Improvements relating to Storage Batteries or Accumulators.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 1st Mar., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE AUGUSTINE JOHNSON, of 14, Mount
Washington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America,
Electrician.]
Improvements relating to Storage Batteries or Accumulators.
1 HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
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:-
Storage batteries, as heretofore constructed, have, as is well known, depended for
their action upon the presence of some sensitive matter, commonly oxide of lead or
sponge lead, upon their respective plates; and in order to hold this friable material
in proper position and at a proper distance one part from the other, a great variety of
constructions of lead plates have been contrived. This invention relates to batteries
of this class, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which,
Figure 1 is a section of the battery showing in elevation one of the plates
with its insulating appliances, and also showing another plate partly concealed by the
first one.
Figure 2 is a transverse section upon the line, r of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan of the cell and plates.
Figure 4 is a section on the line y, y of Figure 1, and
Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modification, Figure 5 showing a blank from which
my composite plate is formed.
Figure 6 a connection, and
Figure 7 a soction on line 7, 7 of Figure 5, after the blank shown in Figure 5 is
corrugated and bent.
In order to make this battery, I take plates of lead shaped into rectangular form, and
corrugated in their central portions, leaving all around the plate a plain border. Each
of the half plates is half of one of the battery plates. These corrugations are pierced with
a number of small holes. In my judgement the corrugations should be about three-
eighths of an inch wide and one-eighth of an inch deep, and the perforations should be
ahout one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter, and should be spaced apart about from a six-
teenth of an inch to an eighth of an inch. Two of these half plates are taken and the
plain edges folded over each other on the bottom and the two sides. A plate will then
be produced having the appearance, in section, of the plate shown in Figures 2 and 4
which will be provided with a considerable number of separate cavities of somewhat oval
cross section, which cells will be in communication with the interior of the battery cell A
through the numerous small holes shown in Figure 1. These cavities are to be filled
while forming up the plate by the material for sensitizing the plate as, for instance,
with more or less compressed sticks of lead oxide or of lead sponge, or of any proper
composition for the work of a storage battery or accumulator. These plates are
marked in Figure 2 alternately B and C. The positive and negative plates are
counterparts of each other. In order to attach these plates to the poles, an ear bis
in Figure 1 formed on the corner of each of the half plates, by which ear the complete
plate B or C is united by a rivet to the suspension post D, which suspension post D
unites the plates to the connection E from which the wires are carried. To insulate
and support these plates in the cells A, the standards F made of proper insulating
material are interposed between each pair of plates. These are shown in elevation in
Figure 1, and in edge view in Figure 2. The plates are bored through from side
to side as will be plain from Figure 1 and Figure 2, and insulating stems G, H, are
passed through the plates and standards from side to side and bind together the plates
and standards firmly

page_text: In Figures 5, 6 and 7 the half plates are integral, the blank (Figure 5) is folded
along a line near its middle, the suspension post Ď being first inserted in a hole along
the line of fold, shown in Figure 5, and the edges of the larger half plate are then
folded over on the smaller half plate. The blank (Figure 5) is, of course, corrugated
and pieced and sensitive material supplied before the projecting edges of the larger
plate are folded over the larger plate.
In the use of this battery it has been found that the action upon the plates is
principally, if not wholly, an action upon the enclosed prepared material contained in
the cavities formed by the corrugations, and as the approach to these cavities is only
through the small perforations in the corrugations, there is very little, if any,
destruction of the plates themselves.
The plates thus formed are practically a corrugated lead netting, enclosing in
separate interior cells, the sensitive, or polarizable material susceptible to chemical
action. They will be very slightly acted on except in the enclosed preparation until
the value of that is exhausted, and as it is always intended to have this sensitive
preparation in excess, the plates formed on this method are very durable and
constant.
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 1 declare that what I claim is :-
First. The composite plate formed of two corrugated half plates, with the con-
cavities of the corrugations facing each other and forming small rod-like cavities
within the body of the composite plate, the plates being perforated with numerous
small holes, and enclosing in the cavities the sensitive matter necessary to electric
action, said plates being united at their edges, and provided with suitable attach-
ments to the poles of the battery, all substantially as described.
Second. The combination of a series of composite plates, provided with rod-like
cavities enclosing the sensitive matter within the body of each composite plate, and
perforated, with each other, with insulating strips F and enclosing cell A all
substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of January 1890
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.