Improvements in Storage Batteries.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 4th Sept., 1900-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1900
0
Communicated from abroad by CARLO DRUNO,
in the Kingdom of Italy, Mechanical Engineer.]
Improvements in Storage Batteries.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
15, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my present invention is to provide a storage battery for electrio
traction incorporating the advantages of lightness, rapidity of reaction and resist-
ance of the active mass against the vibrations or shocks of the vehicle, and in
carrying my invention into effect I provide a perforated support-box constructed
of light non-conductive and non-corrosible material and adapted to contain the
active mass, the said box having on one of its outer faces a number of corrugated
bands to hold apart two plates of opposite polarity, such bands having also the
advantages of stiffening the whole of the battery against vibration and preventing
the liquid from being ejected out of the boxes. In each box a plate is provided
having pins or points projecting into the active mass so as to be entirely imbedded
therein whereby a large conductive surface is provided.
The conductor plate which according to the various types of batteries may
be of lead, copper or zinc, is of thin sheet metal of a few tenths of a millimetre
in thickness. Its two faces are provided with a number of pins or points and
the rim of the plate is formed with tails or projections which serve as conductors.
The active mass may consist of a paste of powdered oxide of lead and carbon
bound together by acid, or I may use other materials, and render the mass in
any suitable manner extremely porous without increasing its weight, while in the
old constructions of batteries this porosity can only be obtained by considerably,
increasing their dimensions and the weight of their support plates.
The support boxes are made of a resistant non conductive material, such as
celluloid, hard rubber, or the like and the two main walls are provided with a
number of holes one of these walls also having corrugated bands of suitable
material.
The support box or receptacle consists of a hard rubber box having an inner
flange for the cover and the supports.
These supports of hard rubber, celluloid or other equivalent material, stand
with their ends on the inner rim of the support box or receptacle and are fixed in
position by means of two extensions or lugs thereon.
Tongues are inserted into the recesses between the lugs of the supports to fix
the boxes in position, while between other lugs are inserted the tails of the con-
5 ducting plates.
Suitable lugs hold the boxes apart from each other in order to allow the air
to circulate freely between them.

page_text: The cover consists of two rectangular sections the rim of which is grooved and
has inserted into it a rubber band. In order to shut the box it is sufficient to
lower the cover sections and secure them by means of screws to suitable bars.
The cover is then supported and the rubber band forms a tight closure with the
walls of the box and the mantles surrounding the conductors.
Two bundle of conductors of opposite polarity of two contiguous batteries may
be connected by soldering bolting, clamping or by any other suitable means.
In motor cars it is not necessary that the receptacles be hermetically closed,
and the cover may be replaced by one or more perforated plates of celluloid, hard
rubber or similar material.
In order to provide an accumulator in conformity with my above described
invention, the following rules must be observed.
1. The necessary quantity of active mass and liquid to give the battery the
desired capacity, is determined by the rules of the chemical reactions.
2. The total surface of the conductor plates, and their thickness is so determined
that the current as to unit of surface is proportional to the length of time for
which the battery is intended to be used, according to the purposes for which
it is employed.
3. The number of plates of the accumulator is determined according to the space
that can be disposed of, and to other obvious considerations.
4. When the breadth of the corrugated bands before mentioned has been deter-
mined so that the distance between the outer walls of two consecutive boxes or
cases be as small as possible but sufficient to prevent the particles of active mass,
which may eventually pass through the holes from forming short circuits, but
so that they may freely fall on the bottom of the receptacle, it is necessary to
calculate the quantity of liquid in contact with the corrugated bands .e. the
quantity of liquid which may be contained between the opposite walls of consecu-
tive boxes.
5. The volume of the liquid which must be left between the bottom of the
receptacle and the under rim of the boxes is so determined that the particles of
active mass which could fall on the bottom of the receptacle by passing through
the holes of the support boxes, cannot come into contact with the rim of said
boxes.
6. The volume of liquid in the receptacle must be such, that even when the
battery is subject to very considerable inclinations, there be enough of it on
the upper rim of the plates to always keep all parts of the plates submerged.
7. By deducting from the total quantity of liquid determined as above (1) the
quantity indicated at 4, 5 and 6, the volume of liquid which must remain in
contact with the conductor plates will be obtained, i.e. the quantity contained
between the support boxes. This volume, divided by the total surface of the
plates gives the level of the liquid on each side of the plates; if then to this be
added the thickness of the active mass, the height to be given to the active mass
rendered porous is obtained so as to occupy the whole of the support box.
8. Having thus determined the thickness of the porous active mass on each
side of the conductor plates, one has all the necessary elements to construct the
other parts of the battery.
In the type of battery forming the object of my present invention, the conductor
plates provide a large surface the points penetrating into the active mass, and
the paste on turn being submerged in the electrolytic liquid, so that all particles
of the active mass are surrounded by the necessary quantity of liquid in order
that the reactions may take place with great rapidity in the whole of the mass,
so that the inner resistance is thereby diminished and also the drawbacks result-
ing in other batteries from the falling down of the active mass are diminished.
The metal is utilized as a conductor, whilst a lighter material is used as support.
The corrugated bands hold the plates at a desired and constant distance apart
from each other, and stiffen them thus giving to the whole of the battery great
rigidity and stability; moreover the corrugations of these plates provide channels

