Battery acid filling apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR FILLING A PLURALITY OF BATTERY CELLS WITH ACID AND HAVING AN ACID MANIFOLD, A VACUUM MANIFOLD, AND A PASSAGEWAY FROM THE VACUUM MANIFOLD TO THE ATMOSPHERE WHEREBY ACID IS DRAWN THROUGH THE ACID MANIFOLD BY THE VACUUM WHEN THE PASSAGEWAY FROM THE VACUUM MANIFOLD TO THE ATMOSPHERE IS CLOSED, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING, A PLURALITY OF ACID LINES HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS, THE FIRST ENDS OF WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO THE ACID MANIFOLD AND THE SECOND ENDS OF WHICH ARE POSITIONED BELOW THE ACID MANIFOLD AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN POSITION FOR INSERTION INTO THE TOP OF THE CELLES OF THE BATTERY TO BE FILLED, A PLURALITY OF VACUUM LINES HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ENDS, THE FIRST ENDS OF WHICH ARE CONNECTED TO THE VACUUM MANIFOLD, THE SECOND ENDS OF WHICH ARE POSITIONED BELOW THE SECOND ENDS OF SAID ACID LINES PROXIMATE THE POINT AT WHICH IT IS DESIRED TO FILL THE CELLS WHEN THE ACID AND VACUUM LINES ARE INSERTED INTO THE CELLS, SAID VACUUM LINES BEING SMALLER THAN SAID ACID LINES, SAID EACH OF SAID VACUUM LINES EXTENDING THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF ONE OF THE ACID LINES, A SEALING PAD SURROUNDING EACH OF THE ACID LINES ABOVE THE SECOND ENDS OF SAID ACID LINES FOR SEALING THE BATTERY CELLS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE WHEN THE ACID AND VACUUM LINES ARE INSERTED INTO THE CELLS, A PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING FROM THE VACUUM MANIFOLD TO THE ATMOSPHERE WHICH WHEN OPENED CAUSED ANY VACUUM APPLIED TO THE VACUUM MANIFOLD TO DRAW IN ATMOSPHERIC AIR INSTEAD OF ACID FROM THE ACID MANIFOLD, A VALVE SEAT IN THE PASSAGEWAY, A VALVE MEMBER ADAPTED TO SEAT ON THE VALVE SEAT THEREBY CLOSING THE PASSAGEWAY, AND SPRING MEANS YIELDABLY URGING SAID VALVE MEMBER AWAY FROM THE SEAT, SAID SPRING MEANS SIZED TO BE OVERCOME BY THE VACUUM APPLIED TO THE VACUUM MANIFOLD BY THE VALVE MEMBER WHEN THE VALVE MEMBER IS PLACED ON THE SEAT BUT TO AUTOMATICALLY MOVE THE VALVE MEMBER AWAY FROM THE SEAT WHEN ACID IS PULLED INTO THE VACUUM MANIFOLD REDUCING THE VACUUM PULL ON THE VALVE MEMBER.