Patent ID: 8105713

Claim:
An electrode assembly, comprising: a negative electrode plate, a positive electrode plate, and a separator for performing charge and discharge operations, the positive electrode plate and negative electrode plate and separator combined into a prismatic shape having six sides, a top side having at least one terminal connected to one of the positive and negative plates, a bottom side arranged opposite to the top side, and four sides arranged between the top and bottom sides, a first pair of the four sides arranged opposite to each other and a second pair of the four sides also arranged opposite to each other, the width of each of the first pair of sides being wider than the width of each of the second pair of sides the, two wider sides facing each other, the two narrower sides facing each other, and the top and bottom sides facing each other; and separated support tapes attached to the bottom of the electrode assembly to facilitate the electrode assembly being easily inserted into a can, each support tape having a channel shape including a top portion, a bottom portion and two opposite sidewall portions, wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are paralleled with the bottom side of the prismatic shape, wherein the two opposite sidewall portions include a first side end connecting one end of the top portion and one end of the bottom portion and a second side end connecting the other end of the top portion and one end of the bottom portion; wherein the separated support tapes are attached symmetrically about a longitudinal center line of the electrode assembly while being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, the separated support tapes spaced apart so as to not touch each other and the bottom portion of each support tape being parallel to and attached to the bottom side of the electrode assembly and the respective sides of each support tape being attached to respective wider sides of the electrode assembly; and wherein the first side end of each of the separated support tapes is spaced from the longitudinal center line of the electrode assembly by at least 10% of a total width of one of the wider sides of the electrode assembly, and the second side end of each of the separated support tapes is spaced from both said two wider side ends of the electrode assembly by at least 10% of the total width of one of the wider sides of the electrode assembly, wherein the top side of the electrode assembly is not attached by the separated support tapes so that the top side of the electrode assembly is completely exposed.