Patent ID: 7794877

Claim:
A bi-polar battery comprising: a positive mono-polar unit having a positive active material on a positive terminal electrode layer; a negative mono-polar unit having a negative active material on a negative terminal electrode layer; at least one bi-polar unit arranged substantially vertically in a stack between said positive mono-polar unit and said negative mono-polar unit, each bi-polar unit comprising: a bi-polar electrode layer having two sides, a positive active material on a first side of the bi-polar electrode layer, wherein the positive active material of a respective polar unit opposes the negative active material of an adjacent polar unit, and a negative active material on a second side of the bi-polar electrode layer, wherein the negative active material of a respective polar unit opposes the positive active material of an adjacent polar unit; an electrolyte layer comprising an electrolyte material positioned between each of said substantially vertically adjacent polar units, wherein the electrolyte layer further comprises a barrier material that electrically isolates the electrode layers of adjacent polar units between which the electrolyte layer is positioned; and a sealing ring positioned substantially around each electrolyte layer, wherein said sealing ring is configured to align each of said adjacent polar units, wherein the polar units, the electrolyte layers, and the sealing rings are arranged in a stacked structure in which the positive mono-polar unit is positioned on one end of the structure and the negative mono-polar unit is positioned on the opposite end of the structure, and wherein a clamping force is exerted on the stacked structure to cause the sealing rings to be positioned substantially around the electrolyte layers, the positive active material of at least one polar unit, and the negative active material of an adjacent polar unit, thereby sealing the electrolyte layer.