IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SECONDARY BATTERIES."
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Scudamore Sellon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd October 1881.
"
JOHN SCUDAMORE SELLON, of Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SECONDARY BATTERIES."
This Invention relates to the construction, preparation, and manufacture of
secondary batteries of a strong, durable, portable, and convenient form, for the
storing, magazining, or reserving electricity, and it consists chiefly in so arranging
the respective elements that a great amount of energy can be concentrated in a
small space, and great lightness, durability, and facility for charging be attained.
In carrying out my Invention I use suitable metallic oxides, preferably the
peroxide of lead, previously prepared by chemical means or by electrical deposition,
and pack such oxide or oxides upon or round pieces of metal or suitable material,
such as carbon of convenient form. The metal, such as platinum, its alloys, or com-
binations (such as platinized silver), may be conveniently used in the form of gauze
or plait, or in sheet or foil, plain, roughened, perforated, indented, or corrugated,
fixed to or stretched in or upon frames of wood, ebonite, or other suitable material,
and upon the sides of or around such packed oxides I attach sheets or plates of any
suitable porous and absorbent material, such as blotting paper, parchment paper,
plaister of Paris, separately or in conjunction, thus forming porous cells or cases
completely insulating the element.
Having so formed and insulated the element I attach to it on one or both sides
as may be required thin sheets of lead or other suitable metal, preferably attaching
the lead or other metallic plates to the frame by wooden or other pegs, or by other
means, to insure close contact, but leaving exposed an edge or edges of the porous
absorbent packing for the purpose hereafter described.
I thus obtain a compact and convenient combination of negative and positive
elements which can be readily handled, and be connected up in any required
number for either tension or quantity, and be enclosed in any convenient form of
package for portability, such as light cases of wood, gutta percha, ebonite, or water-
proof wrapping in readiness to be rendered available for use when containing
electrical energy, by moistening, either by immersion in an acidulated aqueous
solution or by the introduction of such solution into the package in sufficient

page_text: quantity to saturate or moisten the porous material placed between the negative
and positive elements, thus obviating the inconvenience (in packages subject to
removal) of a quantity of free liquid.
The batteries when formed with prepared peroxide of lead are immediately ready
for use without the delay and expense incidental to the tedious process of per-
oxidization with an electric current, the element so packed requiring only to be
moistened as above mentioned to render them active.
One of the many advantages of this form, in addition to that of lightness, com-
pactness, rapidity of manufacture, and general convenience in handling, is, that the
retention of the power of giving out electrical force or energy is of longer duration
than with secondary batteries the elements of which are necessarily kept immersed
in solution.
Another advantage is that by reason of the conductivity and comparative small
resistance of my positive poles, reservoir batteries so constructed will absorb energy
rapidly and can be charged by ordinary batteries, such as Grove's or Bunsen's, as
well as by dynamo machines.