Patent ID: 7474076

Claim:
A secondary battery, comprising: an electrode assembly including a separating plate interposed between an anode plate and a cathode plate; a container receiving the electrode assembly together with an electrolyte, the container being electrically connected to one of the anode plate and the cathode plate; a cap assembly including an electrode terminal and a cap plate, the electrode terminal being electrically connected to an end of the anode plate and the cap plate being electrically connected to an end of the cathode plate, the cap assembly being fixed to an opening of the container to seal the container; and a safety device including a PTC (positive temperature coefficient) element contacting an outer lower surface of the container opposite to the cap assembly without an element interposed therebetween, the PTC element including a pair of aperture regions located at opposite ends of the PTC element; a lower plate mounted to the lower surface of the container and placed at a predetermined distance from the PTC element; a first lead plate positioned within one of the aperture regions of the PTC element and electrically interconnecting the lower plate and the PTC element; and a second lead plate positioned within the other one of the aperture regions of the PTC element and mounted between the PTC element and the electrode terminal of the cap assembly to electrically interconnect the PTC element and the electrode terminal of the cap assembly.