US2225460A - Battery - Google Patents

Description

H. W. FORTH Dec. 17, 1940.

BATTERY Filed Feb. 4, 1936 INVENTOR f/enry I4, Por'fh ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 17, 1940 BATTERY Henry Porth, Freeport, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Burgess Battery Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application February 4, 1936, Serial No. 62,302 V 10 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved terminal construction for batteries, in which exposed socket-typeterminals are used and are adapted to cooperate with spaced plugs or prong-type terminals to make electrical connection to the battery. The construction is particularly adapted for batteries used in conjunction with hearing aid devices, on radio batteries, and the like.

At the present time batteries for hearing aids, also called earphone batteries, usually are made with spaced sockets or jacks mounted therein whereby the plugs or prong terminals attached to the cords used in connection with the hearing aid device may be readily connected therewith. A wide variety of these batteries is made to match the large number'of different types of prongs which are used with the hearing aids. In general two and sometimes three spaced plugs or prongs are used to make the necessary electrical connection with the socket of the hearing aid battery. Three to five or more prongs may be used with radio batteries. These prongs often are not spaced properly and also wear with use, so that it is desirable to provide a battery construction in which the spaced sockets accommodates prongs which are not spaced accurately. The diameters of the prongs also "ary. The battery manufacturer is required to work to close tolerances unless the. construction is such that the spacing between sockets need not be maintained accurately.

Among the objects of this invention are to provide a battery in which the sockets accommodate themselves to slight variations in the spacing and dimensions of the prongs and also to provide a construction which does not necessitate holding the spacing of the sockets to close tolerances.

I have foundthat'the objects of this invention may be attained if the sockets or jacks of the battery are mounted in soft flexible rubber or other rubber-like material instead of hard brittle pitch, sealing wax, molded synthetic resins, vulcanized fiber, etc., and the other hard materials which are now used. This rubber is soft or resilient enough to allow a small lateral movement of the sockets whereby" inaccurately spaced plugs are easily accommodated. If the sockets also are resilient, the rubber backing allows the socket to accommodate itself also to variations in dimensions of the prongs. Although all of the sockets used in one battery may be mounted in this way it may only be necessary, for example, to

mount one of a pair of sockets in soft or pliant rubber since the one socket may, allow enough movement even though the other is held rigidly.

My construction also makes it unnecessary to provide means on the prongs for making good nary socket the prongs may be slotted alone or '5,

they maybe provided with a slot into which is set a spring member extending beyond the prong. With use the spring members break 01f or the slots close giving rise to poor contact between the rigid sockets and the prong.

The following specification is to be read in conjunction with the drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a cross section of an ordinary two cell hearing aid battery in which my construction is used; 7 .1 Fig. 2 is a cross section of a battery closure in which the sockets are mounted in soft rubber plugs; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a closure employing a special type of rubber terminal block and socket; Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detailed view, on an enlarged scale, of the special terminal of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of another type of terminal construction; 2

Fig. 7 is a cross section on line l'l of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of another type of terminal construction;

Fig. 9 is a cross section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 shows a construction in which the sockets are not parallel to each other; and

Fig. 11 shows a single cell in which the pitch seal usually used is replaced by a pliant rubber stopper in which sockets are mounted.

In Fig. 1 the battery consists of two cylindrical 3 dry cells H] and I2 connected in series by a connector strip l4 and separated by -.an insulator strip IS. The batteries are held within a suitable container I8 which extends above the tops of the cells. Into the open top of the container a pliant rubber closure is inserted. Closure 20 is provided with exposed apertures or openings 22 and 24 in which metal sockets or jacks 23 and 25 are mounted. These sockets may be split part way as shown to allow for variations in the prong diameters, the socket being expansible because of the pliant backing. The sockets are connected to the terminals of the battery by conductors 26 and 28 which pass through a top insulation member 29. The beaded-over top edge 5 portion 2| of a container I8 holds the closure 20 in place. In Fig. 2 the closure comprises two pliant rubber plugs or stoppers 30 and 32 which contain openings 3| and 33. Sockets 3E and 36 are ,38 of reduced thickness.

sockets.

mediate strip is cut away, leaving a section 48.., When the socket member is arranged in block 46,

mounted in these openings. The rubber plugs are embedded in sealing wax31, pitch, or the like. They may, however, be held in position by fiber board, sheet metal or other suitable material. It is obvious that one of these sockets may be anchored directly in the sealing wax, etc., as hereinbefore pointed out and the advantages of-my invention obtained.

