MOBILE TELEPHONE BATTERY
Description
The present invention is related to a mobile telephone, preferably for a handheld mobile telephone. More specifically, the invention is related to the battery for a mobile telephone.
Conventionally, mobile telephones are provided with (primary or secondary) batteries that are attachable and removable to the back of the housing of the mobile telephones. Such standard batteries provide a certain standby time and talk time of the mobile telephone. In order to increase the standby time and the talk time, so-called extended batteries with increased capacity are offered to replace the standard battery.
One drawback of the extended battery is the fact that it is considerably more costly than the standard battery pack due to lower production quantities, etc. Also, the charging device must be able to receive (and charge) the extended battery as well as the standard battery.
The present invention defines a solution for the above problems that arise from the demand for increased standby time and talk time while avoiding the need of extended battery packs.
To this end, the invention teaches that in a mobile telephone having an electrical/mechanical port for a battery pack, wherein the shape and the dimensions of the port for the battery pack are such that a first battery pack having a predetermined capacity can be fitted to said port, and the electrical/mechanical port is capable of connecting (or receiving) at least one additional battery pack having the identical shape and capacity as said first battery pack.
In this context, it is only necessary for the second battery to be electrically and mechanically connected to the mobile telephone so that the electrical power can be provided by the second battery in parallel to the first battery. Moreover, with the second battery being received by said port, effectively the second battery is removably attached to the mobile telephone (or the first battery) so that the mobile telephone, the first battery and the second battery form a unitary device.
This solution removes the need for an extended battery pack as a separate item. Rather, the user has the option to either attach both the first and the second battery packs at the same time (in parallel) to the mobile telephone or to attach one battery pack to the mobile telephone and after this battery pack is empty, remove it and attach a second, charged battery pack to the mobile telephone. Hence, the user has the possibility to obtain two identical (and less costly) battery packs and use these two battery packs instead of an extended battery pack. Also only one type of charger (or charger part) is required. This results in a charger of smaller and simpler design.
In presently preferred embodiment of the invention, said electrical/mechanical port comprises an electrical connector and a seat for at least said first battery pack. In addition thereto, either the electrical/mechanical port or the first battery comprises an electrical connector to allow the second battery being connected in parallel to the first battery and to "piggy-back" the second battery onto the first battery.
Preferably, said seat for at least said first battery pack is formed by a recess in said housing of said mobile telephone. This recess is shaped and dimensioned so that the first battery in its mounted position is at least partially received in the recess.
According to a presently preferred embodiment of the invention said electrical/mechanical port is provided with a first cover if only said first battery pack is fitted to said port, or with a second cover having a different shape than said first cover if said first battery pack and said at least one additional or second battery pack is fitted to said port. The first cover assures the first battery being held in the seat while being protected against shock, vibrations, dust, liquids or the like, while the second cover serves the same purposes if the first and second battery packs are attached to the mobile telephone.
Preferably, said first and/or said second cover, and/or said housing is provided with a latching means to secure said first or second cover at said housing. Preferably, the covers extend over the entire dimensions of the battery packs and the latching means (hooks or the like) are provided at the rims of the covers to engage with corresponding latching means (openings or recesses) provided in the housing of the mobile telephone.
In one embodiment of the present invention, said second cover is provided with an electrical connector to connect said second battery pack to the port for the first battery pack. Preferably, said electrical connector is a metal spring which serves to press the second battery pack against a wall of said cover and to provide an electrical connection from said second battery pack to said mobile telephone to connect said second battery pack to the port for the first battery pack.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, said first battery pack is provided with a first fixture at one side thereof to connect said first battery pack to said port, and a second fixture at another side thereof to connect said second battery pack to said first battery pack. This solution does not require a cover containing a connector to
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connect said second battery pack to the port for the first battery pack. Rather, each battery pack has one or more receptacles on one side and protrusions on the opposite side for electrically and mechanically attaching/connecting a battery pack to another battery pack or directly to the housing of the mobile telephone.
Preferably, each of said battery packs is a Lithium-Ion accumulator. It is, however, also possible to use battery packs based on different accumulator technologies (Ni-Cd, lead-acid etc.). According to a further aspect of the invention, the second battery pack could also be thicker (resulting in a higher capacity) as long as the same footprint (connectors, dimension, etc) is used and the same chemistry is used in both accumulators.
Further details, modifications, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be explained with reference to the enclosed drawings, which show presently preferred embodiments of the mobile telephone having one or more battery packs according to the present invention.
Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention in a schematic partial side view of a housing of a mobile telephone with one battery.
Fig. 2 shows a schematic partial side view of the housing of Fig. 1 with two batteries.
Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention in a schematic partial side view of a housing of a mobile telephone with one battery.
Fig. 4 shows a schematic partial side view of the housing of Fig. 3 with two batteries.
Fig. 1 shows a partial side view of a housing 10 of a mobile telephone. This housing 10 is provided with an electrical/ mechanical port 12 for a battery pack 14. The shape and the dimensions of the port 12 for the battery pack 14 are such that a first battery pack 14 having a predetermined capacity can be fitted to the port 12. More precisely, the port is a box-shaped seat or recess 12 in the housing 10 and the first battery pack 14 has a corresponding shape to fit into this recess. A wall 16 of the recess 12 is provided with an opening 18 through which a V-shaped metallic spring 20 projects into the interior of the recess 12. The metallic spring 20 serves to provide an electrical connection of the battery 14 to the electronic components (not shown) of the mobile telephone. Moreover, the spring biases the the battery 14 against the opposite wall 22. A (not necessarily) flat cover 24 serves to completely close the recess 12. To achieve this, the recess 12 is provided with a surrounding step 26 oriented towards the outside. The cover 24 snugly fits into the surrounding step 26 and is let-in flush with the surrounding wall of the housing 10.
Fig. 2 shows one way of obtaining the effect according to the present invention, i.e. that the electrical/mechanical port is capable of receiving at least one additional battery pack 30 having the identical shape and capacity as said first battery pack 14.
Instead of closing the recess 12 with the even, flat cover 24 as shown in Fig. 1, a second cover 30 having a different shape than the first cover shown in Fig. 1 is utilised to close the recess or port 12 when the first battery pack 14 and an additional battery pack 32 is fitted to said port 12. More precisely, the second cover 30 has a size and dimensions to house the additional battery pack 32 on top of the first battery pack 14. Thus, the additional battery pack 32 and the first battery back 14 are held in a defined position relative
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to the port 12 to provide the electrical power for the mobile telephone.
The electrical connection of the second battery pack 32 to the circuitry of the mobile telephone is obtained by a second a V-shaped metallic spring 34 which projects through a opening 36 in the housing 10 in the region of the step 26 near the first V-shaped metallic spring 20. This second a V- shaped metallic spring 34 which projects through a opening 36 is covered by the first cover 24 when this cover is used. The second cover 30 has slanted side walls 42, 44 so that the second a V-shaped metallic spring 34 is accessible by a metallic contact piece 40 which is mounted in the second cover 30 to connect the second battery 32 with said second V- shaped metallic spring 20 if the second cover 30 is used.
In order to improve the stability of the cover when positioned on the recess 12, the first or second cover 24, 30, and/or the housing 10 is provided with a latching means to secure the first or second cover at the housing.
The embodiment shown in Fig. 3, 4 is different from the embodiment of Fig. 1, 2 insofar, as the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, 4 does not require the second cover 30 of Fig. 2 containing the metallic contact piece 40 which is mounted in the second cover 30 to connect the second battery 32 with said second V-shaped metallic spring 20 if the second cover 30 is used.
Rather, the first battery pack 14 is provided with an electrical connector 50 and one or more mechanical connectors 52 to connect said second battery pack 32 to the port 12 for the first battery pack 14. More precisely, the first (and each further) battery pack is provided with a first fixture formed by two holes 50 forming electrical (female) connectors and two bent holes 52 forming mechanical (female) connectors at the upper side of the battery to receive respective (male)
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mechanical and electrical connectors 54, 56 provided at the lower side of the second battery pack 32. A second fixture at the lower side of the first battery pack 14 is identical to the mechanical and electrical connectors 54, 56 provided at the lower side of the second battery pack 32. Similarly, the port 12 has two holes 50 forming electrical (female) connectors and two bent holes 52 forming mechanical (female) connectors at the bottom of the recess 12 to receive respective (male) mechanical and electrical connectors 54, 56 provided at the lower side of the first battery pack 14. As indicated by wires 60, 62, the female connectors 50 are connected to the male connectors 54 of each respective battery pack.
Thus, a virtually indefinite number of battery packs can be stacked on top of each other in order to increase the talk time and the standby time of the mobile telephone. Since the mechanical connectors provide sufficient stability to the entire structure, a cover is not required (but not excluded) .
It is understood that the mechanical connectors can be integrated into the elctrical connectors thus making separate mechanical (or electrical) connectors superfluous. Instead of the bent holes and hooks 42, 56, longitudinal rails and grooves shaped accordingly can be utilised to slide one battery pack onto the other (and onto the housing) . In this case, the port 12 must be designed to allow this sliding-in movement of the first battery pack.
The invention is also related to the battery packs per se as described above.