Patent ID: 7976588

Claim:
A method for preparing a storage battery comprising: expanding a metal sheet to form an expand grid comprising grid wires, a collector frame portion, and a lower frame portion, said grid wires being connected between said collector frame portion and the lower frame portion, said grid wires comprising node portions and portions extending between the node portions that are connected to one another in a net shape via the node portions; forming an electrode plate comprising said expand grid, wherein no frame portion is provided between the collector frame portion and the lower frame portion; and integrating said electrode plate in said storage battery; wherein said grid wires comprise a first row of grid wires which is nearest to said collector frame portion, a second row of grid wires which is nearest to said lower frame portion and intermediate rows of grid wires between said first row and said second row, wherein for said first row and said second row of grid wires the grid wire portions between the node portions are of greater widths than the grid wire portions between the node portions of at least one of said intermediate rows.