US1456565A - Storage-battery container - Google Patents

Description

May 29, 31.923.

R, B. OWEN STORAGE. BATTERY CONTAINER Filed Feb. 2. 1921 I N VEN TOR.

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RICHARD B.

TNT Figli,

OWEN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT F COLUMBIA.

STORAGE-BATTERY CONTAINER.

Application led February a, 1921. Serial No. @41,836.

To all whom t may concer/n:

Be it known that RICHARD B. OWEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at 1718 Lanier Place, in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Storage- Battery Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in storage battery containers and has for its object to provide a one piece container which is made from a certain material capable of being molded very accurately, perhaps to a thousandth ofan inch, the said container having integral partitions therein to form holders or jars for a. plurality of cells, thereby eliminating the present necessity of providing wooden boxes, or other auxiliary outer cases, designed to enclose, bind together and protect ordinary separate cell jars which constitute a. storage battery of the usual type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. container of the above mentioned character having its adjuncts or attributes formed or molded into a one piece structure all of which contribute to the production of a mechanically and chemically strong structure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

l have shown in the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of my invention, which is at present preferred, but it is to be understood that I do not desire to limit myself to the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts herein shown, p

and that I may resort to various changes in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the invention to be used as herein described and set forth in the present claims.

In the drawings, forming a part of this application and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views,

Figure l is a top plan of the present customary asmbly of a three cell storage bat-- tary including separate jars and wooden case.

Figure container 2 is a top plan of, my improved for a battery of the same size and type as that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sec-tion taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view fied form of the invent-ion, and

Figure 5 is a section of a container wall illustrating a detail.

lt is well known in the art, that jars forming containers for cells are at the present time being constructed from sheets of hard rubber and in some instances are molded from hard rubber; but both types of jars possess features, the elimination or correction of which will be a step forward in the art of storage battery manufacture. lt is the practice to provide a separate jar for each cell or assembly of battery plates, and to position all the jars comprising a battery in a wooden or auxiliary outer case in order to retain the jars together, prevent warping or distortion thereof, to protect the same, and to facilitate handling thereof, It is my object to provide a one-piece container which will eliminate the use of the usual auxiliary outer case, and which will through the instrumentality ofy the partitions thereof a modiin forming an integral part of the structure,

divide the same into a. plurality of separate and distinct compartments or cell jars.

Attempts have heretofore been made to construct integral battery containers divided into cell jars by partitions themselves forming` an integral part of the whole container, but such efforts have resulted in failure up to the present time, except in the case of very small containers-and then only when cost of manufacture has been proven a very secondary consideration. lt is aparent that rubber compositions, or layers of sheet rubber and fabric, such as are used successfully in the manufacture of individual battery jars at a commercially practical cost, cannot be used in the construction of a container where all walls, partitions and the bottom are in one piece. To use a, practically pure rubber would not only render t-he cost of such a structure prohibitive in any but the Very smallest sizes, but this material is also impractical because of its tendency to brittleness and inclination, to crack under strains to which automobile types of batteries are constantly subjected. Various compositions of vulcanized fibers, etc., have been tried. Some of these have been of a nature that could be Successfully worked into the desired construction but even elementary tests have proven them uns'uited to the purpose because of their y1nability to withstand the corrosive action of sulphuric acid.

To be adapted for use in the construction of a container such as is hereinafter describedy a material must ybe capable of being molded to exact dimensions, must be strong and reasonably rigid even in comparatively thin sheets, must not warp under conditions ordinarily met in storage battery practice, must be acid proof, and capable of being worked by known processes into the desired structure at a commercially practical cost.

After protracted experimenting and research I have found that a material marketed under the name Paramold meets all of these conditions. It is not affected by acid, it is structurally strong and yet possesses a certain amount of iiexibility, and can be very accurately molded by processes which have been developed.

Paramold 'is in the nature of a synthetic rubber, but possessing al tensile strength and shock resistance far superior lto that of rubber processed in any known manner. The applicant has discovered that this material resists the acids used in storage battery containers vin a manner superior to that of any other material adaptable to otherwise be used for such. The mere vulcanizing of sulfureted rubber, which seems the best known method of giving the maximum tensile strength thereto, does not give the rubber qualities that enable its use as a complete container for the storage batteries of motor vehicles. The added elements of this syntheticy material, however, render it practicable for such. This material was developed for an entirely different purpose than that for which I use it land, so far as I am aware, no one discovered that it would rcsist the acids ofstorage battery containers and otherwise lend itself ideally to the container which I have evolved therefrom.

