IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE ELECTRIC LIGHT
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Hale Holmes, at present residing in Paris,
in the Empire of France, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS.
"
Sealed the 4th February 1868, and dated the 10th August 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Hale Holmes.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th August 1867.
FREDERIC HALE HOLMES, at present residing in Paris, in the Empire of
France, Engineer, do hereby.declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE ELECTRIC LIGHT,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the production of the electric light by the
aid of an electro-magnetic machine, so constructed and arranged that a lower
speed to rotation to that hitherto required will suffice to produce the desired
intencity of. light, or an increased amount of light to that hitherto obtained.
may be produced by the same speed of working usually adopted..
According to one part of my Invention I place round the shaft of the
electro-magnetic machine from 16 to 40 armatures made up of flat plate iron,
either curved throughout their entire length, or each armature may be.com-
posed of two pieces of plate iron screwed to a cast-iron base of equal length.
These armatures are so fixed that the distance between the two edges of,such.
armature and the space between each armature is equal round a drum for

page_text: broad-edged wheel of brass, and the wire is wound on the armatures from end
to end, or parallel with the shaft; or.I place or fix in the periphery of two or
more wheels any equal number of helices with iron cores, either solid or
hollow, in the same manner as I now make the magneto-electric machines,
but in lieu of permanent steel magnets I employ soft iron electro-magnets
made of either round or square iron. These electro-magnets have their ends
screwed on to cast-iron shoes of such a length and breadth that the distance
between them is exactly equal to their. breadth.. The magnets are curved in
the middle, but the two arms are straight and radial, and stand at right angles
to the direction of the shaft. They are so arranged that the end of the cores
of the helices shall pass between the poles or the shoes of the parallel rings of
the electro-magnets. The shoes or poles are bolted on to a strong ring of brass
of the same breadth as the shoes, which ring besides serving to keep the poles
in their position answers as a safety guide to prevent accidents by unequal
attraction. In this form of machine, as well as in the above-described form,
I' wind two or more coils of either round or flattened wire on the electro-
magnets, for the purpose of being enabled at any time to diminish or increase
the force of the electro-magnets at will without stopping the, machine:; I do
not employ armatures expressly to magnetize the electro-magnets, but in lieu
thereof I employ a small portion of the wire which passes round the several
armatures; neither..do..I-employ-permanent-magnets-for- that purpose, but
instead of such an arrangement I pass the current from a small galvanic
battery through the coils of the electro-magnets when using the machine
for the first-time, after which the residual magnetism alone will be found
sufficient:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed'
by the, said Frederic Hale Holmes in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th February 1868.
5.
1;
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERIC.
HALE HOLMES, at present residing in Paris, in the Empire of France, Engineer,,
send greeting.
I
11
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth. day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto me,
the said Frederick Hale Holmes, Hér, special license, that I; the said:
+

page_text: Frederic Hale Holmes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such.
others as I, the said. Frederick Hale Holmes, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time,
and at all times thereafter during the term therein, expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-.
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE ELECTRIC.
LIGHT," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederic Hale,
Holmes, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under;
my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner. the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-.
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Hale Holmes,; do, bereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described, and ascertained in and by,
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object the production of electric light by: the
aid of an electro-magnetic machine, so constructed and arranged that a lower:
speed of rotation to that hitherto required will suffice to produce the desired.
intensity of light...
According to one part of my Invention I place round the shaft of the:
electro-magnetic machine from 16 to 40 armatures, made up of Hat plate:
iron, either curved throughout their entire length, or each armature may be
composed of two. pieces of plate iron screwed to a cast-iron, base of equal,
length. These armatures are so, fixed that the distance between the two.
edges of such armature and the space between each armature is equal,round.
a drum or broad-edged wheel of brass, and the wire is wound on the armatures.
from' end to end, or parallel with the shaft; or I. place or fix in the periphery.
of two or more wheels any equal number of helices. with iron cores; either.
solid or hollow, in the same manner as I now. make the magneto-electric
machines, but in lieu of permanent steel magnets I employ soft. iron..electro
magnets made of either round. or square iron. These electro-magnets have
their ends. screwed into cast-iron shoes of such a length and breadth that the
distance between them is exactly equal to their breadth. The magnets are
curved in the middle, but the two arms are straight and radial, and stand at
right angles.to the direction of the shaft...They are so. arranged, that the end

