Storage battery with built-in charger and controls

A special storage battery product comprising:

• a storage battery having a pair of battery electrodes;
• a pair of output terminals;
• electrically actuatable control means connected between the battery electrodes and the output terminals and operative in response to electrical actuation signals to make and break electrical connection between the battery electrodes and the output terminals;
• and
• casing means operative to encase and hold together the storage battery, the output terminals, and the control means, thereby to provide the special storage battery product as a mechanically integral entity.

A storage battery product comprising:

• a storage battery having a pair of battery terminals and an outer surface effectively consisting of six mutually perpendicular battery surfaces;
• a pair of input terminals;
• circuit means connected between the input terminals and the battery terminals and operative to permit electric power to flow from the input terminals to the battery terminals but not from the battery terminals to the input terminals;
• and
• casing means operative to encase and hold together the storage battery, the input terminals, and the circuit means;
• thereby to form a mechanically integral storage battery product having an outer surface effectively consisting of six mutually perpendicular product surfaces, at least one of the product surfaces being common with one of the battery surfaces.

The combination of:

• a) a storage battery having a pair of battery terminals;
• and
• b) a charging and control means operative to be fastened onto the storage battery, thereby to form a mechanically integral entity, the charging and control means having:
• a pair of power terminals operable to connect with the battery terminals;
• a pair of output terminals connected with the power terminals by way of electric control means and, when so connected, operative controllably to provide power to a load connected with the output terminals;
• and
• a pair of input terminals connected with the power terminals by way of electric circuit means and operative, when so connected, to connect with a source of electric power and to cause the storage battery to be charged therefrom.