Abstract:
The present invention relates to a casing in which a rechargeable battery, etc. is contained. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rechargeable battery casing having a charge/discharge multiple-use jack consisting of a single jack to easily perform the charging and discharging of the battery, and having a waterproof structure to stably maintain the performance of a product, a waterproof jack plug connected thereto and a relay terminal.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE RELATED TO THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The applicant claims and requests a foreign priority, through the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industry Property, based on a patent application filed in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) with the filing date of Nov. 20, 2004, with the application number 10-2003-0082506, by the applicant. (see the attached declaration)  
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a casing in which a rechargeable battery, etc. is contained. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rechargeable battery casing having a charge/discharge multiple-use jack consisting of a single jack to easily perform the charging and discharging of the battery, and having a waterproof structure to stably maintain the performance of a product, a waterproof jack plug connected thereto and a relay terminal.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART  
       [0003]     A rechargeable battery, etc. that is usually used is mounted in an electronic product as a power supply, or is built in an additional external casing having a power jack, etc. through which the power of the battery is supplied to the electronic product.  
         [0004]     At this time, due to limited size and shape, the electronic product is usually supplied with the power of the battery from an external casing or an external power supply through a jack plug. In this case, the battery is contained within the casing and a jack code having a jack plug for discharging formed at its front end is drawn from the casing, or only an electric code for discharging is drawn from the casing without the jack plug.  
         [0005]     In such a conventional method, in order to recharge the battery contained in the battery casing, the battery must be removed from the battery casing and then mounted in a separate charger for charging. After the completion of the recharging process, the battery has to be re-located in the battery casing. This makes a user feel inconvenient in using the battery.  
         [0006]     Moreover, in this method, the battery casing has also to be frequently opened/closed since the battery must be frequently attached to and detached from the battery casing. For this reason, there occurs a problem in that the battery casing cannot have a waterproof structure.  
         [0007]     Therefore, in a wet condition, components within the battery casing may rust, which contributes to shortening the lifespan of the battery, or may cause a problem in reliability of the battery.  
         [0008]     In particular, for such a battery casing, there is a limitation of its use in that it cannot be used in products which must be used in the rain or the water.  
         [0009]     Furthermore, an existing rechargeable battery casing has only a jack terminal for discharging (output), or a jack terminal-for charging and a jack terminal for discharging separately. Therefore, there are problems in that the battery casing is complicated in structure and is inconvenient to use.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a rechargeable battery casing capable of performing both charging and discharging of a battery using a single common jack.  
         [0011]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a chargeable battery casing having a waterproof structure.  
         [0012]     A further another object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof jack plug that is suitable for the aforementioned rechargeable battery casing and has a waterproof structure. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0014]     FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a rechargeable battery casing according to the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a front view illustrating a state where the front panel of a body casing is removed according to the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a left side view illustrating a battery casing according to the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4   a  is a cross-sectional view illustrating the battery casing according to the present invention,  FIG. 4   b  is an enlarged view of an “A” portion shown in  FIG. 4   a , and  FIG. 4   c  shows an exemplary modification of the “A” portion shown in  FIG. 4   b;    
         [0018]      FIG. 5  shows an exemplary charger that can be connected to a charge/discharge multiple-use jack according to the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is a view illustrating a main part of a waterproof jack plug according to the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 7   a  is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the waterproof jack plug is used according to the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 7   b  shows an exemplary modification of the waterproof jack plug shown in  FIG. 7   a  according to the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  is a partially cut view of the body casing according to the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating the basic structure of the body casing according to the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 10  is a basic circuit diagram of the body casing according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 11  is a rear view illustrating a body casing (for example, applied to a mobile phone) according to another embodiment of the present invention another;  
