A METHOD OF DIVIDING AND DISTRIBUTING THE CURRENT PRODUCED BY GALVANIC BATTERIES AND MAGNETO AND DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINES INTO AN INDEFINITE NUMBER OF SEPARATE CURRENTS, EQUAL OR RELATIVELY UNEQUAL TO EACH OTHER IN QUANTITY OR FORCE
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Edward Shea at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th October 1878.
CHARLES EDWARD SHEA, of "The Elms," Foot's Cray, in the County of Kent,
.Gentleman. " A METHOD OF DIVIDING AND DISTRIBUTING THE CURRENT PRODUCED
BY GALVANIC BATTERIES AND MAGNETO AND DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINES INTO AN
INDEFINITE NUMBER OF SEPARATE CURRENTS, EQUAL OR RELATIVELY UNEQUAL TO
EACH OTHER IN QUANTITY OR FORCE."
The method invented by me for the purpose of dividing and distributing the
current produced by galvanic batteries and magneto and dynamo electric machines
consists of a mechanical contrivance by which a stud or piece of metal or other
good conducting substance connected by suitable wires with one pole of the battery
or machine in use is passed in succession at a very high rate of speed again and
again before the ends of several wires (separately insulated from cach other) at the
same instant that a similar stud connected with the other pole of the battery or
machine is passed before the other ends of such wires respectively, so as to establish
a through current from the battery or machine through such wires one after the
other in quick succession. In using the expression "passing before" as above em-
ployed I mean passing by in sufficiently close proximity or contact to permit of the
free passage of the current to or from the aforesaid studs from or to the respective
ends of the wires aforesaid. The machine is intended to provide a means of pro-
curing a complete circuit through any given wire by bringing to its respective ends
pieces of metal or studs respectively connected with the positive and negative poles
of the battery or machine. Next, that these pieces of metal or studs, while con-
stantly retaining their connection with the respective poles of the battery or
machine, shall be made to pass. at an exceedingly high rate of speed before the
exposed metallic ends of a number of wires in such a manner that the current
shall be caused to pass through these several wires and back to the battery or
machine one after the other. By attaining a very high rate of speed (by means of
multiplying wheels or otherwise) the period between the visits of the aforesaid pieces'
Prine 671

page_text: of metal or studs to any particular wire is so infinitesimal that for practical
purposes the current sent through such-wire is continuous
The intention and object of the machine is to distribute the current (produced
by the battery or machine) amongst the several wires, one after the other, at
intervals so short as to be perceptible in the quantity or volume but not in the
practical-continuity-of-the current.
A reference to the accompanying diagrams of my machine will serve to make my
meaning plainer.
Fig. 1 exhibits a general view of the machine. B1 and B2 are two discs or circular
pieces of metal (or hard wood or other suitable material) fastened firmly to the
stand C, C. Through a hole in the centre of each piece the axle (A', A) revolves.
The bearings in which this axle turns must be constructed so as to permit and
endure a high rate of speed on the part of the axle. To this axle are fixed two
other discs or circular pieces of metal or wood, or other suitable material (E¹ and
E, Fig. No. 1). These latter discs should be placed at such a distance from the
other discs B' and B2 that it would not be possible (assuming them both to be
metallic) for the current to pass from the one to the other, say one inch apart.
Between the two discs B¹ and B2 is a space (G) which I leave as a convenient
position.at which to apply the motive power to the machine (by an everlasting
band connected with multiplying wheels or other commonly known methods of
applying force under such circumstances), in order to cause the axle A1, A2, with
the discs E and E2 to rotate at a high rate of speed. As will be explained here-
after it is not absolutely necessary to have two moving discs with the space
between, for one moving disc (properly insulated as herein-after described), will do
as well; but the motive power must then be applied at one side or the other (A'
or A²), a less symmetrical arrangement but equally practicable.
I claim both methods as part of my Invention, and Fig. 4 shows the machine with
one actual moving wheel.
Referring again to Fig. 1, the disc B¹ has fastened to its edge the exposed ends
of a number of wires, each wire insulated from the others and from the disc itself.
The disc is for the purpose of holding the wires in the desired positions. The ex-
posed ends of the wires are set inwards towards the central moving discs or wheels
(or disc or wheel if only one as used in Fig. 4). The disc B2 (Fig. 1) is similar to
disc B (Fig. 1) in every respect, it being particularly provided that the exposed
ends of the respective wires in the one disc are set exactly opposite the exposed
ends of the corresponding wire in the other disc. By "corresponding wire" I mean
the wire which is connected in circuit with the wire, the exposed end of which is to
be set opposite to it in the other fixed disc. Thus in the diagram (Fig. 1) the wire
Hleaving the machine from disc B¹ is intended to be joined to and to be in
connection with H2, entering the machine at disc B²; so on with the other wires
respectively, I and 12; J and J2, -&c., &c.'
At
The two moveable discs E' and E2 have at their edge a thin sheet of metal
somewhat like the tire of a carriage wheel, insulated (by gutta percha or other
suitable insulating material) from the respective wheels or discs themselves.
some.point on this sheet of metal at the side facing towards the fixed discs B¹ and
B respectively are affixed on each moving disc or wheel a stud or piece of metal of
a high conducting nature. These studs or pieces of metal are so affixed to the
thin metallic edges or tires that they are in perfect electric connection with them,
and so that the aforesaid current may pass freely from the tire to the stud, and
vice versa.
These studs or pieces of metal are so placed that they pass as closely
as may be (but without actually touching) to the aforesaid exposed ends of the wires
affixed to the disc towards which the stud faces, the object being that the aforesaid
current shall freely pass from the tire through the stud to the particular "wire end"
which may be "passed" as aforesaid by the stud, as the wheel or disc bearing. it
rotates.
The stud affixed to the fellow moving disc (at D2 on disc E, Fig. 1) (or to the
other side of the single central wheel, if the machine be constructed as per Fig. 4),

