GB2351179A

GB2351179A - Rechargeable battery

Info

Publication number: GB2351179A
Application number: GB9918292A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chan-Bok Seok
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-06-18
Filing date: 1999-08-03
Publication date: 2000-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 2019-08-03
Also published as: GB2351179B; GB9918292D0; KR20010000803U

Abstract

A rechargeable battery, designed to allow a user to easily and simply recharge a battery without having any separate electric cord or plug, is disclosed. The battery is integrated with a recharging unit within a casing and is provided with a power connection means for electrically connecting the recharging unit to an external power source. The power connection means consists of two plug terminals 50, 51 and one thumb-operable guide terminal 52. The three terminals are held on three rotatable shafts within the casing in a way such that they are normally positioned at a fully laid and retracted position within the casing and are selectively rotated from the retracted position to an upright position through three slits of the casing. In order to allow the two plug terminals to be rotated in conjunction with a levered action of the guide terminal, three pinion gears are respectively formed on the three shafts of the terminals. A rack engages with the three pinion gears, thus allowing the three pinion gears to be rotatable in the same direction at the same time.

Description

2351179 RECHARGEABLE BATTERY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates, in general, to rechargeable batteries integrated with a recharging unit within a battery casing and, more particularly, to an improvement in such a rechargeable battery to allow a user to easily and simply recharge a battery without having any scparate electric cord or plug.

Description of the Prior Art

As well known to those skilled in the art, several types of rechargeable batteries have been proposed and used.

However, most conventional rechargeable batteries are designed to use a separate recharging unit during a recharging operation, thus forcing a user to purchase the separate recharging unit in addition to the batteries. This is inconvenient and forces the user to waste money.

In accordance with a recent development in the battery manufacturing technique, the batteries for flash lights have been made compact and reduced in size. It is thus possible to integrate a recharging unit with a bat"tery within one casing without causing any increase in volume of the battery casing.

1 However, the rechargeable battery, integrated with a recharging unit, is problematic in that the recharging unit has to be electrically connected to a power plug socket using a separate cord and plug during a battery recharging operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keep ing in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable battery, which has two plug terminals provided in a battery casing, the plug terminals being electrically connected to a recharging unit and designed to be rotatable between a is retracted position within the casing and an upright position on the casing, thus being connected to a power plug socket during a battery recharging operation and allowing a user to easily and simply recharge the battery without having any separate electric cord and plug.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in

2 conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rechargeable battery in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the rechargeable battery of this invention, showing the construction of the battery; Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing the construction of an interlocking means included in the battery of this invention; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the battery taken along the line A-A of Fig. 3, showing two plug terminals fully retracted within a battery casing; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the battery taken along the line A-A of Fig. 3, showing the two plug terminals standing upright on the battery casing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figs. 1 to 5 show a rechargeable battery in accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention. As shown in the drawings, a battery 2 is integrated with a recharging unit 3 within a casing 1 and is provided with a power connection means for electrically connecting the recharging unit 3 to an external power source. In the battery of this invention, first to third longitudinal slits 10, 11 and 12 are formed on 3 an end wall of the easing 1. The three slits are positioned at three peaks of a triangle in a way such that the first and second slits 10 and 11 are positioned abreast on the end wall while being parallel to each other. The third slit 12 is positioned at a third peak of the triangle. The electric connection means comprises two longitudinal plug terminals 50 and 51 and one thumb-operable guide terminal 52. The plug terminals 50 and 51 are electrically connected to the recharging unit 3 and held on first and second coaxial rotatable shafts 55 within the casing 1. The guide terminal 52 is held on a third rotatable shaft 55 within the casing 1.

The three terminals 50, 51 and 52 are normally positioned at a fully laid and retracted position within the casing and are selectively rotated from the retracted position to an upright position through the three slits 10, 11 and 12.

Two spring terminals 30 of the recharging unit 3 are positioned around the two plug terminals 50 and 51 in a way such that the spring terminals 30 are brought into contact with the two plug terminals 50 and 51 when the plug terminals 50 and 51 are rotated to the upright position.

In the present invention, it is necessary to provide an elastic locking means for elastically holding the plug and guide terminals 50, 51 and 52 at either the retracted position or the upright position.

In the preferred embodiment, the elastic locking means 4 comprises a concave seat 31 formed on each spring terminal 30.

The concave seats 31 of the two spring terminals 30 elastically seat the plug terminals 50 and 51 thereon while being electrically connected to said terminals 50 and 51 when the two terminals 50 and 51 stand upright.

However, the concave seats 31 may fail to stably retain the upright position of the terminals 50, 51 and 52. It is thus necessary to provide a sub-locking means for subsidiarily holding the upright position of the plug and guide terminals 50, 51 and 52. The sub-locking means also holds the three terminals 50, 51 and 52 at their retracted positions.

In the preferred embodiment, the sub-locking means comprises a stop means consisting of two stop projections 60 and 61 formed on a pinion gear of the guide terminal 52 and a stop slot 62 formed on the internal surface of the casing 1.

The above battery is recharged as follows. That is, the three terminals 50, 51 and 52 are rotated from the retracted position to the upright position through the three slits 10, 11 and 12, and so the plug terminals 50 and 51 are brought into elastic contact with the two spring terminals 30 at their contact terminals 501 and 511. When the upright plug terminals 50 and 51 are fully inserted into a power plug socket, the recharging unit 3 is electrically connected to an external power source and recharges the battery.

