IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAIC BATTERIES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, THOMAS JOHN JONES of 12 Princes Street Hanover Square in the County of
Middlesex, Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VOLTAIC BATTERIES" to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to construct a voltaic battery which shall be free
from liability to local action and disintegration and at same time of inexpensive
and durable construction.
My Invention consists in constructing the supports for the active material of an
inoxidizable or but slightly oxidizable substance such as India Rubber, gutta
percha Xylonite & or compounds containing these substances in which are embedded,
or which cover or protect copper wires, strips, or other forms of conductive material
in such a way that the latter is protected from oxidation, the said wires, strips, or
other conductor so embedded covered or protected being in electrical connection
with the active material by means of gold or platinum locally applied either as a
film or coating to exposed portions of the conducting wires or strips, or applied as
a coating to branch wires connected to the main wires or strips and projecting
through the inoxidizable support into or against the active material. Or preferably
the branch wires strips & arranged as above described, would be of solid gold or
platinum.
The same method of construction may be applied to the binding pieces, clamps,
or terminals for coupling up the elements, whether the same be integral with or
detachable from the elements.
The support may be in the form of a rectangular frame, tray or lattice, or it may
be of zizzag, spiral, or other form or even a tang or tangs may be employed and in
any case the platinum or gold wires strips or points by which contact is made with
the active material, may be connected by a deposit or layer extending over the
whole or any portion of the surface of the support &.
As regards efficiency, the advantage to be derived by employing gold or platinum
in the construction of the supports for the elements, is obvious, but the expense of
these metals has hitherto rendered their use commercially impracticable. By my
Invention, however, I am enabled to overcome this objection as I employ but a
relatively small proportion of gold or platinum, and yet obtain nearly all the
advantages to be derived by constructing the whole of the support & for the active
material, of these metals.

page_text: I, THOMAS JOHN JONES of 12 Princes Street Hanover Square in the County
of Middlesex, 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:—
The object of my invention is to produce a voltaic battery free from liability
to local action and consequent disintegration and of comparatively inexpensive
construction.
My invention consists in making those parts of a battery which serve to support
and make contact with the active material, of an insulating inoxidizable (or but
slightly oxidizable) material, in embedding therein a conductor, and in putting the
conductor into electrical connection with the active material of the element at
several points by the intervention of gold or platinum applied in such a way that
I obtain all, or nearly all, the obvious advantages as regards efficiency, of a support
constructed wholly of these precious metals. I obtain these advantages at a tithe
of the expense which has alone hitherto rendered the employment of these metals
in the construction of voltaic batteries, commercially impracticable.
The parts of the battery to which my invention applies are those which serve
for the support of the active material in situ, and for conducting the current
(whether such supports are constituted by frames or other structures placed loose
within the cell or by the walls of the cell itself) and also those, such as the binding
pieces, terminals, or clamps (whether integral with or made separate from the
element) which are used for making contact with the active material or element
for the purpose of coupling up the different elements of the battery.
In carrying out my invention I employ as the insulating inoxidizable, or
but slightly oxidizable material, India-rubber, gutta percha, Xylonite, Celluloid,
Parkesine and the like, or compounds containing these substances, and as the
conductor I use wires or strips of a base metal such as copper (or an alloy thereof)
or other forms of conductive material which I embed in the insulating material,
the connection between the conductor and the active material being made, pre-
ferably, by leaving uncovered (by the insulating material) numerous, relatively
minute, portions of the conductor to which portions gold or platinum has been
previously applied in the form of a non-porous film, covering or coating, so as, on
the one hand, to put the conductor into good electrical connection with the active
material and on the other hand to effectually protect the conductor from direct
contact either with the active material or the electrolyte, whereby the triple contact
of the electrolyte, the active material, and the oxidizable conductor, which would
result in the formation of a local couple is avoided. The portions of the conductor
thus protected may either be portions of the main conductor left exposed, or small
branches in the form of wires or strips, connected to a main conductor and pro-
jecting through the inoxidizable support, into, or against the active material. Or
these branches may be of solid platinum or gold, instead of being of base metal
merely coated or tipped with either of these metals.