In Figure 1, the resent type of storage battery assembly is i lustrated having a plurality of separate cell jars 5 positioned in a wooden case 6 whereby they are bound together and rotected from breakage. The usual metal ales or handles 7 are fastened to opposite ends of the case for convenience ii transporting the battery from place to ace.

p The remaining figures in the drawing disclose my improved battery` container indicated in its entirety by the numeral 8. This container `and its adjuncts or attributes are all formed into a one-piece body and is molded from a material such as the before mentioned Paran'iold This material has been found to possess the valuable characteristie of being capable of being molded exceedingly accurately, in fact down to a very production. By using a container constructed from this material in accordance with the following description, the ordina wooden or other auxiliary case may be wel dispensed with.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the container is illustrated as provided with cell jars of theusual rectangular shape. It is molded with a relatively thick bottom, side walls 9 and end wallsl 10 all in a one piece body or container. The container is also molded with spaced transverse vertical partitions 1l which extend from the top to the bottom, dividing it into a plurality of compartments, one for each cell of the battery. As these partitions are molded with the container they are integrally connected to the bot-tom and sides 9 thereof, as best seen in Figure 4. The bottom, sides, and ends of the container, as clearly seen, are much thicker than the partitions ll, the latter being of suilicient strength and possessed of the necessary characteristics to resist the action of the electrolyte and the jolts incidental to the ordinary use of such batteries.

Upon the bottom of the'separate cell compartments, a plurality of ribs I12 are formed integral therewith, they being molded with the one-piece container. These ribs 12 extend transversely across the same tojoin opposite sides of the compartment. A plurality of ribs are provided in eachcompartment for the purpose of supporting the battery plates, not shown. In the present instance, three ribs are provided for the two end compartments and two for the intermediate one. In other words the compartments having the larger and smaller number of ribs alternate, first a compartment with a large number of ribs and next to it a compartment having a less number of ribs. It will be noted that ribs of the compartments are arrangedin staggered relation to one another inv'order to further strengthen the partitions l1, the ribs of one compartment being joined 'to one side of a partition between the ribs of the adjoining compartment 4which are formed on the opposite side.

transverse aperture 14 is made entirely through each extension for the insertion of ones fingers; or as seen fin Figure-5, merely a recess 15 may be provided in the outer face of each extension 13. This recess is formed with an undercut portion 16 in the relative upper part thereof to provide a bridging portion 17 for a convenient finger grip.

In event it is desired to use metal handles or bales 18 as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the same may be constructed of arched configuration and the free ends 19 thereof are molded into the top edges of the ends 10 of the container so that the arched portions of the handles extend above the same. The extremities of these free ends may be angularly disposed to extend toward each other so that they are securely embedded in the container ends and will not pull out in use.

Batteries used for the purpose of starting, lighting and igniting automobiles are usually of certain voltages and ampere-hour capacities which have become more or less standardized. For example, some cars are equipped with batteries of 6 volt, 60 amperehour types; others with those of 6 volt, 80 ampere-hour capacity; still others with 12 volt, 40 ampere-hour batteries, and so on. The battery boxes or receptacles built into cars are proportioned so as to snugly receive the size and type of battery used in that particular make of automobile. A battery of larger dimensions usually will not fitone of smaller size may not possess sufficient ampere-hour capacity and would be apt to be jolted and knocked around within the box or receptacle, thus becoming greatly damaged and rendering most unsatisfactory service. It is important, therefore, in replacing an automobile battery, to substitute one not only of the same volta e and amperage as the old one but also one o the same dimensions.

A. battery assembled in a container constructed of Paramold in accordance with the foregoing description lends itself admirably to these conditions. The partitions 11 can be made of a thickness corresponding to the combined thickness of the walls of two adjoinin jars 5 as illustrated in Figure 1.

The wal s 9 and 10 of the container 8 can be of a thickness corresponding to that of the separate wooden case 6 plus the thickness of the adjoining wall of a jar 5. Hence the outside dimensions of the assembly illustrated in Figure 2 will be the same as those of the resent used assembly shown in Figure 1.

.he same is true of the inside dimensions of the cell jars, and, consequently, standard sized plates and other parts can be assembled in my new container with the same facility as in the old.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a multi-cell one piece container has been provided which possesses all of the essential requisites of an efficient storage battery case, and that many of the indispensable adjuncts of a battery of this type including handles, plate supporting ribs, etc., can be provided simultaneously in the molding process of the container proper, thereby greatly decreasing the cost of production and at the same time not only greatly increasing the strength of the adjuncts, but also of the container itself. The immunity of the container molded from the material used against sulphuric acid attacks adds to the desirability as they will not warp or crack as stated before. Furthermore, the fact that the container is light and entirely dispenses with the necessity of an auxiliary wooden case, adds to its practicability in ever use. The use of separate rubber jars o relatively weak structure is also eliminated.

Havin thus fully described my invention what I c aim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A container for batteries for motor vehicles comprising a unitary structure partitioned into cells and bridged at the bottom of the cells, the ridges engaging opposite sides of the walls of the partitions in staggered relation.

2. A container for storage batteries molded from a material commercially known as paramold.

3. A container for storage batteries comprising a unitary molded partitioned structure with ridges joining the partitions, the ridges relatively staggered on opposite sides of the partitions.

In testimony whereof, l aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD B. OWEN.

Witnesses:

E. E. UWEN, Amen C. Sama.

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