Improvements in Illuminated Signalling Apparatus for Marine or other Use.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 8th July, 1893-Accepted, 19th Aug., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Illuminated Signalling Apparatus for Marine
or other Use.
I ALFRED JOHN BAILEY, of Tremeri 29 Sylvan Road, Upper Norwood, in
the County of Surrey Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this.
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in apparatus designed for marine
and other uses, illumined by the aid of electricity so as to enable signals to be
exchanged at sea between vessels, or between vessels and the shore, or otherwise.
Supported in the rigging or suspended aloft in any convenient manner is a.
device consisting of a skeleton, or series of radial arms which may be strengthened
by a peripheral band, or equivalent arrangement. Each arm consists of a metal
trough, preferably of copper, for the back, somewhat concave, and plated and
polished to increase its reflecting power, whilst each arm is faced with glass,
preferably of lens form most suited to intensify the rays of light. The light is
derived according to one arrangement from a pair of incandescent lamps one
located at each end of the arm within the lens, and behind each lamp is placed a
reflector to throw the lights respectively towards the middle of the arm.
"
Supposing eight arms, there would thus arranged be sixteen lamps and by means
of eight wires or leads electrically in connection with each pair of lamps and a
ninth wire for return a current of electricity can be switched on to one or more
selected arms varying the selection according to the indications desired to be con-
veyed and answering to prescribed codes of signals. The leads or wires assembled
into a band or cable depend from the arms or skeleton disc and pass to a bell or
other shaped distributor which may be of brass and thence they may pass to a
series of connections one for each wire contained in a box or case which may be
attached outside the chart house of a vessel and electrically connected to a switch
board suitably arranged within the chart house or other convenient location and so
that an officer within such enclosure may comfortably work the selected electrically
illuminated signals displayed aloft.
By another arrangement a rotating light or light displayed at selected points.
around a central part may be caused to throw the light of the central lamp along
and so as to illumine a selected reflecting arm or arms and so produce equivalent.
signals.
1000
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Illuminated Signalling Apparatus for Marine
or other Use.
I ALFRED JOHN BAILEY of Tremeri, 29 Sylvan Road, Upper Norwood, in
the County of Surrey, Electrical Engineer, 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 :-
This invention has reference to improvements in apparatus designed for naval,
military, marine or other use, illumined by the aid of electricity so as to enable
signals to be exchanged at sea between vessels, or between vessels and the shore
military forces. or otherwise.

page_text: contacts in the half block e' which is connected by wires through the switch to any
suitable source of electricity.
The pair of incandescent electric lamps ff in each arm a are designed to throw
their light onto the reflector and along the entire arm within the glass cover f' and
so illumine the arm as long as the current passes.
The handles move the arms or levers g* centred on the supports g³ in a circular
direction swinging their ends over the respective contact pieces whilst pressure by
the thumb on the opposite, spring raised end of the lever g' serves to lift the
metallic contact g dependent therefrom so as to make or break contact. The
indicator arm a' is not provided with a contact piece 9 but the conducting wire
therefor is led directly from the half block * to the switch block e¹ thus keeping
the indicator lamps always connected when the signalling is in progress.
This indicator arm is secured to the peripheral band c by any suitable supporting
means as by arms a³ a³, the connecting wire being led down to the tube b
Therefore when by movements given to the switch handles g in a circular direction
the spring levers g' are brought over selected contact pieces g' and the lamps in
the arms a, which are in electrical connection with these contact pieces have the
electric current supplied to them and the lamps are illuminated as long as the
current passes. The object of the centre lamp d is to facilitate the reading of
the flashes of the selected arms which give varying directions of bars of light all
terminating centrally on that light d and to this end I prefer the centre light to be
of a different colour for distinctiveness.
I prefer to so arrange the handles on the switch boards that their arms which
make the contacts shall occupy the same relative positions of angle as do the bars
of light on the skeleton of arms a which are by them caused to be illumined for the
time being. That is to say if one semaphore or illumined arm is at an angle of 45°
to the left of the centre light and the other is vertical over it then the one switch
arm will have its lever at an angle of 45° to left of its centre and the other switch
lever will be in a corresponding position.
By selected illuminations of these arms either singly, in pairs or otherwise, the
bars of light shewn will afford indications corresponding to those afforded by the
arms of semaphore apparatus and to the codes of signals well understood in
connection therewith with the advantage of their utility at night.
Amongst other advantages possessed by this invention is that there are no
mechanical parts which are necessarily exposed that require to be moved, and the
signals may be given from within the chart house, a protected chamber in a military
fort or other place with certainty and the positions relatively of the switch levers
will indicate to the signaller the code sign he is causing to be displayed by
illumined arms above.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The arrangement or combination and use of a series of reflecting arms, or
parts around a centre, each arm, or part, being capable of being illuminated at will
by means of suitable electrical connections and electrical energy controlled by
suitable switch or selecting apparatus so that one, two or more arms may be
rendered visible in darkness to give bars of light radiating from a centre so as to
afford indications, or signals in accordance with an understood code substantially,
as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The arrangement and use of electrically illuminated signalling apparatus for
marine, military, or other use substantially as set forth.
Dated the 8th day of July 1893.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.