InstaLoad
InstaLoad is a patented technology developed by Microsoft which allows cylindrical batteries to function in a battery holder regardless of the batteries' polarity.
01Design
The device is designed to save time when swapping out batteries and reduce confusion from hard to read battery diagrams.
Initially battery cell sizes CR123, AA, AAA, C and D were to be catered for.
InstaLoad was designed to address the large number of phone calls to the Microsoft customer help desk in which consumers were improperly placing batteries in Microsoft wireless devices (such as the keyboard and mouse). In 2012 Memory Protection Devices began manufacturing and selling battery carriers that use InstaLoad. Their products are used by EMTS on ambulances and by patients who use life saving devices that are unable to physically change the batteries on their device.
02Licensing
The InstaLoad technology can be licensed from the Microsoft hardware Intellectual Property Licensing program. Microsoft provides royalty-free licensing for manufacturers of accessibility devices. InstaLoad is purely mechanical.
03Reception
There were concerns that while "cheap gadgets" could benefit from the technology the licensing terms might prove an obstacle to uptake.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “InstaLoad”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- InstaLoad logo.tiff by Unknown author, Fair use
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