Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Dec., 1888
I EDWARD TYER of Ashwin Street, Dalston London, Electrical Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Voltaic battery cells are frequently arranged in such a manner that one of the
elements, such as the zinc, can be partially or entirely withdrawn out of the exciting
liquid for the purpose of lessening or arresting the electrical action.
The zinc thus withdrawn, which has usually an amalgamated surface, is apt to
become coated with crystals or other deposit, or its surface becomes more or less
oxidised, so that on its re-immersion its efficiency is greatly reduced.
My invention relates to a battery cell so arranged that the extent of contact of the
exciting liquid with the element can be readily varied or entirely prevented without
exposure of the element to atmospheric action and with constant maintenance of the
amalgam on its surface, so that it is always ready for acting efficiently when
required.
For this purpose, I form at the bottom of the cell an annular trough which I
charge with mercury. Into this mercury is immersed the end of the eleinent which
preferably is in the form of a vertical hollow cylinder or tube of zinc. Over this
I place a bell glass or a bell of ceramic ware, made with a stem projecting
upwards through a guide hole provided with a setting screw, so that the bell can
be more or less raised and fixed at any desired height.
When the bell is down in its lowest position its edge dipping into the mercury,
it prevents access of the exciting liquid to the zinc, but by raising the bell more
or less, the liquid is allowed to act on a greater or less extent of the surface of the
zinc according as more or less current is desired. As the zine is always partly
immersed in the mercury, the amalgamation of its surface is constantly maintained.
From the mercury trough or from a channel communicating with it, I lead an
insulated wire to a convenient part of the exterior of the cell where it is connected
to a terminal screw. In order to occupy most of the space within the bell, which
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page_text: otherwise would have to be filled with exciting liquid when the bell is raised, I
prefer to provide a stout stem or column standing up centrally from the bottom of
the cell. This stem being only a little less in diameter than the zinc tube, fills up a
large portion of the space within it and serves also as a support to the zinc in case it
should become deranged in position or partly broken up.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1888
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, EDWARD TYER, of Ashwin Street, Dalston, London, Electrical Engineer, 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:-
Voltaic battery cells are frequently arranged in such a manner that one of the
elements such as the zinc can be partially or entirely withdrawn out of the exciting
liquid for the purpose of lessening or arresting the electrical action.
The zinc thus withdrawn which has usually an amalgamated surface is apt to
become coated with crystals or other deposit or its surface becomes more or less
oxidised, so that on its reimmersion its efficiency is greatly reduced.
My invention relates to a battery cell so arranged that the extent of contact of
the exciting liquid with the element can be readily varied, or entirely prevented
without exposure of the element to atmospheric action and with constant main-
tenance of the amalgam on its surface so that it is always ready for acting efficiently
when required.
For this purpose I form at the bottom of the cell an annular trough which I
charge with mercury. Into this mercury is immersed the end of the element
which preferably is in the form of a vertical hollow cylinder or tube of zinc. Over
this I place a bell glass, or bell of ceramic ware, made with a stem projecting
upwards through a guide hole provided with a setting screw, so that the bell can
be more or less raised and fixed at any desired height.
When the bell is down in its lowest position it prevents access of the exciting
liquid to the zinc, but by raising the bell more or less, the liquid is allowed to
act on a greater or less extent of the surface of the zinc according as more or
less current is desired. As the zinc is always partly immersed in the mercury,
the amalgamation of its surface is constantly maintained. From the mercury trough

page_text: or from a channel communicating with it I lead an insulated wire to a convenient
part of the exterior of the cell where it is connected to a terminal screw.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing is a vertical section of a battery cell according
to my invention. A is a vessel constituting the cell which may be of glass, ceramic
ware or any suitable non-conducting material. In its middle is an annular trough B
charged with mercury from which an insulated wire C leads preferably bedded in
parafin or cement along a channel M as shewn, to the exterior of the cell to form
one terminal of the cell.
In the mercury in B is immersed the lower end of a tube or hollow cylinder D
of zinc or other metal employed as one of the elements, the other element being
blocks K of carbon or other suitable material which stand around in the vessel A and
are connected to the other terminal of the cell. The element D is enclosed within a
bell F of glass or ceramic material which in its lowest position can rest on the
bottom of the cell but which can be more or less raised by its stem E and fixed at
any desired height by a setting screw in a stationary cross bar G through which
the stem E passes. According as the bell F is more less raised, more or less of the
surface of the element D is exposed to the exciting liquid in the cell. A boss H may
be fixed in the centre of the element to occupy part of the space within the bell so
that when the bell is raised or lowered there is less displacement of the level of the
liquid in the cell. Between the bell F and the carbons K may be interposed a
porous cylinder cemented down to the bottom of the cell and provided with an over-
How pipe.
For applying this arrangement to existing cells a piece of insulating material such
as is shewn in Fig. 2, having the central boss H the annular mercury trough B and a
channel M for the conducting wire, may be placed on the bottom of the cell to
receive the element D and the bell F.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A voltaic battery cell having its zinc or equivalent element enclosed within a bell
which can be raised or lowered to expose more or less of the element to the exciting
liquid, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of No 1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.