MXPA99005060A - In-line dry cell cartridge or housing - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a housing which receives dry cells in an in-line or end to end orientation. The invention includes features which prevent the incorrect orientation by preventing dry cell terminals making contact with the necessary components. In this way it prevents premature dissipation of dry cells or their impairment. The mechanism by which these features do this is to recess one terminal namely that terminal which would be contacted by the positive terminal of a dry cell. In this way the negative terminal of a dry cell can never make electrical connection. Another feature of the invention is the provision of an aperture having a profile of a silhouette of a dry cell, which has advantages in low light situations, saves material, and allows for relatively easy extraction of dry cells from the cartridge.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION CARTRIDGE OR ACCOMMODATION FOR DRY BATTERIES FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to cartridges or housings that receive dry batteries in an inline orientation and "which are subsequently inserted in apparatuses, such as hand lamps, which use these batteries. dry.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In general, appliances powered by dry cells have cavities that receive dry batteries. These cavities have covers or covers associated therewith and the covers can generally have a label attached thereto that indicates the orientation in which the dry cells should be placed. Alternatively, the cavities or covers are engraved or embossed to indicate orientation. However, the orientation in which dry batteries are finally installed is dictated by the person installing the dry batteries and, because they do not generally verify the correct orientation of the supplied diagram, the process will generally depend on that person remembering. the correct orientation. The difficulty associated with this is that, if the dry cells are placed in an incorrect orientation, there will then be an opportunity for some dry cells to dissipate or become incapacitated to provide the current. This could happen even when a device is switched off. Also, the device may have polarity sensitive circuits, which could be damaged by incorrect polarity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a housing or cartridge that alleviates, at least partially, one of the disadvantages of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a housing having a generally elongate body for containing at least two dry cells in a series connection in an end-to-end or in-line orientation, the housing being insertable into the apparatus and removable therefrom. includes: a first end having a first end wall that will receive the positive terminal of a dry cell and a second end having a second end wall; the first end wall and the second end wall each have a conduit or passage therethrough to allow electrical contact between the terminals of the apparatus to be established with the terminals of a dry cell at the first and second ends; two or more dry cell cavities, each having at least one side wall and additionally having an intermediate wall common to the adjacent cavities, the intermediate wall or each intermediate wall cooperates with a contact member electrically connecting the positive one of a dry battery with the negative of an adjacent dry cell when the dry cells are placed in the correct orientation in the adjacent cavities; the intermediate walls have or include a portion having a predetermined thickness and an axial passage therethrough, the thickness is less than the length of the raised or projected positive cylindrical terminal of a dry cell, the intermediate walls have a first surface oriented in the direction of the second end and a second surface oriented in the direction of the first end; the intermediate wall or each intermediate wall and the contact member are arranged so that one side of the contact member facing the second end is recessed with respect to the first surface, so that the positive cylindrical terminal raised from a dry cell must pass , at least partially, through the passage to make electrical contact with the contact member. Preferably, the passage through the second end wall cooperates with the negative terminal surface of a dry cell of the cavity at the second end, so that when correctly positioned in the cavity, the surface of the negative terminal is recessed from the surface facing outward of the second end wall. Preferably, the thickness of the second end wall and the intermediate wall and a portion thereof, determine the depth of the recess. Preferably, the intermediate walls are constructed from two wall portions with a spacing between each wall portion to receive the contact member, so that one surface or a portion of the contact member surface is recessed from the first. surface in the thickness of the wall part that includes the first surface. Preferably, the contact