Charging assemblies for maintaining sterility of surgical instrument batteries during charging

A system, comprising:

• a surgical instrument;
• a battery assembly releasably engagable with the surgical instrument for powering the surgical instrument, the battery assembly being sterilizable;
• and
• a charging assembly, including:
• a container including a base configured to receive the battery assembly and a cover releasably engagable with the base for enclosing the battery assembly within the container, the container configured to maintain the battery assembly in a sterile condition;
• and
• an external charging portion, the external charging portion operably couplable to the container for charging the battery assembly.

A method, comprising:

• performing at least one surgical task with a battery-powered surgical device;
• disengaging a battery assembly from the battery-powered surgical device;
• sterilizing the battery assembly;
• sterilizing a container;
• enclosing the battery assembly within the container;
• electrically coupling an external charging portion to the container for charging the battery assembly;
• and
• returning the sterile battery assembly to a sterile environment.