Improvements in Electric Belts.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1894-Accepted, 21st July, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by ERASTUS MONROE MILES, of 207, State Street,
Chicago, in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of
America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Electric Belts.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following
statement :-
My invention relates to that class of devices now generally known as
" electric
belts," in which an electric battery is applied to and carried by a belt adapted to be
applied to the person, and provided with suitable devices and connections for the
purpose of transmitting continuous current to different parts of the person.
The invention consists in certain improvements in the construction of the battery
cells, the connections thereof, and certain other special features of the general
device.
I will now describe in detail the construction and operation of the battery and
its connections, and such other parts as may be necessary for an understanding of
my invention, and will then designate in claims the particular improvements which
I believe to be new.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure represents an elevation of a portion of an electric belt embodying my
improvement, the battery pocket being partly broken away;
Figure 2, a similar elevation of the battery detached:
Figure 3, a plan view of the battery;
Figure 4, a sectional plan of the same taken on the line 4. 4 of Figure 2;
Figure 5, an elevation of the battery detached, with the switches or cut-outs and
electrode-conductors applied thereto;
Figure 6, a detail vertical section taken on the line 6. 6 of Figure 3;
Figure 7, a perspective view of the copper exterior plate or casing of the cell
detached:
Figure 8, a similar view of the interior zinc plate of
cell detached j and
Figure 9, an elevation of my improved electrode detached.
Figure 1 is upon a scale by itself; all the remaining figures are upon one and
the same scale, but enlarged from that of Figure 1.
In the drawing A represents a belt of any ordinary construction adapted to carry
the battery, and other appliances usually attached to electric belts; it is provided
with a pocket, u, for the reception of the battery B, this being a well known device
for carrying the battery on the belt. The battery is made of a series of cells C,
and as one feature of my invention relates to the particular construction of these
cells, I will describe this construction in detail. Usually the cells heretofore used
in these batteries have been constructed with zinc as the outer and copper as the
inner metal, but, as well known, zinc corrodes much more rapidly than copper, and
if the cells are made with the zinc upon the outside, it will be used up much more
rapidly than the copper, and will require replacement long before the inner copper
plates. To avoid this objection, I make the outer plate of copper and the inner
one of zinc, and, at the same time, give such form to the latter as will provide
sufficiently large surface for exposure to the acid to obtain the result desired. In
Figure 8 of the drawing, the inner or zinc eleinent is represented separately. It
is formed from a thin zinc plate bent around in a curve upon itself so as to form an

page_text: almost closed tube D. The bend is of such a nature that there will be a sufficient
space between the two sides to accommodate a portion of the absorbent and the
edges of the plate are not closed down, but a free space d, is left between them.
One of the edges is also bent to form a link socket, d. A strip, F of any suitable
absorbent material is inserted through the space between the edges of this zinc
element D, and pressed into the space between the two sides thereof so as to
completely fill the same, and is then wound around upon the outside of this zine
element so as to completely enclose it, as seen in Figures 3 and 4. The outer
element E, is formed from a copper plate, which is bent around the outside of the
absorbent F, so as to completely enclose the latter together with the inner element
wrapped therein. When thus wrapped around the absorbent strip, this outside
element E, also forms a kind of tube, as seen in Figure 7, which constitutes the
shell or case of the cell. Preferably it is provided with a series of slots, cut in
cach side thereof, and one-half of each edge is turned so as to form a hinge
connection, and, which, together, make not only a socket or receptacle for the
hinge, but also a means for securing the edges of this outer shell together when
the hinge rod is put in place. The hinges, G, are made of a single piece of copper
wire bent in the form shown. In Figure 6, from which it will appear that the
hinge as completed is of rectangular form, one side g, being entire, while the other
is divided, being made up from the two ends 7, of the wire, as seen in said figure.
There is also a small coil, loop, or eye ', in the wire at such a point that it will
appear at one end of the completed hinge, as seen in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6.
each end of the battery there is a single hinge or pivot rod which is substantially
one-half of the regular hinge. This rod, If, at one end of the battery is mounted
in the inside or zine element of the cell, as seen in Figures 3 and 4.
At its upper
end it is coiled so as to provide three loops or eyes, 4, similar to the loops . The
lower end is shaped in some suitable way to hold the rod in place; in the drawings
this end is shown turned to make a single coil, 4, which prevents the rod from
being pulled through its bearings. The similar rod H, at the other end is mounted
in the hinge bearings of the outer shell or copper element of the cell at that end
of the battery as seen in said Figures 3, and 5, and is provided with loops or
eyes, h,, like those on the rod at the opposite end to the battery.
AL
The loops or eyes in the hinge connections are provided for the application of
the cut-out, or switch by means of which cells may be cut out from the working
portion of the battery, as may be required. This switch or cut-out 1, is of special
construction to adapt it to be inserted in the eyes. It is made from a single small
piece of elastic metal, bent over upon itself but not closed down at the extremities,
the latter being left to spring apart, as seen in Figure 5.
There is, therefore,
formed a rather blunt point, i, at the doubled end of this piece, and at the
extremities of the two branches there is provided on one an eye, while the other
one 7, is left free. These cut-outs or switches are, therefore, adapted to be set
into any one of the two said eyes or loops, and when set down into position they
are held in place by a little notch, in one or both arms, and the elasticity of the
said arms, which are pressed together more or less by the insertion in the eye.
The conductors J, to the electrodes have these switches or cut-outs linked to their
extremities, as seen in Figures 1 and 5, so that connection may be made with the
battery either at the ends thereof by insertion in one of the eyes, h, or in any one
of the eyes g, standing between adjacent cells of the battery, so that obviously
either the entire battery may be used or any desired portion thereof.
The electrodes K, are, of course, intended to be used as usual in electric belts:
but I have also devised a new construction of electrode. This device is a single
piece of sheet metal, consisting of a disk, k, provided with loops, and 42, arranged
on opposite sides of the disk, but made in one piece with the latter by cutting out
the metal in proper shape, when the round disk itself is cut out and stamped up.
These loops are offset a little from the disk so that the belt may be run through
them at the back of the disk, as seen in Figure 1, and in this way the electrodes
are secured to the belt, and, at the same time, they may be slid along the latter for