         [0026]      FIG. 12  shows a state where the battery is removed from the mobile phone shown in  FIG. 11 ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 13  is a rear view illustrating a body casing applied to a mobile phone according to a further another embodiment of the present invention another;  
         [0028]      FIG. 14  shows a state where the battery is removed from the mobile phone shown in  FIG. 13 ;  
         [0029]      FIG. 15   a  and  FIG. 15   b  are a rear view and a front view of the battery shown in  FIG. 13 , respectively;  
         [0030]      FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view of the battery taken along lines “B-B” in  FIG. 14 ;  
         [0031]      FIG. 17  is a detailed view of a “C” portion shown in  FIG. 16  and  FIG. 18  is a detailed view of the “C” portion when the battery is attached;  
         [0032]      FIG. 19   a  and  FIG. 19   b  schematically show the positions of jacks in the mobile phone according to the present invention;  
         [0033]      FIG. 20  is a rear view when the battery is removed from the mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0034]      FIG. 21  is a perspective view of the mobile phone shown in  FIG. 20 ;  
         [0035]      FIG. 22  and  FIG. 23  are a front view and a rear view of the battery that is attached to and detached from the mobile phone shown in  FIG. 20 , respectively;  
         [0036]      FIG. 24   a  is a perspective view illustrating an O-ring for waterproof according to the present invention, and  FIG. 24   b  is a perspective view of the O-ring shown in  FIG. 24   a , which is half cut;  
         [0037]      FIG. 25   a  is a perspective view illustrating an “D” portion of the battery shown in  FIG. 23  and an “E” portion corresponding to the “D” portion;  
         [0038]      FIG. 25   b  is a perspective view illustrating a modification of the battery shown in  FIG. 25   a;    
         [0039]      FIG. 26  to  FIG. 29  are rear views illustrating a body casing of a mobile phone or a rechargeable battery according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0040]      FIG. 30  is a front view illustrating a state where the cover of a mobile phone is opened according to the present invention;  
         [0041]      FIG. 31  is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mobile phone taken along lines “F-F” in  FIG. 30 ;  
         [0042]      FIG. 32  shows another example of the mobile phone to which the present invention is applied;  
         [0043]      FIG. 33  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a interconnecting jack according to the present invention;  
         [0044]      FIG. 34  is a perspective view illustrating the interconnecting jack shown in  FIG. 33 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0045]     The present invention will now be described in detail in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0046]      FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4   c  shows a rechargeable battery casing having a charge/discharge multiple-use jack according to the present invention. As can be seen from the drawings, the charge/discharge multiple-use jack is disposed in the casing.  
         [0047]     More specifically, the rechargeable battery casing having the charge/discharge multiple-use jack according to the present invention includes a body casing  1 , an input/output control unit  20  disposed within the body casing and having a switching circuit, a rechargeable battery  5  located within the body casing, and an anti-overcharging unit  30  connected to the battery  5  and having an anti-overcharging circuit connected to the input/output control unit  20 . In the above, the input/output control unit  20  includes a charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10  capable of performing both charging and discharging of the battery  5  as a single terminal.  
         [0048]     The input/output control unit  20  has a pushing switch  21  and the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10  mounted on a printed circuit board in which a switching circuit is formed. The pushing switch  21  is formed such that a portion of a switch button  22  is projected through a button projection hole  3  formed in the body casing  1 . At this time, a waterproof cap  23  for covering the top of the switch button  22  is installed. It is preferred that the waterproof cap  23  tightly seals the button projection hole  3  while resiliently pressing it (see  FIG. 4 ).  
         [0049]     It is preferred that a material of the waterproof cap  23  is a synthetic rubber series having a good elasticity. The edge of the waterproof cap may be firmly attached to the switch button or around the inner side of the button projection hole  3  in the body casing  1 . In either casing, it is recommended that the size of the waterproof cap  23  be designed to cover the switch button  22  and also tightly seals the button projection hole  3  while resiliently pressing the hole.  
         [0050]     The structure of the waterproof cap  23  constructed above according to the present invention can be modified like  FIG. 4   c . In this modified example, the waterproof cap  23  for covering and tightly sealing the projected switch button and the button projection hole is disposed at the outer side of the body casing, in the structure of  FIG. 4   b . As such, the waterproof cap  23  does not resiliently block the inside of the button projection hole  3  but covers and tightly seals the outside of the button projection hole  3 .  
