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US 8,466,659 B2Granted
Device and method for rendering a battery safe for disposal
AssigneeApollo Camera, LLC
InventorJohn I. Shipp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for rendering a battery safe for disposal by completing a circuit between positive and negative terminals to rapidly deplete the battery of power.
Claims14
An apparatus for rendering a battery safe for disposal, said apparatus comprising:
- a positive contact adapted to touch a positive terminal of the battery;
- a negative contact adapted to touch a negative terminal of the battery;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to said positive and negative contacts to close a circuit between the positive and negative terminals of the battery, said controller being configured to rapidly deplete the battery of power upon an occurrence of a pre-programmed event, said controller being adapted to track the number of times the battery is used and close said circuit after a pre-set number of uses.
1 more element
An apparatus for rendering a battery safe for disposal, said apparatus comprising:
- a discharge arm having a positive contact adapted to touch a positive terminal of the battery and a negative contact adapted to touch a negative terminal of the battery;
- said discharge arm being moveable between an engaged position where said positive and negative contacts touch the respective positive and negative terminals of the battery to complete a circuit and rapidly deplete the battery of power and a disengaged position where said positive and negative contacts are separated from the respective positive and negative terminals of the battery, said discharge arm being adapted to move to the engaged position when a device being powered by the battery is turned off, said discharge arm being restrained in the disengaged position by an electro-magnet powered by the battery, said electro-magnet being turned off when the device being powered by the battery is turned off.
A method for rendering a battery safe for disposal, the method:
- powering a device with a battery having a positive terminal and a negative terminal;
- determining when the device is no longer actively being used by a person;
- determining whether enough battery power remains for another active use by a user;
- and
- completing a circuit between the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the battery to rapidly deplete the battery of power after it is determined that not enough battery power remains for another active use by a user.
2 more elements
A method for rendering a battery safe for disposal, the method comprising:
- expending an amount of power from a battery having a positive terminal and a negative terminal to power a device and to power an electro-magnet adapted to restrain a discharge arm in a disengaged position;
- and
- turning off the device and the electro-magnet to move the discharge arm from the disengaged position to an engaged position where a positive contact and a negative contact of the discharge arm engage the respective positive and negative terminals of the battery to complete a circuit between the positive and negative terminals of the battery to rapidly deplete the battery of power.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.