Environmentally-sealed portable terminal

Abstract

A wearable, mobile and/or portable terminal for use in an inventory management system. The terminal includes a terminal housing, a battery pack removably receivable within an external battery-receiving cavity of the terminal housing, and a battery latching mechanism that secures the battery pack in the battery-receiving cavity in a latched condition. The battery pack has an unlatched condition in which the battery latch mechanism is disengaged from the battery pack. The terminal and battery pack are environmentally sealed to, for example, preclude entry of water into the interior of the terminal when the terminal is immersed.

1 . A wearable, mobile and/or portable terminal powered by an environmentally-sealed battery pack, comprising: 
 a terminal housing having an interior and an external battery-receiving cavity configured to removably receive a battery pack, said interior of said terminal housing being sealed from the ambient environment surrounding said terminal housing; and    a latch mechanism within the battery-receiving cavity being operative to latchingly engage and disengage the battery pack within said battery-receiving cavity and mounted such as not to impair said environmental sealing of the terminal interior,    said environmental sealing of said terminal being effective to preclude entry of water into the interior of the terminal when the terminal is immersed.    
     
     
         2 . The terminal of  claim 1  wherein said terminal housing includes a chamber proximate to said battery-receiving cavity, an end wall separating said chamber from said battery-receiving cavity, and a plurality of first electrical contacts extending through a corresponding plurality of openings in the end wall.  
     
     
         3 . The terminal of  claim 2  wherein said openings are sealed to seal said terminal housing from the environment proximate the cavity.  
     
     
         4 . The terminal of  claim 3  further comprising: 
 an encapsulant filling said chamber to seal said chamber from the environment within said cavity.    
     
     
         5 . The terminal of  claim 1  further comprising a battery pack having a sealed case and a plurality of second electrical contacts sealingly extending through said sealed case to contact said plurality of first electrical contacts when said battery pack is received within said battery-receiving cavity.  
     
     
         6 . The terminal of  claim 5  wherein said battery pack is sealed against the entry of moisture.  
     
     
         7 . The terminal of  claim 1  wherein said terminal housing is sealed from the ambient environment effective to preclude significant entry of water upon immersion to a depth of one meter for thirty minutes.  
     
     
         8 . A combination including the terminal of  claim 1  and an environmentally sealed battery pack configured to mate said cavity and to be latched and unlatched by said latch mechanism.  
     
     
         9 . A mobile voice-directed system having a quick-change arrangement for a battery pack with opposite first and second ends, comprising: 
 a terminal having an environmentally sealed housing with exposed electrical contacts located in a shallow external battery cavity, the battery cavity and electrical contacts being configured to mate with a battery pack having an environmentally sealed casing adapted to conform to the housing cavity and exposed battery contacts adapted to mate with the terminal contacts; and    a battery latch mechanism mounted in the terminal cavity and environmentally isolated from a terminal interior, the battery latch mechanism including a finger-depressible pushbutton and being configured such that depressing the pushbutton releases the battery pack and exposes the battery pack for quick and easy removal with the finger used to depress the pushbutton,    said environmental sealing of said terminal being effective to preclude entry of water into the interior of the terminal when the terminal is immersed.    
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  further comprising: 
 a battery lifter arrangement configured to elevate the first end of the battery pack when the battery latch mechanism is unlatched.    
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the battery lifter arrangement includes a battery-elevating camming structure at an interface between the terminal housing and the first end of the battery pack, and a spring biasing arrangement at the location of the second end of the battery pack which cooperates with the camming structure to cause the first end of the battery pack to elevate when the battery latch mechanism is unlatched.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the spring biasing arrangement comprises the terminal electrical contacts.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the latching member is a spring-biased slider mounted to reciprocate.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the pushbutton is pivotally mounted, and the battery latch mechanism includes a linearly reciprocable slider configured to latchingly engage the battery pack, and a motion converter for converting rotary motion of the pushbutton to reciprocatory motion of the latching member.  
     
     
         15 . A combination including the system of  claim 8  and an environmentally sealed battery pack configured to fit said cavity and to be latched and unlatched by said latch mechanism.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the battery latch mechanism includes a member which latchingly engages the battery pack when the battery latch mechanism is latched, which disengages the battery pack when the battery latch mechanism is unlatched by depressing the pushbutton, and which non-latchingly re-engages the battery pack when it is an elevated state to resist its falling back into the battery-receiving cavity.  
     
     
         17 . For use with a mobile terminal having an environmentally sealed terminal housing with an external surface, a camming surface, and a shallow external battery cavity with exposed electrical contacts, a quick-change battery pack comprising: 
 an environmentally sealed casing having exposed electrical contacts configured and located to mate with the exposed electrical contacts in the external battery cavity, the casing having a first surface portion configured to physically mate with the battery cavity, a second surface portion configured to blend with the external surface of the terminal housing such that the battery pack forms part of the terminal exterior, and a camming surface adapted to mate with the camming surface on the terminal housing to assist in elevating a predetermined end of the casing for removal from the battery cavity, the casing having a contour at the predetermined end of the battery pack which is adapted to facilitate removal of the battery pack from the battery cavity.    
     
     
         18 . The battery pack of  claim 17  sealed to preclude significant entry of water upon immersion to a depth of one meter for thirty minutes.  
     
     
         19 . The battery pack of  claim 17  wherein the casing is configured at the predetermined to be engaged by a latch mechanism mounted in the battery cavity of a terminal.  
     
     
         20 . A mobile device having a quick-change battery pack arrangement, comprising: 
 a terminal having an environmentally sealed housing with a shallow external battery cavity and exposed terminal electrical contacts located in the external battery cavity;    a battery pack having an environmentally sealed casing with a first surface portion configured to conform to the battery cavity and exposed battery contacts adapted to mate with the terminal electrical contacts, and a second surface portion configured to blend with an external surface of the terminal housing such that the battery pack casing forms part of the terminal housing exterior; and    a battery latch mechanism mounted in the terminal cavity, the battery latch mechanism including a finger-depressible pushbutton flush with the terminal housing exterior and being configured such that depressing the pushbutton releases the battery pack and creates a recess which exposes the battery pack for quick and easy removal with the finger used to depress the pushbutton,    said environmental sealing of said terminal and of said battery pack each being effective to preclude entry of water when the terminal is immersed to a depth of one meter for thirty minutes.