iccordance -with my invention have a iligli degree of porosi-ty and therefore they are capable of absorbing- and retaining a relatively large aniount of electrolyte. 5 In so doing the porous sheetg swell. thereby con@ _pletelj 7 filli@g the spaces bet-"7een'@ the leac7 plates or grids and 'Ghus soid slieets function-as packing or filling members to bear clirectly tuaiiist the faces of the lead 10 plate's 0--" (,,rid;, aiid the active rnaterial carried, thei-eby, aiid thus said @tetivp, in,-tterial is held in place and prevented froin drol,piiig away fro,-n the grid and accumula4@-ina as "lead iiiud " in the bottom of the 15 battery coiitainer. As a result of the conditions just described, the life or period of efficiency of my ii-npro-t,ed battery is materia-Ily prolonged. 20 The presence of the pulveriked rubber throughout the porous separator sheets tends to diffuse the gases that rise throu-h, the cell, and consequently iiiipimizing tendency of corrosion of the battery terminals. 25 The sbdiuhi silicate incorporated in the pulp mixture from 'which the eileets are formed, giveg body to the firiished sheets ancl functioiis as an 'adhesive or binder, Inasmuch as all the eiectrol@,te cont,,iined 3o in the battery is held by absorption in the separator sheets, there c,%n be no sijilling or slopping, and consequent loss of tl@e electrolyte alid there can be no, logs of electrolyfe in the event that the jar or container be35 comes cracked or br6k@@. The use of my improved separa-tor elements prevents s@lphatioia, inasmuch as they are always in intiniate co@tact with the entire surfaces of the grids or lead plates and 40 the absence of free electrolyte insures cleanliness and enables the battery to be teadily handled withotit attendant danger of a.cid burns. The use of the separator sheets precludes 45 the necessit.y for forming brido?es in the, bott')Ms of the battery jars, thE!re%37 permitting the use of longer grids, -%vith a result .of greater efficieiicy in batteries of standard measurement. 50 A battery equipped with my irnproved separator sheets cannot be overlieated as the saturated sheets act as condensers and as the sheets are not saturated until the batter-y is made ready for use, there will be no def@rioration -where a number of sheets and bat- 55 teries are carried in stock. In producing t-he pulp used in the manufacture of my improvecl separator elements, various vegetable or wood fibres may be baiiasse, which is 6( u@sed, but I prefer to use the fibre of sugar cane or sugar beets. Ha-i7ing tlius described my invention, what I claiiii is: 1. The herein described method of produciiig stoi@a(ve batt-ery plate separat'or ele- 65 nients, whicl@ coiisists in producing 9, pulp composed of puli,erized vegetable fibre and water, boiling said pulp,' then washing said pulp to reiiiove all dirt and impurities, then subjecting the cleansed pulp to the direct 70 action of steam, tl@en treatin- the ptilp with a soda solution, theil rew,asill7ng the pt@IR to reinove all traces of soda and then mixing -%Nith said pulp P. sinall q"ntity of -pulverized rubber. 75 2 TI-ic herein described method of producing storage battery plate separator elernents, which consists in producing a pulp coniposed 4if pulverized vegetable fibre and water, boiliiig sa,id pulp, theii washing said 80 pulp to remove all dirt and.impurities, then subjecting the cleansed pulp to the -direct aetion of stealii, then.treating the pulp. with a soda solution, th.en rewashing the pulp to remove all traces of soda, then nlixing with 85 said pulp relatively small quantities of pul-%,erized rubber and sodium silicate and then formin(y said pulp into sheets and permitting @lle same to ury. 3. As a new article of- i-nanufacture, a 80 storage battery plate separator element comprising a sheet of porous absorptive material composed of dried vegetable fibre which has been treated with a soda Pulp, solution, and which lias incorporated there- 105 with a relatively siiiall amount of pulvei-- iz6d rubber. 4. As a new article of manufacture, a s'@orage batt@ry plate separator elernent comprising a sheet of porous absorptive ma- 100 terial compose(I of dried vegetable fibre pulp, which has been treated with a soda solution, and having incorporated therewith relativel@ small aniounts of pulverized rubber and silicate of- soda. 105 In testimony whereof I affix my signature. NATH-AN @FALLEX.