member is held in each intermediate wall by joining each wall part at one end to enclose the space between the wall portions. Preferably, the housing has a generally semi-cylindrical body in which the cavities for the dry cells are formed. Preferably, the support or retention members are extensions of the body that partially enclose a volume to form and occlude the cavities. Preferably, the body includes an opening to provide some resilient flexibility that helps the retention members move, to allow placement and removal of the dry cells. Preferably, the contact members include a pushing means associated with the contact member for coupling the negative terminal of a dry cell. Preferably, the opening has a profile similar to the silhouette of a dry cell with a representation that is visible from the positive terminal. Preferably, the contact member includes at least one angled tine that engages one of the portions of the closing wall of the end wall, the tine is angled to prevent removal of the contact member once it has been placed on the end wall. Preferably, the passage through the intermediate wall and the first and second end walls generally have a U-shaped or semicircular or partially semicircular construction. Preferably, the first end wall is semicircular. Preferably the intermediate walls have a generally circular periphery. Preferably, the passage through the intermediate walls has a substantially U-shaped construction. Preferably, the intermediate wall is made from a single wall part and has the contact member attached to the second surface, to lower to the contact member of the first surface. Preferably, the housing includes retaining members that cooperate with the side walls, the retention members are movable to allow insertion or removal of a dry cell in or out of the cavities. The invention also provides an apparatus energized by dry cells, which are connected in series and mounted in a housing as described in any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the positive terminal of the apparatus is constructed such that it has at least one associated projection to which the external surface of the second end wall of the housing can be coupled, as described in any of the preceding paragraphs, to prevent the positive terminal of the apparatus from contacting the negative terminal of a dry cell in the activity associated with the second wall of the end of the housing. Preferably, at least one projection is also coupled to the external surface of the first end wall, to prevent the positive terminal of the apparatus from contacting the negative terminal of a dry cell improperly placed in the dry cell cavity associated with the first wall of the end of the housing. The invention further provides a housing that is insertable into and removable from the apparatus, the housing contains more than two dry cells in an in-line or end-to-end orientation, the housing includes a series of cavities for dry cells so that receive the dry cells, the cavities include a body portion having at least a side wall portion, the housing includes a part of the body associated with each cavity having an opening formed therethrough which has a profile similar to the silhouette of a dry cell where a part of the opening represents the positive end of a dry cell , the part of the opening and the opening are oriented so that they correspond with the correct orientation and indicate the correct orientation of the dry cell in the cavity, the opening having a size that will prevent the dry cell from passing through the opening. Preferably, the housing is generally cylindrical. Preferably, the shaped opening cooperates with the retaining means to assist the retaining means to be movable to permit removal or insertion of the dry cells out of the cavity or into the cavity.

Preferably, the housing includes a retaining means for releasably retaining the dry cells in the cavity. Preferably, the opening aids in the removal of a dry cell from the cavity. The invention also provides an apparatus in combination with the housing, as described in any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the apparatus has a receiving cavity of the housing, to receive the housing, the apparatus includes a positive terminal and a negative terminal for the connection With the first and second ends of the housing, the housing includes intermediate walls having a thickness or depth of one dimension, so that the total length of the housing is greater than the length of the same number of dry cells, which is intended to receive the When the same number of dry cells are connected in series from end to end, the receiving cavity of the housing has a dimension such that if the number of dry cells is placed in the receiving cavity of the housing without the housing, the positive terminal and Negative of the apparatus are sufficiently separated so that it can not be established with Simultaneous electric discharge between all the dry cells and the positive and negative terminals.