page_text: must be placed exactly opposite the other stud so that the exposed end of the "cor-
responding wire" (as before defined) may be " passed" by the stud on the one
moving wheel or disc at the same moment that the stud on the other wheel or disc
passes the other exposed end of such wire. The result intended is that a current
applied to the tire of disc E' (or to the one side of the edge of the tire of the central
wheel if constructed as per Fig. 4) shall pass through the stud D' to the end of the
wire next it in disc B', and so throughout the circuit wire back to the other
side of the machine at disc B2 through the stud D² to the tire of the wheel or disc
E, and so on back to the other pole of the battery or machine.
It is obvious that if the axle A1, A2, is caused to revolve, carrying with it the
wheels or discs E' and E2, any current or motive force with which the metallic
tires on such wheels or discs are charged will be made to traverse the several wires
H' to HI' to I²=J¹ to J², &c., &c., one after the other, as the studs D1 and D2 are
brought by the rotation opposite their exposed ends. It remains to explain how
the current or motive force is carried from the battery or machine to the respective
metallic tires of the discs E¹ and E. It is effected by placing pieces of metal con-
nected by wires with the positive and negative poles respectively of the battery or
machine in close proximity to the respective tires. These pieces of metal should be
so placed as not to interfere with the rotation of the wheel or wheels and should be
kept as near to the tires of the revolving wheels as may be possible without actual
contact (as contact would produce useless friction); the sixteenth of an inch would
be a suitable distance. Z, Z, in Figure No. 1, show the places where the current
is introduced from the battery or machine to the tires. The wires P and N are
intended to show the wires connecting my apparatus with the positive and negative
poles of the battery or machine. To set the machine in action the wires P and N
must be connected respectively with the positive and negative poles of the battery
or machine employed, and the axle A', A, is caused (by external motive power)
to rotate very swiftly, and the current is then conveyed from the battery or
machine to the tires, and through (and the respective studs) to each in turn of
the circuit wires H, H-I, 12-J, J- &c., &c., as the wheels carrying the
studs rotate. As has been before mentioned a very high rate of speed must be
attained in order to create the necessary practical continuity of the current
through any particular circuit wire, and with that object wheels of a large diameter
are advisable.
A division of the current is the result.
In Figure 1 the wires attached to the fixed discs B' and B2 are made to appear
rather wide apart (as at N in Fig. 2) for the sake of distinctness, but they
should in practice be as close together as is consistent with perfect insulation (as at
M in Fig. 2).
Fig. 2 shows the fixed disc (B1 and B2 of Fig. 1) with the exposed wire ends
fastened at its outer edge as explained.
Fig. 3 shows the side of the revolving wheels or discs (E¹ and E2, Fig. 1) with
the stud protruding. The tire of metal is shown by the letter R and the insulating
material by letter S.
Fig. 4 shows the employment of one central wheel in the place of the two E¹
and in Fig. 1. There is no difference in principle; the edge of the wheel has a
sort of triple or divided tire, the centre band or division (shown K in Fig. 4) being
of gutta percha, or other suitable insulating medium, and the outside bands (shown
E and E, Fig. 4) of metal insulated from each other and from the wheel itself and
bearing each a stud (D' and D³) connected with its adjacent metal band. The
current is applied by wires P and N at Z, Z, to the respective bands of metal in the
same manner as above described with reference to the two separate wheels or discs
E' and E2, Fig. 1.
The part of the machine above described deals only with the division of the cur-
rent or motive force. I now proceed to explain how the quantity or volume of the
current in any one particular circuit wire is to be regulated, and this I claim as an
important part of my Invention.

page_text: This regulation is effected by simply joining together in electrical contact two or
more wires on the one side after they bave left the machine and also the cor-
responding wires on the other side of the machine. For instance, assume that there
are 100 wires numbered 1 to 100 affixed round the edge of each disc B¹ and B² and
that the machine in operation distributes the current equally between them all, it
-is-desired--to-concentrate-in-one-wire-a-double quantity of the current; this is.
at once effected by joining two wires (best selected from opposite sides of the
-disc-in question, say wire No. 1-and-wire No. 50 in disc-B¹), connect these wires
together after they leave the machine and then the one wire resulting from such
junction will convey the double amount of the current round the circuit to the other
side of the machine where the two corresponding wires (Nos. 1 and 50 in disc B²)
entering the machine must also be connected. Three or more wires may be
dealt with in the same manner, according to the quantity or volume of the current
desired.
The stud in a single rotation visiting the same circuit wire (by reason of the
junction made outside the machine) twice or thrice, conveys through it twice or
thrice (as the case may be) the amount of the current received by a wire visited only
once in the single rotation.
The divided current in any particular wire can again be subdivided by a second
machine, and so on ad infinitum, until the volume of the original current is so sub-
divided as to be lost by the resistance experienced.
The same results may be achieved by a modification of the machine by pro-
curing the motion of the stud across the face of the series of "wire ends" by
means of a piston moved swiftly backwards and forwards in lieu of rotation by a
wheel,
The uses to which the current or motive force when divided can be put are
manifold, and a principal one is the application of the Invention to the electric
light.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention I would remark that I
do not restrict myself to precise details or arrangements of parts which I have
expressed and shewn, as the same may obviously varied or modified without in
any degree departing from the principles and objects thereof.