Molded plastic battery container

Abstract

A battery container made of molded plastic and preferably formed in a single unitary structure. The container comprises a generally rectangular hollow container with a closed bottom and an open top. A plurality of internal partitions formed as integral parts of the container bottom and side walls divide the interior space into a plurality of battery cells. These partitions are formed by a plurality of spaced mold cores disposed within the mold that forms the outside shell of the container. A plurality of ribs are formed on the mold surface that forms the bottom of the container, the ribs being in alignment with the cavities between adjacent mold cores and forming a plurality of parllel grooves in the lower surface of the container bottom. The ribs are at least as wide as the width of the cavities between adjacent cores at the top of the container so that the upper ends of the partitions formed in said cavities fit into the resulting grooves formed by the ribs when the containers are stacked on top of each other, thereby preventing distortion and warping of the partitions while they are stacked. The ribs also affect the flow of plastic through the mold, preventing lateral displacement of the mold cores so that the resulting partitions are produced with a uniform thickness, providing a more reliable battery container and a lower reject rate. The mold gates are formed in the centers of the ribs, and the feed nozzles extend all the way through the ribs to avoid any reduction in the groove depth due to buildup of plastic at the gates. To maintain a substantially uniform thickness in the bottom of the container in the gate regions, the corners of the mold cores are provided with recesses adjacent the gate regions, thereby increasing the thickness of the lower ends of the partitions in those regions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.