         [0051]     Through this structure, it is possible to get rid of a danger that water may be infiltrated into the switch button  22 .  
         [0052]     A jack terminal guide hole  8  is further formed at one side (preferably, a lateral side) of the body casing  1 . The front end of a jack terminal  11 , which is a terminal of the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10 , is projected toward the outside through the guide hole  8 . At this time, it is preferred that a space between the outer surface of the jack terminal  11  and the jack terminal guide hole  8  is tightly sealed with a filler  4  for waterproof.  
         [0053]     By doing so, it is possible to prevent moisture from being infiltrated through the jack terminal guide hole  8 .  
         [0054]     In order to form the above structure, it is preferred that the front of the body casing  1  is additionally formed as the front plate  2 , various components and a battery are contained within the front plate, the front plate  2  is covered, and the body casing  1  and the front plate  2  are then integrated through melting.  
         [0055]     In the battery casing constructed above according to the present invention, all the components are precluded from an outer atmosphere except for the terminal hole of the jack terminal  11  in the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10 , thus accomplishing a waterproof structure. Further, the terminal hole of the jack terminal is tightly sealed as the male terminal of the jack plug is inserted into the terminal hole of the jack terminal.  
         [0056]      FIG. 6  to  FIG. 8  illustrate the jack plug  40  for waterproof according to the present invention, which can be suitably used in the battery casing having the charge/discharge multiple-use jack according to the present invention, examples that the jack plug  40  for waterproof is used and the like.  
         [0057]     Referring to  FIG. 6  to  FIG. 8 , in a waterproof jack plug having a jack plug unit  40  wherein one end of an electric code is connected to a typical electrical appliance and the other end of the electric code is inserted into a jack terminal  11  of the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10 , the jack plug unit  40  includes a male terminal body  42  having a plurality of contacts formed at its one end, wherein the contacts become electrodes and the male terminal is inserted into the jack terminal, and a plug body  41  for housing the other end of the male terminal connected to the electric code of the male terminal body  42 . In the above, the male terminal body  42  has a waterproof packing  43  of a resilient material formed at the outer circumferential surface thereof at its one side for blocking and tightly sealing a space between the jack terminal  11  and the male terminal body  42  when the male terminal body  42  is inserted into the jack terminal  11 .  
         [0058]     In other words, if the jack plug is inserted into the jack terminal  11 , the waterproof packing  43  of the male terminal body  42  blocks the terminal hole of the jack terminal  11  while resiliently depressing the terminal hole, so that the terminal hole of the jack terminal  11  is completely sealed. Therefore, the battery casing having the charge/discharge multiple-use jack according to the present invention has a complete waterproof structure and can be thus used in the water.  
         [0059]     The jack plug is mechanically forcibly inserted into the jack terminal to maintain the bolt torque. However, if the water pressure is high, the bolting may be released. In preparation for this, the waterproof jack plug can be modified like  FIG. 7   b.    
         [0060]     In this modified example, it is preferred that the male terminal body  42  has a plurality of spiral projections  44  formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof at its one side for increasing the fastening power with the jack terminal  11 . The jack terminal  11  has a plurality of spiral grooves  15  formed on the inner circumferential surface thereof to be engaged with the spiral projections  44  of the male terminal body  42 .  
         [0061]     As such, since the jack plug and the jack terminal are engaged in a screw manner, the bolt torque is further increased and a further stabilized waterproof ability is provided.  
         [0062]     Furthermore, in the battery casing having the charge/discharge multiple-use jack according to the present invention, an anti-overcharging unit  30  includes an anti-overcharging/overdischarging IC  32  mounted on a printed circuit board. The anti-overcharging/overdischarging IC  32  is connected to one terminal  6  of the battery through a sensor resistor R 1  for sensing an overcharging or overdischarging state.  
         [0063]     The other terminal  6 ′ of the battery is connected to two switches M 1  and M 2  serially connected each other, which are connected to the jack terminal  11 . The two switches M 1  and M 2  are connected to the anti-overcharging/overdischarging IC  32  in parallel, so that they bypass the jack terminal  11 .  
