ELECTRIC CIRCUIT COUPLERS
Year: 1889

page_text: I, STANLEY CHARLES CUTHBERT CURRIE, Electrician, a subject of the Queen of
Great Britain, now residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for ELECTRIC CIRCUIT COUPLERS, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-.
My invention relates to electric circuit-couplers of the class in which the circuit
is automatically opened or closed simply by separating or uniting the members of
the coupler; its objects are to enable this result effectually and quickly to be
attained in the dark as well as in the light-without liability to connect circuits
of wrong polarity; and at the same time, not only to insure effective electrical
contact, but also securely to protect the circuits and their connections from
injury.
These ends I attain by securing the circuit-connections or terminals in their
respective protecting cases, frames, handles or stocks in such manner that they can
only be connected in proper relation.
It is advisable, in lighting cars by electricity, that their circuit should extend
throughout the train. This involves the provision of means for rapidly connecting
and disconnecting the circuits between the cars. As it is preferable, in my opinion,
to employ more than two circuits, and it is essential, of course, that circuits of like
polarity, only, should be connected; to do this effectively and rapidly, under the well-
known conditions of railway traffic, requires a special organization of apparatus to
prevent mistakes from carelessness or negligence while preserving the convenience
and simplicity essential to practical success. The contacts must be good, sure, and
effective, readily made and broken, and at all times protected from dirt, wet, or
danger of outside conducting surfaces-such, for instance, as car-roofs, which
are usually of metal, railings, supports, chains, and instruments employed about
the car.
The subject-matter claimed is hereinafter specifically designated in the claims at
the end of this specification.
My invention is especially adapted for use in connection with apparatus for lighting

page_text: Deming well-known, need not be particularly described, and may be varied
well-known ways, within certain limits, without departure from the spirit of my
invention.
Fig. 1 represents a view, in elevation, of a pair of the coupling cases or
handles.
Fig. 2, a transverse section therethrough, on the line 2, 2, of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, a longitudinal section therethrough, on the line 3, 3, of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4, a diagram showing means of preventing improper connection of the
couplers.
Fig. 5 is an end view of coupler, showing the cable entering the handle.
Fig. 6, a side view of the adjacent ends of two cars showing my improved circuit-
coupler in position.
Each coupler consists of two separate handles A, A¹, each the counterpart of the
other; each handle consisting of two casings a, a¹, of dissimilar size, and of such
shape and dimensions that the smaller casing of one handle fits easily into the larger
one of the other; these casings may be of any suitable shape-round, oval, or
polygonal in cross-section. In the drawings they are shown as oblong. They are
also preferably made of metal. The casings are secured, preferably, by screws b, or
other detachable connections, in a tubular handle B, through which the circuit-
wires w, w¹, w², pass. Each of these wires is connected with its respective forked
or U-shaped conductor x, y, z, having contact pieces x¹, x², y': y², z¹², therefrom,
parallel to each other and to the bore of the casing, so as to permit the opposing
contacts of opposite handles readily to interlock with each other, to insure good electric
contact. To facilitate this interlocking, the mouthes of the casings, as well as the
ends of the contacts, may be made flaring-as usual, for instance, in car-couplings.
The wires, conductors, and contact-pieces are secured in proper insulating material, C,
in the casing, in well-known ways.
By this organization, it will be seen that each casing of each handle contains an
interlocking terminal of like polarity, so that there are two opposing contacts, of like
polarity, in each handle, for each circuit, thus insuring good and ample contact-
surface.
In Fig. 2, for instance, the upper and middle contacts x, y, are positive, while the
lower one, z, is negative, and the larger casing A, is on the left of the observer. Now
by making all the connections in the same relative order, in all the casings and cars,
the circuits must necessarily be properly completed when the contacts are made, as it
is impossible for the inside connections to make contact without the larger casing
overlapping the smaller. In order to prevent the smaller casing from being inserted
in the larger one of the opposite handle, while turned half round, as shown in Fig. 4,
which would produce a short circuit, a fin, rib, stop, or projection d, formed on the
outer side of each of the larger casings, which shoves the smaller case to one side,
when wrongly inserted, and prevents its entrance.
A removable spring-plug, like a gun tompion, for instance, may be inserted in the
mouth of each casing to protect the contact, when not in use.
I prefer to employ four couplers to each car, as shown in Fig. 6, two at
each end, (directly opposite each other), and attached to the projecting roof of
the car.
One coupling might be attached to the car, while its counterpart might be attached
to the projecting end of a cable W, enclosing the conductors, as shown on the upper
side of Fig. 6; or two handles might be connected by a flexible cable W, of conductors
one at each end-to interlock with corresponding handles on the car, as shown on the
lower side of Fig. 6. The handles may be held together, when interlocked, by spring-
connections, as shown-such, for instance, as those used in the well-known air-brake
coupling.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of the circuit-terminals, and the cases of different lengths and
widths, enclosing the terminals, and insulated therefrom, substantially as hereinbefore
set forth.
2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the handle, two dis-
similar cases secured thereto, insulating material, and circuit terminals of different
polarities similarly arranged in each case, and projecting from the insulating material,
but protected by the case.
3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of two handles, two
dissimilar cases secured to each handle, each case being adapted to interlock with
the corresponding one of the opposite handle, insulating material in each handle,
circuit-terminals of different polarities, similarly arranged in each case, projecting
from the insulating material, and protected by the case.
4. An electric circuit-coupler consisting of the combination, substantially as herein-
before set forth, of the circuit-terminals, and two dissimilar cases, arranged side by
side, enclosing the circuit-terminals, and extending beyond their outer ends.
5. The combination, substantially as herein before set forth, of an electrical
conductor projecting from a car, a handle connected therewith, two dissimilar cases
connected with the handle, insulating material therein, circuit-terminals projecting
from the insulating material, but protected by the cases, and a corresponding handle
carrying dissimilar cases and circuit-connections on the adjacent car, to insure rapid
and accurate connection and disconnection of the circuits.
6. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the dissimilar over-
lapping cases, the symmetrically arranged interlocking circuit-connections, and a stop (f)
which prevents interlocking except with the connections in the proper relation, as
set forth.
Dated this 19th day of January 1889.