Improvements in Devices for Connecting the Plates of one Electric Battery with another Battery or Batteries and with a Switch- board or Transmitting Device.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Connecting the Plates of one Electric
Battery with another Battery or Batteries and with a Switch-
board or Transmitting Device.
I, WALTER FRANCIS SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at the City of
Philadelphia, in the County of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, Electrician, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN DEVICES FOR CON-
NECTING THE PLATES OF ONE ELECTRIC BATTERY WITH ANOTHER BATTERY OR BATTERIES
AND WITH A SWITCH-BOARD OR TRANSMITTING DEVICE, and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statements:-
My invention in general relates to improvements in devices for connecting a series
of plates or elements forming one electric battery with the plates or elements of
another electric battery or batteries, and the 'invention is also applicable to primary
batteries as well as to secondary or storage batteries.
The principal object of my invention is to provide a connecting device of high
electrical conductivity, simple in construction and durable and effective in action and one
that will not become corroded by the gases evolved during the operation of the battery
or batteries or during the process of reduction of the plates to form the elements of such
battery or batteries.
A further object of my invention is to provide a connecting device to not only serve
as a terminal connection from a battery to a switch-board or transmitting device, but
also as a convenient and efficient means, whereby plates or elements of one battery
may be connected with those of another battery or batteries.
A further object of my invention is to provide a connecting device which by its
construction and its mode of application to electric batteries will. prevent terminals of
like polarity from being connected together.
My invention consists of a connecting device having a divided male thimble pro-
vided with strips or ribbons and having a cap and a female thimble fitted to the
respective ends thereof. The said female thimble being secured to said male thimble
so as to leave a space between the two thimbles for the introduction of mercury or
other suitable material, whereby a continuous path for the passage of the electric
current or currents through the device to the battery or batteries is ensured.
My invention further consists of a divided male thimble having a cup or female
thimble and a plug with a flexible conductor leading to a switch-board or transmitting
device.
My invention further consists in depositing on the surfaces of the device a coating
of conducting material such as nickel or other preferred material or substance by
electrolysis or otherwise to prevent the mercury or other material contained in said
device from deteriorating or destroying the same by amalgamation, whereby the
electrical conductivity of the device is increased and in the space between the female
thimble and the strips of the male thimble is interposed a gasket or gaskets of rubber
or other suitable material to prevent the gases evolved during the operation of the
battery from corroding the connecting device.
The nature of my invention will be more fully understood taken in connection with
the accompanying drawings forming part hereof; and in which
Fig. 1, is a perspective view of a series of cells of a secondary or storage battery
with my invention shown in application thereto, that is, on the right hand side thereof,
the device is shown in connection with the plates forming one cell of a battery with
those forming the cell of another battery; and at the left hand side in the rear, the
device is arranged to serve as a terminal connection of the plates of a cell or cells with
a switch-board or other transmitting-device.

page_text: Fig. 2, is a vertical central section of the connecting device on an enlarged scale,
arranged to connect the plate or plates of one cell with the plate or plates of another
cell of an electric battery, and showing also the internal annular space for the reception
of mercury or other material and the gasket or gaskets interposed between the upper
cap and the lower cup and the ribbons or strips connected or formed integral with the
divided male thimble.
Fig. 3, is a plan view showing the ribbons or strips connected with the divided male
thimble broken away.
Fig. 4, is a vertical central section of the device showing the upper cap removed
and a plug provided with a flexible conductor fitted into the male thimble and arranged
to connect the plates forming a cell or cells of one electric battery with a switch-board
or other transmitting-device.
Fig. 5, is a vertical central section of the connecting device showing the divided
tapering male-thimble and the female thimble suitably fitted or secured thereto; and
Fig. 6, is a plan view of the connecting device of fig. 5, provided with a plng
having a flexible conductor for connecting the plates or elements of a battery or
batteries with a switch-board or other transmitting device.
Referring to the accompanying drawings and more particularly to figs. 2 and 3. A
is a vertically divided male thimble having the exterior surface threaded and provided
with lateral strips or ribbons a and a¹, which are shown broken away near said thimble,
but in practice are extended and connected with the plate or plates forming a cell or
cells of an electric battery or batteries in the manner for example, shown in fig. 1.
This male thimble A, has secured thereto an upper cap b, and a lower female thimble
or cup, made of metal or other suitable material. The said cap and thimble are
provided with threaded interior surfaces corresponding with the threaded surface of
the male thimble A. Between the lateral ribbons or strips a and a¹, of the male
thimble A, and the upper cap b or lower female thimble or cup 61, or both are inter-
posed gaskets c and c, made of rubber or other suitable material in order that a tight
joint may be made between said cap or cup and the lateral. ribbons or strips a and a',
of the male thimble A or both to prevent the gases evolved during the operation of
the battery from corroding the same and also for permitting of the free passage of the
electric current or currents through the connecting device to the plate or plates
forming the cell or cells of the electric battery or series of batteries coupled together..
In the internal annular space e, formed or left between the lower. extremity of the
male thimble A, and the base of the lower cup 6', is introduced mercury or other
suitable material to increase the electrical conductivity of the device as well as to
afford a perfectly free passage for the current or currents through the device to the
batteries.
:
Referring.now to fiġ. 4, which shows another form of the device consisting of a
divided male thimble having lateral strips or ribbons: a and a', for connecting one
series of plates mounted in battery with a similar series of plates. forming another
battery or batteries, as in fig. 1. This divided male thimble A, has its lower exterior
surface threaded and to which is applied a female thimble or cup 6. An annular
space is formed between the internal base of the cup b¹, and the lower extremity of
the male thimble A, forming a chamber for the reception of mercury or other suitable
material.
Into the male thimble A is introduced a plug F, made of rubber or other suitable
insulating material having a handle f, and a flexible conductor f, to permit of the
passage of the current or currents from a battery or battries to a switch-board or other
transmitting device B, as shown in fig. 1.
In figs. 5 and 6, is shown another form of the device provided with a vertically
divided male thimble A having lateral strips or ribbons a and a'. This male thimble A,
has a plain upper surface and a tapering lower portion to which is fitted a female
thimble or cup, the diameter of which increases gradually from the bottom to the
top thereof. The female cup b₁, is so connected with the male-thimble A, as to leave
an annular space e, between the two parts for the introduction of mercury or other
material for not only increasing tlie electrical conductivity of the device, but also for

