Improvements relating to Storage Batteries and Electrodes therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1893-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Storage Batteries and Electrodes therefor.
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON HARRIS, of One hundred and eight (108) Liberty
Street, New York City, United States of America, 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 :-
My invention has for its objects,
First The construction of a storage battery electrode having large active
surface with low internal resistance.
:
Second The construction of an electrode which shall possess minimum weight
and great durability, and
Third: To secure the ears or binding posts to the elements of the electrode in
such manner as to give increased strength to these parts and afford diminished
electrical resistance.
To these ends my invention consists,
First In the novel method of construction hereinafter described and claimed.
Second In the novel electrode constructed in accordance with said method.
In order that my invention may be fully understood by those skilled in the art,
reference is had to the accompanying drawings taken in connection with the
following description thereof:
Figure 1 of the drawings represents a side elevational view of an electrode in
course of construction in my improved former, and
Figure 2 represents an end elevation of the same as seen looking at Fig. 1 from
right to left in the direction of the arrows, while
Figure 3 is a plan view of the same as seen looking at Fig. 1 from the top toward
the bottom of the drawing.
Figure 4 is a top view of an electrode as it appears after it has been removed
from the former, illustrating also my novel method of turning down or uniting the
edges of the individual elements of like polarity in the electrode.
Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a completed electrode, and
Figure 6 is a similar side elevational view of the electrode as seen looking at
Fig. 5 in the direction of the arrows on the left.
Referring now to the drawings in detail,
B represents a box or former of wood or analogous material open at the top and
at one end, the interior diameter of the box or former being somewhat greater
than that of the completed electrode, or the lead or analogous plates P of which
the electrode is formed, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. D D are cleats secured
in the corners at the inner end of the box or former B. PP are sheets of blotting
paper, woollen fabric, or any other equivalent porous or absorbent non-conducting
material of slightly greater length than the active or lead plates P, as shown in
Fig. 3, and of a width sufficient to fit snugly between the cleats D D in the box or
former.
C is a strip of cloth or analogous material adapted to secure the parts of the
electrode together after it is completed.
F F represent the completed faces of the electrode, and E and E¹ the con-
ducting ears or lugs of large surface preferably secured to the faces F and F¹. by
solder around the edges and in the holes H.
b and b¹ are the binding screws for connecting the completed elements in circuit
for charging or discharging. pp, Fig. 4, are forming pins with downwardly
extending heads h, the function of these pins being to separate the extended
edges of the lead plates P and to aid in turning said edges over as shown on the
right in Fig. 4.

page_text: My novel method of construction is as follows: A strip of cloth or analogous
pliable non-conducting material of good tensile strength and preferably possessing
absorbing qualities, and substantially of the width of the completed electrode, is
laid in the box or former B, with its ends projecting in the manner shown in Figs. 1
and 3, the length of this strip being sufficient to completely surround the completed
electrode in the manner shown in Fig. 4, where the ends are shown as stitched
together. I then lay one or more sheets of blotting paper or equivalent non-
conducting absorbing material P₁ upon the cloth in the bottom of the box or
former, the inner end or ends projecting against the cloth at the rear end of the
box or former and fitting snugly between the cleats DD, the sides of said blotting
paper being parallel with the sides of the box or former.
I next place upon the sheet or sheets of blotting paper thus disposed a thin
sheet of lead of slightly greater width and less strength than the blotting paper
in such manner that its inner end rests against one of the cleats D and one lateral
edge bears against one of the lateral inner faces of the box or former B. I then
place another layer of blotting paper upon this sheet of lead and then an additional
sheet of lead upon this blotting paper as before; in this instance, however, the
other lateral edge of the second plate P is caused to rest against the other lateral
inner face of the box or former. Alternate layers of blotting paper and sheets of
lead are thus disposed until the box or former is filled to the desired depth, the
lateral projecting edges on one side constituting the terminals to be united as one
element or pole of the electrode, and the like projecting edges on the other side
constituting the terminals for the other element. or pole (see Figs. 2 and 4). I then
draw together and firmly unite the ends of the cloth strip or fabric C, by stitching
(see Fig. 4) and carefully remove the electrode from the box or former, after which
I place it between clamps. While the clamps are thus in position I insert long
metallic pins p, provided with heads or handles h, between the projecting edges of
the entire set of plates P on one side and iron or otherwise turn down these pro-
jecting edges in the manner shown on the right in Fig. 4. The pins are then
drawn out by the aid of the handles h, and inserted between the projecting edges
of the plates on the opposite side, and these edges are ironed or turned down in a
similar manner, it being obvious that great care should be used to leave a sufficient
space at the opposite edges of the electrode to prevent any possibility of short
circuit between the individual plates of each element. These wires may be of
lead and may, if preferred, be left in position, thereby affording a more compactly
formed mass.
The edges having all been turned down as described, I then unite
them in one solid or integral mass by soldering, lead burning, or in any manner
which may readily suggest itself to those skilled in metal working.
I then prepare ears or lugs E E¹ of the necessary dimensions for conducting the
entire current which the battery is capable of receiving and discharging and
unite these ears to the faces F F by soldering or lead-burning them thereto.
I prefer to make these ears of tapering or wedge shape and of large area, as
shown, and to perforate them with holes H for the purpose of receiving the solder
and affording a firm and sure metallic union between all parts of the ears and the
faces F F¹.
The electrode as thus constructed constitutes a single or complete electrode
bound together on all sides and therefore ready for transportation and use as a
completed article which may be subjected to more than ordinary rough usage
without damage. It is light, durable, of very low internal resistance, and not
subject to local or short circuit action. Two or more of such electrodes may be
united together in series of multiple are relation in any preferred manner, either
by uniting the binding screws b of such electrode in any of the usual ways, or
two or more electrodes may be joined together in a single large cell by uniting the
faces F F on one side in any desired way, such matters being obvious to those
skilled in the art.
The electrodes as thus constructed are placed in battery cells or jars in any of
the well known storage battery solutions and are charged while in this condition' in

