IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC BATTERIES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC BATTERIES". to be as follows:-
This invention relates to electric batteries.
The said invention consists in a battery-carbon and a reservoir or liquid-holder
arranged at the upper portion of said carbon and communicating with the pores or
interstices of the carbon so that liquid will be supplied from it to the carbon and
will percolate thence towards liquid in the cell of the battery. Preferably a cock
will be employed between the reservoir or liquid-holder and the carbon to control
the flow of liquid to the carbon.
The reservoir or liquid holder will preferably be made separate from the carbon
element and then it will be advantageously attached by some substance which will
adhere to both parts. A very good way is to provide the reservoir or liquid-holder
with a neck, and the carbon element with a cavity suitable for receiving the neck
and then to pack the space between the exterior of the neck and the interior of the
carbon.

page_text: improvements in Electric Batteries.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co, Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature'
of invention for and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to electric batteries and comprises a battery carbon and a
reservoir or liquid holder arranged at the upper portion of said carbon and com-
municating with the pores or interstices of the carbon so that liquid will be
supplied from it to the carbon and will percolate thence towards liquid in the cell
of the battery.
Preferably a cock is employed between the reservoir or liquid to control the flow
of the liquid to the carbon holder and the carbon.
The reservoir or liquid holder is preferably made separate from the carbon
element and then it is advantageously attached by some substance which will
adhere to both parts. A very good way is to provide the reservoir or liquid holder
with a neck, and the carbon element with a cavity suitable for receiving the neck
and then to pack the space between the exterior of the neck and the interior of the
carbon.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a battery
embodying our improvement; and Figure 2 is a top view, the upper part of a
reservoir or liquid holder which is comprised in the battery being cut away on the
line x Figure 1. Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in
both figures.
A designates a cell of glass or the like. B designates a round body of carbon
which forms the negative element of the battery and in the present instance is
made in the form of a cylinder and has a hole C in the center of its upper,
portion.
Fastened to the carbon B is a reservoir or liquid holder D which may be made
of glass and has a cock F whereby the flow of liquid from the reservoir or liquid
holder to the carbon B may be controlled. The reservoir or liquid holder D bas a
hole at the top through which it may be filled. This hole is preferably provided
with a stopper. G designates an electric conductor which may be made of metal
and leads from the carbon B.
I find that the best way to attach the conductor to the carbon is to make a
cavity in the carbon and to cast therein type metal, preferably mixed with an
additional quantity of antimony or bismuth, so as to make it expand in cooling.
While this is still in the liquid state the clamp of the conductor is plunged into it
and held in position until the metal cools and hardens around it.

page_text: E designates a plate of zinc, shown as bent into circular form. It forms the
positive element of the battery. H designates an electric conductor which is
attached in any well known way to the zinc E.
The solution I surrounds the carbon and zinc, and is preferably, but not
necessarily chloride of sodium dissolved in water.
The reservoir or liquid holder D is preferably filled with nitric acid and the
cock F opened or partly opened to admit the acid to the interior of the carbon B.
When this is done and the acid and the saline solution have met, the chloride of
sodium will be decomposed and the zinc will unite with the chlorine thus
liberated.
-
My carbon is best made in the form of a round body with the opening for the
reception of acid at the center of the carbon, for then there is the same or about
the same distance from the opening in every direction for the acid to travel before
it arrives at the exterior surface of the carbon and this is advantageous. The
harder the carbon the thinner may be the walls through which the acid has to pass.
This must be adjusted for each situation in which the battery is to be used. If an
open circuit battery is to be made a comparatively thick walled and hard or dense
carbon should be used, but, if steady closed circuit work is required of the battery
then the walls of the carbon as to thickness and density must be adjusted so as to
admit the right quantity of acid to filter through to do the work required. No
rule can be given for this detail.
I prefer to attach the reservoir or liquid holder D to the carbon in the following
manner. An annular hole is made in the carbon and a washer of rubber or other
suitable material a is dropped to the bottom of this hole or surrounds the bottom
of the neck of the reservoir. The interior diameter of this Deck d is made
somewhat larger than the exterior diameter of the portion b of the carbon; and the
exterior diameter of the neck of the vessel is made somewhat smaller than the
greatest diameter of the annular hole in the carbon. The annular passage thus
left between the portion of the carbon and the interior of the neck serves as a
channel for the acid to flow downwards, while around the exterior of the neck
and the outer walls of the hole I cast paraffine as shown at c. Thus by means of
the washer a and the paraffine c I an enabled to keep the acid from flowing up
around the outside of the neck; it also makes the reservoir containing the acid fast
in the annular opening in the carbon.
The cock F can be replaced by substituting for it a suitable opening in the
lower end of the reservoir or liquid holder.
I am well aware that it is very old to use a cell in which there was a zinc
positive element and a hollow carbon forming the negative element, but the carbon
has never to our knowledge, prior to our invention, had combined with it, a
reservoir or liquid holder made of impervious material, from which liquid cannot
pass out except through that part of the carbon which is intended to be immersed
in liquid contained in the cell of the battery.
I believe it to be new to feed liquid gradually from a reservoir or holder made
of impervious material, and arranged above the level of liquid located outside the
carbon in the cell into the carbon, and to prevent its escape from the carbon except
through the pores of the carbon. I therefore believe this, broadly considered to
constitute our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. A battery carbon and a reservoir or liquid-holder arranged at the upper
portion of said carbon and communicating with the pores or interstices of the
carbon.
Second. A battery element of carbon, an attached reservoir or liquid holder, and
a controlling cock between the reservoir or liquid holder and the carbon, to regulate
and contral the sunnlm að Auid from the soon to the rashon

page_text: Third. A battery element consisting of a carbon and an attached elevated
reservoir united by a substance which adheres to both:
Fourth. A battery element consisting of a carbon and an attached reservoir
united by inserting the neck of the reservoir into a hole in the carbon, and then
formning the union by packing the space between the exterior of the neck and the
interior of the carbon hole.