         [0064]     The anti-overcharging/overdischarging circuit may include other kinds of known circuits. The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned circuit.  
         [0065]     According to the present invention, as the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10  constructed above is provided, charging and discharging can be performed through the same jack terminal. It makes the use of the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10  very easy. As such, as the charging and discharging circuit are formed using the same jack, charging or discharging automatically occurs due to the potential of the battery and an external power through the jack terminal  11  or an electronic device.  
         [0066]     That is, if the jack plug connected to an electronic device is inserted into the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10 , the potential of the rechargeable battery  5  is high to generate discharging. Thus, current flows into the electronic device and serves as the power supply. In the event that the battery  5  is discharged, if a typical charger as shown in  FIG. 5  is connected to the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10 , current flows into the battery  5  due to a high potential from the charger, so that the battery  5  is charged.  
         [0067]     At this time, overcharging or overdischarging is prevented by the anti-overcharging unit. Accordingly, charging and discharging can be performed safely.  
         [0068]     It is to be noted that the structure of the present invention is not applied to the battery casing only. The battery casing having the charge/discharge multiple-use jack according to the present invention can be also applied to a mobile phone as shown in  FIG. 11 .  
         [0069]     A typical mobile phone usually serves as a battery casing for receiving the battery. Of course, a variety of transmit and receive components are also included in the mobile phone.  
         [0070]     Such a typical mobile phone includes a port terminal that is engaged with a dedicated charger for charging the battery. Thus, the dedicated charger can be used only in the port terminal of the mobile phone.  
         [0071]     Therefore, if it is required to urgently charge the mobile phone outside, it is impossible to charge the mobile phone without a dedicated charger.  
         [0072]     However, the problem can be solved according to the prevent invention as shown in  FIG. 12 . In other words, according to the present invention, in the battery casing having the charge/discharge multiple-use jack, the body casing has a structure in which the body casing becomes a body of a mobile phone, charging of the battery and discharging for the use of the mobile phone are performed in the mobile phone itself, and the battery is attached and detached to and from the mobile phone.  
         [0073]     That is, in this embodiment, a body  1  of the mobile phone being the body casing  1  includes an input/output control unit  20  having a switching circuit, a battery  5 , and an anti-overcharging unit  30  connected to the battery  5  and having an anti-overcharging circuit connected to the input/output control unit  20 , as well as typical components of the mobile phone, as shown in  FIG. 2  or  FIG. 9 . The input/output control unit  20  has the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10  capable of performing both charging and discharging of the battery  5  as a single terminal.  
         [0074]     Of course, the battery  5  may be a typical kind that is used in a mobile phone, but may be a structure in which the terminals  6  and  6 ′ for inputting/outputting the power are formed only at the front, rear, top, bottom or side of the battery, as shown in  FIG. 12 ,  FIG. 13 ,  FIG. 15   a ,  FIG. 15   b ,  FIG. 23  and  FIG. 29 .  
         [0075]     In the present invention, the battery casing structure having the charge/discharge multiple-use jack is intact used in the body of the mobile phone.  
         [0076]     That is, the input/output control unit or the anti-overcharging unit is disposed within the body of the mobile phone and an existing port jack for charging is replaced with a charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10 .  
         [0077]     The battery  5  of the mobile phone constructed above can be charged using any charger if their voltages are same. Thus, it is possible to obviate inconvenience that a user has to carry a charger everywhere. Further, the mobile phone can be used as an external power supply of an electronic device by connecting the device to the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10  of the mobile phone.  
         [0078]     A jack terminal guide hole is formed at one side of the body casing. The front end of the jack terminal  11  being the terminal of the charge/discharge multiple-use jack is located in the jack terminal guide hole. A space between the outer surface of the jack terminal and the jack terminal guide hole is tightly sealed with a filler for waterproof. Thereby, the structure as shown in  FIG. 7   a  is obtained.  
