IMPROVE- MENTS IN ACCUMULATORS OR SECONDARY BATTERIES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Alfred Barlow of 6 St Pauls Churchyard in the
"
City of London Patent Agent and Engineer for an Invention of " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ACCUMULATORS OR SECONDARY BATTERIES Communicated to me
from abroad by Messieurs L. Encausse and Canésie of Paris France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Alfred Barlow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th September 1882.
WALTER ALFRED BARLOW of 6 St Paul's Churchyard in the City of London
Patent Agent and Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN ACCUMULATORS OR SECONDARY
BATTERIES A communication to me from abroad by Messieurs L. Encausse and
Canésie of Paris France;
"
This Invention relates to certain improvements in accumulators or secondary
batteries.
It is well known that many forces which could be utilized through the medium
of accumulators are lost.
Several secondary batteries or accumulators have lately been invented by
MM Planté, Faure and others but these have great inconveniences as follows:-
their weight is excessive, they are very expensive and their transport is almost
impossible on account of the liquid which they contain and also the loss in electricity
which they sustain is very great.
This invention consists in an improved accumulator which does not contain any
liquid and which may be constructed at a trifling cost and gives out all the electricity
which has been accumulated in it and it is called a dry accumulator on account of
it not containing any liquid.
It is constructed as follows:-A certain number of pipes or metallic sheets are
placed in a convenient receptacle all these pipes or metal sheets are in communi-
cation by means of two metal plates which serve to make them fixed, and a plate
of india rubber or of any other insulating substance separates this first system from
a second one constructed in quite the same manner.
One pipe of each of these two systems is in communication with a terminal
When the apparatus so constructed is put in place in its receptacle the latter is

page_text: filled up with any kind of salt, viz: Chloruret of sodium, chloruret of calcium,
sulphides and so forth, but the chloruret of sodium is preferable on account of its
cheapness and some special and convenient qualities. It is important the salt be
damp to a certain extent this may be done if necessary by means of one or two
cloths placed at the top of the said apparatus which is then complete.
The electricity enters through the two terminals. Any kind of generators of
electricity may be employed.
When the apparatus is charged with electricity the latter may be used when and
in the way required.
Some of the apparatuses may be arranged for intensity or for quantity according
to the use to which they are to be employed.
One can make use of any kind of receptacle for containing the accumulator in
case of need a hole to receive the apparatus may be made in the ground but the
characteristic of this invention is that the said accumulator may be employed with
any source of electricity either if the current is continuous or alternately reversed.
In any case the electricity will be stored in the accumulator which will always give
a direct or continuous current. On account of the speciality of always giving a
continuous current this apparatus besides being an accumulator presents another
advantage: it may be used for regulating or correcting the currents, that is to say
it may transform a machine which produces an irregular and alternative current
into one which will produce a continuous current. This is a very important result
for industry
The metallic part of this accumulator is generally made of lead but any metal
resisting the action of salts to a certain extent may be employed

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Walter Alfred Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th March 1883.
WALTER ALFRED BARLOW of 6 St. Pauls Churchyard in the City of London
Patent Agent and Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN ACCUMULATORS OR SECONDARY
BATTERIES a communication to me from abroad by Messieurs Encausse and
Canésie of Paris, France
"
This Invention relates to certain improvements in accumulators or secondary
batteries
2
It is well known that many electrical forces which could be utilized through the'
medium of accumulators are lost.
Several secondary batteries or accumulators have lately been invented as for
instance those by Messieurs Planté Faure and others but these present great incon-'
veniences which may be enumerated as follows:-Their weight is excessive; they
are very expensive and their transport almost impossible on account of the liquid
which they contain and also the loss in electricity which they sustain is very
great.
The invention consists in an improved accumulator which does not contain any
liquid and which may be constructed at a trifling cost and gives out all the
electricity which has been accumulated in it and it is called a dry accumulator on
account of it not containing any liquid.
This improved accumulator is constructed as follows:-A certain number of
tubes or metallic sheets are placed parallelly in a convenient receptacle all these
tubes or metal sheets are in communication by means of two metal plates which
serves to fix them in place and a plate of india rubber or of any other insulating
substance separates this first system from a second one constructed in the same
manner
One of the tubes of each of these two systems is in communication with a
terminal.
Whn the apparatus so constructed is put in place in its receptacle the latter is
filled up with any kind of salt viz:-Chloride of sodium, chloride of calcium,
sulphates and so forth but the chloride of sodium is preferable on account of its
cheapness and some special convenient qualities. It is important that the salt
be damp to a certain extent, this may be done if necessary by means of one or two
cloths placed at the top of the said apparatus which is then complete.
The electricity enters through the two terminals. Any kind of generator of
electricity may be employed.
When the apparatus is charged with electricity the latter may be used when and
in the way required.
Some of the apparatus may be arranged for "intensity” or for "quantity"
according to the use to which they are to be employed.
Use can be made of any kind of receptacle for containing the accumulator, for
example in case of need a hole to receive the apparatus may be made in the ground
but the characteristic of this invention is that the said accumulator may be
employed with any source of electricity either if the current is continuous or
alternately reversed. In any case the electricity will be stored in the accumulators
and the accumulators will always give a direct or continuous current.
On account of the speciality of always giving a continuous current this apparatus
besides being an accumulator presents another advantage, it may be used for
regulating or correcting currents, that is to say:-it may transform the currents of

page_text: a machine which produces an irregular and alternate current into a continuous
current which is of very great importance to industry.
The metallic part of this accumulator is generally made of lead but any metal
resisting the action of salts to a certain extent may be employed.
Having now described the nature and particulars of the said invention
I claim:-
Firstly. In an accumulator or secondary battery the system of tubes or metallic
sheets arranged in two parts separated from each other by an insulating body and
surrounded on all sides with a salt and more particularly sea salt or chloride of
sodium the whole connected and in communication with terminals thus forming a
dry accumulator as herein described.
Secondly. In an accumulator or secondary battery the system of tubes or
metallic sheets arranged in two parts separated from each other by an insulating
body and surrounded on all sides with a salt more particularly sea salt or
chloride of sodium the whole connected and in communication with terminals for
the purpose of transforming alternate and irregular currents to continuous ones
constructed and operating as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Thirdly. The combination of this improved apparatus with any source of or
generator of alternate or irregular currents of electricity to transform them into
continuous currents as herein set forth
Fourthly. In accumulators or secondary batteries as herein set forth the metal
plates embedded in a salt whether the same be provided or not with cloths or sheets
for moistening the salt employed as and for the purpose set forth.
In Witness whereof I the said Walter Alfred Barlow have hereunto set my
hand and seal this seventh day of March in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
WALTER A. BARLOW (L.S.)