IMPROVED SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT CIRCUITS
Year: 1884

page_text: I HAROLD FARADAY of 3-Berners Street, in the County of Middlesex, Electric
and gas lighting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for " AN
to be as follows:-
IMPROVED SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT CIRCUITS
"
"
on
My Invention relates to an improved switch for high tension currents used in
electric lighting and it has for its object to provide a simple and cheap construction of
switch such that perfect contact will be ensured when the switch is " whereby
all liability of sparking and the consequent wear of the contact surfaces is entirely
avoided, and such that the switch must be either entirely "on" or "off" as the
case may be, and shall not be liable to accidentally occupy any interinediate
position, whilst the positions of the switch or switches when a number are combined
together may be readily seen at a glance.
This improved switch consists essentially of a lever, and of a spring clip of
peculiar form, between the jaws of which the end of the lever is pressed to close the
circuit, the said lever being combined with a spring so applied as to tend to force the
lever either towards or away from the spring clip according as it is thrown over in
the one or other direction. The lever is pivoted to a metallic support fixed to a
base board, which preferably forms the bottom of a box enclosing the metallic
portions of the switch, through a slit in the cover of which the upper or outer end
of the lever projects being furnished with a handle of non-conducting material for
operating it. To the lower or metallic part of the lever near its pivotal axis, is
pivoted a T piece between which and the base board or other suitable support a
spiral spring is compressed, the force of the spring being so applied as to force the
lever towards the one or other of its two extreme positions.
This contact portion of the lever may either be single or double arined and in
either case it is combined with a spring clip fixed to the base board or other support,
and of such form that when the lower end of the lever is thrown over towards it,
the lever will be forced with a wedge like action between the jaws of the clip, and
will make and be held in contact therewith on both sides by the spring pressure,
so as to ensure perfect electrical contact of the parts. When a number of these
switches are combined with as many branch circuits the switch levers are arranged in
a row, and are in electrical connection through the metallic supports with the main
lead, whilst the spring clips are respectively connected by suitably gauged safety
fuses with the respective branches.

page_text: DIECIFICATION.
נו
I HAROLD FARADAY of 3 Berners Street in the County of Middlesex, Electric
and gas lighting Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN
IMPROVED SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT CIRCUITS and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
" on
"
My Invention relates to an improved switch for currents used in electric lighting
and it has for its object to provide a simple and cheap construction of switch
whereby perfect contact will be ensured when the switch is "on," and sparking
will be entirely avoided and whereby the switch must necessarily be either entirely
or entirely "off" as the case may be, and cannot accidentally occupy any
intermediate position, the arrangement of the switches when a number are assembled
together being such that their respective positions may be readily seen at a glance.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification wherein figure 1 represents a front elevation, figure 2 an end elevation
and figure 3 a plan of a set of six switches contained in a box (which is represented
in section to show the interior) one of the switches being "off" and the remainder
on." Figures 4, 5 and 6 show details.
ar
This improved switch consists essentially of a pivoted arm or lever a of brass
and of a brass spring clip b of the form shown, between the jaws 6' b¹ of which
the end of the lever is pressed to close the circuit, the said lever being combined
with a spring so applied as to tend to force the lever either towards or away from
the spring clip b according as the lever is thrown over in the one or other direction.
The lever a is pivoted at d¹ to a metallic support a fixed to a base board e, which
preferably forms the bottom of a box enclosing the metallic portions of the switch,
the upper or outer end of the lever projecting through a slit in the cover of the
box and being furnished with a handle a¹ of non-conducting material for operating
it. To the lower arm of the lever near its pivotal axis d¹, a T piece f is pivoted
on a pin ffixed to the lever (see figure 4) between which T piece and the base
board e or other suitable support a spiral spring g is compressed, the force of the
spring being applied in such direction relatively to the axis of the lever as to force
the lever (after it has passed its mid position) in the direction of that one of its two
extreme positions towards which it may have been moved. When the lower or
contact end of the lever is thrown over towards the spring clip, it is forced with a
wedge like action between the jaws of the clip and is held on both sides by the
spring pressure of the clip so as to ensure perfect electrical contact. In the "off"
position the lever rests against a stop h. Figure 5 represents the blank from which
the clip is made.
When a number of these switches are assembled together and combined with as
many branch circuits as shown in the example illustrated, the switch levers are
arranged in a row, and are in electrical connection through the metallic supports d
and a strip of brass with the terminal to which the main lead is connected,
whilst the spring clips are respectively connected by suitably gauged safety
fuses m with the respective branches.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is
1st A switch for electric light circuits consisting essentially of a pivoted arm or
lever in combination with a clip having spring jaws adapted to admit the end of
the lever between them with a wedge like action in order to ensure a double spring
contact, substantially as shown and described.
2nd A switch for electric light circuits consisting of a pivoted arm or lever, a
spring clip adapted to grip the end of the lever as described and a spring so applied
to the lever as to force it in either direction, substantially as shown and described.
3rd The combination and arrangement of the parts constituting the improved
switch for electric light circuits operating as described and the general arrangement
of a number of them in line in a box, as and for the purpose described.
པར ཇ9ད-900,
HAROLD FARADAY.
By his Agents, A. M. & Wm Clark,
53, Chancery Lane,