Improvements in the Construction of Plates for Secondary Batteries.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Plates for Secondary
Batteries.
JAMES PITKIN of 56 Red Lion Street, Clerkenwell, London, Philosophical
Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of the present invention is to facilitate and improve the construction
of secondary battery plates, of the type in respect of which Letters Patent were
granted to Captn. Holden and myself, dated 20th March 1890, No. 4384.
These plates consist of a number of horizontally placed troughs of metallic
lead, containing active material, arranged one over the other, with narrow spaces
between them.
Hitherto the troughs have been connected together to form a plate in the
following manner :-
The troughs having been duly filled and arranged in position with spacing pieces
between them, they have been gripped in a mould, while lead bars have been cast on
their end, so as to form with the troughs a frame or grid, from which the spacing
pieces above mentioned are afterwards knocked out.
According to the present invention, the building of the troughs into a battery
plate is facilitated by making the troughs with solid ends, provided underneath
with steps, which act the part of spacing pieces for the troughs.
The troughs having been arranged in position, are clamped together, so that the
solid ends are in contact one over the other, while the hollow portions of the
troughs which contain the active material, are spaced as in a finished plate.
The ends of the troughs are now fused by a blow-pipe flame, or other means, so
that they are melted together to form bars extending from top to bottom of the
plate on either edge thereof.
This method of building up or constructing the plate, has the merit of
simplicity, and is cheaper than the plan formerly adopted; furthermore, the plate
so made is also lighter, an advantage when the batteries are used on road
vehicles.
The steps or spacing pieces, which are readily made when the troughs are cast,
render unnecessary the employment of the detachable spacing picces, which were
sometimes very difficult to remove, after casting on the bars, in the manner before
mentioned.
Dated this 4th day of July 1892
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Plates for Secondary
Batteries.
I JAMES PITKIN of 56 Red Lion Street, Clerkenwell, London, Philosophical
Instrument Maker, 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 :-
The object of the present invention is to facilitate and improve the construction
of secondary battery plates, of the type in respect of which Letters Patent were

page_text: granted to Captn. Holden and myself, dated 20th March 1890, No. 4384, and as
described in the Specification of the said Patent.
Those plates consist of a number of horizontally placed troughs of metallic
lead, containing active material supported in side supports, and arranged one over
the other, with narrow spaces between them.
The troughs have according to the Patent above referred to been connected
together to form a plate in the following manner :-
The troughs having been duly filled and arranged in position with spacing pieces
between them, they have been gripped in a mould, while lead bars have been cast
on their ends, so as to form with the troughs a frame or grid, from which the
spacing pieces above mentioned are afterwards knocked out.
According to the present invention, the building of the troughs into a battery
plate is facilitated by making the troughs with solid ends, provided underneath
with steps or spacing blocks, which act the part of spacing pieces for the troughs.
The troughs in which the active material is previously placed, are arranged in
position in a suitable holding frame, and are there held by a clamping device of
ordinary construction, so that the solid ends of the troughs are in contact one over
the other, while the hollow portions are spaced, as in a finished plate.
The ends of the troughs, while held by the clamping device, are fused by a
blow pipe flame, or other means, so that they are melted together to form bars,
or side supports, extending from top to bottom of the plate, on either edge
thereof.
When the fusing process is completed, the fused ends of the troughs form side
supports, and the spaced troughs are firmly connected together, forming a complete
plate, which is then removed from the holding frame by releasing its clamps, and
the plate is ready for use.
In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated a secondary battery plate
constructed in accordance with the present invention, and also a form of clamping
device which I find convenient for the purposes of construction.
Figs. 1 shew a few of the troughs in plan, side view, and cross section, from
which the plate is built up.
Fig. 2 illustrates the clamping device in side view, with the cover removed, to
expose the troughs arranged therein.
Fig. 3 shews the clamp in side view, with the cover in place.
Fig. 4 is an edge view of the clamp, with the plate therein.
A, A, are the troughs, made of cast metallic lead. The ends are solid, with
steps or spacing blocks a projecting on the underside, so that when the troughs are
arranged one over the other, the steps a of one trough rest upon the solid portion
of the ends of the trough beneath (see side view Fig. 1), leaving an empty space
between the troughs for the greater part of their length.
The clamping device which I have illustrated as being suitable for holding the
troughs A, while being fused together at their ends, consists of two plates of
metal B, B, one of which, B, carries a fixed abutment and a movable piece b',
between which pieces the troughs A are clamped by screwing down the thumb
screws ce upon the movable piece b¹. d is a side plate attached by screws to
either side of the bed plate B, to act as a guide to the ends of the troughs A, and
enable them to be arranged flush, that is to say, in a straight line, before being
fused.
The troughs which are to be made into a battery plate, are first filled with
active material, and are then laid upon the plate B, as shewn in Fig. 2, and the
ends on one side are arranged evenly against the plate d. The troughs are then
pressed together by the action of the screws of the clamping device above
mentioned, and the covering plate B' is placed upon the bed plate B, pins and
pin-holes being furnished to indicate the proper position. The exposed ends of
the troughs are now submitted to the action of a blow pipe flame, or other means
of heating, which melts the ends of the troughs, and fuses them solidly
together.

page_text: Having finished one side of the battery plate, the guide plate d is changed over,
so as to expose the ends on the other side, which are fused in a similar manner.
The Figure 2 shews a plate, one side of which, vic., that next the plate d, has been
already fused.
This method of building up or constructing the plate, has the merit of
simplicity; furthermore, the plate so made is cheaper and lighter than a plate
made as formerly, lightness being a great advantage when the batteries are used
on road vehicles.
The steps or spacing blocks or pieces a, which are readily made when the
troughs are cast, render unnecessary the employment of the detachable spacing
pieces, such as those described in former Specification above mentioned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The improved secondary battery plates constructed as herein before described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. The method of constructing secondary battery plates such as are herein before
referred to, substantially as described and illustrated in the annexed drawings.
Dated this 16th day of August 1893.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.