The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 03, 2001
Filed:
Mar. 05, 1999
Robert Brian Dopp, Marietta, GA (US);
John Edward Oltman, Mount Horeb, WI (US);
Gregory Scott Moy, Madison, WI (US);
Michael Andrew Ward, Belvidere, IL (US);
Joseph Lynn Passaniti, Middleton, WI (US);
Rayovac Corporation, Madison, WI (US);
Abstract
An elongate air depolarized electrochemical cell (,). A grommet (,) closes the top of the cell (,). A seal (,) can extend upwardly into a slot (,) between the grommet (,) and a top closure member (,) such as at the top of a cathode can (,), or a separate top closure member (,). Cathode assembly (,) and separator (,) can extend into the slot (,). The seal is between the grommet (,) and cathode assembly (,), or between grommet (,) and separator (,). or both. The seal can extend upwardly into the slot (,) from an outer surface of the cathode assembly (,), can extend about respective upper edges of the cathode current collector (,), catalyst, and separator (,), and downwardly toward, preferably against or along the inner surface of, the separator (,). The top closure member (,) can be crimped against the grommet (,) at the slot (,), with the cathode assembly (,), and optionally the separator (,), in the slot (,) between the grommet (,) and the top closure (,), thus to provide a liquid-tight crimp seal. The top closure (,) can be crimped first against the grommet (,) at the slot (,), and further crimped against the grommet (,) at a second locus (,) displaced longitudinally from the first crimp. Composition of the seal comprises a microporous polymer (,), preferably polytetrafluoroethylene. Preferred embodiments comprise at least two, preferably at least three, layers of air permeable microporous sheet material, useful for diffusion of air therethrough to the cathode reaction surface (,). The layers are wrapped continuously and without intervening end, to form an outer surface of the cathode assembly (,). Another expression of the invention is a cathode assembly (,), or cathode-separator combination, for use in an elongate air depolarized cell (,). The air permeable sheet material (,), as wrapped about the tubular cathode assembly, is compressed so as to have a compressed thickness less than the uncompressed thickness. The invention still further comprehends an elongate air depolarized cell (,) comprising an anode, a cathode, or cathode-separator combination as described herein, and electrolyte.