back to article Microsoft goes AC/DC with Instaload battery tech

Microsoft bigged up a technology yesterday that simplifies the battery installation process by forgoing the need to lopsidedly peer at the plus and negative signs on the energy gizmo. InstaLoad is a patented battery contact design that Microsoft has made available for licence by third party device suppliers. The software giant …

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  1. Will Godfrey Silver badge

    Not new

    I've seen a battery holder very (many years ago) for the then designated U2 battery that was able to do this.

    The contacts were a forked spring that hit the negative of the cell either site of a recessed positive stud.

    The item in question was a 1 valve signal tracer thingy.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    Microsoft cannot be serious

    How can you patent steering diodes. And I have such a device for charging my Camera Battery. There must be prior art out there. Yet again a demonstration of the defective nature of the US patent system. And here's a link that took less than a minute to find ..

    "Charger automatically detects positive/negative polarity which eliminates the risk of shorting the battery for safe and simple operation"

    http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=12025&cat=3099

  3. Robert Forsyth

    Many battery compartments have a recessed positive terminal

    although it doesn't allow you to insert either way round, it does stop damage of reverse supply

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Battery bother

    Hmm..

    What about just using a magtrix style connector with preset polarity- if its wrong then the field will "feel" incorrect so it is pretty obvious which way the battery goes.

    Plug it in the right way round and it "locks" in place with a solid click.

    the added advantage is that the connectors are then not subject to the usual "flaky spring" problems plaguing normal batteries, and yet they are also backwards compatible.

    AC-DC

  5. Andrew Bell
    FAIL

    Oh wow

    Microsoft have invented the bridge rectifier! Who would have ever thought you could have put one on each pair of battery contacts and joined them up in series? Certainly not I! I wonder how much they're going to license it for...

  6. mky

    This wont work in a multi-cell flashlight

    unless the tech is in the battery. Individually slotted batteries, where the cells are actually separated it would work, as it would not matter whether the batteries are in series, parallel or series parallel. This seems like a solution to a rather limited problem. Hardly world changing.

    1. stucs201
      FAIL

      And the irony is...

      ...this is supposedly useful for applications where batteries need changin in poor light. A multi-cell torch does seem like one of the things most likely to need its batteries changing in such conditions.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Uhhh

    "devices that use CR123, AA, AAA, C or D size batteries" - none of which are batteries

  8. Reg Sim
    Thumb Up

    It is so simple...but

    but I suppose nobody have though of it. It will not work for every device, as any device that has batterys in a row will not benefit.

    But yes this seems like a worth while thing. Well done MS, lets just hope there not charging a gazzilion quid for the licence.

    there is the link again to look at the hardware if you missed i above (like I did)

    http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/licensing/instaloadoverview.mspx

  9. Ascylto
    Big Brother

    Really?

    Looks like Microsoft may be onto something here ...

    How long before they cancel it?

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