No. 824,084, PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906, 6. H. COVE, THERMO ELECTRIO BATTERY AND APPARATUS, APPLIOATION FILED FB. 15, 106.15 25 3e 35 40 5° UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. GEORGE H. COVE, OF ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-H. AND ONE-HALF TO FRANK R. KIMBALL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. ALF TO CHARLES M. BUNKER, THERMO-ELECTRIC BATTERY AND APPARATUS. Wo, 824,684. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 26,1906. Ajlition Sled Pebseory 18,1008, Serial Ne, 245,059 To ail whom it may concern: Be it known that 1, Gpoxor TH, Cove, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, residing at. Roxbury, in the county of Suffolk and ‘State of Massachu- setts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thermo-Dieetii Batteries and Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to ie accompanying drawings, which form 2 part thereof, ‘The invention relntes to thermo-cleetric batteries, and more particularly to the con position of the various elements and their a Tangement with relation to the souree of heat, and’each other. The underlying principles’ Of batteries of this type are Well-known in this art, and such will not, therefore, be re- ferred to at length. ‘The object of this invention is to utilize these well-known prineiples in a manner to produce an external current. capable of being employed advantageously in the useful arts A-fuirther object is to 80 arrange the vari cus elements as to permit the subjection of one end oF joint of each pair of elements to an intense constant, heat, while permitting the other end or joint to be maintained at a relatively Jow temperature ‘A still further object is to provide a junc- | tion or connection between the unlike ele- ments which will preserve an intimacy of contact thercof each with the other without the interposition of such matter as would tend by setting up alocal action to diminish the efficiency of the battery. ‘A still further object is to employ elements and junctions therefor of a character to cause ‘or result. in increased efficiency of the battery and a still further object is to provide a bat= tery and its appurtenances which may be readily applied to an ordinary cook-stove or heater in a manner to utilize that heat which might otherwise not be nsed. ‘he invention consists in those novel fea- tures in the arrangement of the various ele- ments, in tho moans of joining or connecting seine, and in the appurtenances employed to increase the eflicieney.of the battery, herein- after sot forth and deseribed, and snore par- ticularly pointed out in the elaims hereto ap- pended. mestie range, showing a section of the fite- pot and of my battery ahd its appurtenances attached thereto. lig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section of one portion of the battery | and its appurtenances, and Fig. 3 isa view of a single pair of detached elements with the | coupling or connection for electrically con- | necting ‘suceeeding pairs of elements | Like letters refer to like parts throughoitt the several views, Tn the drawings, A indicates an ordinary cook-stove or range; B, the top plate thereot; ©, the fire-grate, and D the flue-pipe. ‘The fire-box is provided with brackets B, adjoin | ing said grate C, which are designed to carty | the fire-brieks, \ In the practi¢e of my invention I employ a block « of fireclay or similar non-combustic ble material, which is non-conductive of elec: tricity. This block a is subjected to the ae- tion ‘of the fire contained “in the fire- pot either directly or through » metallic facing to said pot, and preferably 1 mix a fibrous non-combustible agent, as asbestos, with the body of said block to increase, the cohesive strength thereof. Embedded in said block, @ are a plurality of what may be termed | “negative elements” b and “positive ele- ments” ¢ arranged in pairs, one end of each pair of which extends within said block to a point about one-half an inch from the ex- posed face thereof and the other end of which projects from said block for from two-thirds to three-quarters of the length of the, ele- ments beyond the rear face thereof. ‘These elements § and ¢ are arranged in a plurality of parallel rows, those in each row being pref- erably about one-quarter of an inch apart | and the rows being about one-half an inch | apart. This arrangement, sorves to not only | transmit heat tothe ends ox joints to. be. J heated of the elements embedded in said | block, but also to insulate said joints from each other, which permits the coupling of the elements in series without setting up local ac- tion between adjoining pairs of elements. Thave found in practice that the best xe- sults are attained by making each element of an alloy of antimony and zino in the fol- Jowing proportions: six parts of antimony to | In joining the various elements’ and ¢ of Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a | each row it has been demonstrated that con- perspective view of an ordinary type of do- | siderableinternsl resistance will be developed 6 Fa 1s Be 85 9through an imperfect contact, of the unlike metals of these elements and that a local ac- tion seems lo be set up if said metals are sol- dered together, and, furthermore, owing to | the effects of heat on the