page_text: of the cores of the helices shall pass-between the 'poles or 'the shoes of the.
parallel rings of the electro-magnets. The shoes or poles are bolted on to
a strong ring of brass of the same breadth as the shoes, which ring besides
serving to keep the poles in their position answers as a safety guide to prevent
accidents by unequal attraction. In this form of machine, as well as in the
above-described form, I wind two or more coils of either round or flattened
wire on the electro-magnets; for the purpose of being enabled at any time to
diminish or increase the force of the electro-magnets at will without stopping
the machine. I do not employ armatures expressly to magnetize the electro-
magnets, but in lieu thereof I'employ a small portion of the wire which-passes
round the several armatures; neither do I employ permanent magnets for that
purpose, but instead of such an arrangement I pass the current from a small
galvanic battery through the coils of the electro-magnets when using the "
machine for the first time, after which the residual magnetism alone will be
found sufficient..
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood. I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall
refer to the several Figures 'on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures..
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of one form of my
improved electro-magnetic machine complete; Figure 2 is a corresponding
end view of the same; Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 are details which serve to
explain the construction of the machine, and which I shall herein-after fully
describe and refer to.
7
A represents the frame of the machine; B is a brass drum bolted to the
frame to which the electro-magnets are secured; C (Figures 1, 3, and 5), are
the electro-magnets with two separate coils of insulated wire wound on them;
D, D; (Figures 1 and 4) are the armatures, coils, or bobbins with their soft
iron cöres which are employed in this form of machine. The wires in these
coils in lieu of being wound singly are wound in groups or bundles of eight
(more or less), according to the 'distance at which the electric lamp will. be
required to be placed from the electro-magnetic machine. The more distant
the lamp-the longer will the wires be required on the cores or in the coils; but
all the wires of the inner coils D¹ are used to produce the light, while only a
portion of the outer coils D are employed for that purpose, the other portion 3
heing required to magnetise the electro-maguets. In making the connections
therefore between the coils Di(all being wound in the same direction) the
two inner extremities of two neighbouring coils are joined, and then the two
outer extremities, and so on; as shewn in Figure 4, till between the last: pair.

page_text: of coils the terminals from the last coils instead of being joined are each'
carried to one of the insulated rings N and N¹ (Figures 2 and 6), whence
the current passes to the lamp by the rubbers O, which consist of bushes of
soft, copper wire pressed gently on to the surface of the rings. The other
portion of the outer. coils D is joined from coil to coil exactly in the same
nanner as above described; but the two terminals are joined each to one ring
of a commutator H, (of the form patented by me in the year Oue thousand
eight hundred and fifty-seven, Number 1998,) whence the current passes by!
the rubber I in one direction to the binding screws K (Figures 1 and 2), and by
one wire.thence to the stud Q, and by a second wire to the current changer M
(Figures 1 and 2). All the coils on the electro-magnets are wound in one'
direction, but by connecting the inside ends of the two neighbouring coils and.
the two outside ends alternately when a current passes through these coils the
poles of the magnets will become alternately north and south poles. These
connections of the terminals of the coils on the electro-maguets are all made)
on the outer surface of a circular board G (Figures 1, 2, and 3), attached to
the drum B, except the terminals between the two uppermost coils in each
series on the side next the commutator, which are joined the one to the
stud Q and the other to the brass plate R (Figure 1). In the second coil:
the corresponding terminals are joined one to the plate S and the other to the:
plate T. The plates R and T are so placed that the current changer cau
make metallic contact either with the plate R alone or with the plate S, and
at the same time connect R and T. The direction of one wire leading from
the commutator rubbers has already been described, the other is in connection
with the stem of the current changer, and when this (the current changer) is
in the position shewn at M (Figure 1) the current will pass through both
series of coils surrounding the electro-magnets, but when in the position'
shewn at M in the modified machine Figure 7 (herein-after fully described) the
current will pass only through one series of coils. The electro-magnets are*
so arranged that the distance between the poles (in the direction in which the
coils turn) and the breadth of the poles shall be equal, and in this form of:
machine the poles are retained in their positions by two brass rings E, E,
(Figures 1 and 3) which serve also to-support the coils. The inner coils D₁:
(Figures 1, 3, and 4) have the two ends of their cores let into the two discs
of the wheel which carries them, so that the cores are just flush with the
outside-surface of these discs. The cores of the outer coils D (Figures+1)
and 3)-pass through the flange of the wheel, and then each pair of cores areis
passed through an iron plate, and are firmly.fixed in their place by nuts, as.
shewn in Figures 1 and 3. A circular brass plate is placed between the heads1

