Rechargeable fuel cell

Claim 1

A RECHARGEABLE ELECTRIC BATTERY COMPRISING A HOUSING; AN ALKALINE ELECTROLYTE IN SAID HOUSING; A RECHARGEABLE FIRST ELECTRODE WITHIN SAID HOUSING IN CONTACT WITH SAID ELECTROLYTE, SAID FIRST ELECTRODE CONTAINING AS ITS ACTIVE MATERIAL AN OXIDIZABLE BASE METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP WHICH CONSISTS OF ZINC, CADMIUM, TIN AND IRON; A SECOND ELECTRODE IN SAID HOUSING IN CONTACT WITH SAID ELECTROLYTE, SAID SECOND ELECTRODE HAVING A POROUS BODY CONSISTING AT LEAST IN PART OF AN ELEMENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP WHICH CONSISTS OF CARBON AND SILVER FOR PROMOTING THE DIFFUSION OF OXYGEN IN SAID ELECTROLYTE UPON THE INTRODUCTION OF AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GASEOUS FLUID INTO THE PORES OF SAID BODY; MEANS TERMINATING AT SAID SECOND ELECTRODE FOR INTRODUCING SAID FLUID INTO SAID BODY; A THIRD ELECTRODE IN SAID HOUSING IN CONTACT WITH SAID ELECTROLYTE IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES, SAID THIRD ELECTRODE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A STRUCTURE COMPOSED OF A RELATIVELY INERT METAL WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY NONOXIDIZABLE IN SAID ELECTROLYTE; AND CIRCUIT MEANS FOR ALTERNATELY CONNECTING A LOAD BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES AND A SOURCE OF CHARGING CURRENT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND THIRD ELECTRODES.