Patent US5374490A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5374490A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Rechargeable battery
Assignee: Portable Energy Products Inc
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Filing: 1993-05-19
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Granted: 1994-12-20
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Expires: 2013-05-19
Abstract
Abstract A rechargeable battery module is disclosed that is particularly well adapted for use in multi-module battery packs. The module includes top and bottom cover plates. At least a portion of each cover plate is formed from electrically conductive materials so that when the battery module is integrated into a stack, the contacts between adjacent battery units are formed by the cover plates. A positive plate that has a positive surface is placed in electrical contact with a first cover plate. A negative plate having a negative surface is also provided. The negative plate is arranged in electrical contact with the second cover plate. The battery includes a plurality of active paste layers. Each active paste layer is applied to an associated surface. One or more separators are provided to isolate the paste layers. The first and second cover plates are electrically isolated by at least the paste layers and the separator means. The cover plates may be ribbed to provide structural support. The ribbing in the first cover plate is complementary to the ribbing in the second cover plate to facilitate stacking. In another preferred embodiment, the cover plates each have lips that serve as side contacts. The described modules may be arranged multidimensional arrays that form parallel connections between laterally adjacent modules and series connections with longitudinally adjacent modules.
Inventors
- 👤 Julio A. Aldecoa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 00:33
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01M; H01M10/00; H01M10/04; H01M10/0413; H01M10/0418; H01M50/00; H01M50/50; H01M50/543; H01M50/547; H01M50/548; H01M50/552; H01M50/553; H01M50/557; H01M50/562; H01M50/564; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/10; Y02P; Y02P70/00; Y02P70/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
157 words
A rechargeable battery comprising: first and second cover plates at least a portion of which are formed from electrically conductive materials; a positive plate formed of foil material, a first surface of the positive plate being in electrical contact with the first cover plate and a second surface of the positive plate forming a positive surface; a negative plate formed of foil material, a first surface of the negative plate being in electrical contact with the second cover plate and a second surface of the negative plate forming a negative surface; a dual function plate positioned between said positive and negative plates, the dual function plates being formed of foil material and having positive and negative surfaces; a plurality of active paste layers, each active paste layer being applied to an associated foil surface; a plurality of separators for isolating selected paste layers; and sealing means for sealing adjacent plates to form a plurality of independent cells.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
157 words
A rechargeable battery comprising: first and second cover plates at least a portion of which are formed from electrically conductive materials; a positive plate formed of foil material, a first surface of the positive plate being in electrical contact with the first cover plate and a second surface of the positive plate forming a positive surface; a negative plate formed of foil material, a first surface of the negative plate being in electrical contact with the second cover plate and a second surface of the negative plate forming a negative surface; a dual function plate positioned between said positive and negative plates, the dual function plates being formed of foil material and having positive and negative surfaces; a plurality of active paste layers, each active paste layer being applied to an associated foil surface; a plurality of separators for isolating selected paste layers; and sealing means for sealing adjacent plates to form a plurality of independent cells.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
A rechargeable battery as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second cover plates are electrically isolated by said plurality of independent cells.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
A rechargeable battery as recited in claim 2, wherein the cover plates are formed from a metal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
A rechargeable battery as recited in claim 2, wherein the cover plates are ribbed to provide structural support.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
A rechargeable battery as recited in claim 4 wherein the ribbing in the first cover plate is complementary to the ribbing in the second cover plate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A rechargeable battery as recited in claim 1 wherein the first cover plate directly physically contacts the positive plate and the second cover plate directly physically contacts the negative plate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
A rechargeable battery as recited in claim 1 wherein the first cover plate contacts the positive plate through a conductive medium and the second cover plate contacts the negative plate through a conductive medium.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
A battery pack comprising a plurality of rechargeable battery units as recited in claim 5 arranged in a stack to form series connections between adjacent battery units with the contacts between adjacent battery units being formed by the cover plates.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
A rechargeable battery as recited in claim 1 wherein the cover plates each have lips that serve as side contacts.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
42 words
A plurality of rechargeable battery units as recited in claim 9 wherein the battery units are arranged in a layer to form parallel connections between adjacent battery units with the contacts between adjacent battery units being formed by the cover plate lips.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
A battery pack comprising a plurality of rechargeable battery layers as recited in claim 10 wherein the battery layers are arranged in a stack to form series connections between adjacent battery layers with the contacts between adjacent battery layers being formed by the cover plates.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
A rechargeable battery as recited in claim 1 wherein the dual function plate takes the form of a single foil that acts as a bipolar plate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
A rechargeable battery as recited in claim 1 wherein the dual function plate takes the form of a pair of foils arranged back to back.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
A battery module as recited in claim 1 wherein the positive and negative plates are formed from lead foil.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
167 words
A self-contained rechargeable battery module suitable for use in a stack incorporating a plurality of such battery modules to form series connections between adjacent battery modules, the battery module including: first and second external casing cover plates, wherein at least a portion of each cover plate is formed from electrically conductive materials such that when the battery module is integrated into a stack, the contacts between adjacent battery modules are formed by the cover plates; a positive plate in electrical contact with the first cover plate and having a positive surface; a negative plate in electrical contact with the second cover plate and having a negative surface; a plurality of active paste layers, each active paste layer being applied to an associated plate surface; and separator means for isolating the paste layers; and wherein the first and second cover plates are electrically isolated by at least the paste layers and the separator means and cooperate to form opposing sides of a battery casing which encases the battery.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
