Improvements in Apparatus for Use with Electrically Illuminated Signs or Advertisements, or in other Cases where Frequent Changes of Electric Circuits are to be Made.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 21st. Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Use with Electrically Illuminated
Signs or Advertisements, or in other Cases where Frequent
Changes of Electric Circuits are to be Made.
We, ERNEST LOWER BERRY and FREDERICK HARRISON both of Lyric
Chambers, Whitcomb Street in the. County of London Electrical Engineers do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The object of our invention is to provide a simple and efficient arrangement
whereby the requisite changes of contact which are necessary to be made in
electrically illuminated signs or advertisements in which differently coloured lamps
are lighted and extinguished and in other cases where frequent changes of electric
circuits are to be made can be effected without the rapid burning of the contacts
owing to heavy sparking which has hitherto been an objection in many instances
where solid metallic contacts in series with the main circuit are made and broken
at frequent intervals.
According to our invention we provide the circuits which are to be made and
broken alternately with a switch so constructed and operated that the contact for
the one circuit is made before the contact for the other circuit is broken, and we
interpose a resistance in the circuit as hereinafter described. The following is an
arrangement according to our invention as applied for instance to an electrically
illuminated sign or advertisement in which changes from one colour to another are
effected alternately.
The transparent or semi-transparent sign or advertisement which is to be
displayed forms the front of a box or casing provided inside with two lamps
one being of the one colour and the other of the other colour. One terminal of
each of these lamps is connected with the main and the other terminals are in
electrical connection with two contact pieces upon the periphery of a wheel which
is rotated by clockwork or other motor. A brush or the like bears upon the said
periphery this brush being connected by the aforesaid resistance to the other main.
The said resistance is such as to limit the energy passing through it to the amount
required by one lamp or circuit. The contact pieces on the periphery of the wheel
are separated by insulating strips or spaces which are so inclined or arranged that
the brush comes into contact with the succeeding strip before it leaves the
preceding one. By reason of this the current passes through one lamp or the
other in accordance with which contact piece the brush is in contact but when
the brush is changing from one contact piece to the other owing to the brush then
being in contact with both contact pieces the current is divided so that whilst the
complete change from one contact piece to another is being made the said current
passes through both lamps and as when the change from the one contact piece to
the other is finally completed the breaking is only that of a current equal to the
difference between the divided current passing through two lamps and the full
current passing through one lamp the spark made at the break of each contact, is
very small.
The insulating strips or spaces which separate the contact pieces are preferably
arranged in opposite directions so that the break in passing from one strip is made

page_text: at the side of the brush opposite to that at which the break is made in passing from
the other strip.
Dated the 27th day of February 1894.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Apparatus for Use with Electrically Illuminated
Signs or Advertisements, or in other Cases where Frequent
Changes of Electric Circuits are to be Made.
We ERNEST LOWER BERRY and FREDERICK HARRISON both of Lyric
Chambers, Whitcomb Street, in the County of London, Electrical Engineers, 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 :-
The object of our invention is to provide a simple and efficient arrangement
whereby the requisite changes of contact which are necessary to be made in
electrically illuminated signs or advertisements in which differently coloured lamps
are lighted and extinguished and in other cases where frequent changes of electric
circuits are to be made can be effected without the rapid burning of the contacts
owing to heavy sparking which has hitherto been an objection in many instances
where solid metallic contacts in series with the main circuit are made. and broken
at frequent intervals.
'
According to our invention we provide the circuits which are to be made
and broken alternately with a switcli so constructed and operated that the contact
for the one circuit is made before the contact for the other circuit is broken, and
we interpose a resistance in the circuit as hereinafter described. The following is
a description of an arrangement according to our invention as applied for instance
to an electrically illuminated sign or advertisement in which changes from one
colour to another are effected alternately.
Figure 1 is a diagram showing the general arrangement of the apparatus.
Figure 2 is a plan of the clockwork motor and switch and Figure 3 is a
perspective view of the switch.
Figure 4 shows an arrangement of the apparatus in combination with a trans-
parent case on which the advertisement is placed, the transparent or semi-
transparent sign or advertisement which is to be displayed forming the front or
side or any suitable portion or portions of any suitably shaped box or casing A
provided inside with two lamps B and C one being of the one colour and the other
of the other colour.
One terminal of each of these lamps is connected with the main D through the
resistance G and the other terminals are in electrical connection. by the brushes h
with two circular contact pieces e e³ which are respectively connected to the two
contact pieces upon the periphery of the wheel or rotating switch E which is
rotated by a clockwork or other motor F.
"
A brush or the like k bears upon the said periphery this brush being con-
pected to the other main or the resistance may be between the switch and the
main as may be most convenient. The said resistance is such as to limit the
energy. passing through it to the amount required by one lamp or circuit. The
contact pieces on the periphery of the wheel are separated by insulating
strips or spaces which are so inclined or arranged that the brush k comes into
contact with the succeeding contact piece before it leaves the preceding one.
By reason of this the current passes through one lamp or the other (B or C)

page_text: in accordance with which contact piece (i or ) the brush is in contact but
when the brush k is changing from one contact piece to the other owing to the
brush then being in contact with both contact pieces i and the current is
divided so that whilst the complete change from. one contact piece to another
is being made the said current passes through both lamps B and C and as when
the change from the one contact piece to the other is finally completed the
breaking is only that of a current equal to the difference between the divided
current passing through two lamps and the full current passing through one lamp
the spark made at the break of each contact is very small.
The insulating strips or spaces which separate the contact pieces are
preferably arranged in opposite directions as shewn on the developement of the
periphery in Figure 2A so that the break in passing from one strip is made at
the side of the brush opposite to that at which the break is made in passing
from the other strip. The box containing the lamps and with the transparent
or semi-transparent advertisement or sign may be of any suitable shape for
instance it may have a doubly inclined or wedge shaped back diverging towards
the said front the lamps being placed one above the other at the angle formed
by the inclined surfaces which are used as reflectors to disperse the light from
the lamps the lamps having in front of them if desired a shield which will
further disperse the light and prevent its direct radiation on to the transparent
or semi-transparent front which would give unequal illumination of the trans-
parency but we do not limit ourselves to any particular arrangement or shape
of the box or sign or other device with which our invention is used.
Although we have shown but one lamp of each kind they may of course be
in sets of any suitable number, and although we have described only two kinds
of lamps there may be three or more different kinds the number of circuits
thereto and of contact pieces on the switch being made to correspond.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
:-
1. In, or for, electrically illuminated signs or other appliances where frequent
changes of electric circuits are to be made the combination with the electric
circuits of a switch, a clockwork or other motor and a resistance all substantially as
and for the purpose herein before described.
2. The combination with an electric sign or the like of two or more circuits, a
switch with contacts arranged to break contact with the brush alternately at
opposite sides thereof and a resistance such as to limit the energy passing through
it to the amount required by one circuit all substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination with an electric sign or the like of two or more circuits to
lamps of two or more colours or kinds, a switch with contacts arranged to break
contact with the brush alternately at opposite sides thereof and a resistance such as
to limit the energy passing through it to the amount required by the lamp or lamps
of one colour or kind all substantially as herein before described and illustrated by
the accompanying drawings.
Deted this 21st day of November 1894.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.