The embodiments of the invention for the housing have particularities which ensure that the dry cells inserted in an incorrect orientation within the cavity will not have the negative end of the dry cell in contact with the contact member between adjacent cavities. In this way, no impediment will be presented for the dry cell to function as required. In addition, the presence of a shaped opening to indicate the orientation of the dry cell in the cavity provides several advantages, namely: a more reliable identification method in low light situations, a means to reduce the amount of force required to open the retention members; and means for simultaneously reducing the amount of plastic in the housing or cartridge. Also, an apparatus having the features described above in paragraphs 19 to 21 has a relatively simple means for protecting the circuits of the apparatus, to avoid improper installation in the apparatus of a housing containing dry batteries correctly oriented in the housing. Finally, the combined apparatus and housing prevent the apparatus from being used without the housing, thus forcing the user to install all the dry batteries in the correct orientation when having to use the housing, otherwise the operation will not occur. of the appliance, without interfering with the arrangement of dry batteries.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a housing for dry cells; Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a left side view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a rear view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 8 is a partial cross-section of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing two dry cells installed incorrectly; Figure 9 is a partial cross section of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing two dry cells correctly installed; Figure 10 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 8; Figure 11 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 9; Figure 12 is a partial cross-section of an apparatus and the front of the housing of Figures 1 to 7; Figure 13 is a partial cross section of an apparatus and the back of the housing of Figures 1 to 7; and Figure 14 is a perspective view of a contact member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In Figure 1 there is illustrated a housing 2 that includes a body portion 4. It is intended that housing 2 receive 4 dry cells in an in-line or end-to-end orientation, so that when they are properly installed, are connected in series. The body portion 4 illustrated in Figure 1 has a generally semi-cylindrical shape because this embodiment is required to be inserted into the cylindrical cavity of an apparatus. The shape of the body 4 can be manufactured to conform to any desired shape so that it is received by engaging the cavity of an appliance. For example, the shape could be square or triangular. The body 4 has three intermediate walls 6 and first and second end walls 8 and 10, respectively. The walls 6, 8 and 10 together with the body 4 form cavities 62, 64, 66 and 68 for dry cells. The base of each of the cavities 62, 64, 66 and 68 for dry cells has a generally rectangular opening 70 which is better illustrated in Figures 5, 4 and 2. The opening 70 has a profile that is similar to the silhouette of a dry battery. The aperture 70, by retaining the silhouette of a dry cell, has a three-sided portion 72 that represents the positive cylindrical terminal raised from a dry cell. This portion 72 tells the user in which direction the positive end and the positive terminal of a dry cell have to be inserted in the cavity 62, 64, 66 and 68 an advantage of the opening 70 is that if there is some light present, even even if that light is not enough to be able to read, the user who looks through the opening 70 will be able to determine which direction is correct for the proper installation of a dry cell. This will be more effective in low light situations than adhesive labels or even the representations of dry batteries, the latter depending on the touch in low light situations. A second function of each opening 70 is that it reduces the amount of housing material 2, thus saving on material cost. The opening 70 also serves a third purpose by allowing a dry cell in the respective cavity 62, 64, 66, 68 to be pushed out of the cavity by the user's fingers partially pushing through the opening 70. The opening 70 It has a fourth function that will be described later. The first end wall 8 is at a first end of the housing 2 and has a generally semi-annular construction with a semicircular periphery and a semicircular trimming portion 12, which is located to receive and locate the raised positive cylindrical terminal, mounted centrally of a cylindrical dry cell when this dry cell is located in the cavity 68. The thickness 14 of the first end wall 8 is such that when the circular ring of a dry cell comes into contact with the inner surface 16 of the first end wall 8, the positive cylindrical terminal raised from the dry cell will project beyond the surface 18 facing outwardly of the wall 8. The second end wall 10 is located at a second end of the housing 2 and has a generally circular periphery but in general is U-shaped so that the "U" defines the semi-round periphery of the straight side of a passage 20, through the central portions of the to second end wall. If a dry cell is correctly inserted in the cavity 62, the second end wall 10 will be adjacent immediately to the negative