US398737A - kookogey - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

W. P. KOOKOGEY. MERCURY HOLDER FOR BATTERY ZINUS.

No. 398,737. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

mvfgwom W (P wr o m fin ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES:

NiTE STATES ATENT OFFICE.

\VlLLlAM l. KOOKOGEY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE KOOKOGEY ELECTRIC COMPANY.

MERCURY-HOLDER FOR BATTERY-ZINCS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,737, dated February 26, 1889. Application filed August 13, 1888. Serial No. 282,626. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LWILLIAM P. KOOKOGEY, of the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Attachment for the Zinc Element in Galvanic Batteries, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to methods for the amalgamation of the zinc element of galvanic batteries; and it consists, in general, of placing a ring of rubber in the form of'a cup around the Zinc at or below the surface of the liquid, in which cup a quantity of mercury may lie, and thence spread over the zinc as needed.

Prior methods of amalgamationsuch as by pouring the mercury upon the zinc or dipping the zinc in n1ercuryrequire a great amount of labor in cleaning the zinc, especially at the first amalgamation, are wasteful of mercury, and require the removal of the zinc from the battery in case of reamalgama tion. \Vith my invention the zinc may be placed in the battery wholly unamalgamated, and it not only amalgama-tes quickly and automatically, but keeps itself amalgamated without removal from the battery.

I In the accompanying drawings, in which the same characters indicate the same parts, Figure l. a perspective view, and Fig. a sectional view, of a round zinc element with the attachment.

A is the zinc, and I the cup of soft rubber encircling it. The lower edge, O, of the cup 1-3 should fit tightly around the zinc A, so that the mercury may not fall through mechanically. lYhen the mercury is placed in the cup 13 and the zinc placed in the battery, the liquid of the battery has such an effect upon the surface of the zinc at the point C that the mercury automatically creeps down by capillary attraction between the lower edge, O, and the surface of the zinc, and thence spreads over the entire surface of the ZlllC element. The ring B must be placed so that its lower edge, reaches at 10: t to the surface of the liquid; but the entire ring B may also be placed below the surface of the liquid. In that case the mercury would spread both above and below the ring; butit is preferable to place it near the surface. No cleaning of the zinc is necessary before putting it in the battery. it may be kept continually amalgamated by keeping a small quantity of mercury in the cup 13, the mercury spreading over the surface of the zinc as needed.

The form of the cup is not essential. It need not extend entirely around the Zinc. It is not necessary that it should be entirely of rubber. The essential idea is that the connection between the cup and the Zinc shall be always close enough to keep the mercury from running throughby gravity. An elastic connection allows of this; but if the cup were entirely of rigid material the acid of the battery would soon render the connection loose enough to let the mercury through by gravity. An ordinary fiat circular rubber ring of medium hardness may be used for the cup, for if the opening of the ring is somewhat smaller than the zinc it will assume a cup shape on being pulled over the zinc.

I claim as my invention The combination of the zinc element. of a galvanic battery and a cup partly or wholly of elastic material to hold a small quantity of mercury and attached to the zinc at or below the surface of the bat-tery-liqu id, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this 10th day of August, 1888, in the presence of two witnesses.

\VM. P. KOOKOGEY.

\Yitnesses:

SALTER S. CLARK, Guo. C. BRAINERD.

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