IMPROVE- MENTS IN SECONDARY VOLTAIC BATTERIES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Achilles Khotinsky of N° 28 Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SECONDARY VOLTAIC BATTERIES
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:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Achilles Khotinsky at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th November 1883.
ACHILLES KHOTINSKY of No 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY VOLTAIC BATTERIES"
My invention relates to a construction of secondary voltaic batteries whereby I
greatly simplify their manufacture and use, and increase their efficiency. For this
purpose, I make the battery consist of a number of shallow troughs placed one
above the other, each trough constituting a cell constructed and arranged as follows.
It is made of insulating material, such as glass, ceramic ware, vulcanite, wood or
the like, and it has a low partition of zig-zag form dividing its bottom into two
compartments, the zig-zag branches of the one compartiment being interspaced with
those of the other. In each of these compartments is laid a sheet of lead or of
carbon of corresponding zig-zag form, the sheet in the one compartment being
covered with a layer of spongy lead, and that in the other compartment with a
layer of a compound of lead such as an oxide. The branches of the sheets are
preferably bent into convex form, their middles being raised a little from the
bottom of the trough. Over the sheets is poured the exciting liquid of sufficient
depth to cover the partition, and conductors, one attached to each sheet, form the
electrodes of the cell. Instead of using sheets both of lead or carbon, the negative
may be zinc; or the two compartments may be charged with mercury less deep
than the partition, a solution of ammonium chloride or magnesium sulphate being
used as the exciting liquid. Also the mercury may be used in the one compartment
on one side of the partition, and zinc on the other side; and, generally, elements
and exciting liquids may be employed such as are used in other forms of voltaic
batteries.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Achilles Khotinsky in the Patent Office on the 21st May 1884.
ACHILLES KHOTINSKY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
county of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN SECONDARY VOLTAIC BATTERIES
"
My Invention relates to a construction of secondary voltaic batteries whereby I
greatly simplify their manufacture and use and increase their efficiency. For this
purpose, I construct the battery in the manner shewn in the accompanying
drawings, fig 1 being a vertical section, shewing several cells and fig. 2 a plan of
one of them in the form of a shallow trough, any convenient number of which can
be placed on one another as in fig. 1, where four are shewn superposed. The
trough A is made of insulating material, such as glass, ceramic ware, vulcanite,
wood or the like, and it has a low partition B of zig-zag form dividing its bottom
into two compartments, the zig-zag branches C of the one compartment being
interspaced with the branches D of the other compartiment.
2
In each of the two compartments is laid a sheet E of lead or carbon of
corresponding zig-zag form, the sheet in the one compartment being covered with a
layer of spongy lead and that in the other compartment with a layer of a compound
of lead, such as an oxide. The branches E of the sheets are preferably bent into
convex form, their middles being raised a little from the bottom of the trough.
Over the sheets is poured the exciting liquid F of sufficient depth to cover the
partitions, and conductors G and H, one attached to each sheet, form the electrodes
of the cell. These conductors may be led off parallel from a number of superposed
cells or the cells may be connected as shewn in fig 1. Instead of using sheets of
lead or carbon, one of them, the negative may be of zinc. Or the two compartments
of a cell may be charged with mercury less deep than the partition B, a solution
of ammonium chloride or magnesium sulphate being used as the exciting liquid.
Also mercury may be used in one of the compartments of the cell and zinc in the
other compartiment, and generally elements and exciting liquids may be employed,
such as are used in other forms of voltaic batteries.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim :-
Constructing a cell for secondary voltaic batteries in the form of a shallow
trough divided by a low zig-zag partition into two compartments having branches
interspaced with one another, each compartiment containing a sheet or shallow
layer of one of the elements and both being covered over the partition with
exciting liquid substantially as described.
In Witness whereof, I the said Achilles Khotinsky have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Sixteenth day of May in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight
hundred and eighty-four.