A Controlling Switch for Large Numbers of Electric Circuits.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
'
A Controlling Switch for Large Numbers of Electric Circuits.
We, HAROLD KING SMITH and JUSTUS ECк, of 82A, New Bond Street, London,
in the County of Middlesex, Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:--
The object of this apparatus is to successively complete one or more electric
circuits out of a large number according to a previous series of selections.
Each circuit is electrically connected to a spring contact piece.
These contact pieces are grouped in accordance with the circuits with which
they are connected.
Close to the contact pieces are placed one or more conducting cylinders or sur-
faces connected to, the common, or divided, return circuits.
The conducting cylinders are made to rotate or the surfaces to move forwards
and backwards by hand or by machinery.
In the cylinders or surfaces are rows of holes in the direction of their move-
ment, each row having the same number of holes and the same spacing apart
of the holes.
Each row of holes corresponds to one of the spring contact pieces.
In the holes are fixed when required conducting projections according to the
series of selections of circuits to be completed.
i
These conducting projections are sufficiently long to make electric contact
with the spring contact pieces when passing them.
As the cylinders rotate or the surfaces move, the various groups of circuits
are successively completed according to the setting out of the projections on the
cylinders or surfaces.
A fresh arrangement of the projections will select the circuits and complete
them in different groups.
The motion of the cylinders or surfaces may be continuous or intermittent.

page_text: of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this apparatus is to successively complete one or more electric
circuits out of a large number according to a previous series of selections.
In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a diagrammatic end and Figure 2
a diagrammatic side view of one form of the apparatus. Some of the many
circuits are shewn at J one end of each being electrically connected to a spring
contact piece C by a nut F. The spring contact pieces are shewn attached to
an insulating support D) and adjusted by a screw or some similar device E.
Several of these contact pieces are grouped together as shewn in Figure 2 in
accordance with the circuits with which they are connected.
Close to the contact pieces is fixed a conducting cylinder which is connected
by means of a contact spring G mounted on an insulator H to the other end I
of the circuits to be controlled. This cylinder is caused to rotate, either con-
tinuously or intermittently on its axis by hand or by machinery. The whole
apparatus is for convenience shewn mounted on a frame L.
{...
In the cylinder on its periphery are rows of holes K each row corresponding
to one of the contact pieces C. The number of the holes as well as the spacing
apart is the same in each row.
In the holes are fixed as required conducting projections as shewn at B
according to the selection of circuits to be controlled these projections are suffic-
iently long to make electric contact with the spring contact pieces C when
passing them. As the cylinder rotates the selected series of circuits is completed
in the manner set out above.
.... The arrangement of the conducting projections may be altered and the series
of circuits completed will be altered accordingly.
Several similar cylinders and sets of contact pieces may be arranged so that
the cylinders rotate simultaneously.
The cylindrical arrangement may be replaced by a flat conducting plate with
lines of equally spaced holes into which similar conducting projections may be
fixed. In this case the motion of the plate would be backwards and forwards in
the direction of the rows of holes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is:
-
1. A means of successively completing, out of a large number, a selected scries
of electric circuits.
2. A means of altering the selected series to any other desired series.
3. A method of successively completing a selected series of electric circuits.
4. A method of altering the selected series to any other selected series.
Dated this Eighth day of February 1899.
HAROLD KING SMITH,
JUSTUS ECK.