Improvements in Primary and Secondary Batteries.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 8th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1397
Improvements in Primary and Secondary Batteries.
I, HENRY WILLIAM HEADLAND, of "The Firs," High Road, Leyton, in the
County of Essex, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to means for keeping apart the plates or electrodes
in primary and secondary batteries and for fixing them in the wooden or other
box. For this purpose I make lengths of india rubber of a flat rectangular section
with a groove on one side for the side and bottom edges of each plate to enter, a
strip of such rubber being bent round and sprung upon the edges of the plate at
the bottom and sides. As applied to secondary battery plates I provide the rubber
on one side with a groove suitable for the bottom and side edges of the plate to
enter, and a groove for the bottom and side edges of a sheet of finely perforated
celluloid or the like to enter, which serves to prevent any short circuiting by
contact of active material from two adjoining plates of opposite polarity. A strip
of this rubber is bent round the bottom and side edges of the plate and the
celluloid sheet so that said edges enter their respective grooves; the edges of the
plate should be slightly burred or flanged so as to hold the rubber strip ou.
requisite number of plates with their celluloid sheets having been packed in
the box so as to fill it up to and a little beyond the end part of the box which is
removable, said end part is put on and by clamps or equivalent means tightened up
whereby the rubber strips are squeezed together and against the interior sides ends
and bottom of the box retaining the plates in place. This construction is of
special use in batteries for portable or traction purposes, as the rubber strips serve
to lessen the effect of shocks and violent vibration.
Deted this 8th day of January 1896
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
I, HENRY WILLIAM HEADLAND, of "The Firs," High Road, Leyton, in the
County of Essex, 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 :-
These improvements relate to means for keeping apart the electrodes or "plates"
in primary and secondary batteries and for fixing them in the wooden or other box.
For this purpose I make lengths of india rubber of a flat rectangular section with
a groove on one side for the side and bottom edges of each plate to enter, a strip
of such rubber being bent round and sprung upon the edges of the plate at the
bottom and sides. As applied to secondary battery plates I also provide in the

page_text: rubber a groove for the edges of the bottom and sides of a fiuely perforatel sheet
of celluloid or the like to enter.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical cross section and Fig. 2 a
plan section of a secondary battery constructed according to this invention;
Fig. 3 is a front view and Fig. 4 an end view of a plate conductor and
Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of part of Fig. 2 shewing two rubber strips.
Fig. 6 is a similar view of a modification.
The rubber strip A is cut from lengths of the section shown in Fig. 5 having on
one side a groove a' suitable for the bottom and side edges of the plate con luctor B
to enter, and a groove a² for the bottom and side elges of a sheet C of finely
perforated celluloid or the like to enter which serves to prevent any short circuiting
by preventing contact of active material that might happen to drop down from two
adjoining plates of opposite polarity. A strip A of this rubber is bent round the
bottom and side edges of the plate conductor B and of the celluloid sheet C so that
the said edges enter their respective grooves a¹ and a2; the edges of the plate
conductor should be slightly burred or Hanged as shown in Fig. 4 so as to hold the
rubber strip on. B' represents the active material on the conductor, and E E are
the spaces between the "plates" and the celluloid sheets.
The requisite number of plates covered with their active material and with their
celluloid sheets held in the rubber strips having been packed in the box D Fig. 2
so as to fill it up and a little beyond the place for the removable end part D₁ of
the box, said end part is put on and by clamps or equivalent means tightened up
whereby the rubber strips A are squeezed together and against the interior sides
ends and bottom of the box retaining the plates in place. The "plates" and
celluloid partitions may if desired he put into a lined box made without a removable
part D'. The celluloid partitions may be made with vertical corrugations as
shewn in Fig. 6. The rubber strip A when used for a primary battery would be
formed with one groove only for the plate to enter.
The construction described with reference to the drawings is of special use in
batteries for portable or traction purposes as the rubber strips serve to lessen the
effect of shocks and violent vibration, while the celluloid partitions keep the active
material from short circuiting as stated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. The rubber strip A with a groove for the sides and bottom edges of a battery
plate to enter substantially as described.
2. The rubber strip A with grooves a¹ and a for the sides and bottom edges of
a secondary battery plate and of a perforated sheet of celluloid or the like to enter,
substantially as described.
3. A secondary battery consisting of a series of "plates "B B' and perforated
sheets C held apart by means of rubber strips A having grooves a' and a² and
serving to keep the plates in place substantially as described.
Dated this Eighth day of October 1896.
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.