Patent Application
20060223384
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery terminal clamp. In particular, the present invention relates to a battery terminal clamp that positively and securely fastens to the terminal bolts found on typical side-post and top-post batteries.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many varieties of battery terminal clamps on the market today. The vast majority of these battery terminal clamps include numerous interconnected moving parts. Most of these battery terminal clamps are spring-loaded clamps with jaws that clamp onto a battery terminal. Some of these spring-loaded clamps have attachments for attaching to a battery terminal clamp. However, each of these attachments creates more problems than they solve. The attachments are invariably movable on and removable from the spring-loaded clamps. They add further complexity and expense to the manufacturing process and raise the retail price to the consumer. The movable and removable nature of these attachments also increases the likelihood that they will become broken or lost by the consumer in ordinary use.
In addition, the fact that the attachments are movable means that the battery clamp circuit is compromised with additional joints. Each additional joint that connects the parts in an electrical circuit are additional places where oxidation and dirt can accumulate, reducing or even preventing electric current flow. The only reason most people have these battery terminal clamps is to jump a dead car battery. However, if the circuit is compromised with moving parts and dirt or oxidation, the clamps are worthless.
Therefore, there has been and continues to be a need for a battery terminal clamp that attaches quickly and securely to virtually every side-post and top-post battery terminal, without additional moving parts or without any moving parts at all, eliminating electric circuit compromises and greatly improving the reliability of the clamps.
A battery terminal clamp includes a pair of spring-loaded lever arms pivotally joined at a pivot. Each lever arm includes a handle end and a jaw end. At least one of the jaw ends has an engagement aperture for clamping onto a battery terminal. The engagement aperture may be a keyway and may further include a relief slot to permit the engagement aperture to flex as it engages a circumferential groove around a battery terminal bolt. The spring-loaded lever arms and pivot may be eliminated to provide a battery terminal clamp that is simply a substantially flat electrical conductor having an engagement aperture or engagement fork near a first end and a connection for a flexible conductor at a second end. A pair of these flat electrical conductors at each end of a pair of electric cables would make a set of jumper cables suitable for automotive use.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a battery terminal clamp that requires no moving parts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery terminal clamp that requires no new moving parts, when incorporated into a typical spring-loaded battery clamp.
It is another object of the present invention to teach a battery terminal clamp that adds no new parts to a standard spring-loaded battery terminal clamp.
It is another object of the present invention to teach a battery terminal clamp that creates no additional electrical connections through a standard spring-loaded battery terminal clamp.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery terminal clamp that offers reduced complexity when compared with standard spring-loaded battery terminal clamps.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery terminal clamp that offers reduced manufacturing costs when compared with standard spring-loaded battery terminal clamps.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery terminal clamp that works on both side-terminal and top-terminal batteries.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery terminal clamp that eliminates spring-loaded battery terminal clamps.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery terminal clamp that is easier to package and store than standard spring-loaded battery terminal clamps.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to accomplish the foregoing objectives in a simple and cost effective manner.
The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention.
The battery terminal clamp 10 is made from a material that has a very high ability to conduct electricity, such as copper. Typical materials with such conduction properties are metals that are both malleable and ductile. The materials make manufacturing relatively easy and provide the benefit of being somewhat self-adjusting. For example, the engagement aperture 20 may be formed so that it is just a little too small for an exact fit. The inherent flexibility of the material will the permit the user to gently force the engagement aperture 20 onto the battery terminal 22 bolt for a very snug fit, ensuring maximum surface area contact and conduction capability. In another embodiment, the engagement aperture further includes a relief slot 24 integrally formed with the engagement slot 20. The relief slot 24 is at an end of the small aperture of the engagement aperture 20, opposite from the large aperture. The relief slot 24 offers additional flex to the engagement aperture 20 as well as easy adjustment by the user. As the engagement aperture 20 is used repeatedly, over time it may stretch and create a looser fit onto a battery terminal 22 bolt. The engagement aperture 20 may be adjusted to be narrower with a simple pair of pliers or a similar tool, by gently squeezing the sides of the engagement aperture 20 together.
This battery terminal clamp 10 offers the advantage of having no additional moving parts as compared with standard battery terminal clamps. No moving parts means no parts to lose and no joints or connections to corrode or loosen and compromise the electric circuit, such as when jumping a dead battery. No moving parts also means reduces complexity and costs for manufacturing.
The second end of the conductor 32 may be covered with an electrically insulating material to form a handle 42. The insulating material may be a rubber, plastic or other nonconductive coating or covering to make the conductor easier to grasp and handle, and to reduce the likelihood of short-circuit.
In this manner, the battery terminal clamp 30 requires no moving parts, and is easy and inexpensive to manufacture. Further, the clamp 30 eliminates spring-loaded battery terminal clamps and is easier to package and store than standard spring-loaded battery terminal clamps.
While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention. While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.
