Improvements in Battery Plates for Secondary Batteries.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 11th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Battery Plates for Secondary Batteries.
We, WILLIAM WALTER DONALDSON, and RODERICK MACRAE both of
No. 215, North Calvert Street, Baltimore, in the County of Baltimore and State
of Maryland, United States of America, Electricians, 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 :-
This invention relates to battery plates for secondary batteries, as well as to the
mode of manufacture and the manner of setting the same up for use.
Figure 1 shows a plate with a portion broken away.
Figure 2 shows a plate formed of sections.
Figure 3 is a section through Figure 2 showing by dotted lines the spacing pins.
Figure 4 shows a section of the apparatus for forming the plates.
Figure 5 is a detail thereof in plan with the jacket and filling in place and
broken away.
Figure 6 is a portion, in perspective, of the box or case.
Figure 7 shows in perspective a plurality of plates set up and removed from the
box, showing the terminals.
Figure 8 is a sectional view of the box and plates.
In carrying out the invention, the preferable mode of procedure is to take a
suitable form or mold A having a cavity or chamber of the desired dimensions, and
in this chamber is arranged a movable plate A¹ designed to be actuated in any
suitable manner to force out the completed jacket. We have shown screws a of
which there may be any desired number, but other means may be provided. The
mold is provided with a plurality of pins B which are held therein in any suitable
way, and are of such length as to extend substantially to the top of the mold. The
number of pins may be varied. The movable plate A' is provided with openings
co-incident with and adapted to receive the pins of the mold.
We take a plate C of any suitable inactive material and place it flat over the top
of the cavity in the mold and over the pins and apply pressure, the movable plate
being down as seen in Figure 4. The plate C is forced into the mold and forms a
tray or cup with the edges turned up the depth of the cavity in the mold above the
movable plate. The pins are forced through the plate until their top or upper ends
are substantially on a level with the top of the tray or cup. The cup thus formed
is then filled with active material Cand allowed to stand a sufficient length of time
to set, being packed around the pins, and then it is removed by forcing outward the
movable plate being provided with a plurality of holes b. Other plates or cups are
formed and two of them are placed together and united, a diaphragm E being
placed between them if desired as seen in Figure 1. They may be united in any
suitable
way.
In building up a battery plate of greater dimensions than a simple or single
plate, such as is shown in Figure 1, we take either a single diaphragm of the
required size and unite the required number of cups with their active material upon
opposite sides of the diaphragm as seen in Fig. 2, or affix a cup upon each side of
a single diaphragm of substantially the same size as the cup, and then sweat or
otherwise unite the edges of the diaphragms or connect them by solder as seen in
Figure 3. In this way we can build up a battery plate of any desired size or
shape.
In Figures 6 and 8 we have shown a box or case in which we arrange the plates
for convenient use. This box is a rectangular receptacle of wood, gutta-percha or
other suitable non-conducting material with a removable top F1 between which and
the box F may be a suitable packing if desired, and the cover held in place in

page_text: any suitable manner as by a cross bar G with removable fastenings as seen in
Figure 6. This cover has a filled aperture or tube g through which the liquid is
supplied.
In setting up the sections we take supports as the bars H and connect them as
opposite ends by lead pipes H¹ as seen best in Figure 7, and between said bars
arrange the requisite number of battery plates as shown. To the upper pipes H'
are connected the terminals J and K. The connections H' need not be tubular.
The plates are connected alternately to these pipes or bars H¹ as seen in Figure 7
and the bars and their plates are supported within the box with the terminals
projecting through suitable openings in the cover as seen in Figure 8.
When several of the plates are to be built up or arranged in series, it is desirable
to provide some means for spacing them. We employ for this purpose a spacing
pin or block L having a shank or projecting portion L' adapted to be inserted into
any of the holes b in the cups and fillings as indicated in Figures 3 and 8. These
pins may be on any proper insulating material.
Any suitable material may be used for the cups; lead being preferred. The
cross bar may be provided with a suitable handle G if desired.
The plates may be formed by processes other than that herein described and the
invention, as far as the article is concerned is not restricted to the manner of
producing the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The secondary battery plate hereinbefore described.
2. The process of forming battery plates which consists in forming a cup, filling
the same with active material and perforating the same, substantially as specified.
Dated this 7th day of April 1892.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.