terminal of that dry cell. The second end wall 10 has a thickness 22 which will effectively reduce any negative terminal of a dry cell (which makes contact with the inner surface 24), of the external surface 26 of the second end wall 10. The depth of the recess will be a the depth of the thickness 22 of the wall 10. The U-shaped passage 20 is of sufficient width to assist the purpose of preventing a dry cell placed in the adjacent cavity 62 from axially exiting the cavity 62., as well as being of sufficient width so that the negative terminal pushed from an apparatus, in which the housing 2 will be installed, can be in contact with the negative terminal of a dry cell placed in the cavity 62. The intermediate wall 6 will be described then with reference to Figures 1, 9 and 14, due to the congestion of most of the reference numbers below, it will be illustrated only with respect to the intermediate wall 6, which is closer to the first end wall 8. The intermediate wall 6 is constructed of two wall parts 28 and 30 which are arranged so as to provide a space 32 therebetween. In space 32 a contact member 34 is inserted 34. Wall portions 28 and 30 generally have a circular periphery and generally have a U-shaped construction with a passageway 36 therethrough. The passage 36 is defined by the generally U-shaped inner periphery of the straight and half-round side of the wall portions 28 and 30. When the contact member 34 is located between the wall portions 28 and 30, the contact member 34 it is also placed inside the passage 36. The contact member 34 has a first portion 38 generally circular and flat, which, when installed between the wall portions 28 and 30, remains recessed with respect to the first surface 40 of the wall portion 28. This remains recessed because the first portion 38 of the contact member 34 is supported by the wall portions 28 and 30 in a position in the upper and lower and lateral portions of the contact member 34 and the first portion. 38 can not be projected through them. The only part of the contact member 34 that is not walled by the wall portions 28 and 30 are those portions of the contact member 34 that are exposed in the passage 36. The portions of the contact member 34 exposed in the passage 36 include a second portion 42 having a first portion 44, which is at an angle with respect to the first portion 38 (before a dry cell is installed). The first part 44 has a generally rectangular and flat construction and is hinged and is effectively pushed with respect to the first portion 38 by a fold or bend line 48. Because the first part 44 is formed at an angle with respect to to the first portion 38, the first part 44 will provide some thrust against movement towards the first portion 38. The second portion 42 also includes a second part 46 which is formed at an angle with respect to the first part 44. The second part 46 is attached to the first part 44 in the fold line 50. The second part 46 has a generally flat and semicircular construction with a diameter that is equal to the width of the first rectangular part 44. Extending away from the middle section of the second part 46, there is a tongue portion 52. The tongue portion 52 is generally of rectangular and planar construction, and is best illustrated in the Figure 14. The tab portion 52 is formed at an angle with respect to the second portion 46 and is attached to the circumferential portion of the second portion 46 on the fold line 54. The tab portion 52 cooperates with the second portion 46 and the first part 44 for making good electrical contact with the negative terminal 56 of a dry cell 58 installed in the housing 2. The angular relationship, when formed first, between the first part 44, the second part 46 and the tongue portion 52 is as follows (see Figure 14): the angle 51 that the first part 44 makes with the first portion 38 may vary from 2o to 20 °; the angle 53 that the second part 46 makes with the first part 44 can vary from 2 ° to 20 °; the angle 55 that the tab portion 52 makes with the second portion 46 is in the range of 20 ° to 50 °; as measured and indicated in Figure 14. When a dry cell 58 is installed against the second portion 42, the negative terminal 56 first contacts the portion of the tab portion 52. As the dry cell 58 is inserted further, the first part 44 rotates towards the first portion 38 and then the second part 46 rotates with respect to the first part 44 also towards the first portion 38 or, both parts, the first part 44 and the second part 46 rotate simultaneously. The purpose of the tab portion 52 is to ensure that a contact surface is established between the tab portion 52 and the negative terminal 56 of the dry cell 58. If the tab portion was not present, only a contact line would be established between the semicircular periphery of the second part 46 and the negative terminal 56. In order to keep the contact member 34 in the position between the wall portions 28 and 30, the two wall portions 28 and 30 are fused to produce a fused surface 60 This fused surface 60 extends from the base 4 towards the upper end of the U-shaped passage 36 to ensure that the contact member will not be removable from the intermediate wall 6 during normal service requirements. The fused surface 60 is hardly a preferable method for maintaining the contact member 34 between the wall portions 28 and 30. Another method includes providing the contact member 34 with at least one prong portion (not shown), in a member region. 