Patent ID: 7014666

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a rechargeable battery, comprising the steps of: interposing a separator between a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate to form a multilayer electrode structure, said positive electrode plate and said negative electrode plate including uncoated end portions; winding said multilayer electrode structure in spiral fashion to form an electrode plate group having a spiral configuration, said positive electrode plate, said negative electrode plate and said separator being positioned relative one another prior to the winding of said multilayer structure such that after being wound the uncoated end portions of said positive electrode plate and said negative electrode plate extend respectively from opposite ends of the electrode plate group thereby defining uncoated projected portions: providing a current collecting plate having a circular shape and a plurality of ribs extending radially with respect to a center of the circular shape, the ribs projecting from a base plane surface of the collecting plate, the ribs having opposing side regions extending from the base plane surface at an inclination with respect to the base plane, the ribs having flat regions interconnecting the opposing side regions and displaced apart from the base plane surface of the current collecting plate by the opposing side regions; contacting at least one of the opposite ends of the electrode plate group with the current collecting plate such that the circular shape covers an overall area of the spiral configuration of the one of the opposite ends of the electrode plate group; pressing the current collecting plate onto the electrode plate group such that the uncoated projection portions are deformed into flattened areas in contact area portions whereat the current collecting plate contacts the uncoated projection portions, the ribs are pressed into the uncoated projected portions in the contact area portions, the uncoated projected portions are deformed into flattened areas by the flat regions of the ribs, and the flattened areas extend generally orthogonal to the winding axis.