US Patent: 793,117
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| Storage-battery jar
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Patentee:
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| Thomas S. Witherbee (exact or similar names) - Jersey City, NJ |
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Patent Dates:
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| Applied: |
Mar. 12, 1904 |
| Granted: |
Jun. 27, 1905 |
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Jeff Joslin
Vintage Machinery entry for Witherbee Igniter Co.; Wico Electric Co.
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Description: |
| This is the only patent we have found that was grnated to Thomas S. Witherbee, who has been credited as the inventor of the portable storage battery. This patent covers construction of an automotive-type lead-acid battery, with a box-shaped casing holding the plates and a gasketed lid preventing spillage. A cleverly designed vent is a key component of the patent. The patent specification is not explicit, but previous storage batteries usually used a glass container to hold the batteries—the acid electrolyte would eat holes through most other materials. Witherbee's batteries used vulcanized hard rubber for the "jar" (casing) and lid, with soft rubber for the gasket. So far as we know, Witherbee Igniter Co. was the first to use these materials in a storage battery. |
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