Safety-valve stopper especially intended for electric storage batteries

• US 4,078,121 A
• Filed: 06/21/1976
• Issued: 03/07/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Claude Alain Gratzmuller
• Original Assignee: Claude Alain Gratzmuller
• Inventors: Gratzmuller, Claude Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Walton, Donald L.
• Application Number:
  US05/697,789
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 429/54
• US Class Current: 429/54
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/308 Detachable arrangements, e.g. detachable vent plugs or plug systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The invention relates to a stopper with valve for a storage battery which permits the gases evolved by the storage battery to escape only above a precise specific pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure.

The valve includes a diaphragm clack maintained gripped in a fluid-tight manner at its periphery, between the body of the stopper and a hood which covers a calibrated spring normally keeping the valve closed. The hood is secured on the body solely by ratchet engagement of these two members which have corresponding frustoconical surfaces and of which at least one is deformable.

The stopper with valve is for application to fixed or starting storage batteries in order to lessen the consumption of water in the batteries.

Claims

1. A storage battery vent plug for closing a filler opening in a battery cell cover, comprising in combination a body member and an apertured hood member associated therewith, said body member having a normally horizontal wall, a first annular flange extending downwardly from said wall and adapted for attachment to said battery cell cover, a second annular flange extending upwardly from said wall and provided with an inner annular clamping surface, said second annular flange terminating in a circular row of resilient teeth each having a cone-shaped inner surface portion longitudinally spaced from said annular clamping surface, said hood member having a circular top wall and a flange depending therefrom, said depending flange providing an annular clamping end surface in opposition to said clamping surface of the body member, a central boss formed on the upper face of said first wall, an outlet port disposed centrally of said boss, an annular valve seating surface on said boss about said outlet port, a flexible diaphragm constituting a valve member and having its periphery clamped between the said clamping surfaces of the body member and the hood member, said diaphragm being normally in seating contact with said valve seating surface so as to define with said first wall and said second flange an annular pressure chamber about said boss, an inlet duct formed in said first wall for establishing a communication between said pressure chamber and the interior of said first flange, an exhaust duct formed in said first wall for establishing a communication between said outlet port and the atmosphere, a circular backing plate structure for said diaphragm resting against the upper face thereof, a calibrated spring disposed between said plate structure and said hood member for yieldingly holding the diaphragm against said seating surface but to allow the diaphragm to flex so as to permit gas flow through said outlet port only while the incoming gas from within the battery is at a pressure above a predetermined amount, and an annular ridge formed by two lower cone-shaped outer surface portions of said depending flange of the hood member, said ridge being adapted to axially engage said row of resilient teeth and radially flex said resilient teeth of the second flange so as to be received within the annular space left between the diaphragm and said row of resilient teeth, whereupon the cone-shaped inner surface portion of each of the radially deformed teeth is effective to exert on the inclined upper surface portion of said ridge a pressure tending to urge said hood member towards and maintain it in the proper diaphragm clamping position with a component force due to the resiliency of said teeth.

2. A vent plug as set forth in claim 1, in which said hood member contains a deformable enclosure in the form of a glove finger the internal volume of which is in communication with the atmosphere.

3. A vent plug as set forth in claim 1 in which said calibrated spring is a plate spring.

4. A vent plug as set forth in claim 3, in which said plate spring is cruciform in shape.

5. A vent plug as set forth in claim 4, in which said plate spring is of plastics material.