IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY BATTERIES OR MAGAZINES OF ELECTRICITY
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Scudamore Sellon, of Hatton Garden, in the
County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY
BATTERIES OR MAGAZINES OF ELECTRICITY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Scudamore Sellon
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th September
1881.
JOHN SCUDAMORE SELLON, of Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex..
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY BATTERIES OR MAGAZINES OF ELECTRICITY."
My Invention relates to improvements in secondary batteries or magazines of
electricity composed of plates of lead or of other suitable material, which are or
which may be coated with spongy precipitated or reduced lead or other spongy
reduced or precipitated metal or metallic matter, such being immersed in cells,
vessels, or receptacles containing acidulated water or other suitable liquid, and my
Invention has for its object providing the maximum of active surface in the
minimum of space, so as to obtain a battery of great strength and contained in or
occupying a small compass.
In carrying out my Invention in order to effect this object I made the plates
either plain, but by preference roughened or indented on their surface, or
perforated, or any two or more of these arrangements combined, and I form such.
plates of a corrugated section, the grooves of the corrugations being either of a
dovetail or other suitable shape. Into the grooves of such plates I introduce a
layer of metal, metallic salts, oxides, or compounds, and the same may be retained
in the desired position by means of sheets of felt or other porous material; or I
may apply a coating of metals, metallic salts, oxides, or compounds to the ridges
as well as in the grooves or cavities of the corrugations or indentations, and secure
their retention either by means of a sheet of felt or other porous inaterial, as
before mentioned, or other arrangements may be adopted. The pairs of elements.
thus arranged are then placed in communication with a source of electricity and
charged in the usual manner.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Scudamore Sellon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th March 1882.
"
JOHN SCUDAMORE SELLON, of Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex.
IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY BATTERIES OR MAGAZINES OF ELECTRICITY."
My said Invention relates to improvements in secondary batteries or magazines
of electricity composed of plates of lead or of other suitable material, which are
or may be coated with or have attached to or packed therein or thereon spongy
precipitated or reduced lead or other spongy reduced or precipitated metal or
metallic matter, such plates being immersed in cells, vessels, or receptacles
containing acidulated water or other suitable liquid, my Invention having for its
object the providing the maximum of active surface in the minimum space, so as
to obtain a battery of great strength and contained in or occupying a small compass
comparatively with its efficiency.
In carrying out my Invention in order to effect this object I form the plates
with suitable perforations, or roughened, serrated, or indented on their surface or
surfaces, or any combination of these arrangements, or I construct such
perforated plates with corrugations, grooves, or other suitable section presenting
an extended surface. Into, on, or against such or other surfaces or irregularities
I place or introduce a layer of metal, metallic salts, oxides, or compounds, and the
same may, if necessary, be retained in the desired position by means of sheets of
felt or other porous material; or I may apply a coating of metals, metallic salts,
oxides, or compounds, to the ridges, as well as on the surfaces, or in the grooves,
corrugations, or indentations, or cavaties, and if necessary secure the retention of
either one or more of the before mentioned metals, metallic oxides, or compounds,
by means of a sheet of felt or other porous material, as before mentioned, or other
arrangements may be adopted for that purpose. Paris of elements thus arranged
are then placed in communication with a source of electricity and charged in the
usual manner.
And-in-order_that_my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same,-and-for-that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the saine letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a perspective view of a
perforated battery plate formed of dovetail section in accordance with one part of
my said Invention, such form being especially favorable for the retention of the
spongy or other material to be packed therein, and Figures 2 and 3 shew
respectively a transverse section and end view of the same without the attachment
hereinafter to be described; Figure 4 shews the section of a portion of a perforated
plate formed with angular projections or grooves, which may also be rounded,
squared, or of any suitable form; and Figures 5 and 6 illustrate its application to
a circular and rectangular battery respectively; Figure 7 represents a front
perspective view of a compound battery plate formed of two or more perforated
plates having flat surfaces; while Figure 8 shews an irregular section of plate,
which may be as well as any varied section that may be suitable (as, for example,
at Figure 8a) employed in lieu of those with flat surfaces.
Figures 9, 10, and 10" shew one form of indented plate, i.e., a plate cast with
projections and made with slits or perforations; 9 shews a section of such a plate'
when first cast; 10, when the projections have been somewhat flattened at the
points to give a retended form; and 10ª, a front view.
It should be understood that all these forms of plates have either left on them

page_text: in process of manufacture, or have subsequently attached to them at and along
their ends, sides, or tops and bottoms, partially or entirely, or in whatsoever other
position may be desirable (by fixing, soldering, casting, or otherwise) solid strips
or pieces of metal X to act as conductors for the electric current, or in some cases
to give to them desirable strength or rigidity.
A are perforated sheets or plates of lead, platinum, or other suitable material,
cast or otherwise conveniently formed, and I so arrange or fix them that a large
quantity of spongy or finely divided lead, or of salts or oxides of lead, or other
suitable compounds c may be retained or held in, on, or against them in such a
manner as to be readily acted upon by the electric current. The plates may be
formed of perforated lead, or of lead cast with holes a, either plain or with flutes,
corrugations, indentations, shelves, or projections b in or on to which the material o
already prepared or to be rendered active can be packed or placed. The plates of
lead may also be roughened on one or both sides by means of suitable 'tools,
whether by pressure or striking, or by any chemical or metallurgical process giving
an equivalent result in such a manner that to a suitable depth on each side of the
plate a spongy layer, or projecting points or surfaces, are produced, which are either
suitable for retaining the material hereafter to be made active or for obtaining a
more rapid formation of the plates if used without such packing. The plates so
prepared may be either simply packed in their roughened surfaces, perforations, or
interstices a, with the necessary material c, or if it is desired to cover their
surfaces, they may be wrapped with or have in any way attached to them any
suitable material, such as parchmented paper. felt, flannel, or analogous material, to
sustain in place aforesaid the matter already prepared or hereafter to be made
active.
On the accompanying Drawings some different forms of plates are shewn, some
of which, in addition to being available in series for acting as accumulators or
regulators in electric lighting or as batteries for the production of motive power,
may form convenient single reservoir batteries for surgical or experimental
purposes, or for working small lights or motors, or for other like purposes. One of
the forms of perforated plates which I find very suitable is with corrugations of a
dovetail section, as shewn at Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the Drawings. Another form,
shewn at Figure 4, consists of a perforated plate of uniform angular, serrated, or
other suitable section, which may be formed into cells of convenient configuration,
as will be understood by reference to the sectional Figures shewn at 5 and 6 of the
Drawings, or which may be used as single plates or pairs of plates in series,
alternately acting as positive and negative."
In Figure 5 a round outer circular plate B is provided, closed in at bottom if
desired, forming a negative cell with numerous perforated divisions or laminæ of
the form last referred to, having indented or plain surfaces, or otherwise con-
veniently shaped for holding when packed spongy lead or lead in a fine state of
division, or salts, or oxides of lead, or suitable compounds. C is an inner circular
positive element or plate of similar construction formed of a central rod or of a
hollow tube D, having divisions or laminæ 6 thereon as in the negative one and
packed in a similar manner. The central space in the said tube may also be packed
or be partially packed with active material so as to increase the storage capabilities'
of the battery.
It is obvious that the formation of such perforated or other plates, which may
be of any convenient form or kind, may be varied considerably. Thus, for
instance, the laminæ or divisions may be placed round or against the support as a
series of shelves of any suitable inclination, shape, or form, or may be formed of
zig zag, V, dovetail, or other convenient section out of perforated sheets of
roughened, indented, or plain metal, or any combination of these forms. These
laminæ divisions or projections may be attached or affixed to or sustained in place
by the main supporting plates, the positive plate so prepared standing, when
necessary, in or on a sinall base of suitable shape and material so as to insulate it
if necessary from the leaden bottom of the negative bottom. This would however

page_text: be unnecessary if the negative element be not constructed with a metallic or
conductive bottom.
Plates constructed, formed, and prepared as above described may obviously be
arranged into cells of various configurations, as, for example, oval, square, or rect-
angular, the last form being represented at Figure 6 of the Drawings, the object
being to attain a large amount of surface of the material (either already prepared
or hereafter to be rendered active), in such a position, and under such conditions as
to be readily subjected to the influences of charging or discharging as required.
Plates so constructed or arranged may, under some circumstances, form convenient
cells without any outer casing, jars, cases, or boxes of earthenware, glass, wood,
gutta percha, ebonite, papier maché, or other convenient insulating material being
used to contain one, two, or any convenient number of them. A compound form
of plate is represented at Figure 7 of the Drawings composed of perforated sheets
of lead or other suitable substances as before specified, so rivetted, soldered, or con-
nected together, or may be also closed at the end, sides, or top and bottom, as to
leave suitable intervening spaces, openings, or receptacles into which the aforesaid
spongy or finely divided lead, lead salts, or equivalent compounds is or are packed.
These compound plates may be obviously formed of sheets of fluted, corrugated, or
similar irregular section, as shewn for example at Figure 8 of the accompanying
Drawings. In carrying out what is called the formation or rendering available of
some of these packed plates with the electrical current for the purposes required, I
have found it in some cases convenient for the first few hours until the active
material has somewhat hardened, to use pieces of parchmented paper, felt, flannel,"
woven fabric, woodwork, or any suitable substance or material to sustain the
material in or on the plates and then to remove it to lessen the resistance; several
of the above referred to forms of plates can then be maintained without any
wrapping or separating medium, and I thus obtain more favorable results. It
will be understood that a great variety of forms and combinations can be adopted
without departing from the principle of my Invention.
In constructing batteries, when great lightness and portability is required as
well as increased durability, I employ plates, especially positive plates, formed of
the thinnest possible platinum foil, stretched in frames of wood or other suitable
substance, and perforated, indented, corrugated, fluted, or any combination of such
forms or others of a suitable kind against, in, or on which the active material can
be placed.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my 'said
Invention and the manner in which the same-is-or-may-be_used_or_carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that I wish it to be understood that I do not
claim the use of either spongy or finely divided lead, nor of any oxide, salt, or pre-
paration of lead per se, nor the use of corrugated or grooved sheets or plates of lead
unperforated for the retention of such substances, but I claim,-
The use in the construction of secondary batteries of perforated plates or sheets
roughened, serrated, or indented, composed of lead, platinum, or carbon, upon, in,
or against which plates spongy or finely divided lead or oxides, or other salts or
compounds of lead, or other suitable substances or compounds, are, or may be, held
or retained substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Scudamore Sellon, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.