COMPOSITE BATTERY CONTAINER WITH INTEGRAL FLEXIBLE RIBS

摘要

A composite battery container for housing one or more cell elements comprising positive and negative plates alternately interleaved with separator material includes a battery housing defining one or more cell compartments. The cell compartments have resilient, flexible spacer and plate-rest ribs integrally formed in the sides and bottom of the cell compartments, but having different material properties than the battery housing. The battery housing is made of a rigid, low cost plastic material, while the ribs are a flexible thermoplastic elastomer. The flexible ribs elastically deform when a cell element is disposed within the cell compartment and return to a substantially non-deformed, originally molded position when the cell element is removed. The ribs are formed in any suitable orientation and at any suitable acute or obtuse angle from the cell compartment walls.