Patent ID: 8174238

Claim:
A contact arrangement for receiving a charging voltage and switching a series of batteries from a series-connected, operating configuration to parallel, charging configuration, comprising: a) a plurality of main contacts each having a body portion, an input contact surface disposed on a first surface thereof, an output contact surface disposed on a parallel, opposing, second surface thereof, and an electrical contact disposed within said body portion and adapted to receive an electrical conductor inserted into said body portion through an opening disposed in said opposing second output contact surface, said electrical contact being adapted to receive and retain an electrical conductor in electrical communication with said body portion; b) a plurality of series connection contacts, each comprising: a first portion and a second portion, each of said first portion and said second portion having a charge receiving surface disposed on a first surface thereof, each of said first and said second portions being coaxially aligned along a common axis with a respective one of said plurality of main contacts, said first portion and said second portion being both electrically and physically interconnected, all of respective ones of said input contact surface, said output contacts surface and said charge receiving surface being parallel; c) a central opening disposed in and extending completely through each of said first portion and said second portion of each of said series connection contacts, said opening being sized to allow said electrical conductors associated with a corresponding one of said main contacts to freely pass therethrough without electrical connection thereto; and d) mechanism disposed to move at least one selected from the group: said plurality of main contacts, and said plurality of series connection contacts, along said common axis to selectively create a spaced apart and a contacting relationship between each of one of said output contact surfaces of said main contacts and said charge receiving surfaces of each of said first and said second portions of said series connection contacts.