Described is a two-part housing for a battery cell having circuitry separate from the main body of the cell. Finger joints, blind dado joints, and edge joints with rabbeted edges are disposed in the mating region between the two halves of the housing. An insulating and alignment wall is integral with one half of the housing, and fits in the channel between the main body of the cell and the circuitry. The housing is dimensionally stable, provides mechanical protection for the delicate cell circuitry, and the two halves of the housing may be secured using only a label wrap.

A battery system for use in a battery-operated device, such as a rescue light or radio used in a hostile environment, employs at least one battery element contained within a tubular support member. In embodiments which employ multiple battery elements, the battery elements are in electrical communication with one another, illustratively by welding or soldering their teminals to one another. At one end of the tubular element, a terminal of the battery system is covered entirely by a seal formed of a resilient material. The seal additionally closes the entire end of the tubular member. At the second end of the tubular member, a second seal is provided for closing the second end of the tubular member, but not covering the second battery supply terminal. The battery system operates in conjunction with a housing for the battery-operated device which may have arranged therein a pointed contact which penetrates the first seal so as to achieve electrical communication with the first contact of the battery supply. The battery supply is urged toward the pointed contact by a spring which is contained within a closure member which seals an aperture of the housing of the battery-operated device. The spring is configured so that it will not penetrate the first seal in the event that the battery system is incorrectly installed in the rescue light. In other embodiments, the contact within the housing is blunt, and penetration of the seal is achieved by a pointed portion on the spring.

According to the invention there is provided a concealed radio transmitting device which includes a radio transmitter, an antenna coupled to the radio transmitter, power supply for supplying electric power to the transmitter, an on/off device connected between the power supply and the radio transmitter, and a housing shaped as a tape measure adapted for containing the radio transmitter, the antenna, the power supply and the on/off device, and wherein further the concealed radio transmitting device includes in the radio transmitter an audio input, and a microphone connected to the audio input for transferring audio signals to the transmitter.

A remote smart battery for supplying a cellular telephone comprises a series of electric energy storage cells, a set of supply contacts connected to the storage cells for supplying electric energy from the storage cells to the cellular telephone, a connector having a plurality of female contacts arranged to be respectively connected to the male contacts of an IC card connector already provided on the cellular telephone. The smart battery further comprises a magnetic stripe reading device, an IC card reading device, and a PCMCIA card reading device. Finally, a microcontroller interfaces the cellular telephone with the reading devices. The microcontroller provides the cellular telephone with a supplement of programming to enable use of the cellular telephone for at least one additional function. Use of the cellular telephone for at least one additional function will be authorized in response to information read on a card by the microcontroller through one of the reading devices. As a first example of additional function, a universal remote control device can be connected to the microcontroller to enable the use of the keyboard of the cellular telephone to control operation of the universal remote control device. As another example of additional function, the microcontroller will be capable of transmitting information toward a remote central processor through the cellular telephone.

An electronic device, e.g., a cellular phone, which includes an extendable antenna for receiving electronic signals, the antenna being of hollow configuration and designed for receiving sound waves at a designated receiving portion thereon and for directing the sound waves through the hollow portion whereby the waves strike a microphone located within the device's housing. The device may also include a computer function to expand the capabilities of the device.