Improvement in Storage Batteries.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1891-Accepted 6th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Storage Batteries.
I, GEORGE ARTHUR WASHBURN, of No. 13 Fulton Street, City of Cleveland,
State of Ohio, U.S.A., Electrician, 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 :-
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a plan view partly sectioned horizontally at the right, of a battery cell
containing my improvements.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cell, with one side and end removed to disclose
the internal construction.
This cell consists in an outside containing vessel, A, of hard rubber, glass, or
other suitable material, a cup, B, of lead, or other conducting material within the
receptacle, and an inner perforated conducting plate or tube, C, set a suitable
distance from the cup B so that active material may be placed between said cup
and plate.
D represents a porous pot, E a series of perforated conducting tubes open at
their bottom and top, and F an inside perforated tube open at both ends and oblong
in cross section.
In this construction of battery the positive electrode is preferably arranged
within the porous pot, and inasmuch as there is a tendency in the positive electrode
to grow or expand more or less, I have found it necessary, in order to protect the
said pot from being split or burst by such expansion, to provide an inside conductor
or conductors that will yield to whatever expansion may occur, and thus save the
pot from injury. This is accomplished by making either the inside tube F alone in
such form that it will accommodate the lateral pressure exerted by the material in
expansion, or by making the tubes E to take up the expansion, or by constructing
both with a view to the same result. Ordinarily in a cup oblong in cross section,
substantially as here shown, the inner tube F alone serves the purpose of relieving
the pressure, the dotted lines showing the position which the said tube may assume
when acted upon by the lateral pressure in the cup or pot. Said tube may be made
whole, as shown in the drawing, or it may be formed in a single piece with
overlapping free edges, or it may be made in parts or pieces which overlap. The
tubes E are shown here as having overlapping free edges, d, so that they likewise
may accommodate themselves somewhat to the expansion of the material within
the porous cup, but they may be made whole and in different shape in cross
section.
The active material is placed between the tubes E and the cup D, and the
central tube F, while the said tubes themselves are filled with the liquid. These
tubes are liberally perforated, as shown in Fig. 2, so that there is the utmost
exposure of the active material to the liquid and that freedom of circulation
through the cell which is deemed necessary to the perfect working and highest
efficiency of the battery.
I do not wish to be considered as limiting myself to any special material forming
the tubes E and F, or to any special form of said tubes or parts. For greater
economy and efficiency of the battery these tubes or conductors are constructed of
material which will be in sympathy with the active material in its work, such, for
example, as lead, or the like.
The battery thus constructed is coupled up in the usual way, the tubes, or their
equivalent, within the porous pot forming the inner conductor or electrode, and the
cup B and the inner wall or plate C forming the outer conductor or electrode, and

page_text: either may be positive or negative, as may be deemed best, although I prefer to
make the inner electrode the positive one.
In the event a cylindrical porous pot is used, the compressible tube or tubes will
be constructed to adapt them to that form of cup, which may be by overlapping
edges, or in any other suitable manner.
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. In a storage battery cell, a porous pot containing active material, and a
conductor in the pot constructed to yield under lateral pressure or expansion,
substantially as described.
2. A storage battery cell containing a porous cup, conductors in said cell
constructed to be more or less compressed by the expansion of the active material,
and active material in said cup about said conductors, substantially as described.
3. In a storage battery, a porous cup, a compressible tube or tubes of conducting
material in the cup and active material about the tube or tubes, in combination
with an electrode outside said cup and solution within and without the cup, sub-
stantially as described.
4. In a storage battery, a porous cup containing a hollow compressible conductor,
in combination with an electrode outside of the cup formed of opposed conducting
plates, and active material between said plates and in the porous cup, substantially
as described.
5. In a storage battery, an insulating casing for the cell and a cup of conducting
material, an inner wall of conducting material apart from said cup and active
material between said wall and cup, in combination with a battery element centrally
within said cup, substantially as described.
6. In a storage battery, a battery cell having an outside containing cup of lead
or like conducting material, a porous pot containing active material, and having
conductors extending into the same, a partition between the said pot and said
outside cup, and active material packed between said partition and outside cup,
substantially as described.
7. In a storage battery, a metallic containing cup, a porous pot in said cup, and
a walled chamber about the sides of said cup for holding active material in com-
bination with active material in said chamber and said pot respectively, and
conductors, substantially as described.
8. A containing cup of lead or like material, and a porous pot set in said cup, in
combination with a metallic division wall between said parts, said wall provided
with openings for the free circulation of the solution, active material in the pot and
between the cup and wall, and conductors reaching into the pot, substantially as
described.
Dated this 5th dox of Max 1901
HERBERT J. ALLISON,
Agent for the Applicant.