34 which will be adjacent to the internal closure surfaces of the wall portions 28 and 30, the barb portion will engage with one of the internal surfaces of the wall portions 28 and 30. The barb portion can be in the , so that movement in the direction that would allow "contact member 34 to be removed from intermediate wall 6 is avoided. Other methods could include riveting with plastic rivets, riveting with metal rivets, which are recessed to avoid the electrical contact; the use of adhesives or any other appropriate means. Extending in the circumferential direction from the body portion 4, there is a pair of retention members 74 for each cavity 62, 64, 66, 68. The retention members 74 can be described generally as curved extensions of the body 4 and are integrally formed with the same. The curve with which these are formed is the same as that of the circumference of the semi-cylindrical body 4. The retaining members 74 do not extend along the entire length of the cavities 62, 64, 66, 68. These generally they are located centrally along the length of the cavities 62, 64, 66, 68 and have a length that provides equally long spaces 76 at each end and along each side of each cavity 62, 64, 66, 68. These spaces 76 allow the person using the housing 2 to remove the dry cells from the cavities 62, 64, 66, 68, by allowing the user's fingers to grasp the positive or negative end of a dry cell. The retention members 74 achieve their retention function by partially occluding the cavities 62 and 68. The retention members 74 have the ability to bend or move away from their rest position, in which position of rest they occlude the openings of the recesses 74. cavities 62, 64, 66, 68. The operation or operation of the retention members 74 and the occlusion of their respective cavities 62, 64, 66, 68, can be better observed in Figures 10, 11 and 4. It is preferred to retaining members 74 but are not essential for the dry cells to be supported by a variety of means if it is desired to hold them in their respective cavities prior to insertion into the apparatus. Some other means could include the use of straps and even an outer cylindrical tube to slide into the housing 2, thus leaving exposed only the positive and negative terminals at the respective ends of the housing 2 and ready for insertion into the apparatus. While, if it is not desired to keep the dry batteries in their position in the housing prior to insertion into the apparatus, then the apparatus may include a cylindrical cavity to receive the housing 2. Through this cylindrical cavity of the apparatus, the The apparatus will prevent dry batteries from falling out of cavities 62, 64, 66, 68.

The opening 70 serves a third purpose since its presence allows the sides 78 of the central regions of the opening 70 to move in the direction of the arrows 80 when each of the corresponding retention members 74 moves in the direction of each corresponding arrow 82. If the opening 70 is not present, a greater force would be required to move the upper edges 84 in the direction of the arrows 82 to thereby allow a dry cell to be removed. When a dry cell is being inserted, the upper edges 84 of the retaining members 74 will move in the direction of the arrows 82 when the cylindrical side wall of a dry cell is placed against the upper edges 84 and pressure is applied to the cell. dry, to insert it into the cavity 62, 64, 66, 68. The upper edges 84 will move due to the interaction of the cylindrical wall of the dry cell and the upper edges 84 and the angle between them. During use, the housing 2 provides the advantage that if any dry batteries are placed in an incorrect orientation, the dry battery that is placed incorrectly will not establish electrical contact at one end. This will now be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. Figure 9 illustrates a partial cross section of two adjacent dry cells 58 and 88, which have been correctly placed in the housing 2, and a plan view of the arrangement is illustrated in Figure 11. When in the correct position, the raised positive cylindrical terminal 86 of the dry cell 88 partially passes through the U-shaped passage 36 to make electrical contact with the first portion 38 of the contact member 34. The terminal 86 needs to pass through the passage 36, because the first portion 38 is recessed with respect to the external surface 40 of the wall part 28. To form a serial connection, another dry cell 58 is placed on the adjacent cavity, so that its negative terminal 56 makes contact with the tongue portion 52 and the second part 46 of the contact member 34, as previously described. In Figure 8, a partial cross-section of two adjacent dry stacks 58 and 88 is illustrated, which have been incorrectly placed in the housing 2, with a plan view of the arrangement shown in Figure 10. The first portion 38 of the contact member 34 is recessed and the external surface 40 of the wall part 28 prevents the negative terminal 56 of the dry cell 58 from contacting the first recessed portion 38, thus, there is no electrical connection with the positive terminal 86 of the dry cell 88. If only one dry cell of a series of four is incorrectly placed in the cavity, because there is no contact of the negative end of a dry cell with the first portion 38 of a member of contact 34 (which is the portion designated for contact with the positive terminal of a dry cell) will not dissipate the stored charge of the dry cells. However, if the dry cell 58 of Figure 8 were placed so that its