In-line dry cell cartridge or housing

Details In-line dry cell cartridge or housing In-line dry cell cartridge or housing

1999-06-23

2001-05-29

Chaney, Carol (Department: 1745)

Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and

Cell support for removable cell

C429S097000, C429S098000, C429S099000, C429S100000, C429S148000, C429S149000, C429S152000, C429S153000, C429S154000, C429S155000, C429S156000, C429S157000, C429S159000, C429S163000, C429S164000, C429S176000, C429S009000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06238818

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 on PCT Application No. PCT/AU97/00877 filed on Dec. 23, 1997, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(d) on Australian Patent No. 76519/96, filed on Dec. 24, 1996, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cartridges or housings which receive dry cells in an in-line orientation and are subsequently inserted into appliances, such as flashlights, which utilize those dry cells.
Generally dry cell powered appliances have cavities which receive dry cells. These cavities have covers associated with them and the covers may generally have a sticker adhered to them which indicates the orientation in which the dry cells should be positioned. Alternatively, the cavities or the covers are embossed to indicate the orientation. However, the orientation that dry cells are ultimately installed in is dictated by the person installing the dry cells, and because they generally do not check the correct orientation from the diagram provided, the process will generally rely on that person remembering the correct orientation. The difficulty with this is that if dry cells are placed in the wrong orientation, then there is a chance that some dry cells will be dissipated or may become incapable of providing current. This could occur even while an appliance is switched off. Also, the appliance may have polarity sensitive circuits which might be damaged by incorrect polarity.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a housing or cartridge which ameliorates, at least in part at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a housing having a generally elongate body to hold at least two dry cells together in series connection in an end to end or in-line orientation, said housing being insertable into and removable from an appliance, and includes: a first end having a first end wall which will receive a positive terminal of a dry cell and a second end having a second end wall; said first end wall and said second end wall each having a passage therethrough to allow electrical contact to be made by terminals of an appliance with terminals of a dry cell at said first and second ends; two or more dry cell cavities which each have at least one side wall and further having an intermediate wall common to adjacent cavities, the or each intermediate wall cooperating with a contact member which electrically connects the positive of one dry cell with the negative of an adjacent dry cell when dry cells are placed in correct orientation in adjacent cavities; said intermediate walls have or include a portion having a predetermined thickness and an axial passage therethrough, said thickness being less than the length of a raised cylindrical positive terminal of a dry cell, said intermediate walls having a first surface facing in the direction of said second end and a second surface facing in the direction of said first end; the or each said intermediate wall and said contact member being arranged so that a side of said contact member facing said second end is recessed relative to said first surface, so that a raised cylindrical positive terminal of a dry cell must pass, at least partially, through said passage to make electrical contact with said contact member.
Preferably said passage through said second end wall cooperates with the surface of a negative terminal of a dry cell in the cavity at said second end, so that when correctly positioned in said cavity, the surface of said negative terminal is recessed from the outwardly facing surface of said second end wall.
Preferably the thickness of said second end wall and a portion of said intermediate wall or said intermediate wall determines the depth of recessing.
Preferably said intermediate walls are each constructed from two wall parts with a space between each wall part to receive said contact member, so that a surface or a portion of a surface of said contact member is recessed from said first surface by the thickness of said wall part which includes said first surface.
Preferably said contact member is held in each intermediate wall by the joining of each wall part together at one end, to enclose the space between the wall parts.
Preferably said housing has a generally semi-cylindrical body in which said dry cell cavities are formed.
Preferably said holding members are extensions of said body which partially enclose a volume to form and occlude said cavities.
Preferably said body includes an aperture to provide some resilient flexibility to assist said holding members to move, to allow placement and removal of said dry cells.
Preferably said contact members include a bias means associated with the contact member to engage a negative terminal of a dry cell.
Preferably said aperture has the profile similar to the silhouette of a dry cell with a representation of a positive terminal being visible.
Preferably the contact member includes at least one angled barb which engages one of the facing wall parts of said end wall, said barb being angled to prevent removal of the contact member once it has been positioned in the end wall.
Preferably said passage through said end intermediate wall and said first and second end walls is of a generally U-shaped, or semi circular or part semi circular construction.
Preferably said first end wall is semi-circular.
Preferably said intermediate walls have a generally circular periphery.
Preferably said passage through intermediate walls is of a substantially U-shaped construction.
Preferably said intermediate wall is made from a single wall part and has said contact member attached to said second surface, so as to recess said contact member from said first surface.
Preferably the housing includes holding members cooperating with said side walls, said holding members being moveable to allow insertion or removal of a dry cell into or out of said cavities,
The invention also provides an appliance powered by dry cells which are serially connected and mounted in a housing as described in any one of the above paragraphs, wherein the positive terminal of said appliance is constructed so that it has at least one projection associated with it which can engage an external surface of said second end wall of said housing as described in any one of the above paragraphs, so as to prevent said positive terminal of said appliance making contact with the negative terminal of a dry cell in a cavity associated with the second end wall of said housing.
Preferably said at least one projection also engages an external surface of said first end wall so as to prevent said positive terminal of said appliance making contact with the negative terminal of an incorrectly positioned dry cell in a dry cell cavity associated with said first end wall of said housing.
The invention further provides a housing being insertable into, and removable from, an appliance, said housing holding to more than two dry cells in an in-line or end to end orientation, said housing including a series of dry cell cavities to receive said dry cells, said cavities including a body portion having at least one side wall portion, said housing including a part of said body associated with each cavity having a shaped aperture therethrough which has a profile similar to a silhouette of a dry cell with a part of the aperture representing the positive end of a dry cell, said part of said aperture and said aperture being oriented so as to correspond to and indicate the correct orientation of the dry cell in said cavity, said aperture being of a size which will prevent said dry cell passing through said aperture.
Preferably said housing is generally cylindrical.
Preferably said shaped aperture cooperates with said holding means to assist said holding means to be moveable to allow removal or insertion of said dry cells out of or into said cavity.
Preferably said housing includes a holding means to releaseably hold said dry cells in said cavity.
Preferably said aper

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