Patents Examined by Charles F. LeFevour
  • Patent number: 4612265
    Abstract: Solutions containing lithium perchlorate and a tetraalkylammonium perchlorate dissolved in liquid sulfur dioxide can be stabilized by the addition of a material selected from the group consisting of iodine, bromine, chlorine, iodide salts, bromide salts and chloride salts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1986
    Assignee: Amoco Corporation
    Inventors: John F. Connolly, Robert J. Thrash, Richard A. Kretchmer
  • Patent number: 4611396
    Abstract: A porous graphite electrode for a fuel cell is formed by impregnation of a cellulosic filter paper by coating or impregnating with a low coke yield impregnant on the active center area and with a high coke yield impregnant on the edges, followed by curing, baking, and graphitizing the electrode to form a monolithic porous graphite electrode base with a dense low porosity area at the edges with a less dense higher porosity center working area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1986
    Assignee: Great Lakes Carbon Corporation
    Inventors: Louis A. Joo, Kenneth W. Tucker, Jay R. Shaner
  • Patent number: 4612266
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of protecting an electrochemical cell which has a molten sodium anode, a chloride-ion containing sodium aluminum halide molten salt electrolyte, an iron-containing cathode in contact with the electrolyte and a solid conductor of sodium ions which separates the anode from the electrolyte, from the adverse effects of overcharging. The method comprises operating the cell, to prevent oxidation of iron to FeCl.sub.3 in the cathode, by connecting it in parallel with a protective cell having an open circuit charging plateau at a voltage less than the open circuit voltage of the Fe/FeCl.sub.3 //Na plateau of the cell being protected, and greater than the open circuit voltage, in its fully charged state, of the cell being protected. The invention also provides a cell of this type protected in this fashion, a battery including one or more such protected cells, and a cathode for such cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1986
    Assignee: Lilliwyte Societe Anonyme
    Inventors: Roger J. Bones, Roy C. Galloway, Johan Coetzer, David A. Teagle
  • Patent number: 4609597
    Abstract: Laminar electrical cells and batteries, each cell of which comprises a first electrode formed as a porous layer of electrochemically active particles on an electrically conductive, electrochemically inactive substrate coextensive with the particle layer. The electrochemically inactive substrate is adhered around its periphery to the borders of an aperture in an electrically insulating frame. A separator for each cell overlies the active particle layer of the first electrode and has borders extending beyond the borders of the first electrode and within the borders of the insulating frame. A second electrode for each cell comprises a slurry of electrochemically active particles in contact with the other side of the separator. Methods of making the above cells and batteries from elongated webs of electrically insulating ones of the constituent materials of the cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1986
    Assignee: Polaroid Corporation
    Inventor: Paul A. Plasse
  • Patent number: 4609596
    Abstract: Electrochemical cells are provided with a reactive metal to reduce the oxide of the alkali metal electrode-reactant. Cells employing a molten alkali metal electrode, e.g., sodium, in contact with a ceramic electrolyte, which is a conductor of the ions of the alkali metal forming the electrode, exhibit a lower resistance when a reactive metal, e.g., vanadium, is allowed to react with and reduce the alkali metal oxide. Such cells exhibit less degradation of the electrolyte and of the glass seals often used to joining the electrolyte to the other components of the cell under cycling conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1985
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1986
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventors: David C. Hitchcock, Catherine C. Mailhe, Lutgard C. De Jonghe
  • Patent number: 4608323
    Abstract: A cell jacket comprised of adhered inner and outer protective layers which protect a metallic ink decoration contained therebetween from degradation. The protective layers are adhered to each other substantially completely around the periphery of the metallic ink decoration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1986
    Assignee: Duracell Inc.
    Inventor: John F. Zaborney
  • Patent number: 4608322
    Abstract: A nonaqueous cell comprising an active metal anode, such as a lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium or alloys, a liquid cathode-electrolyte comprising a solute dissolved in a solvent which, in a preferred aspect, is an oxyhalide of an element of Group V or Group VI of the Periodic Table and wherein the surface of the anode contacting the cathode-electrolyte is coated with a polymeric film having ether linkages. In a preferred practice of the present invention, the anode is coated with polyethersulfone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1984
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1986
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: William G. Howard, David R. Berberick
  • Patent number: 4608324
    Abstract: An organic electrolyte cell using copper oxide as a cathode active material and lithium or a lithium base alloy as an anode active material has a high energy density and is interchangeable with a general-purpose cell, but it has a disadvantage of voltage drop at an initial discharge stage. The present invention incorporates chalcopyrite as an active material into the copper oxide to eliminate the disadvantage, so that the cell may be used as an electric source for a precision electronic device such as an electronic watch. Furthermore, the present invention improves the efficiency of discharge of the copper oxide itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1986
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takabumi Fujii, Takashi Iijima
  • Patent number: 4606984
    Abstract: A process is provided for stabilizing a primary electrochemical generator comprising at least one reactive anode made from a metal chosen from the group comprising zinc, aluminium and magnesium, characterized in that to said electrode is added a percentage of 0.01% to 1% by weight with respect to the metal, of at least one perfluorated organic compound of the ethoxylated fluoroalcohol type. It also relates to an anode obtained by the above mentioned process and a primary electrochemical generator, with alkaline or saline electrolyte, comprising an anode of this type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1986
    Assignee: Societe les Piles Wonder
    Inventor: Rene Vignaud
  • Patent number: 4605604
    Abstract: A nickel-aluminum dry charge reserve battery has at least one electrode containing a nickel hydroxide containing active battery material, and at least one aluminum electrode, with a storage reservoir containing electrolyte nearby, and a means to transfer the stored electrolyte to the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1986
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: William Pollack, Edward S. Buzzelli
  • Patent number: 4605605
