Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th June, 1899-Accepted, 15th July,
1899
We, SAMUEL WILLIAM MAQUAY, of 1, Whittingstall Road, Fulham, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, and PAUL EDWARD VANDERPUMP, of 5, Philpot Lane, in the
City of London, Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It is well known that the internal resistance of a battery depends to a large extent
upon the distance between the electrodes or plates.
According to the present invention it is proposed that the electrodes or plates
shall be so arranged that the internal resistance may be readily varied within wide
limits. To this end it is proposed that the relative distance between such plates or
electrodes may be increased, or decreased to a minimum as may be desired. For
this purpose one set of plates may be made capable of vertical or horizontal movement
with relation to the others, although flat plates may be employed, it is judged
preferable that the zine or metal plate should be of conical, hemispherical or
pyramidical formn, the carbon or second electrode presenting a corresponding recessed
face, and where necessary distance pieces of insulating material may be attached to
one or other plate to prevent absolute contact when such plates are in their nearest
position, or the adjustment may be obtained by the lifting rod of one of the
electrodes.
If the top plate be of metal and of conical forn then the bottom plate may be of
carbon having a truncated conical recess with a central hole to the bottom and
slotted so as to produce a large active surface, or the plate may be perforated. With
this construction the heavy liquid and particles will pass to the bottom and fresh
liquid be constantly brought between the plates while by slightly raising the zine
or metal electrodes increased internal resistance is introduced into the circuit thus
rendering the battery particularly useful for driving motors or doing other work
in which it is desired from time to time to vary the current output.
As a convenient means for removing the zincs entirely out of the solution where a
number of cells connected together are employed the lifting rod of each zinc may be
operated by means of a suitably guided sliding toggle or lazy tong arrangement the
free end of one of the parts acting on the lifting rod and the other end being
connected by links or otherwise to a shaft, the rocking of which will operate all the
rods.

page_text: We, SAMUEL WILLIAM MAQUAY, of 1, Whittingstall Road, Fulham, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, and PAUL EDWARD VANDERPUMP, of 5, Philpot Lane, in the
City of London, Solicitor, 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 :-
It is well known that the internal resistance of a battery depends to a large extent
upon the distance between the electrodes or plates.
According to the present invention it is proposed that the electrodes or plates shall
be so arranged that the internal resistance may be readily varied within wide limits.
To this end it is proposed that the relative distance between such plates or electrodes
may be increased, or decreased to a minimum as may be desired. For this purpose
one set of plates may be made capable of vertical or horizontal movement with relation
to the others, the zinc or metal plates being of tapered conical, hemispherical or
pyramidical form, and the carbon or second electrode presenting a corresponding
recessed face. Where necessary distance pieces of insulating material may be
attached to one or other plate to prevent absolute contact when such plates are in
their nearest position, or the adjustment may be obtained by the lifting rod of one
of the electrodes.
If the top plate be of metal and of conical form then the bottom plate may be of
carbon having a truncated conical recess with a central hole to the bottom and slotted
so as to produce a large active surface, or the plate may be perforated. With this
construction the heavy liquid and particles will pass to the bottom, and fresh liquid
be constantly brought between the plates while by slightly raising the zinc or metal
electrodes increased internal resistance is introduced into the circuit thus rendering
the battery particularly useful for driving motors or doing other work in which it is
desired from time to time to vary the current output.
As a convenient means for removing the zincs entirely out of the solution where a
number of cells connected together are employed, the lifting rod of each zinc may be
operated by means of a suitably guided sliding toggle or lazy tong arrangement the
free end of one of the parts acting on the lifting rod and the other end being
connected by links or otherwise to a shaft, the rocking of which will operate all the
rods.
In the accompanying drawing is illustrated the best method known to us at the
present time of carrying the invention into effect but it will be understood that the
same is given only as an example the details of which may be varied without depart-
ing from the invention.
In these drawings—
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of two cells on line x-x of Fig. 2 and
Fig. 2 is on the left hand side a plan of Fig. 1 and on the right hand side a section
on line yy of Fig. 1.
In these drawings two cells are shewn arranged side by side as that is a convenient
way of operating them by means of the toggle device and although two only are
shewn it will be understood that a large number may be arranged in this way side by
side and operated by a central shaft a.
The top plate in the arrangement shewn consists of a part 6 of zinc having a series
of depending tapered rake like teeth b' while the bottom plate consists of a part o
having a series of recesses c¹ corresponding to the shape of teeth b¹.
The part c is open at the front and back in the sense in which it is looked at on the
drawing as is also the plate and the former is provided with side walls c² extended

page_text: upwardly and provided with flanges c³ adapted to rest on projections d on the sides of
the liquid containing cell e. The upper part of the walls c² have linings c of in-
sulating material which may be provided with vertical ribs c to act as guides for the
top plate which is correspondingly slotted. The lower part of the insulating
material c is provided with a distance piece of like material c on which the plate b
may rest when in its lowest position. With the two plates formed in this way no per-
forations are required for the circulation of the liquid, as the latter will be able to
move through the open ends of the plates.
For the purpose of separating the plates and thus increasing or diminishing the re-
sistance the upper plate in the present case is raised and lowered by means of a rod
suitably insulated by a casing said rod passing through a stuffing box ƒ³ and
having a head f with a disc of insulating material ft.
The stuffing box is carried by the lid g of the cell e, and such lid also carries a
frame acting as a guide for a toggle i a pin on the upper end of which supports
the disc f and head f³ of the lifting rod. Connected about midway of the arm is a
crank j pivoted at j' to the frame the other end of which is attached by a link to
an arm m secured to the shaft a. By the rocking of this shaft a in one direction it
will be seen that the link will be pulled and will thus through crank j arın i head ƒ³
and lifting rod fraise the plates which are shewn in the drawing in their highest
position. By the arrangement of parts shewn it will be seen that the same move-
ment of the shaft will also exert a pull on the link on the other side so that a
corresponding movement takes place with the other plates. Means may be provided
for holding the shaft a in any desired position.
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. In a primary battery the means for varying the internal resistance substantially
as described.
2. In a primary battery the employment of a tapered or like part as one element
and a correspondingly recessed part as the other element substantially as and for the
purpose described.
3. In a primary battery the arrangement of a plate having tapered teeth, a part
having corresponding recesses to receive same, a rod for moving one of the parts and
a link, pivoted crank, and toggle arm for acting on the rod substantially as and for
the purpose described.
4. The improved primary battery substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated the Lith dov
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London, for the Applicants.