Discharging of Batteries
OwnerSteven E. Sloop, Robert Parkerinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments are disclosed that relate to devices for discharging batteries. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a battery discharge device including a positive battery contact for forming an electrical contact with a positive battery terminal of a battery, a negative battery contact for forming an electrical contact with a negative battery terminal of the battery, and a battery discharge indicator including a resistive heating material in electrical communication with the positive battery contact and with the negative battery contact, and also including a reversible thermochromic indicator in thermal communication with the resistive heating material.
Claims20
A battery discharge device, comprising:
- a positive battery contact for forming an electrical contact with a positive battery terminal of a battery;
- a negative battery contact for forming an electrical contact with a negative battery terminal of the battery;
- and
- a battery discharge indicator including:
- a resistive heating material in electrical communication with the positive battery contact and with the negative battery contact, and
- a reversible thermochromic indicator in thermal communication with the resistive heating material.
A resistive battery discharge device for discharging batteries, comprising:
- a positive battery contact for forming an electrical contact with a positive battery terminal of a battery;
- a negative battery contact for forming an electrical contact with a negative battery terminal of the battery;
- a positive electrode in electrical communication with the positive battery contact;
- a negative electrode in electrical communication with the negative battery contact;
- a resistive heating material electrically bridging a portion of an electrical gap separating the positive electrode from the negative electrode, the resistive heating material having a constant cross-sectional area normal to a direction of an electrical current flow produced by the battery between the negative electrode and the positive electrode;
- and
- a battery discharge indicator in thermal communication with the resistive heating material, the battery discharge indicator including a reversible thermochromic indicator.
A method of discharging a battery with a resistive battery discharge device, the method comprising:
- inserting a battery into a battery receptacle of the resistive battery discharge device;
- discharging the battery via the resistive battery discharge device to heat a reversible thermochromic material in the battery discharge device to thereby produce a color indicating a current flow produced by the battery;
- and
- removing the battery from the battery after color indicating current flow has changed to indicate a lesser current flow from the battery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.