The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 11, 2000
Filed:
Oct. 28, 1997
Robert P Wierzbicki, Worcester, MA (US);
Paul Whitcher, Hoptkinton, MA (US);
Data General Corporation, Westboro, MA (US);
Abstract
An electronic device supplied power from either a single rechargeable battery or four non-rechargeable batteries. The single rechargeable battery is preferably a 4.8 volt, DURACELL DR-121 rechargeable battery which includes a first end having positive and negative terminal contacts, a pair of recharging contacts and a key. Each of the four non-rechargeable batteries are preferably AA size, lithium batteries and are configured so that a first pair of batteries in series are in parallel with a second pair of batteries in series. The electronic device comprises a housing shaped to include a battery cavity which can accept either type of battery source. The battery cavity comprises a bottom wall, a front end wall, a back end wall and a pair of sidewalls. One of the sidewalls includes a slot which is sized and shaped to accept the key of the rechargeable battery, the slot enabling the rechargeable battery to be inserted in the battery cavity only in its proper orientation relative to the battery cavity. The electronic device also includes an electronic circuit within the housing for enabling the electronic device to perform a particular operation, the electronic circuit receiving power from the battery source by a battery circuit. The electronic device further comprises a pair of spring contacts on the front end wall, a pair of looped wire contacts mounted on the back end wall, a plurality of a plurality of flexible fingers formed in the sidewalls and plurality of flexible tabs formed on the bottom wall which all serve to maintain either battery source in an operative electrical contact position within the battery cavity.