IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elieson Prosper Chaimsonovitz, of Leytonstone, in the
county of Essex, Electrical Engineer, and Thomas Rowan, of Palace
Chambers, in the city of Westminster, Consulting Engineer, for an Invention
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elieson Prosper Chaimsonovitz
and Thomas Rowan at the Office of the. Commissioners of Patents on the
11th September 1883.
ELIESON PROSPER CHAIMSONOVITZ of Leytonstone in the county of Essex,
Electrical Engineer and THOMAS ROWAN of Palace Chambers in the city of
Westminster, Consulting Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES"
Our invention relates to improvements, in primary or generating batteries
whereby we produce a battery which is capable of generating electricity in large
quantity and which has a small internal resistance which is not liable to
polorization and which will occupy but little space and its electrical energy when
exhausted can be easily and quickly restored. This battery is capable of producing
electrical currents in such quantity and of such a nature as to render it a convenient
and inexpensive source of electricity for domestic and other purposes for which
electricity is required. The battery can also be constructed of so small a size and
be so hermetically closed as to form a portable pocket battery which shall at the
same time be capable of furnishing currents of considerable strength.
In carrying out our invention we form our positive electrode of any of the oxides
of lead, or spongy lead or other suitable oxides or metallic compounds or mixtures
in any suitable state of division and which may be mixed or not with any suitable
inert substance.
The oxide of lead or other material or materials is or are compressed into any
suitable form or size and cohesion may be imparted thereto by admixture with
any suitable mucilage or cement.
Or the oxide of lead or other material can be deposited in the form of a paste
on or otherwise be made to adhere to a ground or framework of wood, lead,
carbon, or other suitable material of any suitable shape or form, solid, perforated,
serrated, cellular, or otherwise configurated.

page_text: Or the oxide of lead or other material can be contained in bags or envelopes of
felted or textile material, or we can employ a cell divided into compartments by
suitably perforated divisions, the oxide or other material being loosely placed in
any of such compartments.
The oxides of lead or other material can also be obtained by chemical precipitation
or by electro-deposition, or plates of lead or other suitable material may be prepared
by submitting them to the action of suitable chemical reagents; such plates of lead
or other suitable material may be suitably prepared before submitting them to the
action of the chemical reagents.
An electrode formed in any of the before mentioned ways becomes the positive
electrode of our improved battery by the employment of which the internal
resistance is reduced to a minimum and polarization is prevented from taking
place to any appreciable extent.
We form the negative electrode of our improved battery of a plate or plates of
zinc or other suitable metal and of any suitable shape or form.
The exciting fluid we find it advantageous to employ is a solution of sal-
ammoniac, but other suitable exciting substances may be employed.
Our improved battery is constructed of two or more electrodes such as those
herein before described, that is to say, a positive electrode or electrodes and a
negative electrode or electrodes, but we sometimes employ the positive electrodes
in greater number than the negative electrodes or vice versa.
The vessel containing the electrodes and the exciting fluid may be constructed
of any suitable insulating or insulated material, and be of any suitable shape or
size and can be hermetically closed, proper provision being made for withdrawing
the spent exciting fluid and furnishing a fresh supply. In certain cases the
spent exciting fluid may be withdrawn and a fresh supply furnished externally.
That class of batteries commonly designated secondary or storage batteries or
magazines of electricity and which are incapable of themselves of generating
electricity may be readily modified by our improvements into primary or generating
batteries in the following manner :-
We take out a number of the plates of the secondary battery, such plates being
either the positive or negative plates, and those which remain will then become
our positive element; we then introduce a number of the zinc electrodes herein-
before described for the negative element and the acid of the battery is replaced
by an exciting fluid such as is hereinbefore described.
Our improved battery can be advantageously employed so as to form in
combination with an incandescent lamp a portable lamp for mines.

page_text: SPECIFICATION. in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Elieson Prosper Chaimsonovitz and Thomas Rowan in the Patent
Office on the 11th March 1884.
ELIESON PROSPER CHAIMSONOVITZ of Leytonstone in the county of Essex,
Electrical Engineer and THOMAS ROWAN of Palace Chambers in the City of
Westminster, Consulting Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN GALVANIC BATTERIES
"
Our invention relates chiefly to improvements in primary or generating batteries
whereby we produce a battery which is capable of generating electricity in large
quantity and its electrical energy when exhausted can be easily and quickly
restored. This battery is capable of producing electrical currents in such quantity
as to render it a convenient and inexpensive source of electricity for domestic and
other purposes for which electricity is required. The battery can also be
constructed of so small a size and be so hermetically closed as to form a portable
pocket battery which shall at the same be capable of furnishing currents of
considerable strength.
In carrying out our invention we form our negative or depolarizing electrode
(forming the positive pole) of oxide of lead P 6 O commonly known as litharge, or
of spongy or porous lead.
The oxide of lead or spongy lead is compressed into any suitable form or size.
Or, the oxide of lead or spongy lead can be deposited in the form of a paste on,
or otherwise be made to adhere to, a ground or framework of lead, or other suitable
metal of any suitable shape or form. If we employ litharge for commercial or
mechanical reasons we short circuit or otherwise work the battery so as to reduce
this oxide of lead to spongy lead; the chemical action going on is principally the
occlusion or taking up of hydrogen by this plate.
When the plate has taken up hydrogen to an extent which will impede the
electrical energy of the battery I take out those plates and expose them to the
influence of the atmosphere whereby they will lose the hydrogen and resume their
former capacity as a negative plate.
An electrode formed as herein before described becomes the negative electrode of
our improved battery.
We form the positive electrode (forming the negative pole) of our improved
battery of a plate or plates of zinc.
The exciting fluid we find it advantageous to employ is a solution of sal-
ammoniac, but other saline or soluble salts may be employed as exciting
substances.
Our improved battery is constructed of two or more electrodes such as those
herein before described, that is to say, a positive electrode or electrodes and a
negative electrode or electrodes but we sometimes employ the positive electrodes in
greater number than the negative electrodes or vice versa.
The vessel containing the electrodes and the exciting fluid may be constructed
of any suitable insulating or insulated material and can be of any suitable shape or
size and can be hermetically closed, proper provision being made for withdrawing
the spent exciting fluid and furnishing a fresh supply. In certain cases the spent
exciting fluid may be withdrawn and a fresh supply furnished externally.
Having thus described the nature of our said invention and the manner of
carrying the same into effect we wish it to be understood that what we claim is :-
A galvanic battery having a negative electrode or negative electrodes made of
litharge or oxide of lead P 60 or of spongy or porous lead either alone or pasted

page_text: on a framework of lead, in combination with a positive electrode or positive
electrode of zinc, and an exciting solution of sal-ammoniac or any other saline
or soluble salt or salts as herein before described.
In witness whereof we the said Elieson Prosper Chaimsonovitz and Thomas
Rowan have hereto set our hands and seals this tenth day of March in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty four.
T
D AT THRONOTTE