167 words
A self-contained rechargeable battery module suitable for use in a stack incorporating a plurality of such battery modules to form series connections between adjacent battery modules, the battery module including: first and second external casing cover plates, wherein at least a portion of each cover plate is formed from electrically conductive materials such that when the battery module is integrated into a stack, the contacts between adjacent battery modules are formed by the cover plates; a positive plate in electrical contact with the first cover plate and having a positive surface; a negative plate in electrical contact with the second cover plate and having a negative surface; a plurality of active paste layers, each active paste layer being applied to an associated plate surface; and separator means for isolating the paste layers; and wherein the first and second cover plates are electrically isolated by at least the paste layers and the separator means and cooperate to form opposing sides of a battery casing which encases the battery.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
35 words
A rechargeable battery module as recited in claim 15 wherein the cover plates each have lips that serve as side contacts for coupling the battery module in parallel to adjacent batteries in a battery array.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
46 words
A battery pack comprising a plurality of rechargeable battery modules as recited in claim 16 wherein the battery modules are arranged in a layer to form parallel connections between adjacent battery modules with the contacts between adjacent battery modules being formed by the cover plate lips.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
48 words
A battery pack comprising a plurality of rechargeable battery pack layers as recited in claim 17 wherein the battery pack layers are arranged in a stack to form series connections between adjacent battery layers with the contacts between adjacent battery pack layers being formed by the cover plates.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
45 words
A battery pack comprising a plurality of rechargeable battery modules as recited in claim 15 wherein the battery modules are arranged in a stack to form series connections between adjacent batteries with the contacts between adjacent battery pack layers being formed by the cover plates.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
19 words
A battery module as recited in claim 15 wherein the positive and negative plates are formed from lead foil.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
173 words
A self-contained rechargeable battery module suitable for use in a stack incorporating a plurality of such battery modules to form series connections between adjacent battery modules, the battery module including: first and second cover plates, wherein the cover plates have a plurality of ribs to provide structural support and at least a portion of each cover plate is formed from electrically conductive materials such that when the battery module is integrated into a stack, the contacts between adjacent battery modules are formed by the cover plates; a positive plate in electrical contact with the first cover plate and having a positive surface; a negative plate in electrical contact with the second cover plate and having a negative surface; a plurality of active paste layers, each active paste layer being applied to an associated plate surface; and separator means for isolating the paste layers; and wherein the first and second cover plates are electrically isolated by at least the paste layers and the separator means and cooperate to form opposing sides of the battery.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
173 words
A self-contained rechargeable battery module suitable for use in a stack incorporating a plurality of such battery modules to form series connections between adjacent battery modules, the battery module including: first and second cover plates, wherein the cover plates have a plurality of ribs to provide structural support and at least a portion of each cover plate is formed from electrically conductive materials such that when the battery module is integrated into a stack, the contacts between adjacent battery modules are formed by the cover plates; a positive plate in electrical contact with the first cover plate and having a positive surface; a negative plate in electrical contact with the second cover plate and having a negative surface; a plurality of active paste layers, each active paste layer being applied to an associated plate surface; and separator means for isolating the paste layers; and wherein the first and second cover plates are electrically isolated by at least the paste layers and the separator means and cooperate to form opposing sides of the battery.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
A rechargeable battery module as recited in claim 21 wherein the ribbing in the first cover plate is complementary to the ribbing in the second cover plate to facilitate stacking.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
191 words
A rechargeable self-contained battery module suitable for use in a stack incorporating a plurality of such battery modules to form series connections between adjacent battery modules, the battery module including: first and second external cover plates arranged to provide structural support for the battery module, wherein at least a portion of each cover plate is formed from electrically conductive materials such that when the battery module is integrated into a stack, the contacts between adjacent battery modules are formed by the cover plates; a positive plate formed of foil material, the positive plate being in electrical contact with the first cover plate and having a positive surface; a negative plate formed of foil material, the negative plate being in electrical contact with the second cover plate and having a negative surface; a plurality of active paste layers, each active paste layer being applied to an associated plate surface; and separator means for isolating the paste layers; and wherein the first and second cover plates are electrically isolated by at least the paste layers and the separator means and cooperate to form opposing sides of a battery casing which encloses the battery.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
191 words
A rechargeable self-contained battery module suitable for use in a stack incorporating a plurality of such battery modules to form series connections between adjacent battery modules, the battery module including: first and second external cover plates arranged to provide structural support for the battery module, wherein at least a portion of each cover plate is formed from electrically conductive materials such that when the battery module is integrated into a stack, the contacts between adjacent battery modules are formed by the cover plates; a positive plate formed of foil material, the positive plate being in electrical contact with the first cover plate and having a positive surface; a negative plate formed of foil material, the negative plate being in electrical contact with the second cover plate and having a negative surface; a plurality of active paste layers, each active paste layer being applied to an associated plate surface; and separator means for isolating the paste layers; and wherein the first and second cover plates are electrically isolated by at least the paste layers and the separator means and cooperate to form opposing sides of a battery casing which encloses the battery.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-12-19 | 1998-06-20 | 1998-12-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-12-19 | 2002-06-20 | 2002-12-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-12-19 | 2006-06-20 | 2006-12-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |