IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC BATTERIES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and
Foreign Patent Offices, 18, Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, in the Empire
of France, and 10, Sackville Street, Piccadilly, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELECTRIC BATTERIES."-A communication from Théophile Chutaux,
residing at Cité Bergère, Paris, aforesaid, Electrician.
Sealed the 20th May 1870, and dated the 23rd November 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and.
Declaration, on the 23rd November 1869, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 18,
Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, in the Empire of France, and 10, Sackville
Street, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELECTRIC BATTERIES," a communication to me from Théophile Chutaux, a
person resident at Cité Bergère, Paris, aforesaid, Electrician, and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and made solemn
declaration that it is a communication.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
The Invention communicated to me relates to certain improvements in
electric batteries, and consists in arranging the elements of the battery
in such a way as to obtain a force of great energy and to have a con-
tinuous electric current. Further this new arrangement presents the
advantage of being the means by which the zinc may be withdrawn from
the action of the exciting liquid when desired, the impoverished liquid
dispelled and replaced by rich, and in consequence the frequent
recharging the battery avoided.
These improvements are represented in the accompanying Drawings,
in which Fig. 1 is a central section seen in elevation of this improved
battery, and Fig. 2 a plan or top view thereof, the reservoir of supply
being withdrawn. In these Figures similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts.
These improvements consist in the use of a stone or glass jar, or of
porcelaine, or any other suitable non-porous material divided in the
direction of its height into two compartments a, b, of unequal size by a
partition C composed of some similar matter, on the lower part of which
at a short distance from the bottom of the jar is an aperture d forming a
communication between the two compartments. The larger of the two
compartments a is provided with a lid e made of wood and hinged to a
frame maintained on the jar by a collar 9 which fits closely in the said
compartment. This lid has an aperture in its centre to admit a wormed
rod, which by means of a hand screw supports the block of zinc j, whose
shape is such that when raised up it can pass in an aperture formed in
the frame. The lid rises of itself and consequently the zinc is withdrawn
from the exciting liquid by means of a flat spring i placed between the

page_text: underneath surface of the lid and its frame. The immersion of the zinc
is operated by lowering the cover which compresses the spring, said
cover being maintained against its frame by any suitable fastening. A
strip of metal fixed either upon or under the lid in contact with the
zinc establishes the communication with a metal plate and post or
uniting screw fixed on the frame to constitute one of the poles of the
battery. If the cells thus formed are united together to constitute a
battery the lowering the lids and the immersion of the zinc can be
operated simultaneously by connecting all the lids by a rod whose ends
are fixed to the battery frame by any suitable means. The large com-
partment a of the jar is more or less filled with bruised retort coal, in
the middle of which is inserted in an irregular position in such a way
as to be in contact in as many points as possible a platina wire m, the
end of which finds its way out of the jar through a hole pierced in its
upper part, and proceeds to the post o fixed on the frame of the lid to
constitute the other pole of the battery. The exciting liquid is poured
into the two compartments a, b, of the jar which is filled up to the
discharging pipe p placed in the upper part of the large compartment a.
Above the smaller compartment b is placed up side down a bottle or jar
with a neck containing exciting liquid in reserve. The end of the
neck of this reservoir touches the surface of the liquid contained in the
small compartment, and in proportion as the liquid of the large. com-
partment is used or evaporates the quantity used or evaporated is
replaced by an equal quantity of liquid from the smaller compartment
passing through the aperture d, which quantity is equally replaced in the
small compartment by the reservoir. To restore the impoverished liquid
it suffices to withdraw the zinc. The level in the two compartments is
established in the manner that has been indicated; then when the zinc
is again immersed, the upper portion of the lquid in the large compart-
ment, which is that impoverished, runs off through the discharging
pipe p in a quantity equal to that displaced by the volume of the
zinc.
The exciting liquid may be composed as it has been indicated in the
Patent of the 9th of September 1869, No. 2655, and the battery above
described may be advantageously combined with that described in the
said Patent, for the elements of this latter battery being placed under
those of the one just described with two compartments and reservoir, the
liquid displaced from this latter is still sufficiently energetic that by

page_text: soaking the sand and the retort coal of the other battery an excitement
is produced which suffices.
Having thus described the nature of the said improvements, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood I
do not confine myself to the precise details hercin indicated and rc-
presented in the accompanying Drawings; but what I claim and desire
to secure by the said Letters Patent is,-
1st. The division in electric batteries of the jar or cell containing the
exciting liquid into two compartments of unequal size communicating
with one another by an aperture near the bottom of the jar, so as to have
the same level, as has been described and shewn in the Drawings.
2ond. The immersion and the withdrawal as desired of the zinc in
electric batterics by any suitable means, so as to submit it to or extract
it from the action of the exciting liquid at will, as has been set forth and
shewn in the Drawings.
3rd. The combination in clectric batterics of a vessel containing
exciting liquid in reserve with the jar or cell in which are the clements,
and with the contrivances used for immersing or withdrawing the zinc
from the exciting liquid so as to operate or to arrest the action of the
battery as desired, and to cause the impoverished portion of the liquid
to flow off, as has been described, set forth, and shewn in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.