Battery cartridge with hollow case of minimum weight and dimensions

Abstract

A battery cartridge having a hollow shell case with walls of minimum thickness, and of minimum weight and dimensions, over the minimum weight and volume dimensions of the contained battery cells, for use in portable devices such as radios, cameras, computers and the like, to thereby limit the space requirements of the cartridge and to limit the weight in excess of the cell weights.

What is claimed is:  1. A battery for use with a portable apparatus, comprising 
     
        case is inserted to its operating position on said apparatus. 2. A battery, as in claim 1, in which said case has one side edge shaped to serve as a pilot guide to properly mate with and be guided by an element of said external apparatus, to thereby assure that the battery case is being properly inserted into said   
     
     
        apparatus. 3. A battery, as in claim 1, in which said two windows are situated non-symmetrically spaced transversely from a central .[.axial.]. .Iadd.axis .Iaddend.on said case, parallel to the direction of movement predesigned for said battery case into said   
     
     
        apparatus to be serviced by said battery. 4. A hollow shell battery case, as in claim 1, designed and molded to be of minimum dimension and weight, comprising a base or platform shell having a floor shaped to embody a plurality of parallel grooves to accommodate a plurality of cylindrical electric cells of predetermined size in closely spaced parallel separation, with the thickness of the floor, at the bottom of each groove, being relatively of minimum self-sustaining dimension that is too small as a thickness space dimension in the forming mold to permit free longitudinal flow of fluid plastic along the length of each groove during the molding operation;   and integrally molded parallel spacers between said grooves to keep the cell bodies insulatingly spaced, the spaces for said spacers in the molding operation being of sufficient sectional dimensions to serve as runners to permit free longitudinal flow of fluid plastic during the molding operation, with lateral flow possible from said runner spaces through the short path to said thin floor space in the mold for forming the floor of each groove;   and end walls to limit and close the ends of said grooves and to serve as reinforcement to the thin floors at the bottom of each groove;   and a cover plate to cover and close said shell;   whereby said case is of minimum thickness, of minimum body material volume, and of minimum weight, to serve as a compact cartridge and assembly of a multi-cell battery, ready for immediate insertion as a cartridge into an   
     
     
        apparatus to be energized from said battery. 5. A battery case, as in claim 4, to be of minimum possible weight, in which said cover is provided with shallow flutes in its inner surface above the respective grooves in the base shell, to cup and nestle each of the cells in cooperation with the grooves, to hold the cells in place against casual   
     
     
        displacement in said case. 6. A battery case, as in claim 4, in which said platform shell is of relatively shallow cup shape with vertical side walls and end walls, and one end wall has two openings for accessibility from outside the case to the inside of the case;   and means constituting polar electrodes of the battery disposed within said shell directly adjacent said openings for engagement by an external circuit terminal of an external circuit for electrically connecting to   
     
     
        said battery. 7. A battery case, as in claim 1, in which co-fitting pilot ribs and recesses are formed on the top edges of the walls of the respective parts of the shell, and on the under surface of the cover plate adjacent its edges, for controlling proper closure fit of the cover on the shell bottom for final sealing of the two parts of the case.   
     
     
         . A battery, as in claim 1, in which said two electrode terminals of the battery are entirely within the case   
     
     
        and accessible only through said windows. 9. A battery for use, as in claim 1, in which a contact element .Iadd.is disposed .Iaddend.within said case and behind one of said windows, to be engaged by an external circuit 
     
     
        terminal. 10. A battery, as in claim 9, in which said contact element consists of a metallic strip electrically connected to a terminal cell of the battery and is disposed to present a contact area under one of said windows, to be accessible for engagement by an external   
     
     
        circuit terminal. 11. A battery, as in claim 10, in which said metallic strip has inherent resiliency to provide reaction pressure against an applied external terminal to establish desirable resilient   
     
     
        contact pressure. 12. A battery, as in claim 11, in which the case structure embodies an integral element to support and back stop   
     
     
        said contact element in line with said access window. 13. A battery, as in claim 11, in which said metallic element is anchored at one end to a terminal cell;   and said case embodies co-acting integral elements that anchor the other end of said metallic strip to prevent any shifting movement of the strip   
     
