Hi group,
I have had a quick look at the patent Application that was reported by ChunkyPastaSauce. There are some interesting details shown in the patent application.
The ConstructionThis drawing from the patent shows a very similar construction that to the one shown on the IGG campaign. It shows an insulator, or coating, item 719, to protect the electronics.
It would look very similar to the construction that I posted in this message:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-751-how-to-debunk-a-product-(the-batteriser)/msg849800/#msg849800The 9V VersionThe application now includes pictures of the 9V version. This shows how the 9V version extends the length of the battery by the height of the terminals plus the thickness of the board.
SchematicThe patent application includes this schematic:
The schematic includes the body sizes of some of the components. These are similar to the ones that I used. It doesn't say how they will fit the AAA cell.
Buck-BoostThe application includes the possibility of a buck-boost architecture. This allows for the output voltage to be lowered when the battery is fresh and boosted when the battery is discharged. This requires extra semiconductors in the current path and incurring extra losses.
This would allow the output to be held constant at say 1.2V This would help with devices that use LDO regulators or a resistive load.
It also prevents circumvention of the patent by replacing the boost supply with a buck-boost.
ClaimsThe claims are the most important part of the patent application. There are some features listed in the claims.
Having an output that fails as the cell is discharged, but at a lower rate. This goes to make battery gauge work a little bit better than if the output voltage was held constant.
Remember this is an application. The prior application was
challenged by the examiner. I have not looked to if the challenges have been addressed. But it seems the construction of the sleeve has been pushed down to higher claim numbers. The higher claims are generally less important than the first few claims.
Regards,
Jay_Diddy_B