Electric tool system with removable battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12009539-B2
Application number	US-202117305495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2021
Priority date	Jul 8, 2020
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an electric power tool system with cordless power tools and removable, rechargeable battery packs that mate with the power tools to provide stored energy to the power tools. The battery packs may include a first battery pack having a basic interface and a second battery pack having an advanced interface. The power tools may include a first power tool having a basic interface and a second power tool having an advanced interface. The basic interface battery pack may mate with both the basic interface power tool and the advanced interface power tool. The advanced interface battery pack may mate with both the basic interface power tool and the advanced interface power tool.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A removable battery pack for providing electrical energy to a cordless electric tool, the removable battery pack comprising: a housing having a forward side and a rearward side, the forward side including a plurality of terminal slots; and an interface including a first set of rails and a second set of rails, the second set of rails having a set of front walls, the first set of rails positioned closer to the forward side than the second set of rails, and the first set of rails starting forward of the set of front walls of the second set of rails such that the first set of rails do not overlap with the second set of rails, wherein
the first set of rails includes two rails in a first plane and the second set of rails includes two rails in a second plane, each of the two rails of the first set of rails includes aside wall, the side walls of the two rails of the first set of rails being parallel to each other and separated by a first distance and each of the two rails of the second set of rails includes a side wall, the side walls of the two rails of the second set of rails being parallel to each other and separated by a second distance, the first distance being less than the second distance.

2. The removable battery pack, as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first set of rails are in a same horizontal plane as the second set of rails.

3. The removable battery pack, as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first set of rails are not in a same horizontal plane as the second set of rails.

4. The removable battery pack, as recited in claim 1 , wherein the battery pack housing includes a datum plane and the first set of rails are offset from the datum plane by a first distance and the second set of rails are offset from the datum plane by a second distance.

5. The removable battery pack, as recited in claim 4 , wherein the battery pack housing is configured to mate with the cordless electric tool in a mating direction and wherein the datum plane is parallel to the mating direction and wherein the first distance is offset from the datum plane in a direction perpendicular to the datum plane and wherein the second distance is offset from the datum plane in a direction perpendicular to the datum plane.

6. The removable battery pack, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a first set of grooves associated with the first set of rails and a second set of grooves associated with the second set of rails.

7. The removable battery pack, as recited in claim 6 , wherein the first set of grooves defines a first groove height dimension and the second set of grooves defines a second groove height dimension, the first groove height dimension being a same groove height dimension as the second groove height dimension.

8. The removable battery pack, as recited in claim 6 , wherein the first set of grooves does not overlap with the second set of grooves.

9. The removable battery pack, as recited in claim 1 , wherein the removable battery pack is compatible with both a single rail interface power tool and a dual rail interface power tool.

10. The removable battery pack, as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first set of rails defines a first rail height dimension and the second set of rails defines a second rail height dimension, the first rail height dimension being a same rail height dimension as the second rail height dimension.

11. A cordless electric power tool for receiving electrical energy from a removable battery pack, the cordless electric power tool comprising: a housing having a forward side and a rearward side, the forward side including a plurality of terminal slots; and an interface including a first set of power tool rails and a second set of power tool rails, the second set of power tool rails having a set of front walls, the first set of power tool rails positioned closer to the forward side than the second set of power tool rails, and the first set of power tool rails starting forward of the set of front walls of the second set of power tool rails such that the first set of power tool rails do not overlap with the second set of power tool rails, wherein
the first set of power tool rails includes two rails in a first plane and the second set of power tool rails includes two rails in a second plane, each of the two rails of the first set of power tool rails includes a side wall, the side walls of the two rails of the first set of power tool rails being parallel to each other and separated by a first distance and each of the two rails of the second set of power tool rails includes a side wall, the side walls of the two rails of the second set of power tool rails being parallel to each other and separated by a second distance, the first distance being less than the second distance.

12. The cordless electric power tool, as recited in claim 11 , wherein the first set of power tool rails are in a same horizontal plane as the second set of power tool rails.

13. The cordless electric power tool, as recited in claim 11 , wherein the first set of power tool rails are not in a same plane as the second set of power tool rails.

14. The cordless electric power tool, as recited in claim 11 , wherein the power tool housing includes a datum plane and the first set of power tool rails are offset from the datum plane by a first distance and the second set of power tool rails are offset from the datum plane by a second distance.

15. The cordless electric power tool, as recited in claim 14 , wherein the power tool housing is configured to mate with the battery pack in a mating direction and wherein the datum plane is parallel to the mating direction and wherein the first distance is offset from the datum plane in a direction perpendicular to the datum plane and wherein the second distance is offset from the datum plane in a direction perpendicular to the datum plane.

16. The cordless electric power tool, as recited in claim 11 , further comprising a first set of power tool grooves associated with the first set of power tool rails and a second set of power tool grooves associated with the second set of power tool rails.

17. The cordless electric power tool, as recited in claim 16 , wherein the first set of power tool grooves defines a first power tool groove height dimension and the second set of power tool grooves defines a second power tool groove height dimension, the first power tool groove height dimension being a same power tool groove height dimension as the second power tool groove height dimension.

18. The cordless electric power tool, as recited in claim 16 , wherein the first set of power tool grooves does not overlap with the second set of power tool grooves.

19. The cordless electric power tool, as recited in claim 11 , wherein the first set of power tool rails defines a first power tool rail height dimension and the second set of power tool rails defines a second power tool rail height dimension, the first power tool rail height dimension being a same power tool rail height dimension as the second power tool rail height dimension.

20. A cordless power tool system, comprising:
a removable battery pack configured to mate with a cordless power tool and to provide electrical energy to the cordless power tool, the removable battery pack comprising:
a battery pack housing having a forward side and a rearward side, the forward side including a plurality of terminal slots that provide access to a plurality of battery terminals; and
an interface including a first set of battery pack rails and a first set of battery pack grooves associated with t

Assignees

• Black & Decker Inc

Inventors

• Hennesy Timothy J
• Varipatis Michael
• Cherry Mark
• Osborne Nathan J

Classifications

• H01M2220/30

  Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop · CPC title

• B25F5/021

  with guiding devices (guiding devices for hand tools on stands or supports B25H1/0078) · CPC title

• H01M50/204

  Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells · CPC title

• H01M50/296

  characterised by terminals of battery packs (terminals of batteries H01M50/543) · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title