Improvements in Lifting and Lowering Gear for Electric Arc Lamps,. Electroliers, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 16th May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lifting and Lowering Gear for Electric Arc Lamps,.
Electroliers, and the like.
I BENJAMIN RICHARD BAKER, of 31, Barford Street, Islington, in the County
of London, Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 lifting and lowering gear for electric arc lamps,.
electroliers, and the like apparatus, and has for its object to arrange the suspending
gear and the conductors independently so that the latter bear no weight and perform
no part of the operations of lifting and lowering, and hence there is no strain upon
same as has hitherto been the case. These strains upon the conductors are always
detrimental and materially reduce their efficiency and longevity, and by my
improvements inexpensive and durable means are provided by which the above
difficulty is effectually overcome.
According to my invention I suspend the lamp or electrolier from an independent
flexible wire or cord passing over any system of ordinary pulleys and suitably
counter-weighted, and over one special compound drum or pulley to which the line
wires are led and upon which they can freely wind and unwind according as the
lamp or electrolier is lifted or lowered without affecting their electrical contacts
which are arranged as travelling or friction contacts within the special pulley,
and the required insulation and compensating devices are provided as hereinafter
shown.
I will now fully describe my invention in reference to the accompanying drawings-
in which
Fig. 1 is a central horizontal section on line 1-2 of Fig. 2 through the special.
drum showing details; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of same;
Fig. 3 is an elevation on line 2-3 of Fig. 1 looking to the left and showing the
face of the rotary drum;
Fig. 4 is an elevation on line 2-3 of Fig. 1 looking to the right and showing.
the face of the fixed end disc;
Fig. 5 is a plan of one form of rubbing contact maker;
Fig. 6 is an elevation of the frame and drum;
Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 illustrate respectively in front and side elevation two.
arrangements of my improved hoisting gear and suspended are lamps.
In the latter figures L represents an arc lamp suspended by an independent
flexible wire or cord S passing up over the special druin hereinafter explained, and
thence over pulleys such as ss arranged in any convenient way. W is the counter-
weight by which the lamp is balanced in any position. S' represents an interposed
resiliency or spring for relieving jerks and shocks during hoisting or lowering. The
special drum is carried on an axis a supported in a frame such as F, Fig. 6, adapted
to be fixed to a joist or top bearing, as instanced in Figs. 7 to 10, and secured by
nuts and cotters or otherwise suitably. It consists of three parts; a hard wood
grooved pulley or drum D rotating on the axis a, and two similar end discs E E of
hard wood W fixed to the frame and stationary. The line wires P N are led into
the two end discs through suitable insulators II provided with insulating caps ii,
and fixed to conducting blocks Z Z in electric connection with conducting rings RR
fixed into procelain insulations II let into the wood W. The rotary drum D has
three grooves, a central one d for the suspension wire S, and side grooves pn for

page_text: the reception and winding of the insulated lamp wires P¹ N¹. One end of each of
these wires is inserted into holes p' n and fixed into the conducting blocks p² n³
by the set-screws p³ n³, suitable insulators H H being provided, and the wires are
wound with any required number of turns according to required length around the
grooves p and n, the other end of each being connected in the usual way to the lamp
or pendent, a simple device such as illustrated at s' consisting of an iron frame with
insulated pulleys being preferably interposed to provide against twisting of the
lamp wires. Constant and efficient electrical contact between the fixed conducting
rings RR and the conducting blocks p2 n2 in the rotary drum is made by the use of
frictional rubbing contacts CC at each side of and rotating in either direction with
the drum D. These may be of any suitable and appropriate kind; I have illustrated
for example in Fig. 5 one form which I have found convenient and effective. It
consists of a brass strip c clamped around the conductors p2 and n2 and having its
contact ends cc turned back and projecting slightly beyond the plane of the
rotating drum face as shown; or a spring-pressed copper ball or other form of
spring rubbing contact may be substituted. rr represent intermediate conducting
blocks for ensuring good contact and accuracy of revolution of drum D. The gaps
between the end discs E E and the rotary drum D are preferably covered by brass
protecting rings g g.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In lifting and lowering gear such as above referred to, the use of a travelling
constant contact making device substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The arrangement of gear for lifting and lowering an electric arc lamp,
electrolier, or the like, consisting of the rotary grooved drum mounted between two
fixed end discs all carried in a frame, the lamp or device being suspended from an
independent wire or cord passing over the drum and suitable pulleys, and the lamp
conductors being carried by the drum and electrically connected through travelling
rubbing contacts to the fixed line wires so that no weight or strain comes upon them,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The arrangement of the fixed line wires and end discs in combination with the
lamp wires, rotary drum, and rubbing contacts, substantially as and for the purpose
above set forth.
4. The arrangement of my improved gear shown in the drawings.
Dated this 7th day of March 1896
J. C. CHAPMAN,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Chartered Patent. Agent..