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US 5,393,618 AGranted
Battery with tester label and method for producing it
AssigneeEveready Battery Company, Inc.
InventorsVictor H. Weiss, John G. Langbehn, Dean A. Laird, Gary R. Tucholski, Robert A. Prok
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A battery encased with a label containing an integral test circuit device that is activated by depressing a selected area of the label whereupon a thermally sensitive material displays whether the battery has capacity. A method for producing the test circuit device is also disclosed.
Claims20
A tester label assembled on a battery having a first terminal and a second terminal of opposite polarity;
- said tester label consisting essentially of a nonconductive film at least partially encasing the battery and having a top surface and bottom surface and said film defining a first opening exposing a segment of the first terminal, a spaced apart second opening exposing a segment of the second terminal, and a plurality of thermal insulation openings between said first opening and said second opening of a size smaller than said first and second openings;
- and a conductive circuit layer disposed over the first opening, the second opening and at least a portion of the plurality of openings so that a first segment of conductive circuit layer can be deflected through the first opening to contact the first terminal, a second segment of the conductive circuit layer can be deflected through the second opening to contact the second terminal with the remaining segment of the conductive circuit layer being unable to contact the terminals of the battery through the plurality of openings;
- a thermally sensitive material disposed in responsive contact with the conductive circuit layer such that when the first segment and second segment of the conductive circuit layer contact the first terminal and second terminal, respectively, a current will flow through the conductive circuit layer and heat the thermally sensitive material which will indicate the capacity of the battery.
A method for preparing and attaching a battery test label to a battery comprising the steps:
- (a) preparing a nonconductive base film having a top surface and a bottom surface and producing in said film a first opening, a second opening and a plurality of spaced-apart openings between said first opening and said second opening with said plurality of openings each being smaller than the first and second openings;
- (b) preparing a conductive circuit layer and securing a thermally sensitive material to the top surface of said conductive circuit layer and securing the bottom surface of the conductive circuit layer onto the top surface of the base film and over the first opening, the second opening and at least a portion of the plurality of openings such that a selected first area of the conductive circuit layer can deflect into and through said first opening, a selected second area of the conductive circuit layer can deflect into and through the second opening, and the conductive circuit layer cannot be deflected through the plurality of openings;
- and
- (c) adhering the bottom surface of the base film to the housing of a battery having a first terminal and second terminal of opposite polarity such that the first opening is positioned over the first terminal and the second opening is positioned over the second terminal so that said first selected area of the conductive circuit layer can be deflected to contact only the first terminal and said second selected area of the conductive circuit layer can be deflected to contact the second terminal to complete an electrical circuit between the terminals that will cause current to flow through the conductive circuit layer creating heat that will be detected by the thermally sensitive material.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.