As conducive to a more ready understanding of the invention herein it may be noted that over a long period of years the cost of producing and marketing electric storage batteries has undergone substantial reduction. Particularly, this is true with the batteries intended and adapted for vehicle use. Moreover, importantly increased life expectancy has been imparted thereto. Notwithstanding all of this, however, it is well known that in such batteries a cell failure is frequently unexpectedly and unpredictably encountered. Also it is well known that when such failure is experienced, the economic complexities are such that repair is not feasible, as by replacing a cell. On the contrary, it is often necessary to replace the entire battery assembly. This is so, even though the remaining cells may fully retain normal operating characteristics and individually have full life expectancy.
In this connection, it should be noted that a composite battery of known, accepted and conventional type is made up of a number of electrically interconnected individual cell units. In the early days of the electric storage battery, particularly for automotive use, both the high first cost and replacement cost of these batteries made it feasible, upon failure of one component cell, to open the battery in its entirety and replace the plates and/or electrolyte of the defective cell, or to repair the walls of separators thereof, as may be required. This procedure, however, has not been practical in the present-day composite battery. The art has long sought a ready, practical and inexpensive way of removing a single defective cell unit and replacing it with a new unit without disturbing the related cell units and without disturbing the composite battery.
Another problem perplexing the industry is the comparative inflexibility of the known batteries. Heretofore, it has been necessary for a dealer in batteries to stock some 8 or 10 different sizes and shapes of batteries. These batteries are usually of either six- or twelve-volt construction, comprised of three of six cells respectively in differing cell arrangement (side-by-side, end-to-end, or combinations thereof) and differing output capacities. In each such instance, regardless of the number of component cells or the electrical rating of the resulting composite battery, all of these cells in successful commercialized batteries are inflexibly integrated together from the outset, during manufacture, in permanent relationship. This imposes on the dealer a problem of stocking a large number of batteries with resultant large inventory and slow turnover. Moreover, it has been necessary to produce and stockpile batteries of all conventional types, thus appreciably increasing investment in capital operating costs and the storage facilities required.
It is known in the patent literature to removably interlock a plurality of storage battery casings by means of interengaged dovetailing ribs and recesses or grooves for the purposes of associating casings in various desired combinations to obtain desired dimensions, shapes, voltages and output ratings. Such is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,151 to Toce. Other patents showing association of cells are the U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,333 to Haas et al; Dayes U.S. Pat. No. 1,651,753; Dame, U.S. Pat. No. 1,935,790; Roberts, U.S. Pat. No. 2,768,230 and Niederer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,112,003. These constructions have not, however, been successful.