Improvements in Electric Batteries.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 8th Oct.,
1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Batteries.
We, OWEN THOMAS BUGG, JR., Electrician, of No. 256, West 23rd Street, Borough
of Manhattan, New York, and DAVID HENRY DARLING, Merchant, of No. 904,
President Street, Borough of Brooklyn, City of New York, both in the United
States of America, 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 has for its objects
First, to devise an electric battery in which the several parts thereof shall be as
compactly held together as possiblo, so that it may be transported from place to
place or subjected to reasonably rough usage without danger or injury thereto;
Second, to provide means whereby short circuit will be avoided in the event of
depositing of metallic particles upon the bottom of the cell, when such particles are
disintegrated or broken away from the zinc electrode thereof.
The invention will be fully understood by referring to the accompanying drawings,
in which,
Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of a single cell of this novel battery, the
binding posts of the battery being shown in elevational view; and,
Figure 2 is a plan view thereof as seen looking at Figure 1 from the top toward
the bottom of the drawings.
Referring now to the drawings in detail for a full and clear understanding of the
invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to construct and use the
same, A represents a containing vessel, made preferably of lead, and constituting
one electrode of the battery to which is attached, near the upper surface, one of
the binding posts E, el being the shank thereof. D is a lid or cover therefor
constructed preferably of hard rubber or equivalent insulating material said lid
being screw threaded at its under-side in such manner as to secure it to
In the centre of the lid
corresponding screw-threads t at the top of the vessel A.
is an upwardly extending chamber D¹ of rectangular form, to one side of which is
secured by screw-threads a binding post E, having a screw adapted to secure one
of the conductors to the positive electrode of the battery.
Z is the zinc electrode of the battery and is composed of a number of thin sheets
of zinc of rectangular form, laid side by side, there being a sufficient number of
such sheets to fit loosely within the rectangular upward extension D¹. B is a
cylinder of somewhat smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the vessel A and
is constructed preferably of lead, and has numerous perforations p p for affording
free circulation of the excitant liquid therethrough. F is a packing, preferably of
flaky lead, and is designed to constitute, together with the interior cylinder B and
the retaining vessel A, the oxidizable electrode of the battery.
a
D is a disc of glass, porcelain or equivalent insulating material provided with an
upwardly extending cup T and a downwardly extending rectangular opening
adapted to receive the lower ends of the zincs 2, said disc C fitting loosely within
the lower end of the lead cylinder B.
L
exnambled no follows..

page_text: The lead cylinder B is inserted within the retaining vessel and the flaky lead F
packed securely around it, after which the disc C is lowered into position at the
bottom of the vessel. The amalgamated zincs Z are now inserted with their lower
ends in the rectangular opening of the disc C. The excitant liquid, such as diluted
sulphuric acid or any well known equivalent liquid, is now poured into the vessel
until the same reaches substantially to the top of the cylinder B. The lid D is
now put in position with the upper ends of the zines Z extending upward into
the chamber D¹ and said lid is rotated from left to right until it is firmly secured
by the screw-threads to the top of the containing vessel A, the zincs Z in the
meantime rotating the disc Cand simultaneously moving upward into the position
shown in Figure 1.
The binding post E is now firmly secured within the wall of the upwardly
extending chamber D¹ in such manner as to firmly bind the zincs together and
make at the same time a good electrical contact with them; the battery is now
ready for use. After the battery has become polarized it may be restored to its
normal condition by connecting. the poles thereof to a dynamo electric machine in
the usual manner and recharging it in the same manner that well known zinc lead
batteries are revived. The zincs Z are, of course, thoroughly amalgamated in the
well known manner, and if preferred a sufficient quantity of mercury to keep up
the amalgamation may be placed within the retaining cup T.
Should any particles of metallic zinc become disintegrated or detached from the
zinc electrode they will fall within the cup T and be prevented thereby from
coming into contact with the inner wall of the lead cylinder B, thus avoiding a short
circuit.
This structure of battery, owing to the manner in which it is mechanically bound
together, makes it a very desirable cell for use in connection with movable vehicles
or wherever it is desired to transport it from place to place, it being apparent
that the electrodes will always maintain their relative positions, owing to the manner
in which they are bound together.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. An electrical battery having a containing vessel of conducting material, in
combination with a perforated interior cylinder also of conducting material and a
mass of active material, such as flaky lead, packed between the inner wall of said
vessel and the cylinder, together with a zinc electrode rigidly secured to the cover
of the vessel, which latter is constructed of insulating material, substantially as
described.
2. An electrical battery consisting of a conducting containing vessel provided
with an insulating cover to which is rigidly secured a downwardly extending electrode,
in combination with a perforated interior conducting cylinder and an active material
between said cylinder and the containing vessel, together with a disc of cup-like
form located in the bottom of the vessel and provided with means for positively
securing the lower end of the downwardly extending electrode substantially as
described.
3. An electrical battery consisting of a conducting containing vessel having a
non-conducting cover to which is rigidly secured the zinc electrode, in combination
with an enclosed cylinder and active material packed between said cylinder and the
inner wall of the containing vessel, together with means at the bottom of the vessel
for securing the zinc electrode, substantially as described.
4. An electrical battery consisting of a lead containing vessel, an enclosed per-
forated cylinder also of lead, active material, such as flaky lead, packed between
said perforated cylinder and the inner wall of the containing vessel, the same con-
stituting one electrode of the battery, in combination with an electrode of opposite
polarity consisting of a series of sheets of metal, properly amalgamated and
rigidly secured at their upper ends to a non-conducting lid or cover, together with

page_text: means located at the bottom of the vessel for rigidly securing said electrode in a
vertical position, and excitant liquid, such as sulphuric acid, substantially as
described.
5. An electrical battery consisting of a lead containing vessel A, a perforated
cylindrical inner vessel B, active material located between the perforated cylinder
and the inner wall of the containing vessel; a non-conducting cover D having an
upwardy extending chamber D¹; a zinc electrode Z consisting of thin plates properly
amalgamated and held in position by a binding post E; a non-conducting disc C
located at the bottom of the vessel and provided with means in the nature of a
cup T for preventing a short circuit upon disintegration of the zinc electrode Z,
substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.