     
        from predetermined operative position. 14. A battery, as in claim 8, in which the two terminal cells of said battery are remotely separated within said case;   and a first window is disposed above, and adjacent, one terminal cell and the second window is spaced from said first window and from the neighborhood of the other terminal cell of said battery;   and a conducting strip is connected to said other terminal cell and extends to space under said second window to be accessible for engagement by an external circuit terminal. .Iadd. 15. A battery comprising a flat casing having a hollow interior, a wall of said casing extending transversely of an axis central to said casing, said wall defining first and second terminal contact surface exposing openings therethrough on a further axis parallel to an edge of said wall, said first and second openings being spaced non-symmetrically from said casing central axis, and cell means including a plurality of cells supported by said casing parallel to said casing central axis and electrically interconnected in predetermined electrical relation for providing a first terminal contact surface interiorly of said wall and a second terminal contact surface, said first and second terminal contact surfaces being of respective different electrical polarities and being in juxtaposition respectively with the said first and second openings and thereby engageable by electrodes correspondingly positioned on external apparatus only upon movement of at least one of said electrodes interiorly of said wall through said first opening. .Iaddend..Iadd. 16. The battery claimed in claim 15 further including an electrically conductive member electrically connected to a polar surface of one of said cells for providing said second terminal contact surface. .Iaddend..Iadd. 17. The battery claimed in claim 15 wherein said first terminal contact surface is a polar surface of one of said cells. .Iaddend..Iadd. 18. The battery claimed in claim 15 wherein said casing is comprised of opposed half shells joinable to define said casing interior, each said shell having first and second edge cutout portions, said first cutout portions providing said first opening and said second cutout portions providing said second opening. .Iaddend..Iadd. 19. The battery claimed in claim 16 wherein said electrically conductive member includes a metallic strip having one end thereof disposed interiorly of said wall and fixedly electrically connected to said one cell polar surface. .Iaddend..Iadd. 20. The battery claimed in claim 19 wherein the end of said metallic strip opposite said one end thereof is also disposed interiorly of said wall, an extent of said metallic strip between said ends thereof defining said second terminal contact surface. .Iaddend..Iadd. 21. A battery comprising a flat casing having a central axis parallel to the direction of movement predesigned for insertion of said casing into external apparatus to be serviced by said battery, said casing having a hollow interior, a wall of said casing extending transversely of said casing central axis, said wall defining first and second terminal contact surface exposing openings therethrough on a further axis parallel to an edge of said wall, said first and second openings being spaced non-symmetrically from said casing central axis, and cell means including a plurality of cells supported by said casing parallel to said casing central axis and electrically interconnected in predetermined electrical relation for providing a first terminal contact surface interiorly of said wall and a second terminal contact surface, said first and second terminal contact surfaces being of respective different electrical polarities and being in juxtaposition respectively with the said first and second openings and thereby engageable by electrodes correspondingly positioned on external apparatus only upon movement of at least one of said electrodes interiorly of said wall through said first opening. .Iaddend..Iadd. 22. The battery claimed in claim 21 further including an electricaly conductive member electrically connected to a polar surface of one of said cells for providing said second terminal contact surface. .Iaddend..Iadd. 23. The battery claimed in claim 22 wherein said electrically conductive member includes a metallic strip welded to said one cell polar surface and extending therefrom to and across at least a portion of said second opening. .Iaddend..Iadd. 24. The battery claimed in claim 23 wherein said first terminal contact surface is a further polar surface of one of said cells. .Iaddend..Iadd. 25. A battery comprising a flat casing having a hollow interior, a wall of said casing extending transversely of an axis central to said casing, said wall defining first and second openings therethrough on a further axis parallel to an edge of said wall and providing access to said casing interior, said first and second openings being spaced non-symmetrically from said casing central axis, and a plurality of cells supported by said casing parallel to said casing central axis and electrically interconnected in predetermined electrical relation thereby providing polar surfaces interiorly of said wall, said surfaces having different electrical polarities, said first and second openings enabling electrical contact between said polar surfaces  and an external device and said battery further including an electrically conductive member electrically connected to one of said polar surfaces of said cells and extending therefrom to one of said openings. .Iaddend..Iadd. 26. The battery claimed in claim 25 wherein the other polar surface of said cells is aligned with the other of said openings. .Iaddend..Iadd. 27. The battery claimed in claim 25 wherein said casing is comprised of opposed half shells joinable to define said casing interior, each said shell having first and second edge cutout portions, said first cutout portions providing said first opening and said second cutout portions providing said second opening. .Iaddend..Iadd. 28. The battery claimed in claim 25 wherein said electrically conductive member includes a metallic strip joined to the polar surface to which it is connected. .Iaddend.