page_text: The support may be in the form of a frame, plate, mass, tray, or lattice, or it
may be of zigzag spiral or other form, or in the form of a tang or tangs & and the
platinum or gold wires, strips, or points, by which contact is made with the active
material may (if necessary to increase the area of the conductive surface in contact
with the active material) be connected together by a deposit, or layer, extending
over the whole, or any portion, of the surface of the support &°.
In the accompanying drawings various forms of the conductive supports, and
contact pieces or terminals are represented, the same principle of construction
being common to all. I would however have it understood that I do not limit
myself to the forms illustrated as they may be modified without departing from
my invention.
•
Figure 1 shows a face view (partly broken away) and Figures 2 and 3 cross
sections (on lines 1-1 and 2-2 Figure 1) of an element having a support con-
sisting of a rectangular frame a a of inoxidizable, nonconducting material with a
conductor embedded therein. The conductor, which may be a wire or flat strip
of metal or carbon extending around the four sides. of the frame, is in electrical
contact with small branch wires or strips c, partly embedded in the insulating
material a and partly projecting therefrom at the inner sides so as to penetrate the
mass of the active material d which is packed in the frame a, and, if necessary,
supported therein by cross bars or otherwise. These branch wires are soldered to
the conductor b (if the latter is of metal) or otherwise attached. If of base or
oxidizable metal the ends of these branch wires, points or strips which are towards,
or which project into, the active material should be electro-plated with gold or
platinum to a sufficient thickness to form a non-porous, inoxidizable, coating which
should be continued for a sufficient distance along their length to prevent all
contact of the active material or the electrolyte with the base metal; or the branch
wires may be of solid gold or platinum.
Figures 4 and 5 show a somewhat similar construction of support in which the
frame of inoxidizable nonconducting material a has cross bars a² of the same
material dividing it into smaller compartments, the main conductor b embedded
therein extending throughout the main and cross bars of the frame, and platinum
or gold wires c being stretched entirely across the compartiments of the frame
said wires being attached to the main conductor and in electrical contact therewith
and with the active material d.
Figure 6. shews a face view on an enlarged scale of an element having another
form of support, the active material being partly broken away to show the con-
ductive portion. Figure 7 is a vertical section of the same element. The support
in this case consists of a net work of wires of base metal b interwoven as shown
and constituting the main conductor, embedded in the inoxidizable non-conducting
material a; conductive contact being established between the active material d
and the conductor b by leaving uncovered, or by removing the insulating material
from, the portions b₁ of the conductor b which are nearest to the surface of the
insulating mass these exposed portions having been previously electro-plated or
coated with a non-porous film, deposit, or layer of platinum or gold. This network
of wires is in electrical contact at the upper part with terminal conductor 62 also
embedded in the insulating material. The network of wires embedded in the non-
conducting material is covered on both sides with active material. In order to
hold the two layers of active material in place the insulating material is preferably
moulded with holes passing through the interstices of the meshes and clear of
the wires, into which holes the active material is forced so as to unite the two
layers of active material and key them to the support.
In Figures 8 and 9 the conductor is in the form of a corrugated plate or sheet
of metal b which is embedded in the insulating inoxidizable material a; The
tops b' of the corrugations are alone left uncovered by the insulating material and
these portions are coated with platinum or gold as in the former case. The plate b
has rows of perforations y along the flanks of the corrugations through which the
insulating material is forced so as to hold the latter in close contact with the plate b,

page_text: or any other means of obtaining this contact may be adopted. The active material
may be held against the insulating material by means of undercut grooves in the
latter into which the active material is keyed.
In the whole of the above examples the ordinary binding screws are dispensed
with, the elements being provided with metallic tangs or projections e which are
formed in one with, or are in electrical connection with, the embedded conductor,
and which are bent down so as to dip into a mercury trough alongside of the cell,
the element being supported in position in the cell by the projecting portions a²
of the insulating material resting on the two sides of the cell.
In Figures 10 and 11 there is no conductive support but only a piece which
extends along the upper edge of the element and is designed to take the place of
the ordinary clamp and binding screw and is especially adapted for use with an
element composed of an agglomerated mass of active material having no internal
support. This piece is similar in construction and equivalent to the top bar of the
frame shewn in Figure 1 with its embedded conductor b and branch strips c.