positive end was in contact with the first portion 38 of the contact member 34, then the two positives would be in contact with each other. However, the dissipation of the stored charge from any of the dry cells would still not occur, because no negative terminal of a dry cell is making an electrical connection. In Figure 12 there is illustrated a positive terminal 92 of the apparatus (of which the remainder is not illustrated) and the end of the housing 2 with a dry battery 88 placed correctly. The positive terminal 86 of the dry cell 88 protrudes beyond the outer surface 18 of the first end wall 8, to make contact with the positive contact 94 of the apparatus. Positive terminal 86 and positive contact 94 are pushed together due to the thrust associated with the negative terminal of the apparatus, which pushes against the negative terminal of the dry cell in the cavity 62, which in turn pushes forward the entire housing 2. Around the positive contact 94 there are ribs 96 and 98, which are shown in cross section in Figure 12 (and 13). The ribs 96 and 98 could be replaced by a single rib, such as a U-shaped rib, if desired. When the housing 2 is inserted in the correct orientation within the apparatus, the ribs 96 and 98 are separated from the outer surface 18 by a spacing 100. In one embodiment, such as the one illustrated, the spacing 100 is also substantially equivalent to the distance protruding from the positive terminal 86 beyond the outer surface 18 of the first end wall 8. However, the gap 100 may be reduced or increased, depending on: the thickness of the first end wall 8, the distance of the end of the positive contact 94 to the end of the ribs 96 and 98. If desired, the positive contact 94 could be mounted by springs, in which case the spacing 100 might not be present. In Figure 13 the positive terminal 92 of the apparatus of Figure 12 and a dry battery 58 correctly positioned in the cavity 62 are illustrated, but the housing 2 has been inserted with its negative end pushed towards the positive contact 94. The second wall 10 is adjacent to the negative end 56 of the dry cell 58 placed within the cavity 62. The ribs 96 and 98 engage the external surface 26 of the second end wall 10. Because the surface of the terminal 56 is separated from the surface 26 of the second end wall 10 (by the thickness 22 of the second end wall 10) the positive contact 94 does not make electrical contact with the negative terminal 56. By lowering the end of the positive contact 94 of the end of ribs 96 and 98, there will be even less chance of inappropriate contacts being established. By lowering the end of the positive contact 94 of the end of the ribs 96 and 98, contact with a positive terminal of a dry cell that is incorrectly positioned in the cavity 62 will also be prevented, whereby the positive terminal of the The dry cell can protrude through the passage 20 and beyond the outer surface 26 of the end wall 10. However, in this situation, the dry cell in the cavity 62 will not be able to establish electrical contact with the adjacent terminal of a adjacent dry stack in the cavity 64, due to the construction of the intermediate wall 6 and the placement of the surfaces of the contact member 34. It will be understood that the construction of the intermediate wall 6 ensures that any dry cells incorrectly placed in any of the cavities 62, 64, 66, 68, will not make electrical contact with the adjacent dry cell and, thus, the premature dissipation of the dry cells will not occur. In addition, the interaction of the housing 2 on the first end wall 8 and the second end wall 10 with the end of the positive terminal of an apparatus ensures that even if all the batteries or dry cells are correctly positioned within each of the cavities 62, 64, 66, 68, if the housing 2 is incorrectly inserted in the apparatus, then the circuit with the dry cells connected in series will not be formed, thus providing protection to the apparatus. The number of cavities provided may vary according to use. This could vary from 2 to 4 or, more dry batteries per housing 2, depending on the appliance. The housing 2 illustrated in the figures has dimensions for receiving AA size dry cells. However, the housing 2 and the cavities 62, 64, 66, 68 can be sized to accept any dry cylindrical cells having terminals at both ends. While the above embodiment describes that the intermediate wall 6 has two wall portions 28 and 30, a modified version can be manufactured by using a single wall part 28 with a passage 3 therethrough. In this case, the contact member 34 of Figure 14, by means of the first portion 38, can be riveted by a plastic rivet or joined by some other appropriate means, to one side of the wall part 28. In this way, having the first portion 38 on the same side of the wall part 28, as illustrated in Figure 9 (ie, the second surface of the intermediate wall 6) and absent the wall part 30, the intermediate wall 6 alternatively constructed and assembled and the contact member 34 will function in the same manner as the above-described embodiment. Another feature of the housing 2 described above is that the intermediate walls 6 can increase in size, by modifications such as an increase in the thickness or depth of the wall part 30, together with a measurable change in the shape and / or the length of the wall. the second portion 42 of the contact member 34. By increasing the size of the intermediate walls 6, the total length of the housing 2 will increase. The