page_text: ready adjustment, as may be desired. One of the loops k, is provided at one end
with an aperture 4³, to which the electric conductor J, is linked or a branch thereof
if two or more electrodes are employed in connection with one pole of the battery.
In Figure of the drawings two electrodes are shown, and the main conductor J,.
has a branch J', which is linked to the first electrode from the battery, while the
main conductor is extended and linked directly to the second electrode.
The switches or cut-outs provide convenient means for connecting the flexible-
conductors to the battery at any point, for, obviously, they may be set into eyes h,.
at the ends of the battery, as seen in Figure 1, or one or both may be set in
intermediate eyes, g', anywhere along the battery, as seen in Figure 5, according to.
the number of cells it is desired to use.
It will be understood, of course, that in preparation for use the battery is charged
with any suitable acid solution, which is taken up and held by the absorbent filling
in the cells. The cells are made durable by my arrangement of the copper element
on the outside, while the zinc element is on the inside protected from the
atmosphere; but, at the same time, I obtain a large surface of zinc for the action.
of the acid by introducing this element in the way described, whereby a space for
the absorbent is left between the two parts or leaves folded partially upon each
other, so that the absorbent fills this space as well as the space between the two
elements. The entire surface of the zinc plate on both sides thereof, is, therefore,.
exposed to the action of the acid, and, therefore, utilizes this inside element to the
fullest possible extent for battery purposes.
It will also be seen that the link is connected to both cells to which it is applied
by a hinge joint, thereby making a battery extremely flexible so that it readily
adjusts itself to the person. The construction of the hinge rods at each end of the
battery with three eyes or loops, as described, provides not only for the attachment.
of the conductors, but also for other devices applied to the person, as often used in
connection with these belts; and it will be noticed that these eyes are arranged in.
a horizontal plane, as seen in Figure 3. These eye receptacles in connection with
the switches or cut-outs described, for which they provide a kind of socket, make
a very reliable means for connecting the conductors to the battery, for it is obvious
that they are not easily displaced and will remain in a substantially permanent
position when once adjusted. The improved electrode being in one piece, cut and
stamped at once from the metal, it is exceedingly cheap and simple to make. At
the same time it provides means for securing to the belt without danger of
detachment and without danger of disconnection from the battery, which sometimes
occurs where the electrode is made in one or more pieces.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a battery for electric belts, a cell composed of an outer shell or case E, of
copper, in combination with an inner plate D, of zinc bent upon itself but with a
space between the two sides opening out between the two free edges, and an
absorbent strip F, arranged within the said space and surrounding the said inside
element, D, in the space between the latter and the outside element or shell,.
substantially as described.
2. In a battery for electric belts, the cells, in combination with a hinge device
connecting adjacent cells and provided with an eye or loop formed in the hinge
itself for making connections, substantially as described.
3. In a battery for electric belts, the cells C, in combination with the wire
hinges G, connected to opposite elements of adjacent cells, and provided with a
loop or eye g, formed by bending the wire into a loop at one end of each hinge,.
substantially as described.
4. In a battery for electric belts, a switch or cut-out, I, consisting of a single
strip of wire bent upon itself, and with the ends diverging, substantially as
described.

page_text: 5. In a battery for electric belts, the cells C, in combination with a hinge
connecting adjacent cells and provided with an eye or loop g², the switch or
cut-out 1, constructed as specified, and the electrode conductors, substantially as
described.
6. In electric belts, an electrode consisting of a disk k, provided with loops k', k³,
in one piece with said disk, substantially as described.
7. In an electric belt, the battery cells, in combination with hinge connections
between the cells, provided with eyes or loops ', the cut-outs I, constructed as
specified, the electrodes K, consisting of a disk &, provided with loops k³, kª, iu one
piece therewith, the conductors J, and the belt A, substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of June 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.