apparatus it has been found extremely difficult to secure an | intimate contact or junction between these elements which will be. teasonably perma- pent. To obviate these dilfiulties and to provide @ substantially. permanent. connec Hon or junction of the various elements with: out zesorting to solder, L employ a second or positiveelemente, comprising, preferably, lat Thin sheet metal, having te ends thereof formed upon oppose sles ofa connesting- strip d, thus providing cups oF ca forining to the contour of the sai and disposed on opposite sides of the con- hocting-strip d. An element b inay be either Usiven shrunk, or molded in one of these cups of caps ¢/; thus iusuring intimate con- tat of these parts at the point of joinder ‘To guard against possible separation of the clernonts at this joint throught the cup or enp ¢ f losing forin, w binding-wire g may be used {3 old suid cup of cap ef to form. ‘The pustiive clement 2, it will be obse forins # heated joint with one nogativ nent b paired therewith and cold jo with the next succeeding eloment. by ‘thus coupling all the elements of each row to getlier. The element of one end of each Fw passes to the ond element B of the row above or below or is wired therewith, thus luniting all the rows in series. TL hiaye found that copper, tin, and that alloy of nickel, copper, and ine known mnoveially as “!Ggrman silver" ate stitable for forming the aforesaid element ¢, but that I gig” expe an enn ir lt ely as positive elewionts connecting, the hegafive gioments b A seoureyreator ¢ trieal clficieney than by the exclusive use of anyone metalas Ue positive element. Wien the battery is divided into 1 num- ber of distinct parts, ax by the uso of two oF hore fire-bricks, [ electrically connect these pats, as byw conductor fy betweon nega tive pulo of one putt to a heated end of a positive clement of positive pole of Lhe Pther part fa the sume manner as 1 employ for the sueeveding tows, properly instulutingg saul conductor frou the stave str ‘in applying the blocks to 1 stove, heater, or range the projecting juintsot suit lements Pre while protected hy said block to some ex- tent from the direct action of Ue heat are through heut conductivity and radiation lin 85 30 35 40. 45 50 55 Bio to becume sohented as to materially. im Go pair the eflicioney of the buttery, one of the Recognized conditions of a battery of this Shatwcter heing that one end of each pair of elements be maintained al a low tempera- ture relative ty Uhe other, ‘To maintain a low temperature of the exposed outer joint 6 324,684 of the elements b o, I house them in with a substantially air-tight casing or housing +, which is divided into, two connecting-pas- sages, one of which receivessaid joints andisin | direct communiention with a souree of eooled or chilled air, as by. an inlet-pipe 7, and the other of which communicates with said first- mentioned passage and is provided with a discharge-pipe k, which is connected with the | llue-pipe Bor other means, inducing a con- tinuous circulation of air through the chan- nels within said housing or casing. ‘The ex- ternal current is drawn by the terminal wires mn from the cold ends of unlike metals of | Opposite poles of the battery, and 4 socond- ary buttery, as 0, of ordinary construction is | used to accumulate the energy generated in nny said Patter Experiment has demonstrated that a bat- tery of six joints will develop a current of three volts and three amperes, and that by a multiplication of elements this external eur- rent nay be increased proportionately to the number of eleinents and joints employed, | L | have also ascertained that the ust ol solder in making a joint not only results in a joint wrhdch Tacks the sired permaneney under heat, but that the third metal or alloy tends to setup a local action or otherwise impair the elficteney of the battery. T have also de~ termined that the use of the alloy in the nega tive inetal and of the altermiting positive | metals, as herein described, both increase the efficiency of the battery. While, properly speaking, the unlike. ele~ ments are neither “positive” or “negative,” Temploy these terms as designating the yen~ eral direction of the flow of current gener ated. ‘A battery and its appurtenances as herein deseribed. is capable of generating eon- inuduis electrical circuit by means of that | Neat ordinarily lost through radiation, whieh nay be stored during a humber of hours in Suilicient quantities to maintain low-pot tial high-cllicienc, incandescent clectric Tamps for a considerable period, to supply an extensive electric signaling system, ant various other practical purposes, itis not my intention to limit the inven« Lion to the precise details hereinbefore de- seribed, it being apparent, that such aniay be Varied without departing from the spirit and | scope of the invention, Having deseribed the invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to have protected hy Letters Patent, is— 1A thermo-clectrie battery and appue- teninces, comprising a block of ineombus- tible, non-conductive, material, a plurality of pairs of elements of dissimilar metals hav | Tag one endl of each joined to the other and J embolded in suid block, the outer end, of Leah said clement being joined to a dissimilar | udjoining clement whereby a series of such 70 15 80 9° 95 5 25 130