Improvements in Secondary Batteries and Plates or Elements therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 10th Nov., 189C-Accepted, 10th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Secondary Batteries and Plates or Elements
therefor.
A communication from abroad by THE GIBSON ELECTRIC COMPANY OF EUROPE,
Paris, France.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for object a secondary battery that shall be better and more
durable than secondary batteries such as heretofore usually employed, and relates to
an improved plate or element, and to means of connecting the said plates or elements
to form a secondary battery or accumulator.
A secondary battery plate, according to this invention, has a raised border or rim,
the base of the said plate being pierced with holes or perforations. The plate may be
made of rolled lead, or it may, if desired, be cast in a mould, the base being pierced
by perforations that may be inclined to the surface of the plate. It is advantageous
that the holes, whether mechanically pierced or cast, should be so made that the tool
used in producing the perforations raises a lip at the upper side, and a projection or
opening on the lower surface of the plate. These plates, which from their form may
be called " saucer plates," are filled with the active material, or material designed to
become active, and the said material entering and filling the above-mentioned per-
forations becomes firmly united with the plate. Several such plates are arranged
horizontally, alternately positive and negative, to form a cell. The horizontal position
of the plates prevents the active material from falling out, and so making a short
circuit between the plates and destroying the battery.
The plates have, in the centre of each side, a hollow space, in order to allow the
electrodes from the different plates to pass to the top; the hollow space economises
room and allows of the containing vessel being about the same size as the united
plates.
The terminals, constituting each set thus brought to the top of the cell, are united
into one piece by fusion or "lead soldering" and connected by ordinary means to one
terminal of the adjoining cell.
Besides the inclined holes, or perforations, and the "loops" mentioned above, other
holes are pierced directly through the plates to allow the passage of rods of hard
rubber or other non-conducting substance; these rods serve to hold the plates rigidly
in place, and to insulate them from one another. Over these rods and between the.
separate plates, there are placed washers of hard rubber, or other insulating material,
and there is left in the active material a hole, larger than the rods and the same size
as the washers mentioned above. This is to allow the washers to rest directly on the
supporting lead plate and not upon the surface of the yielding active material. Across
the top and bottom of each plate are arranged strips of insulating material, furnished
with perforations through which the rods pass.
At the top and bottom, the rods are furnished with screws cut upon them, and with
nuts; the nuts are screwed down upon the strips of insulating material, and, in this
way, the whole of the plates are bound firmly and surely together.
Data: 7h
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Secondary Batteries and Plates or Elements
therefor.
A communication from abroad by THE GIBSON ELECTRIC COMPANY OF EUROPE,
Paris, France.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent. Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool, & 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both in the
County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 the plates or elements of secondary batteries or accumu-
lators, and to means for connecting the said plates or elements to form a battery,
the object being to produce a secondary battery that shall be better and more durable
than those hitherto usually employed.
The invention may be described as follows, reference being had to the accompanying
drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a series of plates as arranged for a cell.
Figure 2 is a plan of one of the plates.
Each plate A has a raised border or rim a, the base of the plate being pierced with
holes or perforations a¹. The plate may be made of rolled lead, or it may, if desired,
be cast in a mould, the base being pierced by perforations a' aforesaid, which may be
inclined as shown to the surface of the plate. It is advantageous that the holes,
whether mechanically pierced or cast, should be so made that the tool used in pro-
ducing the perforations raises a lip at the upper side, and a projection or opening on
the lower surface of the plate. These plates, which from their form may be called
saucer plates are filled with the active material B, or material designed to become
active, and the said material, entering and filling the above-mentioned perforations,
becomes firmly united with the plate. Several such plates are arranged horizontally,
as seen in Figure 1, alternately positive and negative, to form a cell or battery.
The horizontal position of the plates prevents the active material from falling out, and
so making a short circuit between the plates and destroying the battery.
66
?
The plates have, in the centre of each side, a hollow space or recess A¹, in order to
allow the electrodes C from the different plates to pass to the top; the hollow space
economises room and allows of the containing vessel being about the same size as the
united plates.
The terminals, constituting each set of electrodes thus brought to the top of the
cell, are united into one piece by fusion or "lead soldering" and connected by ordinary
means to one terminal of the adjoining cell.
Besides the inclined holes, or perforations, a', mentioned above, other holes are
pierced directly through the plates to allow the passage of rods D of hard rubber or
other non-conducting substance; these rods serve to hold the plates rigidly in place,
and to insulate them from one another. Over these rods and between the separate
plates, there are placed washers D' of hard rubber, or other insulating material, and
there is left in the active material a hole E, larger than the rods and the same size as
or rather longer than the washers mentioned above. This is to allow the washers to
rest directly on the supporting, lead plate and not upon the surface of the yielding
active material. Across the top and bottom plates are arranged strips E' of insulating
material, furnished with perforations through which the rods D pass.
At the top and bottom of the cell the rods are furnished with screws cut upon
them, and with nuts d; the nuts are screwed down upon the strips E' of insulating
material, and, in this way, the whole of the plates are bound firmly and surely
together.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A storage-battery, having in combination, a series of superposed plates each
furnished with active material, rods passing successively through said plates, washers
on the rods interposed between the plates and bearing against the rigid bodies thereof,
and means for drawing the plates and washers firmly together upon the rods,
substantially as described.
2. In a storage-battery a series of superposed plates each furnished with active
material and each having one or more recesses at its sides adapted to permit the
electrodes of the plates below it to pass upwards, whereby the size of the containing
vessel of the battery may be reduced to approximately the same size as the plates.
3. A battery plate consisting of a sheet of metal having perforations, raised rim
and recesses at the side, substantially as described and shown on the accompanying
drawings, and for the purposes specified.
.
Dated this 8th day of November 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.