page_text: the usual manner, it being necessary before commencing the charge that they shall
stand a sufficient length of time in the solution to allow it to thoroughly saturate
the intermediate sheets of blotting paper, as will be readily understood by those
skilled in the art.
After the electrodes have been formed by charging, discharging and recharging
after the manner of forming Planté cells they are ready for future use and
transportation and their compact construction is of such a nature that they are not
readily subjected to damage either in transportation or use, and they may be
charged and hold the charge put into them for months without deleterious results,
even though removed from the charging solution.
I am aware that it is old in the art to construct a storage battery cell of alternate
thin sheets of lead and blotting paper, and I make no claim broad enough to
include such a structure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
'claim is :-
1. The described method of constructing a storage battery electrode consisting
in building it up from alternate strips or sheets of conducting and absorbent non-
conducting material; each alternate sheet of conducting material extending
laterally over the opposite edges of the intermediate absorbent material and finally
uniting the extending edges together in each instance in one integral face
or mass.
2. The described method of constructing a storage battery electrode consisting in
piling together alternate sheets or strips of lead and an absorbent as blotting paper,
the opposite edges of alternate sheets of lead extending beyond the edges of the
corresponding edges of the intervening sheets of blotting paper and finally uniting
all of the edges into two independent integral faces.
3. The described method of constructing a storage battery electrode consisting
in interleaving overlapping alternate sheets of conducting material adapted to
become active under a charging current, and absorbent non-conducting material
and then uniting the overlapping edges of the conducting material on opposite
sides into integral faces which constitute the poles of the electrode.
4. The described method of constructing a storage battery electrode consisting
in interleaving overlapping sheets of material adapted to become active under a
charging current and non-conducting absorbent material, then binding all of said
sheets together by a binding medium and finally uniting all of the lateral projecting
or overlapping edges on opposite sides into integral faces or masses which constitute
the two poles of the electrode.
5. The described method of constructing a storage battery electrode consisting
in interleaving overlapping sheets of conducting and non-conducting material;
then binding all together by a binding medium; then uniting all of the overlapping
edges on opposite sides into integral faces or masses and finally integrally attaching
conducting ears or lugs to said faces.
6. The described method of constructing a storage battery electrode consisting
in overlapping conducting and absorbent non-conducting sheets, then bending the
lateral edges of the conducting sheets around pins inserted between said edges, and
finally uniting the edges into integral or solid faces.
7. A storage battery electrode consisting of alternate sheets of conducting and
absorbing non-conducting material; the alternate conducting sheets extending
laterally over the opposite edges of the intervening absorbent and united together
throughout their length so as to form two conducting faces or poles of large
conducting capacity, substantially as described.
8. A storage battery electrode consisting of alternate layers of lead and
absorbent material as blotting paper; the alternate sheets of lead extending
laterally over the opposite edges of the absorbent and united in each instance

page_text: throughout their length in combination with a binding medium which united them
all together, substantially as described.
9. A storage battery electrode consisting of alternate layers of sheet lead and
blotting paper, the alternate layers of lead extending over the lateral or opposite
edges of the blotting paper and united in each instance into one mass or face, in
combination with a binding medium which unites them all together and a pair of
ears or lugs integrally attached to each face, substantially as described.
10. A storage battery electrode consisting of two series of thin conducting sheets
each series united to an independent integral face, in combination with intermediate
sheets of absorbent material, substantially as described.
11. A storage battery consisting of two independent series of thin conducting
sheets, each series united to an integral or solid face, in combination with inter-
mediate sheets of absorbent material and a binding medium, substantially as
.described.
12. A storage battery electrode consisting of two independent series of sheets
of lead, each series being united at their lateral edges to an internal face, in
combination with intermediate absorbent material, a binding medium extending
around both series of plates and an ear or lug integrally attached to each face,
substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1802
GEORGE WASHINGTON HARRIS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.