Improvements in Electric Switches.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Electric Switches.
We, ISAAC HENRY STOREY and HERBERT LUSHINGTON STOREY both of
White Cross Mills in the Town and County of Lancaster, Manufacturers, and
JOSEPH PARKINSON of 61 South Regent Street, Lancaster aforesaid, Electrician,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention, to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is a combination of switches and what are commonly
termed "bus bars" so arranged that any circuit can or may be rapidly changed
when required from any one to any other dynamo, in such a manner, that it will
be impossible by any mistake in manipulation to switch one dynamo into another.
In order to explain our invention, we will describe one arrangement and con-
struction of switch board, as an example, but wish it to be understood that the
mechanism may be varied in construction and arrangement of its details, without
departing from our invention.
On the front of the switch board, the "bus" (or "omnibus bars as they are
termed) are fixed parallel to each other and a few inches apart, each "bus bar"
or electric conductor being connected up to a dynamo. At the back of the board,
there are other bars having projections that pass through holes in the board, and
these cross bars are external circuit bars, and are connected each with its own
external circuit.
Opposite the upward projections from the back of the board, there are corre-
sponding side projections on the "bus bars."
Elastic contact pieces each formed with two legs in a staple form are made with
a helical spring between the legs of the staple, and this helical spring acts to keep
the legs of the staple forming the contact pieces outward, at the required distance
apart, a screw passing from one leg to the other limiting their extreme distance
apart, but this helical spring will allow the legs to come inward slightly, to allow
for inequalities, and give the required pressure to make good contact.
Each of these contact pieces is or may be secured to a part which can slide to
and fro in the lengthway of a bar or slideway, which has its ends in two cross-
heads (one at each end) which cross heads have central pivots, or the cross heads
are upon a central shaft-the bearings of which, or those of the pivots are carried
in brackets or stands secured to the board; this central shaft extending across the
"bus bars" at a right angle thereto.
There is a separate slideway for each sliding contact piece one on each side of
the central axis, so that when it is oscillated one way, one contact piece makes
contact, and the other by the same oscillatiou breaks contact.
These sliding contact pieces can be moved on their slideways to and fro, and to
be in the position to come opposite the "bus bars" with which they are to make
and break contact, and there are marks on the slideways or notches, by which they
may be set or secured by screws or held by spring catches or otherwise.
The slideways are or may also be formed of insulating material or the spring
contact pieces may be secured to slides formed of suitable insulating material.
There are or may be stops to allow the central shaft or pivotted cross heads to
oscillate to the required extent, but no further.
At one end of the oscillating axis, there is or may be a disc partly loose to
oscillate to a given extent on the shaft and then move with it, and this disc has a

page_text: crank pin to which one end of a helical spring is attached, the other being secured
to the board or a suitable attachment, and there is a handle having its boss loose
on the shaft, and by a notch in the boss of this handle coming against a screw or
pin in the disc, it may be partly rotated until the crank pin passes over the
centre," then the spring will act suddenly to oscillate the shaft to break contact
by one contact piece and make contact by the other.
The handle if desired may be secured directly on the oscillating shaft, and the
helical spring for oscillating the shaft may be dispensed with, or other arrangements
of springs to oscillate the shaft into one or the other positions and hold it there
until it is to be again moved, may be used.
Dated this Twenty-ninth day of October 1896.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.
Improvements in Electric Switches.
We, ISAAC HENRY STOREY and HERBERT LUSHINGTON STOREY, both of
White Cross Mills in the Town and County of Lancaster, Manufacturers, and
JOSEPH PARKINSON of 61 South Regent Street, Lancaster aforesaid, Electrician,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
he performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of our invention is a combination of switches and what are commonly
termed "bus bars" so arranged that any circuit can or may be rapidly changed
when required from any one to any other dynamo, in such a manner that it will
be impossible by any mistake in manipulation to switch one dynamo into another.
In order to explain our invention we will describe one arrangement and con-
struction of switch board, as an example, but wish it to he understood that the
mechanism may be varied in construction and arrangement of its details, without.
departing from our invention.
On the front of the switch board, the "bus" (or "omnibus bars" as they are
termed) are fixed parallel to each other, and a few inches apart, each "bus bar "
or electric conductor being connected up to a dynamo. At the back of the board,
there are other bars having projections that pass through holes in the board, and
these cross bars are external circuit bars, and are connected each with its own
external circuit.
Opposite the upward projections from the back of the board, there are corre-
sponding side projections on the "bus bars."
Elastic contact pieces each formed with two legs in a staple form are or may be
made with a helical spring between the legs of the staple, and this helical spring
(when used) acts to keep the legs of the staple forming the contact pieces outward,
at the required distance apart, a screw passing from one leg to the other limiting
their extreme distance apart, but this helical spring will allow the legs to come
inward slightly, to allow for inequalities, and give the required pressure to make
good contact, but in some cases a screw only is used to hold the legs at the required
distance apart.
Each of these contact pieces is or may be secured to a part which can slide to
and fro in the lengthway of a bar or slideway, which has its ends in two cross-
heads (one at each end) which cross heads have central pivots, or the cross heads
are upon a central shaft-the bearings of which, or those of the pivots are carried
in brackets or stands secured to the board; this central shaft extending across the
"bus bars" at a right angle thereto.
There is a separate slideway for each sliding contact piece one on each side of