length is increased so that it is appropriately longer than the length of the same number of connected dry cells. end to end, which is intended to fit in the housing 2. The device will have its positive and negative terminals separated to make electrical contact with the terminals of the dry batteries at the ends of the housing 2. If a person were to put batteries unused to the housing 2 in the cavity of the apparatus, which would normally receive the housing 2, the simultaneous electrical contact will not be established between each adjacent terminal of the dry cells and the positive and negative terminals of the apparatus, due to the supply of separation of the terminals of the apparatus. In this way, the apparatus is protected and the chances that any of the dry cells dissipate their charge prematurely or are disabled and, thus, do not provide the current as designed, are very low. In this way, by providing the apparatus with a specially sized housing 2, the user would need to use the housing 2 to ensure in this way that all the dry cells are correctly oriented for the series connection. While the housing 2 illustrated in the drawings does not provide an increase in the total length of the distance from the positive terminal in the cavity 68 to the negative terminal in the cavity 62. The placement of dry cells in the apparatus with a housing according to illustrated may still be of sufficient length to make simultaneous contact, because the apparatus can provide a negative contact or terminal, which can travel a significant distance and is spring driven. This trip and push can establish the necessary contact, where the push is sufficient to complete the contacts of all the dry batteries. In this way, thicker intermediate walls 6 can be provided to decrease the likelihood of simultaneous electrical contact of the terminals. The foregoing describes how the correct orientation of the dry cells that will be inserted into the cavities is aided by the openings 70. However, the correct orientation can be easily determined by perceiving the two first and second end walls 8 and 10, shaped differently to identify the positive end or first end. It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or apparent from the text or the drawings. All of these combinations constitute several alternative aspects of the invention. In the foregoing, the modalities of the present invention are described and changes may be made thereto, obvious to those skilled in the art., without deviating from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (25)

1. CLAIMS t 1. A housing having a body generally elongated to contain at least two dry cells in a serial connection and in an end-to-end or in-line orientation, the housing is insertable into and removable from the apparatus and includes : a first end having a first end wall which will receive the positive terminal of a dry cell and a second end having a second end wall; the first end wall and the second end wall each have a passage therethrough to allow electrical contact to be established by the terminals of an apparatus with the terminals of a dry cell at the first and second ends; two or more cavities for dry cells, which have at least one side wall and furthermore have an intermediate wall common to the adjacent cavities, the intermediate wall or each intermediate wall cooperates with a contact member that electrically connects the positive of a dry cell with the negative of the adjacent dry cell when the dry cells are placed in the correct orientation in the adjacent cavities; the intermediate walls have or include a portion having a predetermined thickness and an axial passage therethrough, the thickness is less than the length of the positive cylindrical terminal raised from a dry cell, the intermediate walls have a first surface oriented in the direction of the second end and a second surface oriented in the direction of the first end; the intermediate wall or each intermediate wall and the contact member are arranged or arranged so that one side of the contact member facing the second end is recessed with respect to the first surface, so that the positive cylindrical terminal raised from a dry cell it must pass, at least partially, through the passage to make electrical contact with the contact member. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the passage through the second end wall cooperates with the negative terminal surface of a dry cell in the cavity at the second end, so that when they are correctly placed in the cavity, the surface of the negative terminal is recessed from the surface facing outwardly of the second end wall. 3. A housing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thickness of the second wall and the intermediate wall or a portion thereof determine the depth of the recess. A housing according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the intermediate walls are each constructed of two wall portions with a space between each wall portion to receive the contact member, so that one surface or one portion The surface area of the contact member is recessed from the first surface in the thickness of the wall part that includes the first surface. A housing according to claim 4, wherein the contact member is retained in each intermediate wall by joining each wall part to an end to enclose the space between the wall portions. 6. A housing according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the housing has a generally semi-cylindrical body in which the cavities for the dry cells are formed. 