In the form shown in Figs. 3 to 5, I provide a pliable rubber terminal block 40 having a section The terminal block is held in sealing wax 4|. The terminal of this form of the invention is especially useful where several spacings of holes are used to accommodate a number of prong spacings. The sockets of any one polarity may be formed of a single sheet of metal 42 as shown in Fig. 5. This metal preferably is of thin spring stock such as beryllium copper. The end portions 44 and 46 are rolled on themselves, as shown, to form the Preferably a portion of the intersection 48 clears the thin portion 38 of the block as shown. A single conductor 50 is used to connect both sockets of such a pair to a terminal of the battery. Although the sheet metal need .not be partially removed from between the two rolled ends and may be enclosed by the pliant rubber, it is obvious that the fabrication is simpler if the section is removed as described. Small projections or. beads may be formed in the sockets to secure better contact with the prong to hold or secure more firmly prongs in which a circumferential groove is formed. This type of construction permits the use of prongs of varying dimensions since the socket accommodates itself to such variations because of its flexible sheet metal with pliant rubber backing types of terminals as shown in Figs. 6 and '7.

The rubber block 52 having openings 56 and 58,

is mounted on a fiber support 60 and anchored.

by sealing material 6|. The terminals 62 and 64 are formed of spring strip metal and are slipped into the openings 56 and 58 as shown. The size of the openings is such that the terminals are held'firmly therein. If the terminals are made of yielding material it is obvious that prongs of varying diameters may be used since the-terminals may flex into the pliant rubber walls with which they contact.

In the form shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the pliant rubber closure 66 for the battery container 68 contains two elongated slots and 12 in which Z-shaped strips of metal I4 and 16 are mounted. These strips may be directly connected to the cell terminals as shown. The terminal prongs are inserted in the long slotted opening. If desired the opposite sides of each of the slotted openings may be lined with strip metal. Because of the flexibility of the sheet metal, its combination with the pliant backing permits the use of prongs of varying" dimensions.

In Fig. 10 the two sockets 16 mounted in pliant rubber 18 are slightly out of line, that is, they are not exactly parallel to each other. This feature is exaggerated somewhat in Fig. 10 for purposes of illustration. Because of the pliant rubber backing for the sockets it is possible to have the sockets slightly out of line and still insert rigidly mounted parallel spaced prongs 80.

Good contact between the prongs inserted there in and the sockets is secured thereby without springing the prongs.

Although my invention has been described in connection with an earphone battery it is obvious that it may be applied to other types of batteries such as radio batteries with which socket terminals are often used. In radio batteries the rubber stopper, or insert construction of the type of Figs. 3 or 6 is favored. The three or five sockets usually used are mounted in such a stopper and this is then sealed into the pitch or sealing wax or otherwise mounted on the battery.

Although the construction has been described in connection with batteries containing a plurality of cells, it may be used with a single cell battery or the pliant or resilient terminal block may be used as the seal for the cell itself as illustrated in Fig. 11. stopper 82 seals the open end of zinc can 84. The carbon rod 86 with brass cap 88 also terminates in stopper 82. Sockets 96 are embedded in rubber'stopper 82 and are connected with the negative zinc can 84 and positive brass cap 88 by conductors 92 and 94. The exposed terminals and conductors may be insulated by a suitable enamel, lacquer or other coating material. I

The invention as defined by the claims is not limited to the specific examples disclosed above which are merely illustrative thereof. Whenever a battery is referred to in the claims it refers to construction consisting of one or'more cells and includes a construction of the type.-

shown in Fig. 11.

