Nonself-destructive reversible electro-chemical coulometer

Claim 1

AN ELECTROCHEMICAL DEVICE FOR MEASURING THE QUANTITY OF AN ELECTRIC CURRENT THAT FLOWS THROUGH AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE DEVICE, THE INTERNAL IMPEDANCE OF THE DEVICE CHANGING SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF CURRENT HAS FLOWED THERETHROUGH, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: A BODY OF NON-CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL HAVING A VOID THEREIN, ANODE AND CATHODE ELECTRODE MEANS DISPOSED AT SPACED LOCATIONS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID VOID, AN ELECTROLYTICALLY PLATABLE METAL DEPOSITED ON THE SURFACE OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE ELECTRODE MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID VOID, SAID DEPOSIT OF ELECTROLYTICALLY PLATABLE METAL EXTENDING TOWARD THE OTHER ELECTRODE MEANS A DISTANCE SUCH THAT A SPACE UNOCCUPIED BY SAID METAL EXISTS IN THE VOID, AN ELECTROLYTE IN SAID VOID COMPLETLY FILLING SAID SPACE SAID ELECTROLYTE COMPRISING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN IONIZABLE ELECTROLYTE SALT THE CATION OF WHICH IS AN ION OF THE ELECTROLYTICALLY PLATABLE METAL AND THE ANION OF WHICH IS CAPABLE OF BEING ANODICALLY OXIDIZED TO FORM A MOLECULE THAT IS ASSIMILATED BY THE AQUEOUS ELECTROLYTE AND THAT REACTS CHEMICALLY WITH THE ELECTROLYTICALLY PLATABLE METAL TO REFORM THE ELECTROLYTE SALT, THEREBY FORMING WITH SAID ELECTRODE MEANS A FIRST ELECTROLYTIC CELL UPON THE FLOWING OF THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT THERETHROUGH THE ELECTRODE MEANS BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE SUCH THAT WHEN ALL OF THE ELECTROLYTICALLY PLATABLE METAL IS DEPOSITED ON THE SURFACE OF THE CATHODE ELECTRODE MEANS THE ANODE ELECTRODE MEANS IS SEPARATED FROM SAID DEPOSIT BY THE ELECTROLYTE DISPOSED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODE MEANS, SAID ANODE ELECTRODE MEANS BEING FORMED OF A METAL THAT IS NON-REACTIVE WITH RESPECT TO THE ANION OF THE ELECTROLYTE SALT AND WITH RESPECT TO THE MOLECULE FORMED BY ANODIC OXIDATION OF THIS ANION, THAT DOES NOT ALLOY WITH THE ELECTROLYTICALLY PALATABLE METAL ELECTRODEPOSITED THEREON, AND THAT IS ELECTROLYTICALLY PASSIVE WHEN IN ANODIC CONTACT WITH THE AQUEOUS ELECTROLYTE, AND THAT IS IN A FORM SUCH THAT, WHEN ALL THE ELECTROLYTICALLY PALATABLE METAL IS DEPOSITED ON THE SURFACE OF THE CATHODE ELECTRODE MEANS, IT HAS AN EXPOSED ANODE SURFACE IN SAID ELECTROLYTE SUFFICIENT TO FORM, WITH SAID CATHODE ELECTRODE MEANS AND SAID ELECTROLYTE, A SECOND ELECTROLYTIC CELL OPERABLE IN AN EQUILIBRIUM CYCLIC FASHION WITHOUT THE GENERATION OF GAS AND FORMATION OF IRREVISERSIBLE REACTION PRODUCT AND HAVING AN IMPEDANCE SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT FROM SAID FIRST ELECTROLYTIC CELL WHEREBY THE END-POINT OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL DEVICE IS DETERMINED UPON THE CHANGE OF THE IMPEDANCE.