The present invention relates, in general, to electronic device components and, in particular, to battery holders for electronic devices and related methods.
The determination (e.g., detection and/or concentration measurement) of an analyte in, or a characteristic of, a fluid sample is of particular interest in the medical field. For example, it can be desirable to determine glucose, ketone bodies, cholesterol, lipoproteins, triglycerides, acetaminophen, hematocrit and/or HbA1c concentrations in a sample of a bodily fluid such as urine, blood, plasma or interstitial fluid. Such determinations can be achieved using a hand-held test meter and associated analytical test strips that employ, for example, visual, photometric or electrochemical determination techniques. Such hand-held test meters, as well as a variety of other electronic devices, are typically configured to hold replaceable batteries (e.g., coin cell batteries) that are employed as the device's power supply.
In a first aspect of the invention there is disclosed an electronic device battery holder for holding a battery with a positive pole and a negative pole, the electronic device battery holder comprising: at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong with: a proximal end configured for fixed electrical connection to a power circuit of an electronic device, a deflectable distal end configured to contact a positive pole of a battery operably inserted into the electronic device battery holder; and a deflectable middle portion connecting the proximal end and the distal end; at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong configured to exert a force on the battery operably inserted into the electronic device battery holder, to contact a negative pole of the battery, to securely support and hold the battery in the electronic device battery holder, and for fixed electrical connection to the power circuit of the electronic device, and wherein the at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong is configured to deflect during insertion of a battery therein and exert a compressive securing force on an operably inserted battery while connecting a positive pole of the battery.
The deflectable distal end may include: a hook portion configured to provide the contact to the positive pole; and a release surface configured for a user to press, thereby defecting the deflectable distal end and releasing the battery.
The force exerted by the compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may hold the battery against the hook.
The at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may have a proximal end, and the proximal end of the at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong and the proximal end of the at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may be configured for electrical connection to a printed circuit board (PCB).
The PCB may be a PCB of a hand-held test meter for the determination of an analyte in a bodily fluid sample.
The battery may be a coin cell battery.
The at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong may be a plurality of deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prongs.
Each of the plurality of deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prongs may have a proximal end configured for fixed electrical connection to a power circuit of an electronic device and the proximal ends may be configured as an integrated ring-shaped base.
The at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may be a plate of predetermined configuration.
The electronic device may be a hand-held test meter configured for the determination of an analyte in a bodily fluid sample.
The analyte may be glucose and the bodily fluid sample may be whole blood.
The battery may be generally cylindrical in shape.
The at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may be configured to be disposed within a circumference defined by at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong when the electronic device battery holder is attached to an electronic device.
The at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may be a plurality of electrically-conductive negative terminal prongs and wherein each of the plurality of compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prongs may have a proximal end configured for fixed electrical connection to a power circuit of an electronic device and the proximal ends may be configured as an integrated ring-shaped base.
In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for using an electronic device battery holder comprising: operably inserting a battery into an electronic-device battery holder such that: at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong of the electronic device battery holder deflects during the insertion, exerts a compressive securing force on the operably inserted battery and contacts a positive pole of the inserted battery; and at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong is compressed, exerts a securing force on the operably inserted battery, and contacts a negative pole of the battery, and releasing the operably inserted battery by depressing a release surface of the at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong, thereby removing the compressive securing force and such that the force of the compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong pushes the battery from operable insertion in the electronic device battery holder.
The at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong may have a deflectable distal end that includes: a hook portion configured to provide the contact to the positive pole; and the release surface.
The force exerted by the at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may hold the battery against the hook.
The at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may have a proximal end and the at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong has a proximal end, and wherein the proximal end of the at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong and the proximal end of the at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong are configured for electrical connection to a printed circuit board (PCB).
The PCB may be a PCB of a hand-held test meter for the determination of an analyte in a bodily fluid sample.
The battery may be a coin cell battery.
The at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong may be a plurality of deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prongs.
The at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may be a plate of predetermined configuration.
The electronic device may be a hand-held test meter configured for the determination of an analyte in a bodily fluid sample.
The analyte may be glucose and the bodily fluid sample may be whole blood.
The battery may be generally cylindrical in shape.
The at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong may be configured to be disposed within a circumference defined by at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong when the electronic device battery holder is attached to an electronic device.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain features of the invention, in which:
The following detailed description should be read with reference to the drawings, in which like elements in different drawings are identically numbered. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict exemplary embodiments for the purpose of explanation only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The detailed description illustrates by way of example, not by way of limitation, the principles of the invention. This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the invention.
