Improvements in Secondary or Storage Batteries.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Secondary or Storage Batteries.
I HENRY THAME of 3 Winders Road, Battersea, in the County of Surrey,
Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
My invention relates to improvements in Secondary or Storage Batteries. In the
construction of my improved secondary or storage batteries I dispense as much as
practicable with the use of the perishable materials now employed in the construction
of these batteries, such as felt, asbestos, wood and the like and with this object I
employ uncured or unvulcanized india rubber or ordinary gutta percha or other
suitable material capable of being vulcanized and this material I use either in sheets
or in small pieces.
The rubber or like vulcanizable material I subject to a gentle heat to soften it and
while in that state, I thoroughly mix or mechanically incorporate therewith either lead
in narrow strips or in other finely divided state such as lead filings dust either alone or
in admixture with other suitable metallic material for the purpose of rendering the
same porous or for varying the conductivity. Or I embed a load frame or structure
in the vulcanizable material providing continuations to form the conductors or pole
pieces for such plates or 1 embed a piece or pieces of lead on one side of the plate
such lead strip, strips, piece, or pieces, being left long enough to form a conductor or
pole piece for connection to the adjoining cell or cells. I place the whole in a suitable
mould taking care it is covered with the uncured india-rubber, gutta percha or other
suitable vulcanizable material and tightly press and screw the mould down, and
placing it in a steam cylinder it is subjected to a temperature of (say) about 300
degrees Fahrenheit and after remaining at this temperature a suitable time generally
about an hour or until the mass has become sufficiently vulcanized or hardened and is
ready to be made up into a storage battery in the usual way.
Plates or other forms constructed according to my invention contain a greater
proportion of active material and are practically unbreakable and may be made
into any suitable shane

page_text: By leaving projecting parts of the india rubber or gutta percha rising above the
surface of the plate, they form distance pieces or insulated separators to prevent
the plates touching or producing short circuiting and enable the use of glass,
ebonite or other insulating separators to be dispensed with. Plates or other
forms thus constructed avoid danger of bending buckling or disintegrating of the
particles.
The vulcanized india rubber or gutta percha heing not liable to be attacked by
acid the whole of the plates may be submerged and the pole pieces or conductors
being also vulcanized, only the extreme ends employed for the connections need be
bare or exposed.
By these means plates for use in Secondary or Storage batteries may be
manufactured capable of use under conditions of vibration jolting or shaking such
as travel on tram lines, rails, torpedo boats, transit or otherwise, not hitherto
attainable.
DL onl 1
C AT
1
1007
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I HENRY THAME of 3 Winders Road, Battersea in the County of Surrey, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in Secondary or Storage Batteries. In the
construction of my improved secondary or storage batteries I dispense as much as
practicable with the use of the perishable materials now employed in the construction
of these batteries, such as felt, asbestos, wood and the like and with this object I
employ uncured or unvulcanized india-rubber or ordinary gutta-percha or other
suitable material capable of being vulcanized, and this material I uso either in sheets
or in small pieces.
The rubber or like vulcanizable material I subject to a gentle heat to soften it and
while in that state I thoroughly inix or mechanically incorporate therewith either lead
in narrow strips or in other finely divided state such as lead filings dust either alone
or in admixture with other suitable metallic material for the purpose of rendering the
same porous or for varying the conductivity. Or I embed a lead frame or structure
in the vulcanizable material providing continuations to form the conductors or pole
pieces for such plates or I embed a piece or pieces of lead on one side of the plate
such lead strip, or strips, piece or pieces, being left long enough to form a conductor
or pole piece for connection to the adjoining cell or cells. I place the whole in a
suitable mould taking care it is covered with the uncured india-rubber, gutta-percha
or other suitable vulcanizable material and tightly press and screw the mould down,
and placing it in a steam cylinder it is subjected to a temperature of say about
300 degrees Fahrenheit and after remaining at this temperature a suitable time,
generally about an hour or until the mass has become sufficiently vulcanised or
hardened it is ready to be made up into a storage battery in the usual way.
Plates or other forms constructed according to my invention contain a greater
proportion of active material and are practically unbreakable and may be made into
any suitable shape.
By leaving projecting parts of the india rubber or gutta percha rising above
the surface of the plate, they form distance pieces or insulated separators to prevent
the plates touching or producing short circuiting and enable the use of glass,
ebonite or other insulating separators to be dispensed with. Plates or other
forms thus constructed avoid danger of bending buckling or disintegrating of the
particles.
The vulcanised india-rubber or gutta percha being not liable to be attacked by
acid the whole of the plates may be submerged and the pole pieces or conductors
being also vulcanised, only the extreme ends employed for the connections need be
bare or exposed.

page_text: By these means plates for use in Secondary or Storage batteries may be
manufactured capable of use under conditions of vibration, jolting or shaking such
as travel on tram lines, rails, torpedo boats, transit or otherwise not hitherto
attainable.
I find it convenient to so support the plates in the cells that they shall not actually
rest on the floor thereof but instead I provide feet of vulcanised rubber or like
equivalent on which they rest proped up and there remains a stratum of liquid below
into which any foreign matter detached may fall clear of the plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
In the manufacture and use of Secondary or Storage Batteries for electricity the
employment of uncured or unvulcanised india rubber or ordinary gutta percha or
other suitable material or compound capable of being vulcanised with which is
incorporated lead in a finely divided or separated condition in manner and for the
purposes substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Datod the 30th day of Santambor 1988