Battery system

A housing (610, 620) for a button-type battery (β) includes a cavity with resilient conductive terminals (300, 400) therein and a door (500) opposite the terminals (300, 400).When a battery (β) is pushed inside the cavity and the door (500) is moved to its closed position, the resilient terminals (300, 400) hold the battery (β) in place, applying a force urging the battery (β) against the door (500) to better maintain electrical contact.When the door (500) is moved to its open position, the resilient terminals (300, 400) push the battery (β) at least one fifth of its diameter out of the cavity, so a user can pull out the battery (β) by hand and change the battery (β) easily.

BACKGROUND

The present invention is directed to an apparatus for housing a button-type battery, and more particularly to an apparatus that facilitates compact housing and easy changing of the battery.

2. Description of Related Art

Miniature electronic equipment is often portable in nature and, as such, requires a portable source of power such as a button-type battery. A battery may be conveniently attached to the housing of miniature electronic equipment and make electrical contact by way of a conventional connector. To make battery changing easier, battery housing and locking mechanisms have been devised to enable the user to disconnect a spent battery and replace it with a freshly charged battery. It has been proven desirable to securely affix the detachable battery to the miniature electronic equipment by way of some sort of housing and locking mechanism. As the equipment becomes smaller, however, space within the miniature electronic equipment cannot be afforded for extensive locking mechanisms separately. Thus, it would be advantageous for housing and locking mechanisms to be integrated together within the miniature electronic equipment.

Traditional button battery housings are of a drawer-like cartridge structure in nature, which has the disadvantage of increased thickness for miniature electronic equipment. The button battery dwells in the cartridge in the form of a drawer, which is thick. When changing the battery, a user pulls the drawer cartridge out of or pushes the drawer cartridge in to the equipment and then takes out the battery from the cartridge. Another disadvantage is there exist separate parts from the equipment—like the drawer cartridge—which can be easily lost when a user changes the battery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES

The present invention is directed to these problems, integrating a battery housing, a door and resilient conductive terminals that cooperate to retain a button battery in place during use and to eject the batter from the housing for changing.

In general terms, when a user simply moves the battery door into its open position, the battery automatically jumps out of the housing, by at least one fifth of the diameter of the battery, under the urging of the resilient terminals. The user presses a new battery into battery slot in the housing and moves the door into its closed position to lock the battery in the housing.

The door may slide between its open position and closed position, being guided in transit along grooves inside the housing so the door is always connected with the housing and will not be lost.

More particularly, one aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for housing a button-type battery having respective negative and positive poles, the apparatus including:

a housing with a cavity adapted to receive and releasably retain the battery, the cavity projecting a slot in a face of the housing through which the battery may enter and leave;

a door, movably mounted to the housing and operable to move between a closed position covering the slot and an open position uncovering the slot; and

a connector within the cavity, the connector having a negative terminal and a positive terminal adapted for respective electrical connection to the negative and positive poles of the battery, the connector being operable to urge the battery against the door when the door is in the closed position and to urge the battery partially through the slot when the door is in the open position.

In this regard, there is provided an integral structure for housing a battery. Resilient, conductive connectors, for example including metal clips, function both as electrical terminals and a battery holder within the housing, this battery holder also serving to urge the battery out of the housing when changing is desired. In this way, the battery may be ejected, for example one fifth of its diameter, from the housing. In regular operation, the resilient connectors continually apply force to the battery to maintain a good and reliable electrical connection.

Accordingly, these and other objects are realized in the present invention, which encompasses a unique battery housing having cooperating door and resilient conductive terminals to enable easy installation and removal of the battery.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views,FIG. 1shows an apparatus for housing a button-type battery β (not part of the invention) having respective negative and positive poles.

The apparatus includes a housing610,620having a cavity adapted to receive and releasably retain the battery β, the cavity projecting a slot200in a face of the housing610,620through which the battery β may enter and leave. To ease manufacturing or use, the housing610,620may be formed as a complementary upper housing610and lower housing620, as illustrated.

The apparatus also includes a door500, slidably mounted to the housing610,620and operable to slide transversely to the slot200between a closed position covering the slot200and an open position uncovering the slot200. In the embodiment illustrated, the door500is mounted for sliding movement with respect to the housing610,620; however, other movements, for example rotational movement, could also work well. Those skilled in the art will recognize that in movement between the open and closed positions, the illustrated embodiment of the door500remains permanently connected to the housing610,620, to reduce the risk the door500will become lost. This arrangement is desirable but not necessary.

The apparatus further includes a connector300,400, within the cavity opposite the slot200, the connector300,400having a negative terminal300and a positive terminal400adapted for respective electrical connection to the negative and positive poles of the battery β, the connector300,400being operable to urge the battery β against the door500when the door500is in the closed position and to urge the battery β partially out of the slot200when the door500is in the open position. In the illustrated embodiment, the connector300,400is mounted to the lower housing620at the vertex430. The lower housing620includes a notch630opposite the slot200, which is configured to engage the exterior of the vertex430to retain the connector300,400within the lower housing620opposite the slot200.

The connector300,400may include a clip having a vertex430and resilient opposing first and second arms410,420that extend from the vertex430, the first and second arms410,420being adapted to abut the battery β at respective first and second portions of its perimeter and operable to apply a pinching force proximate a diameter of the battery β between them to improve electrical contact, the component of the pinching force normal to the slot200being sufficient to also urge the battery β away from the connector300,400and toward the slot200. The vertex430may be a truncated ∇-shape, as illustrated.

In this regard, it will be seen that the first and second arms410,420are operable to apply the pinching force to a convex portion of the battery β perimeter between the first and second portions, such that the first and second arms410,420urge the battery β away from the connector300,400and toward the slot200. More generally, the first and second arms410,420are operable to apply the pinching force to a proximate portion of the battery β perimeter within the semiperimeter opposite the slot200, such that the first and second arms410,420urge the battery β away from the connector300,400and toward the slot200.

The clip can be part of either the negative terminal300or the positive terminal400. In the embodiment illustrated, it is part of the positive terminal400.

Desirably, the first and second arms410,420are operable to urge one fifth of the battery β through the slot200when the door500is in the open position.

In operation, a user changes a battery β as follows. First he moves the door500to its open position, allowing the resilient connector300,400to push the old battery β out of the housing610,620through the slot200, for example one fifth of its diameter. With that much of the old battery β exposed, the user can easily grasp the old battery β and completely remove it from the housing610,620. The user then inserts a new battery β′ into the housing610,620through the slot200, pushing the new battery β′ all the way in against the urging of the resilient connector300,400. When the new battery β′ has cleared the slot200and resides completely within the housing610,620, the user moves the door500to its closed position. The resilient connector300,400then secures the new battery β′ within the housing610,620, urging it against the door500to hold it in place and to make good electrical connection with the terminals300,400.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. These antecedent recitations should be interpreted to cover any combination in which the inventive novelty exercises its utility. The reference numerals in the claims are merely for convenience and are not to be read in any way as limiting.