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 13th February 1883.
THOMAS ROWAN, of Palace Chambers, in the city of Westminster, Consulting
Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY OR STORAGE BATTERIES
ม
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of secondary or
storage batteries whereby a larger amount of available internal surface is obtained
at a small cost.
In carrying out my invention I employ a box or vessel of suitable insulating
material such as ebonite, charikite or the like or of wood, iron, or the like covered
with a suitable insulating material. This box or vessel is divided into a suitable
number of cells or chambers by walls or partitions of insulating material such as
those hereinbefore described. Into these cells or chambers is introduced lead
granulated or otherwise divided and either mixed or not with peroxide of lead.
Each, cell or chamber thus forms the equivalent of one of the lead plates of an
ordinary storage battery but with greatly increased surface, and in this manner it
is possible to form a battery of a material in a divided state instead of, as hereto-
fore, of solid plates covered with divided oxide of lead as a paste or made to retain
the oxide by means of their configuration or by electro deposition.
A battery of this construction can be readily transported without fear of leakage
as the finely divided material of which the battery is formed is capable of
absorbing the required quantity of acid.
In some cases I prefer to arrange the cells or compartments so that the plates
formed by the divided material in the cells shall have a cell separating them and
filled with weak acid, and the walls of which are suitably perforated thus com-
municating with the cells on either side.
It will be understood that other metals than lead and metallic compounds may
be employed for forming the batteries.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Rowan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th August
1883.
THOMAS ROWAN of Palace Chambers in the city of Westminster Consulting
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY OR STORAGE BATTERIES
"
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of what are commonly
termed secondary or storage batteries whereby a larger amount of available
internal surface is obtained at a small cost.
In carrying out my invention I employ a box or vessel of suitable insulating
material such as ebonite, charikite or the like, or of wood, iron or the like covered
or coated with suitable insulating material. This box or vessel is divided into a
suitable number of cells or chambers by walls or partitions of insulating or
insulated material such as those herein before described. Into these cells or
chambers is introduced lead granulated or otherwise divided and either mixed or
not with peroxide of lead.
In some cases I prefer to arrange the cells or compartments so that the plates
formed by the divided material in the cells shall have a cell separating them and
filled with weak acid, and the walls of w
of which are suitably perforated thus com-
municating with the cells on either
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 plan of a secondary or storage battery constructed according to my invention
and figures 2 and 3, sections on lines A B and CD respectively of figure 1;
figure 4, is a section of a modified construction of the battery. Similar letters in
all the figures are used to represent similar parts.
In figures 1, 2 and 3, a, a, is the box or vessel of suitable insulating or insulated
material; b, b, b, are the walls or partitions in the said box, such walls or partitions
also being formed of suitable insulating or insulated material and serving to
divide the box or vessel into cells or chambers as shewn, such cells or chambers
serving to receive granulated or otherwise divided lead, mixed or not with peroxide
of lead, with the required acid.
The walls or partitions b, b, b, may be perforated so as to allow the acid
employed to circulate through the several cells or chambers, such perforations
however not being large enough to allow the divided metal to pass through them
or to come in contact with the solid contents of the adjoining cell or chamber.
Each cell or chamber with its contents thus forms the equivalent of one of
the lead plates of an ordinary storage battery but with greatly increased surface,
and in this manner it is possible to form a battery of a material in a divided
state instead of as heretofore, of solid plates covered with divided oxide of
lead as a paste or made to retain the oxide by means of their configuration or
by electro deposition.
A battery of this construction can be readily transported without fear of
leakage as the finely divided material of which the battery is formed is
capable of absorbing the required quantity of acid.
Figure 4, shews a section of a secondary or storage battery constructed with
walls or partitions b, b, substantially the same as that herein before described but
with the cells so arranged that the plates formed by the divided material in the
cells shall have a cell separating them filled with weak acid and the walls of which
are suitably perforated so as to form a communication with the cell on either side.
For example, cell c, serves to contain lead, the next cell d, weak acid, the next
two cells e, and f, lead, the next acid and so on.

page_text: It will be understood that other metals than lead and metallic compounds and
mixtures may be employed for forming the batteries.
Any suitable arrangement of connecting the cells for conducting the electric
current may be employed such as a ribbon of lead passing alternately down the
sides of the cells on either side
It will thus be seen that by the hereinbefore described construction of secondary
or storage battery a mass of granulated or otherwise divided lead or other metal or
metallic compound can be divided into separate independent divisions or plates,
that is to say in other words it is the battery which forms the plates and not as in
all previous cases the plates which form the battery.
Having thus described my said invention and the manner of carrying the same
into effect what I claim is :-
Firstly. A secondary or storage battery consisting of a box or vessel divided
into a number of cells by walls or partitions all made of insulating or insulated
material the said cells serving to receive suitable lead or other metal or metallic
compounds or mixtures in a divided condition as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and represented in figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing.
Secondly. A secondary or storage battery constructed as herein before described
but having the walls or partitions perforated as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
Thirdly. A secondary or storage battery constructed as hereinbefore described
but having the cells so arranged that the plates formed by the divided material
shall have a cell filled with weak acid separating them, the walls of the acid cells
being perforated substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
In Witness whereof I the said Thomas Rowan have hereto set my hand
and seal this eleventh day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three