  31  in the collar used for confining a pet in particular. 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invisible fence battery charger. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.