I claim:

1. A closure for the open end of a battery, said closure comprising a pliant rubber-like portion having an aperture therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface of. said closure, said closure having a second aperture therein extending downwardly-from the exposed surface thereof, and electrical contacts mounted in said apertures for connection to the terminals of the battery. i

2. A plug-in battery closure comprising an exposed pliant rubber-like portion having a pair of spaced apart apertures therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface, at least one of said apertures being in said pliant rubber-like portion, whereby said aperture in said pliant rubber-like portion is capable of being distorted or shifted laterally with respect to the other aperture, and an exposed electrical contact for connection to the battery mounted in each aperture and adapted to cooperate with a prong for making electric contact with the surface of said prong.

3. A plug-in battery closure comprising an exposed pliant rubber-like portion having a pair of spaced apart apertures therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface thereof, whereby said apertures are capable of being shifted laterally with respect to each other by-distorting the pliant rubber-like material surrounding them, and exposed electric contacts for connection to the battery mounted in said apertures and adapted to cooperate with prongs.

4. A plug-in battery closure having an aperture therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface thereof, said battery closure including an exposed pliant rubber-like portion having a second aperture therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface, whereby said aperture in said pliant rubber-like portion is capable of being shifted laterally with respect to the other aperture to vary the spacing between said apertures by distorting said pliant rubberlike portion, and an exposed electrical contact for connection to a terminal of the battery mounted in the aperture in said pliant rubber-like portion, and adapted to cooperate with a prong for making electrical contact with the surface of said prong.

5. A closure for the open end of a battery comprising a pliant rubber-like portion containing apertures therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface thereof, exposed sockets in said apertures, an electrical connection between two of said sockets, said two sockets together with the electrical connection between them comprising a strip of sheet metal having the end portions thereof rolled backon itself to form said two sockets, said two sockets being positioned at two different distances from a third one of said sockets in said apertures in said pliant rubber-like portion when said rubber-like portion is undistorted, said sockets being adapted to be connected to terminals of the battery, whereby said sockets are capable of altering their spacing by distorting the pliant rubber-likematerial so as to accommodate separately a plurality of two-prong plugs having different spacings between their prongs.

6. A closure for the open end of a battery, said closure comprising a pliant rubber-like portion having an aperture therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface of said closure, and an exposed electrical socket-like contact in said aperture and fitting snugly therein, said socket contact being so arranged and of such construction that the walls thereof accommodate themselves to prongs of variable diameter inserted therein, said closure having a second aperture, a

second exposed electrical socket-like contact in said second aperture and spaced from the first socket-like contact, said contacts being electrically connected with the terminals of the battery.

prising a block of electrically insulating material, a plurality of spaced sockets of electrically.

conducting material in said block and exposed in one surface thereof, at least one of said sockets being surrounded by pliant rubber-like material whereby said socket is capable of undergoing limited lateral movement.

8. A closure for the open end of a dry cell comprising a pliant rubber-like portion having an aperture therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface of said closure, and an exposed electrical contact mounted in said aperture, said closure having a second aperture extending downwardly from its exposed surface and spaced from the first aperture, an exposed electrical contact mounted in said aperture, said contacts being electrically connected with'the terminals of the cell.

9. A closure for the open end of a battery, said closure comprising a'pliant rubber-like portion having an aperture therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface of said closure, said aperture being a long slotted opening, an electrical contact mounted in said aperture for connection to a terminal of the battery, said electrical contact being strip metal which lines at least one long side of said aperture, said closure having a second aperture therein extending downwardly from the exposed surface thereof, and an electrical contact mounted in said second aperture for connection to the other terminal of said battery.

10. The construction of claim 9 in which the second aperture also is in the pliant rubber-like portion of the closure, saidsecond aperture also being a long slotted opening having an electrical contact therein, said electrical contact being strip metal which lines at least one side of said aperture.

HENRY W. PORTH.

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