IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAIC BATTERIES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO SECONDARY BATTERIES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN VOLTAIC BATTERIES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO
SECONDARY BATTERIES." A communication from abroad by La Société
Anonyme la Force et la Lumière Société Générale d'Electricité, of Paris, in
the Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th March 1881.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAIC BATTERIES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO APPLICABLE TO SECONDARY BATTERIES." A communication from abroad by
La Société Anonyme la Force et la Lumière Société Générale d'Electricité, of Paris,
in the Republic of France.
This Invention relates to electric or voltaic batteries, and it consists in the
employment in the construction of the said batteries of vessels or receivers made
narrow at the lower part and wide at the upper part, the said vessels being filled
with a suitable liquid and superposed in any desired number and arranged in such
a manner that each vessel is immersed to a certain extent in the liquid contained
in the vessel next below it, as hereinafter described.
The Invention is applicable to what are known as secondary batteries as well as
to voltaic batteries.
The construction of batteries in the form of a column presents important
advantages, especially in respect of the diminished horizontal surface occupied,
the simplicity of the joints or connections, and the possibility of enabling the same
part to perform the three functions of receiver, positive electrode of one element or
couple, and negative electrode of the adjacent element or couple, combined with
obviating the employment of connecting pieces and obtaining absolute certainty of
contact.
These advantages however are more than counterbalanced by certain serious
disadvantages, viz., first, the difficulty of obtaining a proper circulation of the
liquids and the confinement of the gases generated in the battery; second, in the

page_text: case of elements with two liquids the inequality of the pressure which each
diaphragm has to bear upon its two sides, which inequality tends to distort this
part of the apparatus when made of pliable material, and thereby change the
relative capacity of the compartments.
By means of the present Invention these disadvantages are obviated, and at the
same time all the advantages of the construction in the form of a column are
retained by the employment of the arrangement hereinafter described.
In carrying out the said Invention the improved battery in the form of a column
is constructed with deep and taper or flaring receivers, the latter being either of a
conical form or presenting the form of a pyramid, or being constructed in the form
of a cone having a curved or hemispherical apex or in any other suitable taper
form.
The forms employed simply require to be such that a number of vessels of the
shape described may be capable of being inserted to a considerable depth one
within the other, and that the sides of these vessels may present a considerably
larger area of surface than their bottoms.
In constructing a battery with three elements, for example, the lower vessel is
supported by a suitable base or stand, and an inert mass is plunged into the upper
vessel in order to reduce the internal capacity of this vessel to the capacity of the
lower vessels.
This arrangement allows the gases to escape readily and facilitates the circulation
of the liquids. When elements with two liquids are used porous vessels may be
employed having a form similar to the quasi-prismatic vessels employed by Reynier,
the shape of such vessels being suitably modified in order to obtain the requisite
taper or flaring appearance.
Porous vessels made from a disc of felt moulded or pressed in the form of bags
such as are used for filtering purposes may also be employed in carrying out this
Invention.
The improved receivers may also be utilized as double electrodes by making them
of two metals, one metal being arranged on the outside and the other metal on the
inner side of the vessel."
When also it is desired to obtain elements having two similar electrodes, such as
are employed in the secondary batteries constructed by Gastron Planté, the battery
is constructed simply with a series of vessels of a conical form arranged one above
the other and separated by suitable filling pieces of conducting material. Each
intermediate vessel (constructed of lead, for example) forming the positive electrode
of one element and the negative electrode of the adjacent element, with the
exception of the polary electrodes, viz., the lower vessel which is in contact with
the liquid on its interior only, and the upper vessel which is in contact with the
liquid on its external surface only.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th September 1881.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAIC BATTERIES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO APPLICABLE TO SECONDARY BATTERIES." A communication from abroad by
La Société Anonyme la Force et la Lumière Société Générale d'Electricité, of Paris,
in the Republic of France.
The said Invention relating to voltaic batteries has reference to the employment
in the construction of the said batteries of a series of deep vessels made narrow at
the lower part and wide at the upper part, the said vessels being filled with a.
suitable exciting liquid and arranged one within the other in any desired number,
in such a manner that their sides are brought in contact with the liquid both
internally and externally as hereinafter described.