page_text: the central axis, so that when it is oscillated one way, one contact piece makes
contact, and the other by the same oscillation breaks contact.
These sliding contact pieces can be moved on their slideways to and fro, and to
be in the position to come opposite the "bus bars" and contact blocks or terminals
for the external circuit, with which they are to make and break contact, and there
are or may be marks on the slideways or notches, by which they may be set or
secured by screws or held by spring catches or otherwise.
The slideways are or may also be formed of insulating material or the spring
contact pieces may be secured to slides formed of suitable insulating material.
There are or may be stops to allow the central shaft or pivotted cross heads to
oscillate to the required extent, but no further.
At one end of the oscillating axis, there is or may be a disc partly loose to
oscillate to a given extent on the shaft and then move with it, and this disc has a
crank pin to which one end of a helical spring is attached, the other being secured
to the board or a suitable attachment, and there is a handle having its boss loose
on the shaft, and by a notch in the boss of this handle coming against a screw or
pin in the dise, it may be partly rotated until the crank pin passes over the
"centre," then the spring will act suddenly to oscillate the shaft to break contact
by one contact piece and make contact by the other.
The handle if desired may be secured directly on the oscillating shaft, and the
helical spring for oscillating the shaft may be dispensed with, or other arrange-
ments of springs to oscillate the shaft into one or the other positions and hold it
there until it is to be again moved, may be used if desired.
Fig. I, is a plan view.
Fig. 2, is a longitudinal elevation.
Fig. 3, is a sectional elevation at 2-y Fig. 1, through one slide and a side
elevation of the other slide, and
Fig. 4, is an end elevation.
These views illustrate one oscillating axis having two slides upon it (one on each
side) each carrying one of the staple or U formed contact pieces, the pivots of the
axle having its bearings in stands secured to the board-the oscillating axle being
at a right angle to the "bus bars," which may be of any desired number according
to the dynamos or sources of electricity.
On the same board, there may be any required number of these oscillating axles
(one for each external cireuit to be controlled) carrying contact pieces or switches
on adjustable slides, such axles being parallel to each other and at the proper
distance apart to allow them to be free to work.
a, is the switch board; b, bus bars secured to the board parallel to each other
at the required distance apart, each bus bar being connected with a dynamo or
other source of electrical energy.
On the back of the board a, there is a bar or strip c, for each external circuit,
and to this bar c, contact blocks c¹ and c³, are secured by screws or otherwise, one
contact block between each pair of bus bars b, to which bus bars contact plates b¹,
are secured corresponding to the contact blocks and e.
These terminal blocks e and e, pass through holes in the switch board a, and
come under the axis of the oscillating axle carrying the U contact pieces. ³, is a
stud screwed to the bar c, which stud has a screw e, forming a binding screw for
securing to it the end of the conducting wire for the external circuit.
In some cases we employ a "dead plate" (not shown) corresponding to one of
the blocks c¹ and c², which has no connection with the circuit strip e, so that when
required the circuit may be left broken, the switch being brought in such a case
opposite and to make contact with this "dead plate."
As illustrated the oscillating axle is formed by three bars d, d and d, one (d)
square in cross section, having a cross head d³, attached to it at each end, in which
the ends of two round bars d' aud d', are secured parallel to the central square
bar d, the ends of which latter are round, and each is carried in a bearing in a
stand e, secured to the switch board.

page_text: At one end a boss f, is secured to the round end pivot to which boss the
handle f¹, is secured for oscillating the axle which as shown can move through a
quarter of a circle. The boss f, for the handle and the adjoining boss of the
bearing on the stand e, is partly cut away, and the part of the boss f, for the handle
not cut away, enters that part forming a recess which is cut away in the boss on
the stand e, and there is space left in the recess to allow of the quarter turn of the
axle d. This arrangement forms a stop or limit to the extent of the oscillations,
which may be limited by other arrangements, if desired.
There is a slide g, for each round bar d' or d², and this slide fits as shown on the
round bar and is prevented from turning by grasping three sides of the central
square bar d, and there is a cut g', in the slide extending from the round to the
square bar, so that when the screw 92, which screws into the lower part of the slide
is screwed tight, the two parts of the slide are drawn towards each other, and the
slide will then grip both the round and square bars, and will thus be held secure.
These oscillation axles and slides may be constructed in other ways, for instance
by a single suitably shaped bar, if desired.
To one face of the slide, the contact piece 7, in the staple or U form is secured
by a screw ', and the legs or arms being more or less elastic they can be adjusted
more or less apart by a screw h2, by preference, the reduced end of which passes
into a small hole in one leg or arm, and screws through a tapped hole in the other
leg or arm. Other arrangements of screws may be used if desired, for pushing
the legs apart to adjust their ends so as to make proper contact with the blocks c¹
or 2, and plates b'.
The corners of the ends of the legs or arms are slightly rounded as are also the
ends of the blocks and plates to facilitate the free entrance of the legs or arms
between the blocks and plates, when a change is made by oscillating the axle.
Each slide carrying a U contact piece can be adjusted and fixed to come
opposite to and to make and break contact with its circuit blocks and the desired
"bus bar," when the axle carrying them is oscillated from one extreme to the other
as above explained.
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.
The mounting of switch arms or slides on opposite sides of an axle capable of
oscillation, the switch arms being adjustable in the lengthway of the oscillating
axle to come opposite and to make and break contact when the axle is oscillated
with any desired dynamo or other source of electricity and its own particular
circuit, substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this Tenth day of December 1896.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.