As used herein, the terms “about” or “approximately” for any numerical values or ranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part or collection of components to function for its intended purpose as described herein. The term “prong” refers to a projecting part and the term “plate” to a flat, thin piece of material.
In general, electronic device battery holders for holding a battery with a positive pole and a negative pole (such as a coin cell battery) according to embodiments of the present invention include at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong with a proximal end configured for fixed electrical connection to a power circuit of an electronic device, a deflectable distal end configured to contact a positive pole of a battery operably inserted into the electronic device battery holder, and a deflectable middle portion connecting the proximal and distal ends. The electronic device battery holder also includes at least one compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong configured to exert a force on a battery operably inserted into the electronic device battery holder, to contact a negative pole of the battery, to securely support and hold the battery in the electronic device battery holder, and for fixed electrical connection to the power circuit of the electronic device. In addition, the at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong is configured to deflect during insertion of a battery therein and exert a compressive securing force on an operably inserted battery.
Electronic device battery holders according to embodiments of the present invention are beneficial in that, for example, they include a minimal number of components (thereby simplifying handling and assembly) and do not require the inclusion or use of a dedicated battery housing, plastic cover and/or battery removal ribbon. The inclusion of a minimal number of parts results in a beneficially inexpensive electronic device battery holder that can be easily incorporated into a variety of electronic devices including, for example, hand-held test meters for the determination of an analyte (e.g., glucose) in a bodily fluid sample (such as a whole blood sample) using analytical test strips. Moreover, once apprised of the present disclosure, one skilled in the art will recognize that electronic device battery holders according to embodiments of the present invention can be readily sized and/or configured to operatively hold a variety of battery types including coin cell batteries (e.g., lithium coin cell batteries), AA batteries, AAA size batteries or other suitable batteries that are generally cylindrical in shape. Embodiments of the present invention are also beneficial in that they efficiently use compression and defection forces generated by the deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong(s) and the compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong(s) to accomplish three tasks, namely to securely hold a battery, to provide an electrical connection between an electronic device and a battery, and to release a battery.
It should be noted that for explanatory purposes and simplicity the cross-sectional depictions of
Referring to
In the embodiment of
Electronic device battery holder 100 also includes a plurality (i.e., four) compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prongs 110 that are configured to exert a force on the CCB operably inserted into the electronic device battery holder 100 (as represented by the arrows label J in
In electronic device battery holders according to embodiments of the present invention including electronic device battery holder 100, the plurality of compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prongs are configured to be disposed essentially within a boundary (e.g., a circumference) defined by at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong when the electronic device battery holder is attached to an electronic device. Such a configuration is most clearly evident from the top views depicted in
In electronic device battery holder 100, deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prongs 102 are configured to deflect during insertion of a battery therein and exert a compressive securing force (represented by the arrows labeled I in
In the embodiment of
Electronic device battery holders according to embodiments of the present invention can be manufactured using any suitable techniques including, for example, metal stamping and forming techniques. Deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prongs and compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prongs can, for example, be made formed of predetermined configuration from a thin metal plate. Moreover, the compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong(s) is configured to be disposed within a circumference defined by at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong when the electronic device battery holder is attached to an electronic device (see, for example,
Deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prongs and compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prongs employed in embodiments of the present invention can be formed from any suitable materials including, for example, carbon steel, beryllium copper, stainless steel, phosphor bronze materials. In addition, the thickness of such materials can be, for example, in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm.
At step 220 of method 200, the operably inserted battery is released by a user depressing a release surface of the at least one deflectable electrically-conductive positive terminal prong, thereby removing the compressive securing force. The removal of the securing compressive force is such that the force of the compressible electrically-conductive negative terminal prong pushes the battery from operable insertion in the electronic device battery holder. See also,
Method 200 is beneficial in that, for example, the battery can be operably inserted by a user with a simple downward pressing motion (see arrow G of
Once apprised of the present disclosure, one skilled in the art will recognize that method 200 can be readily modified to incorporate any of the techniques, benefits, features and characteristics of electronic device battery holders according to embodiments of the present invention and described herein.
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that devices and methods within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1312148.8 | Jul 2013 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2014/064373 | 7/4/2014 | WO | 00 |