Patent ID: 8257848

Claim:
A battery having a tearing tooth structure for venting, the battery comprising: a battery cell having two voltage terminals and a flexible sidewall; a wall structure against which the battery cell is located, said wall structure including a sidewall that is adjacent to the sidewall of the battery cell; and a tooth structure that extends away from the sidewall of the wall structure and towards the sidewall of the battery cell, wherein the tooth structure includes a distal end sufficiently sharp to puncture the flexible sidewall of the battery cell when the flexible sidewall of the battery cell is forced up against the tooth structure due to a build up of excess pressure inside the battery cell and the tooth comprises two channels extending away from the sharp distal end to promote the formation of a tear in the sidewall, provide a path for gases to escape from the sidewall, and prevent the sidewall from re-sealing itself after the tear, wherein the distal end is a point, and wherein the tooth further comprises a second sharp point and the two channels are located between the sharp point and the second sharp point.