Electrolytic cell

Claim 1

AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL COMPRISING AN OPEN-TOP CONTAINER ADAPTED TO HOLD LIQUIDS AND OPPOSITELY DISPOSED ELECTRODES, AT LEAST ONE OF THE ELECTRODES COMPRISING A PRIMARY CURRENT RECEIVING ELEMENT AND A SECONDARY CURRENT RECEIVING ELEMENT, SAID ELEMENTS AND OTHER ELECTRODE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CELL FROM THE OPEN TOP TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE CELL AND HAVING CONDUCTING PORTIONS CONTACTING THE ELECTROLYTE BUT ENDING SHORT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE CELL, THE CONSTRUCTION AND LOCATION OF THE PARTS BEING THAT: SAID PRIMARY ELEMENT IS A SHEET OF THIN CONDUCTING MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMING TO THE SHAPE OF THE OTHER ELECTRODE, IS SLIDABLY REMOVABLE FROM THE CELL AS A UNIT INDEPENDENTLY OF OTHER PARTS OF THE ELECTRODES, LIES BETWEEN SAID SECONDARY ELEMENT AND SAID OTHER ELECTRODE, IS POSITIONED TO PREVENT THE PASSAGE OF CURRENT DIRECTLY FROM SAID OTHER ELECTRODE TO SAID SECONDARY ELEMENT, AND EXTENDS FARTHER INTO THE CELL THAN SAID OTHER ELECTRODE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ADJACENT CONDUCTIVE ENDS OF THE PRIMARY ELEMENT AND SAID OTHER ELECTRODE CONTACTING THE ELECTROLYTE BEING GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE END OF THE CONDUCTIVE PORTION OF SAID OTHER ELECTRODE AND THE NEAREST CONDUCTIVE PORTION OF THE PRIMARY ELEMENT; SAID SECONDARY ELEMENT IS OF CONDUCTING MATERIAL, SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMS TO THE SHAPE OF SAID OTHER ELECTRODE, LIES DIRECTLY BEHIND AND CLOSELY ADJACENT TO THE PRIMARY ELEMENT AND EXTENDS FARTHER INTO THE CELL THAN SAID OTHER ELECTRODE, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE ADJACENT CONDUCTIVE ENDS OF THE SECONDARY ELEMENT, AND SAID OTHER ELECTRODE CONTACTING THE ELECTROLYTE BEING GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE END OF THE CONDUCTIVE PORTION OF SAID OTHER ELECTRODE AND THE NEAREST CONDUCTIVE PORTION OF THE SECONDARY ELEMENT; THE SECONDARY ELEMENT BEING CONNECTED INTO THE ELECTRIC CIRCUIT AND POSITIONED TO RECEIVE THE CURRENT PROGRESSIVELY AS THE PRIMARY ELEMENT IS PROGRESSIVELY SLID OUT OF THE CELL AND BOTH ELEMENTS RECEIVE LESS CURRENT AT THE ENDS INNERMOST IN THE CELL THAN AT OTHER PLACES; AND COOPERATING PARALLEL GUIDES ON THE PRIMARY ELEMENT AND SECONDARY ELEMENT FOR HOLDING THE PRIMARY ELEMENT IN THE RELATIVE POSITION STATED AND ENABLING THE PRIMARY ELEMENT TO BE SLID PAST THE SECONDARY ELEMENT AND OUT OF THE CELL THROUGH THE OPEN TOP, SAID GUIDES LYING AT A GREATER DISTANCE FROM SAID OTHER ELECTRODE THAN THE PRIMARY ELEMENT.