Patented Nov. 6, 1926. 196,90@5,73 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..@ NATHAN FALLEX, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. STORAGE-BATTERY SEPARATOR ELEMENT AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME. Application filed May 4,1925. Serial No. 27,689. My inventioii relates cren(,.i,ally t,o storage batteries and more p,,trticiilarly to a separator element tlilt is pos;tioiied between the lead plates or grids in a battery jar or container, and the invention hereiti disclosed, is an improvement on the ilivention formin,ir the subject, m,,ttter of mv application for U. 9 Letters Patent filed April 5, 1921,' Ser. No. 458,689 and all@o-vved Septeniber 29, 1922. 10 The principal objects of u-iy pi@esent inventioii are, to - enerally improve upon the particular form of sep,,ti-a'Lor eleiiient t,liat -\vas s4Bt forth in n-iy'aforesaid I)at,eiit dpplication; to proi,id(,, a relatively simple, easily 15 I)racticed and economical iiietliod of producing the separator elements; ftirther, to provide a storacre battei@y sepai,atoi@ element that has a relatively Iiigh degi-ee of porosity and absorptive qualiti I es ,ind ftirt . 1-ier, to 20 proi,ide a separator of the cliaracter referred to, that -%vill prod-Lice maximuni results as an insulator between the grids or plates of the battei-y ancl prevent the disin@,-,gration of the active material that is carried by the 25 0 s or iilterstices in said plates. P;Iitli@ the foregoing aiid other objects in view, my invention consist,-, in certain novel features of construction ind arrangement of I)arts that will be lierein,.ifter more fully 30 described and claimed and illustrated in the accompadying drawino's in wliic'h: Z, Fig. 1 is a perspective view 6f a separqtor element prod7Liced in accorciance ivitli n-ly invention. 35 Fig. 2 is a detail section showincr a portion of mv iMI)I.Oved separator positioned bet-w(,,e@ a I)air of battery gi,ids or plates. In the productioii of the battery plate Fel)r' arato elenients in accordance iv-i "tli niy ini,4o . proiecl method, I usc'practically -,iny veget,able or wood fibre and the first ' step in the rnethod is to reduce this fibre to relatively small particles by rindino- or atfrition. This finely divided material ig then mixed 45 with suffident -water to forin a ptilp and th-latter is placed in a suitable vit or container ,ind boiled for approximately eight hoiirs. During the boiling of tl-ie pulp, the latter should be stiri-ed or aitated by su'table 5o means. After boilin- the pulp is thorou(ylily waslied to remove all dirt and impurities anci the cleansed ptilp is subjected to the direct action of steam in order to open the pores of 55 the minute particles of fibre. The steam treated material is tlieii treatecl witli). a soliition of soda, and boiled for approxii-nately twelve hours, and it is then alloaved to stand in the sod@t solution for approxiiiialtely t)i-enty-:-Ilr hours. go The 1-naierial is then w,.ished and rel@aslied uxitil all traces of the soda have been reinovecl. The treatment of the material witli soda reinoves from said material all aceti c aci(i t,,nd renders said iiiaterial iiii- o5 niun6 to the action of sulphuric acid',when tlle finislied sel)araior eleiiient is placed in a batte ry jar an(I absorbs tlle electrolyte. Th e cl6,ansed material is now tested witli a 10@o soliition of 10 grains crystals of iii- 70 trate of silvcr to the ounce 7 in order to determi ne traces of, iron, if aiiy, and if this test' proves negative, or absence of ii,on trace s, I the material , is then reacly to be form ed into sheets. 7r) To a -iven quantity of the treated pulp is mixe d 2@ll Of piilverized plire rtibbei@ and i(lo sodi um silic,-,te, ai-id after thorotigli mixtui-e. the n-iaterial is, by suitable means formect into large sheets, which wl-ien dry, are ap- i3o ately onesixteentli of a'n incli III r"xilll tpliiekness. When thoroliglily dry, the laroe slieets are cut tip into sections of. require@d s-lzes foibattery separatbr elements. The separator slieets- are now inserted between the . positive, and neative batterv plates in@the usuql n-ianner and the crroups of plates are then a@semble@d a-nd pla@od in tlie batterv j,@ir or container, ,tfter whicli tli.e Do Lisual lead coniiections are burned in. The electi-oiyte, consistilicr of a mixture of sulphuric acid ,Lncl -,- ,,ater eliaviny a sl)ecific gravity of about 12.75, liydroin(@ter test, is iiow poured intb tl i6 b,@ttt'ery jar.or codttiner ind the latter is allowed fo'stand until tlie separator sbeets have absorbed the electrolyte to the limit of their @bsorptive ea acities. Th@ bqttery is now placed on a charging i(iii line aiid cliarged with an electric current of ap . proxiiiiately t-hi,ee amperes for approximately seventy-two hours according to the size of the unit. The battei-y is then friven-three cycles of io5 discharge with a recfiarge, between each . cycle and, after the battery has been thug charged, and the plates primed, it is turned upside down to 'permit the escape of any excess electrolyte and said battery is iiow iio ready for use. Battery separator elements constructed in