In the present invention, the three terminals 50, 51 and 52 are preferably rotated in conjunction with each other, thus being convenient to a user while operating the electric connection means.

In order to accomplish the above object, the battery of this invention also has an interlocking means 4 for allowing the plug and guide terminals 50, 51 and 52 to be rotated in conjunction with each other between the retracted position and the upright position.

The interlocking means 4 comprises three pinion gears 45 respectively formed on the first to third shafts 55 of the plug and guide terminals 50, 51 and 52. A rack 40 engages with the three pinion gears 45, thus rotating the three pinion gears 45 in the same direction at the same time.

Therefore, the three terminals 50, 51 and 52 are rotatable at the same time when either one of them is rotated.

In the present invention, the three pinion gears 45 have the same diameter. The rack 40 has a Y-shaped profile and engages with the two pinion gears 45 of the plug terminals 50 and 51 at its arms, and engages with the pinion gear 45 of the guide terminal 52 at its stem. The two arms of the rank 40 have longitudinal openings 41, thus allowing the contact terminals 501 and 511 of the two plug terminal 50 and 51 to pass through the openings 41 prior to being brought into contact with the spring terminals 30 of the recharging unit 3.

A depressed thumb seat 13 is formed on a side edge of the 6 end wall of the casing 1 while allowing the third slit 12 to extend to a middle portion of the thumb seat 13. Therefore, it is possible for a user to operate the guide terminal 52 with a finger even when the terminal 52 is positioned at the retracted position.

In the present invention, the recharging unit 3 may be preferably selected from conventional units. Such a conventional recharging unit 3 typically comprises a transformer and a rectifier. In the unit 3, the transformer is electrically connected to a power source, while the rectifier rectifies a current, reduced by the transformer, thus converting the current into a direct current.

In order to recharge the battery 2, the retracted guide terminal 52 is primarily levered up with a finger. In such a case, it is possible for the finger to reach the retracted guide terminal 52 at the depressed thumb seat 13 of the casing 1. When the guide terminal 52 is levered up with a finger as described above, the pinion gear 45 of the terminal 52 is rotated with the first stop projection 60 of the terminal 52 being removed from the stop slot 62 of the casing 1. Such a rotating action of the pinion gear 45 results in a linear moving action of the rack 40 in a direction to the right of Fig. 3.

Therefore, the two pinion gears 45 of the plug terminals 50 and 51 are rotated in the same direction as that of the 7 guide terminal 52. The two plug terminals 50 and 51 are thus rotated around the shafts 55 and stand upright on the end wall of the casing 1. In such a case, the plug terminals 50 and 51 pass through the first and second slits 10 and 11, respectively.

When the two plug terminals 50 and 51 are rotated to their upright position, the contact terminals 501 and 511 are brought into contact with the spring terminals 30 of the recharging unit 3. The contact terminals 501 and 511 are, thereafter, completely and elastically seated in the concave seats 31 of the spring terminals 30 at a time the plug terminals 50 and 51 completely stand upright. In such a case, the plug terminals 50 and 51 are stably maintained at their upright positions. In addition, the second stop projection 61 of the guide terminal 52 comes into engagement with the stop slot 62 of the casing 1, thus effectively retaining the upright position of the two plug terminals 50 and 51 without allowing the terminals 50 and 51 to be undesirably rotated.

After the three terminals 50, 51 and 52 are completely rotated to their upright positions, the terminals 50, 51 and 52 are inserted into associated holes of a power plug socket, thus recharging the battery 2. When the battery recharging operation is accomplished, the three terminals 50, 51 and 52 are removed from the power plug socket and are rotated to their fully retracted positions within the casing 1.

8 As described above, the present invention provides a rechargeable battery. In the battery,two rotatable plug terminals and one thumb-operable guide terminal are provided in a battery casing. The plug and guide terminals are individually designed to be rotatable between a retracted position within the casing and an upright pos ition on the casing. During a battery recharging operation, the plug and guide terminals are rotated from the retracted position to the upright position prior to being inserted into a power plug socket. The battery of this invention thus allows a user to easily and simply recharge the battery without having any separate electric cord and plug. This is convenient to users.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

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Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A rechargeable battery integrated with a recharging unit within a casing and provided with power connection means for electrically connecting the recharging unit to an external power source, wherein said power connection means comprises:

two longitudinal plug terminals electrically connected to the recharging unit and held on first and second coaxial rotatable shafts within said casing in a way such that they are normally positioned at a fully laid and retracted position within the casing and are selectively rotated from the retracted position to an upright position through first and second slits formed on the casing; a longitudinal thumb-operable guide terminal rotatably held on a third rotatable shaft within said casing in a way such that the guide terminal is normally positioned at a fully laid and retracted position and is selectively levered up from the retracted position to an upright position; and interlocking means for allowing the two plug terminals to be rotated in conjunction with a levered action of said guide terminal.

2. The rechargeable battery according to claim 1, wherein said interlocking means comprises:

three pinion gears respectively formed on the first to a third shafts of the terminals; and a rack engaging with the three pinion gears, thus allowing the three pinion gears to be rotatable in the same direction at the same time.

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