page_text: of such small dimensions as to oppose a great resistance to the movement of the
liquid which as a matter of fact remains almost still between the various boxes and
is not thrown out by the vibrations of the vehicle.
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
This invention relates to storage batteries and has for its object to provide a
battery especially adapted for use in electric traction incorporating the advan-
tages of lightness, rapidity of reaction, and resistance of the active mass against
shock and vibration of the vehicle.
Lightness and efficiency, which are of course the desiderata for storage batteries
for use in motor vehicles, have been sought to be attained by reducing to the
greatest possible extent the weight of the conducting plates and by increasing as
much as possible the points of contact of these latter with the active mass.
Thus, for example, it has been proposed to provide the lead or like plates with
projections extending obliquely from the plate upon both sides, and projecting
into the active mass, and resting upon the right and left hand sides against the
inner walls of the electrode containers, so that the plate is maintained in the
middle. In order to fulfil these requirements, the projections, and also the plate
must be comparatively thick and therefore heavy in order to prevent it from
buckling. The oblique arrangement of the projections renders the introduction
of the active mass extremely difficult, for if it is attempted to introduce it at the
side, the projections, unless they are very thick and strong, will be bent back
against the plate and therefore become quite useless; it is consequently necessary
to introduce the mass into the electrode holders from above. Apart from this,
if the conducting plates are slightly withdrawn, the oblique projections catch
in the holes in the containers and are liable to bend or break off.
Again it has been suggested to increase the contact surface of the conductors
by means of metallic nets or gauzes which maintain the mass upon both sides
and which are connected one with the other by means of transverse pins. This
method is undesirable owing to the fact that in the first place the active mass is
liable to fall through the net or gauze and in the second place the pins serving
to support the additional contact surfaces are not in one piece with the nets or
gauzes so that at their point of attachment the conductor will be interrupted
by the mass and fluid which will penetrate between the parts.
According to my invention I obviate these defects in an extremely simple
manner by providing a very thin conducting plate of lead or the like (or less
than the tenth of a millimetre in thickness) by rolling, and stamping out of the
plate itself upon one or both sides, projections at right angles to the plate. It
is important that this should be effected by stamping, for by pressing or casting,
these extremely fine projections would break off and remain in the wooden moulds;
that the projections should be vertical is still more important because if this is

page_text: so I am able without any danger of bending the projections, to apply the mass,
which has previously been rolled or otherwise suitably formed into sheets, laterally
to the metal plate by means of an appropriate industrial process in such a manner
that an endless strip of the mass is pressed upon an endless strip of lead plate
provided with projections in a continuous manner and then cut into suitable
lengths.
It will at once be apparent that a plate of this extreme thinness, which is of
course liable to bend very easily, cannot be allowed to stand upon the bottom of
the container, nor can it be suspended in the usual manner unless it is provided
with a handle which would greatly increase its weight. The hitherto unapproached
fineness of this plate necessitates a special method of suspension as otherwise it
would not be possible to use it in practice. The suspension is effected by the
employment of a pocket or casing of celluloid or the like perforated in the usual
manner, which casing is suspended upon transverse strips provided on the general
container by means of strap or loop like continuations of their upper portions.
I stiffen these pockets laterally by providing upon their sides vertical strips
of celluloid or similar material which may advantageously be corrugated
thereby maintaining the said pockets at a predetermined distance one from the
other, so that each group of electrodes constitutes a compact block or assemblage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what
claim is:-
1. An electrode of extreme lightness and presenting a large contact surface
especially intended for use on motor road vehicles, and consisting of an exceed-
ingly thin conducting plate of lead or the like provided upon either one or both
sides with projections at right angles to its surface and produced by stamping,
these projections entering the active mass which is applied in the form of sheets
or plates either mechanically or by hand to the sides of the metal plate, and of
celluloid or the like pockets which are suspended within the general container
by means of strap or loop like prolongations of their upper portion and stiffened
Jaterally in a suitable manner substantially as herein before described and for
the purpose specified.
2. In the celluloid pockets described in Claim 1, corrugated strengthening strips
made of the same material as the said pockets, substantially as herein before
described and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 4th day of September 1900.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.