Figures 12. 13 and 14 show a spring clip, clamp or terminal for the element
consisting of a metallic strip b bent to the proper form and embedded in the
insulating material a and furnished with points c which project from the surface
of the gripping jaws of the clip or clamp, and are covered with platinum or gold
and which penetrate and make contact with the active material d. In this case
the conductive strip is connected to a binding screw for coupling up, in lieu of the
tang dipping into mercury. In both these examples the element should be
supported in the cell from below to prevent it breaking away from the terminal
or clamp.
In Figures 15 and 16 the contact piece consists of a main conducting wire b
provided with a number of branches b' all embedded in insulating, inoxidizable
material a and ramifying through the active material d. To these branches b¹ are
attached contact pieces c of platinum or gold which are in electrical contact with
the active material and the branches b¹.
Figure 17 shows in elevation a contact piece which also acts as a support for a
rod or cylindrical mass, d, of active material. Figure 18 shows a part sectional
clevation of a portion of the same and Figure 19 a cross section thereof. It con-
sists of a number of spring clips adapted to embrace, and make contact with, the
said rod or mass, these clips being constructed of strips or branches b' of steel or
other base metal bent to the proper form and branching from a main conductor b
of the same metal to which they are soldered or otherwise attached, and the whole
embedded in insulating material a. The branches are provided with contact
pieces c of gold or platinum which are in electrical contact with the active material
and the branches b¹.
In Figures 20 and 21 each element makes contact along one of its vertical sides
with platinum or gold contact pieces c of a conductor b embedded in a vertical rib
of inoxidizable material moulded in one with, or fixed to, the side of the cell. The
elements are pressed tightly against the contacts c and fixed in place in the cell by
means of wedges w of inoxidizable material driven in between the elements and the
next adjacent rib of the cell.
It is advisable to coat the parts of the oxidizable conductor (which are intended
to be left uncovered by the inoxidizable material) with the platinum or gold before
embedding the said conductor, and to extend the coating a sufficient distance so
that it will be partly overlapped by the inoxidizable material, in order to avoid
liability of leaving any part of the oxidizable conductor exposed to the electrolyte
which might occur if the gold or platinum were applied after embedding the
conductor. In order to obtain a non-porous layer of gold or platinum by electro-
deposition it is preferred to first apply to the portions to be plated a layer of gold
or platinum leaf or foil and to electro-deposit the same metal thereon.
The embedding of the conductor in the insulating material may generally be
conveniently performed by moulding the latter in halves, the line of division
coinciding with the intended position of the conductor, and placing the conductor

page_text: between adjacent surfaces of the halves whilst the latter are plastic, and uniting
them by pressure and a solvent if necessary. In all cases to obtain good electrical
contact the platinum or gold should project from the surface of the inoxidizable
material.
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
1 In a galvanic element, a support, or current-conductor, for the active material
constructed of an insulating and inoxidizable (or nearly inoxidizable) material, and
of an oxidizable conductor having gold or platinum locally applied or connected
thereto, the conductor being embedded in the insulating material with the excep-
tion of the gold or platinum portions which alone make electrical contact between
the active material and the oxidizable conductor, whereby all contact of the electro-
lyte or of the active material with the oxidizable conductor is prevented as herein
specified.
2ndly A galvanic element whereof the support for the active material is con-
structed of a frame-work of insulating and inoxidizable (or nearly inoxidizable)
material having an oxidizable conductor embedded therein, and branch wires or
strips connected to said conductor, said branch wires or strips projecting from the
insulating material and penetrating the active material and being plated or coated
with gold or platinum or made wholly of one or other of these metals, substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
3rdly A galvanic element whereof the support for the active material is con-
structed of a network of wires, or of a corrugated and perforated plate of base
metal partially plated or covered with gold or platinum, and embedded in an
insulating and inoxidizable (or nearly inoxidizable) material, the portions plated
with gold or platinum alone making conductive contact with the active material
of the element, substantially as herein specified and shown in the Drawings.
4thly A current-conducting clip, clamp, or terminal for a galvanic element, con-
structed of an oxidizable conductor embedded in an insulating or inoxidizable (or
nearly inoxidisable) material, and provided with platinum or gold points or surfaces
which alone make connection with the active material of the element, substantially
as herein described and shown in the Drawings.
7011 T
1004