         [0079]     Furthermore, even in this embodiment, the anti-overcharging unit includes an anti-overcharging/overdischarging IC  32  mounted on a printed circuit board, as shown in  FIG. 10 . The anti-overcharging/overdischarging IC is connected to one terminal  6  of the battery through a sensor resistor R 1  for sensing an overcharging or overdischarging state.  
         [0080]     The other terminal  6 ′ of the battery is connected to two switches M 1  and M 2  serially connected each other, which are connected to the jack terminal  11 . The two switches M 1  and M 2  are connected to the anti-overcharging/overdischarging IC  32  in parallel, so that they bypass the jack terminal  11 .  
         [0081]     Further, in this embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 13  to  FIG. 31 , the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10  may be constructed so that it is used as an earphone jack.  
         [0082]     To this end, a basic circuit shown in the  FIG. 10  may be employed. At this time, the input/output control unit may include a jack separation circuit for automatically switching the terminal of the charge/discharge multiple-use jack to an earphone circuit or a charge/discharge circuit. The switching circuit for automatically switching the terminals is well known in the art. Thus, the detailed description on it will be omitted.  
         [0083]     The terminals  6  and  6 ′ of the battery  5  used in this embodiment are constructed so that they are brought into contact with and electrically connected to a connecting jack  105  formed in the body casing  1  as in  FIG. 14  to  FIG. 29 . A waterproof O-ring  60  is disposed in the connecting jack of the battery or around the connecting jack  105  of the body casing. When the terminals  6  and  6 ′ of the battery and the connecting jack  105  of the body casing are connected, the O-ring  60  tightly seals the connected portion.  
         [0084]     In order to further increase a waterproof effect of the terminal, it will be preferred that the O-ring  60  has a hollow ring shape having a hole formed therein, as shown in  FIG. 24   a  and  FIG. 24   b , and is made using a material of a high elasticity.  
         [0085]     The battery and the terminal structure of the body casing to be applied to this embodiment can be implemented in more detail in a variety of structures, as shown in  FIG. 14  to  FIG. 29 .  
         [0086]      FIG. 14 ,  FIG. 15   a  and  FIG. 15   b  show modifications of a connecting jack structure of a battery in a typical mobile phone. In the above, the O-ring  60  for waterproof is disposed at the edge of the connecting jack  105  in an existing body casing. As shown in  FIG. 17  and  FIG. 18 , if the battery is mounted in the body casing, the terminals  6  and  6 ′ of the battery and outer edges of the connecting jack  105  of the body casing are blocked from an outer atmosphere by means of the O-ring  60  for waterproof, so that the terminals are waterproofed.  
         [0087]     Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 28  and  FIG. 29 , the terminal  6  of the battery  5  may include a male terminal projected in a bar shape. The connecting jack  105  of the body casing  1  connected to the terminal  6  may include a female terminal depressed in a cylinder shape. This structure can be found in a structure that is usually used in a conventional earphone jack, etc.  
         [0088]     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 26  and  FIG. 27 , the connecting jack  105  of the body casing  1  may include a male terminal projected in a bar shape. The terminal  6  of the battery  5  connected to the connecting jack  105  may include a female terminal depressed in a cylindrical shape.  
         [0089]     As shown in  FIG. 21  to  FIG. 25   a , the terminal  6  of the battery  5  has a projected slim type male terminal of a thin cubic shape and the connecting jack  105  of the body casing  1  connected to the terminal  6  has a depressed female terminal having an inner surface corresponding to an outer surface of the male terminal.  
         [0090]     This slim type male terminal has a structure in which an outer surface becomes one contact pole, its center has a hole formed therein and a contact point is formed within the hole. An insulating material is preferably filled between the outer surface and the hole.  
         [0091]     The connecting jack  105  corresponding to the terminal  6  has a structure in which terminal contact points are formed on an inner wall of the connecting jack  105 . Thus, if the terminal  6  is inserted into the connecting jack  105 , it is brought into contact with the terminal contact points. A contact point bar that is inserted into the hole of the male terminal is also formed on an inner wall of the connecting jack  105 .  
         [0092]     As a modification of this structure, the shape of the terminals in the battery and the body casing may be changed. Detailed description on it will be omitted.  
