US 3,944,894 AGranted

Electrolytic timer capsule with rupturable filament anode

AssigneeAir Products and Chemicals, Inc.

InventorJohn Paul Jones, Jr.

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Abstract

Electrolytic timer capsules disclosed herein are of the type having an anode filament ruptured by electrolytic action at a known end-of-life time. These capsules are identified by a configuration of housing and electrodes that concentrates electrolytic action on a known portion of the filament anode to produce the rupture which is detectable between two extending lead terminals of the filament. Thus, the anode or cathode and surrounding electrolyte body is shaped to concentrate the electric field and ion migration patterns at the specified location at which rupture occurs. Hermetic sealing of the electrolyte within the capsule is afforded by clamping a resilient surrounding insulating body forming together with the cathode a compartment for receiving the electrolyte solution by indenting the metallic cathode electrode forming with the insulating body a hermetically-sealed, low-cost, dispensible, timer capsule.

Claims4

Dependent claims

An electrolytic timing capsule, comprising in combination, an electrolyte solution, a cup-like insulator containing said solution with a continuous filament anode element with an intermediate portion extending through the insulator into said solution with two terminal leads extending from said insulator outside said solution as terminals to detect discontinuity of the filament portion therebetween, a cathode element having a planar surface in contact with said solution arranged to close the cup-like insulator structure, said cup-like insulator comprising a resilient electrically insulating element confining said solution in a cup-like compartment holding the electrolyte disposed between said anode and cathode, and clamping means formed by configuration of said cathode for pressing said cathode and insulating element together in a hermetic sealed housing arrangement confining said solution wherein the two leads are held by said clamping means in said insulating element to maintain said intermediate portion in said electrolyte in a stressed condition of a sense assisting rupture of said filament at the end-of-life.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.