Patent ID: 7595609

Claim:
A battery system, comprising: one or more battery cells; a first battery system terminal, a second battery system terminal, and a third battery system terminal; and a charge current path extending between said first battery system terminal and said one or more battery cells, a discharge current path extending between said second battery system terminal and said one or more battery cells, and a ground path coupled to said third battery system terminal, said first battery system terminal being different than said second battery system terminal and said third battery system terminal being different from each of said first and second battery system terminals; wherein said charge current path coupled to said first battery system terminal is a different current path than said discharge current path coupled to said second battery system terminal such that each of said first battery system terminal and said charge current path only conducts charging current to said one or more battery cells and never conducts discharge current from said one or more battery cells and such that each of said second battery system terminal and said discharge current path only conducts discharge current from said one or more battery cells and never conducts charge current to said one or more battery cells.