    Abstract: Many post seals for lead-acid batteries make use of compression seals. These seals, when used on the positive post, are often subject to abnormal anodic corrosion. The invention is a lead-acid battery in which the positive post is made of a tin-lead alloy (generally from 0.1 to 1.2 weight percent tin). The use of such an alloy at the positive post greatly reduces the rate of anodic corrosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1986
    Assignee: AT&T Bell Laboratories
    Inventor: Anthony G. Cannone
  • Patent number: 4604333
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte battery comprising a spiral electrode body provided by winding a band-shaped negative electrode plate of a light metal and a band-shaped positive electrode plates through a separator, an arbitrary portion where said positive and negative electrode plates are faced each other being isolated by interposition of a heat resisting insulating member which is made of a material different from said separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1986
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironosuke Ikeda, Etsuro Yamashita, Hitoshi Nakashima
  • Patent number: 4601962
    Abstract: An anode assembly for a lithium-halogen cell including halogen-containing cathode material, i.e. depolarizer, such as an iodine-organic complex wherein the anode comprises an electrical conductor sandwiched between a pair of lithium plates defining substantially oppositely directed lithium surfaces terminating in a peripheral lithium edge and characterized by a major portion of the length of the peripheral edge being exposed to the cathode material. This greatly increases the available internal volume of the cell for cathode material which, in turn, increases the theoretical ampere-hour rating of the cell. At least one and preferably both oppositely directed lithium surfaces have formations such as ribs or the equivalent which increases the surface area thereof, and the formations terminate a short distance from the edge to form a marginal type, peripheral border and highly effective seal therearound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1986
    Assignee: Wilson Greatbatch Ltd.
    Inventor: Robert A. Zayatz
  • Patent number: 4599282
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a fuel cell having separate plates acting as bipolar plates which are sandwiched between the two adjacent cell elements. A cell stack of a fuel cell is formed therein with tunnel-shaped cooling gas passages extending between and open at two opposite sides thereof. Reactive gas supply passages for fuel gases and air are isolated from the cooling gas passages and extend between and open at the two opposite sides thereof which are different from those of the cooling gas passages. Therefore, the separate plates have their reactive gas supply passages supplied through manifolds, which are arranged at the sides of the fuel cell in a manner to face the entrance and exit ports of the reactive gas supply passages. The reactive gases are supplied at rates sufficient to be consumed by the galvanic reaction. The cooling gas passages are supplied through manifolds, which are arranged at the other sides of the fuel cell, i.e. different from the sides of the reactive gas supply passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 1985
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1986
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Hirota, Hiroyuki Tajima, Tomohiro Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 4597170
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of coating an electrode on a solid oxygen conductive oxide layer. A coating of particles of an electronic conductor is formed on one surface of the oxide layer and a source of oxygen is applied to the opposite surface of the oxide layer. A metal halide vapor is applied over the electronic conductor and the oxide layer is heated to a temperature sufficient to induce oxygen to diffuse through the oxide layer and react with the metal halide vapor. This results in the growing of a metal oxide coating on the particles of electronic conductor, thereby binding them to the oxide layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1985
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1986
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventor: Arnold O. Isenberg
  • Patent number: 4596748
    Abstract: Electrolyte lost from a fuel cell, such as by evaporation, is replenished by introducing electrolyte from an external source into a reactant gas stream being delivered into the cell. The fresh electrolyte is vaporized or formed into droplets as it enters the cell such as by spraying the fresh electrolyte into the gas stream. If the electrolyte vapor pressure in the entering gas stream is made high enough, evaporation of the electrolyte from the cell can be halted or electrolyte can even be added to the cell from the gas stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1986
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Murray Katz, Harold R. Kunz
  • Patent number: 4596752
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell system suitable for use in a thermal battery based on a cathode incorporating an active material consisting of a mixture of LiV.sub.2 O.sub.5 and VO.sub.2, is disclosed. The cathode material is intended primarily for use in cells with lithium or lithium alloy anodes and lithium halide electrolytes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1986
    Assignee: The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
    Inventors: Ian Faul, Andrew J. Golder
  • Patent number: 4596749
    Abstract: Electrolyte is replenished in a fully assembled stack of fuel cells by depositing dilute electrolyte on tabs extending outwardly from an external vertical face of the stack. The electrolyte is absorbed into the cell components as it cascades off the tabs and down the face of the stack. When the electrodes and matrix layers of the stack are fully saturated the stack is heated and water is evaporated until the stack has an operable electrolyte volume and electrolyte concentration therein. In a preferred embodiment the tabs are extensions of the nonporous plates separating adjacent cells in the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1986
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph V. Congdon, James G. English
  • Patent number: 4594301
    Abstract: An active material for the positive electrode of a lead-accumulator and a lead-accumulator utilizing the active material are provided, the active material consisting of lead oxide as the principal component and at least one component selected from the group consisting of bismuth, bismuth compounds, thallium and thallium compounds as an additive which is effective to improve the energy utilization and the lifetime of the accumulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhide Miyazaki, Morimasa Sumida
  • Patent number: 4594300
    Abstract: A lead storage battery having electro-collecting boards of lead or lead alloys, and active material layers closely contacted with the electro-collecting boards. The active material layers are integrally formed with the electro-collecting boards by providing a mixture, in the form of slurry, of an active material powder and a liquid to the electro-collecting boards, and then drying the mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Morioka, Sigeru Yamasita, Yoshiaki Yano