The Invention is applicable to what are known as secondary batteries as well as
to voltaic batteries.
The construction of batteries with the elements arranged in the form of a column
presents important advantages, especially in respect of the diminished horizontal
surface occupied, the simplicity of the connections, and the possibility of enabling
the same part to perform the three functions of receiver for containing the liquid,
positive electrode of one pair and negative electrode of the adjacent pair, combined
with obviating the employment of connecting pieces and obtaining absolute
certainty of contact.
These advantages however have heretofore been more than counterbalanced by
certain serious disadvantages, videlicet,―
First. The difficulty of obtaining a proper circulation of the liquids and the
confinement of the gases generated in the battery.
Second. In the case of batteries with two liquids the inequality of the pressure
which each diaphragm has to bear upon its two sides, which inequality tends to
distort this part of the apparatus when made of pliable material and thereby change
the relative capacity of the compartments.
By means of the present Invention these disadvantages are obviated and at the
same time all the advantages of the construction in the form of a column are
retained by the employment of the arrangement hereinafter described.
In carrying out the said Invention the improved battery in the form of a column
is constructed with deep and taper or flaring vessels or receivers, the latter being
either of a conical form, for example, as shewn in elevation and plan in Figure 1, or
presenting the form of an inverted pryamid, as shewn in the same manner in
Figures 2 and 3, or being constructed in the form of a cone having a curved or
hemispherical apex, as shown in Figure 4, or in any other suitable taper form.
The forms employed simply require to be such that a number of vessels of the
shape described may be capable of being inserted to a considerable depth one within
the other, and that the sides of these vessels may present a considerably large area
of surface than their bottoms.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of a battery containing three pairs constructed
according to this Invention. In this battery three vessels, F, F1, F2, composed of
metal or other conducting material and acting as elements are employed; the lower
vessel F is supported by a suitable base or stand A, and the vessels F¹, F', rest
upon suitable insulating supports D. An inert mass B is plunged into the liquid
contained in the upper vessel F* in order to reduce the internal capacity of this
vessel to the capacity of the lower vessels. This arrangement allows the gases to
escape readily and facilitates the circulation of the liquids.

page_text: In the case of batteries in which two liquids are used porous partitions may be
employed having a form similar to the quasi prismatic vessels employed in the
system known as Reynier's, the shape of such vessels being suitably modified in
order to obtain the requisite taper or flaring form hereinbefore described.
Figure 5 represents an example of this mode of arranging the vessels in a
battery working with two liquids. f, f¹, ƒ³, are porous partitions of taper forin
which are arranged between a series of vessels F, F1, F2, of metal or other con-
ducting material, the vessels being supported and arranged in other respects
similarly to the vessels hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 5.
The porous partitions may be made from discs of felt pressed or drawn out in the
form of bags such as are used for filtering purposes and combined so as to form
cells of the required form and capacity.
The improved vessels or elements may be caused to act as double electrodes by
making them of two different metals, one metal being arranged on the outside and
the other metal on the inner side of the vessel.
When it is desired to construct a battery on the principle of this Invention with
pairs having two similar electrodes acting in a similar manner to the electrodes
employed in the secondary batteries with two lead plates of the type known as
Gastron Plante's, a series of deep conical vessels F, F', F, F, Figure 6, composed of
lead, for example, are arranged one within the other and supported by suitable
filling pieces D of insulating material. Each of these vessels form the positive
electrode of one pair and the negative electrode of the adjacent pair, with the
exception of the polar electrodes, videlicet, the lower vessel F which is in contact
with the liquid on its interior only, and the upper vessel FS which is in contact
with the liquid on its external surface only.
The arrangements hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 5 and 5ª are
applicable both to primary batteries and secondary batteries.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part
recited Letters Patent is,
First. Constructing voltaic or secondary batteries arranged in the form of a
column with elements formed by deep taper vessels placed the one within the other,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
Second. In batteries of the description herein before referred to with two liquids
the employment of deep taper porous vessels or partitions formed of a disc of felt
moulded or pressed to shape, substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
T TENDY JOHNSON