page_text: ensuring the free passage of the current or currents from a series of plates forming
the cells of one battery through the connecting device to a series of plates forming the
cells of another battery or batteries. Between, the cup , and the lateral ribbons or
strips, a and a', of the male thimble is interposed a gasket c', made of rubber or other**
suitable insulating material for insulating the respective parts from each other as well
as avoiding corrosion of the parts of the device. Into the male thimble:A, is
introduced a plug F, having a handle f, of insulating material and a flexible
conductor f, for permitting of the passage of the electric current or currents from a
battery or batteries to a switch-board or a suitable transmitting-device B.
The lateral strips or ribbons of the divided male thimble may be connected to the .
lugs or terminals of the plates forming the cell or cells of one battery with those of
the other battery or batteries, by means of, clamps, but I prefer to burn the lateral
strips or ribbons a and a¹, of the device onto the respective lugs or terminals, because
excellent results are thereby obtained and then from an economical stand-point I prefer
this mode of connection of said strips or ribbons with the lugs or terminals of the
respective plates forming the cell or cells of the electric battery or batteries...
I have described my invention in its application more particularly to secondary or
storage batteries, but it is manifestly obvious that the device can be advantageously
used for connecting or coupling together the cells of primary batteries.
4
On the surface of the parts of the device a coating of nickel or other preferred
conducting material or substance is deposited by electrolysis or otherwise to prevent
the mercury or other suitable material introduced into the annular space e; between
the male thimble A, and a lower cup b¹ from deteriorating or destroying the several
parts of the device by amalgamation, whereby the electrical conductivity of the device
is not only materially enhanced but the free passage of the current or currents through
the device is afforded to the plates or elements of the batteries.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described device for connecting electric batteries, consisting of a
vertically divided male thimble having lateral strips attached to each half thereof, a
female thimble and a cap fitted to the ends of said male thimble and said device
adapted to receive a material for preventing interruption of the current through the
same, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. The herein described device for connecting electric batteries, consisting of a
male thimble having strips attached thereto, a female thimble, gaskets interposed
between the said female thimble and strips and said thimble adapted to receive and
hold mercury or analogous material, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. The herein described device for connecting electric batteries, consisting of a male
thimble having lateral strips and with a female thimble secured thereto and a plug
mounted in said male thimble with a conductor, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
4. The herein described device for connecting electric batteries, consisting of a male
thimble having secured thereto a cup capable of containing mercury or other material,
a gasket interposed between said cup and lateral strips formed integral with said male
thimble and a plug having a flexible conductor, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
5. The herein described device for connecting electric batteries, consisting of a
divided male thimble having a tapering lower portion and lateral strips or ribbons, a
female thimble fitting snugly onto said male thimble and a plug connected with
said male thimble having a flexible conductor, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
6. The herein described device for connecting electric batteries, consisting of a
divided male thimble having a cap and a cup secured thereto and with lateral ribbons
or strips formed integral with said male thimble and said parts coated with a
conducting material, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

page_text: 7. The herein described device for connecting electric batteries, consisting of a
divided male thimble with lateral ribbons or strips, a female thimble fitted thereto and
adapted to contain mercury or other material and said parts coated by electrolysis
with nickel or other material, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
8. The herein described device for connecting electric batteries consisting of a
divided male thimble with strips or ribbons, a female thimble secured thereto, a gasket
interposed between the said strips or ribbons and the female thimble and the parts of
the device coated with a conducting material and a plug with a conductor, substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
9. The combination of two or more batteries each composed of a series of plates or
elements having lugs or terminals connected with a device consisting of a male thimble
provided with lateral strips or ribbons, a cap and a cup secured to the respective ends
of said thimble and adapted to receive a material for preventing the interruption of
the electric current or currents through said device.
10. The combination with two or more batteries of a device consisting of a male
thimble with strips, a cup secured to said thimble and a plug having a flexible
conductor connected with a switch-board or transmitting device, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
11. The combination with two or more batteries of a device having a male thimble
with lateral strips a female thimble, a gasket or gaskets interposed between said strips
and female thimble and said female thimble arranged in connection with said
male thimble to receive and hold mercury or other material and a plug having a
flexible conductor, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated at Philadelphia, Pa., this 11th day of September A.D. 1889.
WALTER FRANCIS SMITH.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.