7. A housing according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the retention members are extensions of the body that partially enclose a volume to form and occlude the cavities. 8. A housing according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the body includes an opening to provide some resilient flexibility to assist the retention members in moving to allow placement and removal of the dry cells. A housing according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the contact members include a biasing means associated with the contact member for coupling to the negative terminal of a dry cell. 10. A housing according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the opening has a profile similar to the silhouette of a dry cell with a visible representation of the positive terminal. A housing according to claim 4, wherein the contact member includes at least one angled tine that engages with one of the closing wall portions of the end wall, the tine is angled to prevent removal of the Contact member once it has been placed on the end wall. A housing according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the passage through the intermediate end wall and the first and second end walls generally has a U-shaped or semicircular or partially semicircular construction. 13. A housing according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the first end wall is semicircular. A housing according to any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the intermediate walls have a generally semicircular periphery. A housing according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the passage through the intermediate walls has a substantially U-shaped construction. 16. A housing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the intermediate walls are manufactured from a single wall part and have a contact member attached to the second surface, to lower the contact member of the first surface. 17. A housing according to any of claims 1 to 16, including retaining members that cooperate with the side walls, the retention members are movable to allow the insertion or removal of a dry cell in or out of the cavities. . 18. Apparatus energized by dry cells, which are connected in series and mounted in a housing according to claims 1 to 17, wherein the positive terminal of the apparatus is constructed so that it has at least one associated projection with which it can be coupled the external surface of the second end wall of the housing of claims 1 to 17, to prevent the positive terminal of the apparatus from contacting the negative terminal of a dry stack in a cavity associated with the second end wall of the housing. 19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the at least one projection is also coupled to an external surface of the first end wall to prevent the positive terminal of the apparatus from contacting the negative terminal of a dry battery placed incorrectly in the dry cell cavity associated with the first end wall of the housing. 20. A housing that is insertable into and removable from the apparatus, the housing contains more than two dry cells in an in-line or end-to-end orientation, the housing includes a series of dry-cell cavities to receive the batteries. dry cells, the cavities include a body portion having at least a side wall portion, the housing includes a part of the body associated with each cavity having an opening formed therethrough, which has a profile similar to the silhouette of a dry cell where a part of the opening represents the positive end of a dry cell, the part of the opening and the opening are oriented so that they correspond to the correct orientation in a dry cell in the cavity and indicate said orientation correct, the opening has a size that will prevent the dry battery from passing through the opening. 21. A housing according to claim 20, wherein the housing is generally cylindrical. 22. A housing according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the shaped opening cooperates with the retaining means to assist the retaining means to be movable to allow the removal or insertion of the dry cells out of the cavity or into the the same. 23. A housing according to any of claims 20 to 22, wherein the housing includes a retaining means for releasably retaining the dry cells in the cavity. 24. A housing according to any of claims 20 to 23, wherein the opening aids removal of the dry cell from the cavity. 25. An apparatus in combination with the housing of claims 1 to 17, wherein the apparatus has a receiving cavity of the housing for receiving the housing, the apparatus includes a positive terminal and a negative terminal for the electrical connection with the first and second ends. of the housing, includes intermediate walls having a thickness or depth of one dimension, so that the total length of the housing is greater than the length of the same number of dry cells, which is intended to receive the housing, when the same number of cells The dry receptacles are connected in series from end to end, the receiving receiving cavity has a dimension such that if the number of dry cells are placed in the receiving cavity of the housing without the housing, the positive and negative terminal of the apparatus are sufficiently separated so that the simultaneous electrical connection can not be established between all the dry cells and the terminals Itiva and negative.