         [0093]     As a modification of  FIG. 25   a , a battery shown in  FIG. 25   b  has the slim type terminal structure similar to that shown in  FIG. 25   a . In the above, the terminal  6  of the battery has a projected slim type terminal of a thin cubic shape having ground poles  67  and  68  formed at both sides in a lateral direction. The connecting jack  105  of the body casing connected to the terminal  6  has a depressed female terminal having an inner surface corresponding to an outer surface of the battery. It is preferable that both sides of the connecting jack of the battery and the ground pole are insulated with an insulating material.  
         [0094]     Of course, on the contrary, the connecting jack of the body casing includes a projected slim type male terminal of a thin cubic shape having a ground pole formed each at its both sides in a lateral direction. The connecting jack of the battery connected to the male terminal may have a depressed female terminal having an inner surface corresponding to an outer surface of the connecting jack.  
         [0095]     In the above embodiments, the O-ring  60  for waterproof is disposed between the terminal of the battery and the connecting jack of the body casing. A waterproof function is secured when the terminals are connected.  
         [0096]     The terminal of the battery and the connecting jack of the body casing as in the aforementioned embodiments can be modified in a various manner.  
         [0097]     Also, the connecting jack of the battery having a variety of shapes according to the present invention can be connected to an additional external charger and the battery can be thus charged through an external charger. A relay terminal as shown in  FIG. 33  and  FIG. 34  may be used in order to relay the interconnection between a slim shape terminal of the battery as shown in  FIG. 21  to  FIG. 25   b  and a bar shape jack terminal of a common charger.  
         [0098]     The relay terminal as shown in the drawings may have a bar shape connector  120  formed at one side thereof for connecting a bar shape male terminal to the bar shape connector, and a slim shape connector  130  formed at the other side thereof for connecting the slim shape terminal as shown in  FIG. 21  to  FIG. 25   b  to the slim shape connector. In this drawing, although only a case where the male terminal is inserted into the relay terminal has been described, a case where a female terminal is inserted into the relay terminal may be considered. In this case, the male and female structures will be interchanged. Description on them will be omitted.)  
         [0099]     In the body casing according to the present invention, a waterproof sheet  102  for covering a plurality of buttons  101 , which are protrudingly mounted at the front side of the body casing  1 , may be attached to the front of the body casing, as shown in  FIG. 30  and  FIG. 31 .  
         [0100]     Such a waterproof sheet may be transparent or semi-transparent. It must be elastic enough to easily depress the buttons.  
         [0101]     As such a waterproof sheet  102  is attached, it is possible to prevent water from infiltrating into the mobile phone through the buttons portion and to significantly increase the waterproof of the mobile phone.  
         [0102]     As above, the mobile phone according to the present invention itself serves as the charger and the battery. In emergency, the mobile phone may serve as the power supply for supplying the power to other external electronic devices.  
         [0103]     As an example, as shown in  FIG. 32 , a portable cassette recorder being an additional external device  200  can be operated using the power of a mobile phone, by connecting a portable cassette recorder to the jack terminal  11  of the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10  in the mobile phone of the present invention through a jack code. At this time, a jack at the other side of the jack code connected to the charge/discharge multiple-use jack  10  of the mobile phone is connected to a power input jack of the portable cassette recorder.  
         [0104]     Furthermore, the mobile phone according to the present invention can be used to simply charge other mobile phone. The mobile phone will be charged in the same manner as in the casing of the portable cassette recorder.  
         [0105]     As described above, according to the present invention, since terminals for charging and discharging are integrated into a single terminal, it is very convenient to use the rechargeable battery. Further, since a complete waterproof structure is provided, the inventive rechargeable battery casing can be used as an external power supply of other electrical appliances that has to be used in a wet condition or in the water.  
         [0106]     Furthermore, in the case where the inventive rechargeable battery casing is applied to a mobile phone, it can be used together with any adaptor only if the voltage is same. Thus, general-purpose charging is possible. the mobile phone to which the inventive battery casing is applied can be used as a separate charger or an external power supply.  
         [0107]     While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.