Patent ID: 6924624

Claim:
A method of slowing the discharge of a battery ( 3 ) in an electrical energy supply device ( 1 ), when said electrical energy supply device is not operating to supply a load ( 2 ) with electrical energy from the battery ( 3 ), said method comprising the steps of: a) providing a monitoring circuit means ( 9 ) for detecting and evaluating operating variables of the battery ( 3 ) said operating variables relating to an electrical energy supply in the battery ( 3 ), wherein said electrical energy supply device ( 1 ) comprises said battery ( 3 ) and said monitoring circuit means ( 9 ), and said load ( 2 ) is not in said electrical energy supply device ( 1 ); b) supplying electrical power from the battery to the monitoring circuit means ( 9 ) in order to operate the monitoring circuit means ( 9 ) to detect and evaluate said operating variables of the battery; and c) disconnecting the electrical power supplied from the battery to said monitoring circuit means ( 9 ) to operate the monitoring circuit means ( 9 ) while said load ( 2 ) is shut off and thus not supplied with said electrical energy from said battery, so that the monitoring circuit means ( 9 ) is not supplied with the electrical power from the battery ( 3 ) and the discharge of the battery is slowed or prolonged while said load ( 2 ) is shut off.