Lead-acid storage battery

Claim 1

A lead-acid storage cell having a case adapted to hold an electrolyte; first and second electrode plate assemblies enclosed within said case; at least one electrically insulating porous separator positioned between said first and second assemblies for preventing direct electrical contact therebetween while permitting said electrolyte free access to both of said assemblies; each of said assemblies comprising: a plurality of elongated strips of lead each having a generally vertical face, said strips being vertically arranged in a stack, each of said strips having a ratio of height-to-thickness within the range of 0.5-10; an elongated, resilient shock-absorbing retainer separating and in contact with the horizontal edges of adjacent strips in said stack, the upper and lower faces of said retainer being provided with means for preventing relative lateral displacement of said adjacent strips; an elongated, resilient shock-absorbing support bridge positioned below and in contact with the lowermost strip in said assembly, the upper surface of said bridge being provided with means to prevent relative lateral displacement between said bridge and said lowermost strip, and the lower surface of said bridge resting on the bottom of said case; and electrically conductive means electrically interconnecting the strips in said assembly.