IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAIC
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Godfrey Gumpel of No 49 Leicester Square in
the County of Middlesex for an invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAIC
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Godfrey Gumpel at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th June 1882.
CHARLES GODFREY GUMPEL of N° 49 Leicester Square in the County of
Middlesex, IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAIC BATTERIES AND IN THEIR APPLICATION
"
FOR PORTABLE LIGHTS
"
My invention relates to a construction of voltaic batteries, either primary or
secondary, so as to render them conveniently portable in order that they may be
readily moved from place to place, and to the arrangement, in combination with
such batteries, of electric lamps applicable for lighting in mines, houses, carriages,
ships and elsewhere.
For this purpose I build up a pile in such a manner that the liquids or other
substances employed retain their relative positions in whatever attitude the
pile may be placed without risk of fluid escaping or of being pressed out from
between the plates forming the elements, or of loss of current by short circuiting
any of the elements.
I make the plates of metal, carbon or other material constituting the elements of
the battery in the form of circular discs all those for one battery being of the same
diameter. Between two such plates forming the electrodes of one element or cell,
I interpose a ring of vulcanite, glass, gutta percha or other insulating material
within which ring the exciting fluid or substance is contained. In case of two
fluids or substances being employed, I interpose two rings having between them
a porous diaphragm such as is ordinarily used for separating two exciting
substances.
I place these plates and rings in proper order to form a battery within a
caoutchouc tube of such internal diameter that it embraces the plates and rings

page_text: with sufficient tightness to prevent fluid communication between the several cells.
The enclosing tube may be of glass, porcelain, vulcanite gutta percha or other non-
elastic insulating material but in this case the plates of the cells are surrounded by
caoutchouc rings to prevent communication from cell to cell. Each element or
cell of the battery may also be formed separately by fixing the two plates and the
interposed ring or rings with the exciting substance within a short caoutchouc
tube or ring and then placing these separate elements side by side within a tube
or open framing.
In applying a battery such as I have described in combination with an electric
lamp so as to constitute a portable lighting apparatus, I form one end of the casing
of the battery as a prolongation or neck to which I attach an incandescent electric
lamp of any known kind by a socket of insulating material. I connect one
terminal of the battery to one terminal of the lamp and the other terminal of the
battery to the other terminal of the lamp through a contact key which can be moved
by an external knob or button so as to make or break contact as desired.
When a secondary or storage battery is employed in combination with a lamp
as above described, the battery may be recharged without taking the apparatus
apart by introducing through a hole in the neck of the battery casing an insulated
conducting wire to make contact with the free electrode of the battery.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Godfrey Gumpel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th December 1882.
Charles GodfrEY GUMPEL of No 49 Leicester Square in the County of
Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAIC BATTERIES AND IN THEIR APPLICATION
FOR PORTABLE LIGHTS
"
My invention relates to a construction of Voltaic batteries, either primary or
secondary, so as to render them conveniently portable in order that they may be
readily moved from place to place, and to the arrangement, in combination with
such batteries, of electric lamps applicable for lighting in mines, houses carriages,
ships and elsewhere.
For this purpose I build up a pile in such a manner that the liquids or other
substances employed retain their relative positions in whatever attitude the pile
may be placed without risk of fluid escaping or of being pressed out from between
the plates forming the elements, or of loss of current by short circuiting any of the
elements.
I make the plates of metal, carbon or other material constituting the elements
of the battery in the form of circular discs all those for one battery being of the
same diameter. Between two such plates forming the electrodes of one element or
cell, I interpose a ring of vulcanite, glass, gutta percha or other insulating material
within which ring the exciting fluid or substance is contained. In case of two
fluids or substances being employed I interpose two rings having between them
a porous diaphragm such as is ordinarily used for separating two exciting
substances.
I place these plates and rings in proper order to form a battery within a
caoutchouc tube of such internal diameter that it embraces the plates and rings
with sufficient tightness to prevent fluid communication between the several cells.
The enclosing tube may be of glass, porcelain vulcanite, gutta-percha or other non-
elastic insulating material but in this case the plates of the cells are surrounded by
caoutchouc rings to prevent communication from cell to cell. Each element or
cell of the battery may also be formed separately by fixing the two plates and the
interposed ring or rings with the exciting substance within a short caoutchouc
tube or ring and then placing these separate elements side by side within a tube or
open framing.
In applying a battery such as I have described in combination with an electric
lamp so as to constitute a portable lighting apparatus, I form one end of the casing
of the battery as a prolongation or neck to which I attach an incandescent electric
lamp of any known kind by a socket of insulating material. I connect one terminal
of the battery to one terminal of the lamp and the other terminal of the battery
to the other terminal of the lamp through a contact key which can be moved by
an external knob or button so as to make or break contact as desired.
When a secondary or storage battery is employed in combination with a lamp
as above described, the battery may be recharged without taking the apparatus
apart by introducing through a hole in the neck of the battery casing an insulated
conducting wire to make contact with the free electrode of the battery.

page_text: with sufficient tightness against the edges of the discs to prevent passage or
leakage of the exciting liquid with which the spaces between the plates are
charged. A metal casing D which might be made as an open framing encloses the
whole. At the top of this casing is fixed a socket E of insulating material to
receive the neck of the bulb of an incandescent lamp F. One wire of the lamp is
connected through the framing D with the lowest of the plates A, the other wire
is connected to a metallic bracket G in which is mounted a cam H. By turning
this cam by means of an external button contact is made. between G and a spring
K attached to the highest of the plates A, the circuit of the battery being thus
closed through the filament of the lamp F. For the purpose of charging the
battery a metal plug connected to one of the electrodes of the charging machine or
battery is passed through an insulated hole L to make contact with the highest
plate A whilst the metal framing D is connected to the other electrode of the
charging machine or battery. The plates A may be duplicated as shown in the
part section Fig 2 with insulating material M interposed between each pair of
plates, which if of lead are connected together by lead rivets a passing through
the separating material M. The caoutchouc tube C may in this case be pressed
into grooves of the discs M by cords or wires N bound tightly round the tube.
Fig 3 is a part section shewing a modified form of the separating discs M so as to
bring the opposite plates A nearer together. Fig 4 is a vertical section of a
combined battery and lamp arranged with a framing suitable for the use of miners.
In this case the insulating separating discs or partitions, M are made with rims m
projecting upwards and caoutchouc rings c are interposed between the edge of each
and the bottom of the next higher to make a tight joint. It is of a ivantage to
bed the plates A on caoutchouc washers b to prevent disturbance by shocks. The
lamp F may be also rested on a spring f to prevent injury from shocks. The plug
for charging may conveniently be of the form shewn at P with an insulating
knob O. By a ring or hook Q at the top connected to the bottom through the
framing d the lamp and battery may be carried or suspended; and also by a ring or
hook R at the bottom it may be suspended in an inverted or any other position.
In such an attitude it may be conveniently used for lighting a railway or other
carriage as shewn at Fig 5. A number of the batteries may be charged from a
dynamo-electric machine S as shewn in Fig 6, by placing them on a metal shelf T
or suspending them from a bar V so that their external casings or frames D are in
connection with one electrode of the machine whilst their charging plugs P are
connected to the other electrode.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim :-
First. The construction of portable voltaic battery consisting of a number of
plates separated by insulating material so as to form between them cells containing
exciting liquid and rendered tight against leakage by a tube or rings of caoutchouc,
substantially as herein described.
Second. The combination of an incandescent electric lamp with a portable
battery of the kind referred to in the preceding claim substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Godfrey Gumpel have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Fifth day of December in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.
CHARLES GODFREY GÜMPEL (LS)