Improvements in Signalling Shutters for Ships' Lanterns.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 29th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Signalling Shutters for Ships' Lanterns.
I, LIONEL DE LAUTOUR WELLS, H.M.S. Defiance, Devonport, in the County
of Devon, Lieutenant Royal Navy, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to signalling shutters for ships' lanterns adapted to be
operated directly by hand or through the medium of mechanical or electrical means
of transmission.
According to one form of the invention, the shutter consists of two or more
cylindrically-curved axially-pivoted segments adapted to meet or overlap when in
the closed position for eclipsing the light or to be moved apart for permitting its
emission, the said segments being mounted on radial arms and actuated (preferably
in one direction by a spring and in the other direction) by a radially-moving stud
working in slots preferably in tail extensions of the said arms, the slots being at an
angle to one another and to the line of motion of the operating stud, so that the
latter in traversing the slots will cause the arms and shutter segments to move
simultaneously and to an equal extent in opposite directions
The slots are pre-
ferably curved oppositely to one another so as to approximately compensate for the
varying leverage at which the stud acts in the slots. The stud may be the end of
a manual key lever when the shutter is to be directly operated, or it may be
otherwise carried and be manually operated through any mechanical or electrical
means of transmission from a distance.
Dated this 29th day of June 1891
LIONEL DE L. WELLS,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Signalling Shutters for Ships' Lanterns.
I, LIONEL DE LAUTOUR WELLS, H.M.S. " Defiance," Devonport, in the
County of Devon, Lieutenant Royal Navy, 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 relates to signalling shutters for ships' lanterns, adapted to be
operated directly by hand or through the medium of mechanical or electrical means
of transmission.
According to one form of the invention, the shutter consists of two or more
cylindrically-curved axially-pivoted segments adapted to meet or overlap when in
the closed position for eclipsing the light or to be moved apart for permitting its
emission, the said segments being mounted on radial arms and actuated through a
radially-moving stud working in slotted arms, the slots being at an angle to one
another and to the line of motion of the operating stud, so that the latter in
traversing the slots will cause the arms and shutter-segments to move simul-
taneously and to an equal extent in opposite directions.
The slots are preferably curved oppositely to one another so as to approximately
compensate for the varying leverage at which the stud acts in the slots.
The stud may be on, or connected to, the end of a manual key-lever, or it may
be otherwise carried and be manually operated through any mechanical or electrical
means of transmission from a distance.

page_text: Or the shutters may be flat and mounted on horizontal axes so as to meet and
overlap, the shutters being actuated by a rod engaging studs on the shutters so
situated with regard to their axes that motion of the rod in one direction will open,
and in the other direction will close, the shutters, this rod being operated by a key-
lever as before.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is a vertical section and Figure 2 a horizontal section of the first-
mentioned arrangement in the closed position,
Figure 3 is a plan of the shutters in the open position,
Figure 4 is an elevation and Figure 5 a horizontal section of the second arrange-
ment.
The same letters refer to the same parts in Figures 1, 2, 3.
C
A A are the two shutters, which, in Figures 1, 2, and 3, are carried by pairs of
arms aa, aa, pivoted on a vertical axis B, the sleeves or bosses carrying these arms
being provided with tail extensions or arms C C having curved slots ce¹ in which
plays the stud d on the end of a lever arm D pivoted at d. The stud d also plays
in a straight slotted guide radial to the pivotal shutter centre B, the curved
arms C C¹ being symmetrical with regard thereto and crossing each other, their
curvature being opposite and such as to make the working of the shutters equally
easy at all points of their stroke. A spring is connected to arm D to work the
shutters in the direction of closing, whilst an army on a rock shaft g' worked by a
key-lever Gabuts against the stud d to move the shutters in the direction of
opening. The position of the shutter and its operating mechanism with regard to
the lamp, will be sufficiently evident from the drawing.
In Figure 4, the shutters A. A' are pivoted on horizontal axes at a a' and are
provided with studs at one end, the stud being at the opposite side with
regard to shutter A¹ and axis a' to that at which the stud is situated with regard
to shutter A and axis a. These two studs engage with notches ce¹ in a longitu-
dinally-sliding rod C moved in guides by a key-lever G and spring F.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is-
1. The herein-described signalling apparatus for lanterns, consisting of the pair
of curved segments movable about a common axis in combination with curved
slotted arms connected to the respective segments and traversed by a pin common
to both, guided in a radial path and operated by a key-lever, substantially as
specified in reference to Figures 1, 2, 3.
2. The combination of flat shutters pivoted on different axes with a sliding rod
operated by a key and engaging with studs on the shutters, so as to move the
latter towards or away from one another, substantially as specified with regard to
Figure 4.
Dated this 20th day of March 1909
L. DE LAUTOUR WELLS,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.