Patent 7365515 was granted and assigned to Hitachi on April, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
To provide a universal battery charger with low power consumption during a standby condition and a rush current suppressing capability at the time of commencement of charging, a voltage slightly larger than a battery voltage is produced and applied to the battery. Thereafter, the highest voltage is produced and applied to the battery to charge the same. When the battery is unloaded from the battery charger, the lowest voltage is produced to save power consumption.