IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY OR STORAGE BATTERIES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Rowan, of Palace Chambers, in the city of
Westminster, Consulting Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SECONDARY OR STORAGE BATTERIES"
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Rowan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th March 1883.
THOMAS ROWAN, of Palace Chambers, in the city of Westminster, Consulting
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY OR STORAGE BATTERIES
"
This invention relates to further improvements in that class of secondary or
storage batteries for which provisional protection was granted to me No 791 dated
the thirteenth day of February one thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
The present improvements having for object a more simple construction of
battery and a still greater increase of storage surface, with economy of weight and
bulk.
In carrying out my present improvements I employ a suitable box or vessel of
insulating or insulated material and constructed with suitable grooves or ledges
in which or against which thin sheets of lead, carbon or other suitable material
are so arranged and placed as to form a series of compound plates as herein after
described.
Each set of these thin sheets of lead, carbon, or other suitable material, with the
intervening space filled with lead, carbon, or suitable metallic compounds or
mixtures in a convenient state of division forms one of the said compound plates
in the series or the intervening space may be filled up alternately with lead and
carbon in a convenient state of division; in this case the compound carbon plate
may form the positive plate and the compound lead plate the negative plate.
Each compound plate thus formed is separated from the others by insulated or
insulating material.
The battery may also be arranged with a compound lead plate as described
alternating with a simple plate of carbon which may be suitably perforated.
In this manner I am able by the internal construction or configuration of a box
or vessel of insulating or insulated material to place simple sheets of lead, carbon
TD 1

page_text: or other suitable material in such positions relatively to each other, and the
internal walls of the box or vessel as to form a series of compound plates which
are insulated from each other and posess great storage capacity.
The thin sheets which form the outer surfaces of the compound plates may be
formed or provided with suitable perforations apertures or openings sufficient to
allow free passage or circulation of the acid or fluid employed through the series of
compound plates.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Rowan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1883.
THOMAS ROWAN of Palace Chambers in the city of Westminster, Consulting
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY OR STORAGE BATTERIES
"
This invention relates to further improvements in that class of secondary or
storage batteries for which Letters Patent were granted to me N° 791 dated the
thirteenth day of February one thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
The present improvements have for object a more simple construction of battery
and a still greater increase of storage surface, with economy of weight and bulk.
In carrying out my present improvements I employ a suitable box or vessel of
insulating or insulated material and constructed with suitable grooves or ledges
in which or against which thin sheets of lead, carbon or other suitable material
are so arranged and placed as to form a series of compound plates as hereinafter
described.
Each set of these thin sheets of lead, carbon or other suitable material, with the
intervening space filled with lead, carbon or suitable metallic compounds or
mixtures in a convenient state of division forms one of the said compound
plates in the series or the intervening space may be filled up alternately with
lead and carbon in a convenient state of division; in this case the compound
carbon plate may form the positive plate and the compound lead plate the
negative plate.
Each compound plate thus formed is separated from the others by insulated or
insulating material.
The battery may also be arranged with a compound lead plate as described
alternating with a simple plate of carbon which may be suitably perforated.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a
horizontal section and figure 2 a longitudinal section on line A B, of figure 1,
shewing a secondary or storage battery constructed with vertical strips or ledges
according to the present modifications; figures 3, and 4, are part horizontal sections
of a secondary or storage battery in which grooves are employed instead of strips

page_text: or ledges; figure 5, is a view shewing an arrangement in which a compound lead.
plate is employed alternating with a simple plate of carbon. Similar letters in all
the figures represent similar parts.
In figures 1, and 2, a, a, is the box or vessel of insulated or insulating material
and b, b, are the strips or ledges formed on two of its inner surfaces; c, c, are the
thin plates or sheets of lead, carbon or other suitable material, such plates or sheets
extending across the box or vessel a, and being kept asunder by the strips or
ledges b, b; d, d, are the spaces between the plates or sheets c, c, which are filled
with lead, carbon, or other suitable metallic oxydes or compounds or mixtures in a
convenient state of division and thus forming a series of compound plates; e, e, e,
are the cells, spaces or chambers between the plates or sheets c, c, which receive
the required acid. Instead of the spaces d, d, d, being filled as hereinbefore
described I sometimes fill them alternately with lead and carbon in a convenient
state of division or one with lead and the next with carbon and lead; in this case
the compound carbon plate may form the positive plate and the compound lead
plate the negative plate.
Each compound plate formed as hereinbefore described is separated from the
others by the strips or ledges b, b,
The spaces e, e, e, formed by the plates or sheets c, c, resting against the vertical
strips or ledges b, b, answer the same purpose and take the place of the walls or
partitions described in the specification of my said former Letters Patent.
The plates or sheets c, c, are kept against the ledges or strips b, b, by the divided
material but if found necessary strips such as g, g, may be employed or the plates
may be otherwise conveniently kept in position.
The sheets c, c, need not necessarily be all of the same material but may vary
with the negative and positive plates, the sheets of the compound lead plate being
formed of thin lead and the sheets of the compound carbon plate of thin zinc or
other suitable material.
In the arrangement shewn in figure 3, instead of forming the sides of the box
or vessel a, with strips or ledges as shewn in figures 1, and 2, the plates c, c, are
slid into grooves with which the sides of the box or vessel are provided; or the
sides of the box may be grooved as shewn in figure 4, and the plates be kept
asunder and fixed by distance pieces f.
In figure 5, the battery is arranged with a compound lead plate as hereinbefore
described alternating with a simple plate of carbon h, which may be suitably
perforated.
In this manner I am able by the internal construction or configuration of a box
or vessel of insulating or insulated material to place simple sheets of lead, carbon
or other suitable material in such positions relatively to each other, and the internal
walls of the box or vessel as to form with the divided material a series of compound
plates which are insulated from each other and possess great storage capacity.
The thin sheets which form the outer surfaces of the compound plates may be
formed or provided with suitable perforations, apertures or openings sufficient to
allow free passage or circulation of the acid or fluid employed through the whole
series of plates employed.
Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the manner of
performing the same what I claim is:-
Firstly. The internal construction or configuration of a box or vessel of
insulating or insulated material by which plates can be placed in such positions
relatively to each other and the internal walls of the box or vessel as to form a
series of compound plates possessing great storage surface substantially as herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
Secondly. The use of thin metallic sheets so arranged and placed as to form a
series of compound plates, each set of thin sheets with the intervening material in
a suitable state of division, forming one compound plate in the series, and each
compound plate being separated from the others by insulating or insulated material
in the manner herein described.

page_text: Thirdly. In a secondary or storage battery the use in the manner described of a
compound lead plate alternating with either a compound or simple carbon plate
substantially as herein before described.
Fourthly. In a secondary or storage battery the use in the manner described of
a compound lead plate in combination with a compound carbon plate having other
metal than lead substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fifthly. The manufacture and use of the improved secondary or storage batteries
hereinhefore described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
:
In Witness whereof I the said Thomas Rowan have hereto set my hand and
seal this sixth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty three

page_text: FIG.2.