page_text: of the cores and the coils to keep the wire in its place. The detail, Figure 3,
represents a vertical section taken through the longitudinal axis of one of the
magnets, and the inner and outer coils. Figure 4 shews the mode of joining
the inner coils D round the periphery of the wheel F. Figure 5 shews a side
and edge view of ani electro-magnet; and Figure 6' represents one. of the
rings N, N1, (Figure 2) where N is the brass ring insulated from the shaft U
by the ring of vulcanite P, and O is the rubber of copper wire pressed on the
ring by the weight L.,
1
Figures 7 and 8 represent respectively a side and end elevation of another
form of machine. The same description as that given of the first modification
will, serve for this machine so far as the general principles are concerned, but
the form is slightly different. Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are separate details
showing the mode of construction, which I shall herein-after fully describe:
and refer to. In this machine the drum B is, of cast, iron, and the magnets C.
(Figures 7, 8, 9, and 13,) are flat plates of either wrought iron or soft cast iron.
with, their inner ends of the form shewn in Figures 7 and 13, that is to say, with
their ends increased in thickness, so that the breadth of the ends shall be equal,
to, the distance between them... Between these ends of the electro-magnets:
there are fixed; the pieces of brass E (Figures 7, 8, 9, and 13). These brass
plates may be replaced by any other metal or alloy.except iron and lead, or
hard wood may be used. When the brass plates E.are fixed in their places
the whole, that is the ends of the electro-magnets and. the inner surfaces of.
the brass plates, are turned truly cylindrical, and within this cylinder so formed
-the-armatures-which-are-the-same-breadth as the magnet-blades are fixed
to the surface of a wheel or drum F, so that the ends of the armatures are
about the 16th of an inch from the inside of the magnetic cylinder. The coils
of the electro-magnets are all wound in the same direction and coupled, as in.
the form of machine herein-before described, the terminals being brought
through a circular board and there soldered to each other, except the last
two terminals of each series of coils, which are attached respectively to the
stud.Q and the plates R, S, T.. The coils on the armatures D (Figures 7, 9,
and 12) are also connected in, the same manner as in the first-described
machine, that is to say, the greater number of the strands of wire are in con-
nection with the insulated rings N,. N¹, (Figure 8) and the other strands with
the two rings of the commutator H (Figures 7 and 8). Of the several details
Figure 9 shews the manner in which the electro-magnets C are attached to
the drum B, as also the position of the coils and the armatures D attached.to
the rim. of the drum or wheel. F; E, E; are the brass distance pieces.
Figure 10, is a cross section through the magnet drum B; showing one of the

page_text: radial flanges to which the electro-magnets are bolted. Figure 11 is a vertical
section through a portion of the armature wheel F (Figure 7). Figure 12
is a side view of a wired and unwired armature, of which Figure 9 shews the
end view, and Figure 13 shews a covered and uncovered magnet plate, also.
the thickness and length of the brass distance pieces E (Figures 7 and 9).
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-.
before in part recited Letters Patent is,
First. The general construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
for producing the electric light from electro-magnets at a lower speed of
rotation than has hitherto been required in the existing form of machinery
employed for that purpose, substantially as herein-before described and illus-
trated by my Drawings.
Second. The peculiar arrangement or position of the cores of the coils
which by revolving between the poles cut all the magnetic curves in a manner
so as to produce the greatest quantity of electricity, as herein-before described
and illustrated in reference to the first-described machine.
Third. The winding on the electro-magnets of two or more coils of wire,.
which can be used separately or conjointly as desired, so as to economise the
power required to turn the machine when less light will suffice, as herein-
before described.
Fourth. The application of a current changer so arranged that the two or
more coils around the electro-magnets may be connected or disconnected by it
at any instant without stopping the light or reducing the speed of the machine,
as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Hale Holmes, have to 'this my
Specification set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of February, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.