Improvements in Luminous Fountains.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 28th Sept., 1892-1ccepted, 29th Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Luminous Fountains.
I PARIS EUGENE SINGER Gentleman 6 Victoria Road Kensington in the
County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
The object of my invention is to so simplify and arrange a fountain incandescent
lamp and a set of coloured glasses so that they may be contained in a suitable base
tank or basin and easily detachable when desirable and the colours changed
automatically or by hand.
In carrying out my invention I fix in the top of a dome-shaped receptacle a tube
closed at its lower end by a lens and at its upper portion by a glass plate perforated
to form the rose of the fountain. The tube also has in its side structure a feed pipe
or water supply which running through the receptacle aforementioned terminates a
few inches below it in a stop-cock and a suitable nozzle for the attachment of an
india-rubber tube.
At a suitable distance below the lens is fixed to the side of the receptacle an
incandescent lamp and reflector. The wires supplying the lamp with electricity
terminates in a "floor-socket."
I place a sleeve around the incandescent lamp in such manner that a portion of
its curved surface shall always come between the lens and the lamp; and the
sleeve is perforated at equal distances such that when the sleeve is rotated the
apertures come between the lens and the axis of the tube aforesaid; and in these
apertures are fixed coloured transparent plates of suitable material. This sleeve
may be rotated automatically by clock work, by the waste water of the fountain, by
electro-magnetic action by an electro-magnet put into action by a clock at definite
intervals, or by hand.
These fountains are specially adapted for decorative purposes in houses, shops or
any place where an easily moveable luminous fountain is desired, that is to say
where a fixed fountain would be inconvenient as on dining tables shop-windows etc.
Dated this 24th day of December 1891.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Luminous Fountains.
1 PARIS EUGENE SINGER, Gentleman, 6 Victoria Road Kensington 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 a novel arrangement of luminous fountain suitable for
temporary adaptation to a table or other movable support and capable of working
automatically.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 shews in partial sectional elevation my improved luminous fountain.
Fig. 2 is a sectional clevation taken at right angles to Fig. 1, and
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the fountain taken on the line 1. 2 Fig. 2.
My improved fountain is shewn in Fig. 1 as applied to a table the central leaf of
which is supposed to have an opening made in it to receive and support the
fountain.
A is a cylindrical case closed at top by a cover A' upon which rests a tray or

page_text: catch basin B. Fitted to the centre of the cover and passing up through the tray
is a short tube C the top end of which is fitted with a glass nozzle c while its
bottom is closed by a lens c¹. D is a water supply pipe contained in the case A
and fitting into the side of the tube C on the underside of the cover. This pipe is
fitted with a stop cock d below the case A provided with a nozzle which is designed
to receive the end of a flexible tube connected with a water supply reservoir not
shown in the drawings. Immediately below the lens there is mounted in the case A
a drum shaped lantern E fitted with colored glasses of any desired number, eight
being shown in the drawing. A trunnion projecting from the centre of the closed
end of the drum shaped lantern has its bearing in a standard F made fast to a
bracket piece of a ring plate A² forming the bottom of the case A. This plate is
made fast to a flange of the case by means of screws.
In the side of the case an opening is made to receive an electric lamp G which is
inserted in the lantern E and is held fast in a socket projecting from a door A³
which covers the side opening of the case and is secured in position by screws.
The door is fitted with a pair of terminals g which project into the socket in which
the lamp is fitted to make metallic contact with the lamp. These terminals are
connected with any suitable battery or other source of electricity for supplying the
incandescent lamp while the fountain is in action. Immediately below the lamp G
and also within the drum lantern is a reflector H which is designed to reflect the
light of the lamp through the lantern onto the lens c' of the jet tube C. In order
that the color imparted to the fountain may be varied at pleasure I provide that
the lantern should rotate intermittently and for this purpose there is fitted onto its
trunnion a ratchet wheel e having teeth corresponding in number to the colored
glasses carried by the lantern. Into this ratchet wheel takes a pawl e¹ pivoted
onto a rock lever I which is fulcrummed on the standard F. To the tail of this
pawl a coil spring e² is attached the other end of the spring being secured to the
rock lever this is for the purpose of holding the pawl in contact with the ratchet
wheel. The tail of this rock lever I see Fig. 1 is connected by a rod i to the upper
end of a tipping bucket K which is mounted in a tank L and is actuated by the fall
of the waste water into the bucket alternately at opposite sides of the dividing
partition. The tipping bucket is provided with trunnions to work in bearings in
the tank. The tray or basin B is fitted with a nozzle to receive a flexible tube M
which fits a second nozzle situate at the centre of the tank L and discharges the
waste water unto the bucket whence it is discharged into the tank and run off from
the tank by a waste pipe . The rocking of the bucket caused by the fall of the
waste water which accumulates alternately on opposite sides of the central partition
serves to rock the pawl lever and impart through the ratchet wheel e an intermittent
axial motion to the drum E.
It will be now understood that the rays of the electric light falling direct onto
the lens cand also the rays reflected from the reflector H will be focussed in the
lens and thrown upwards to the fountain nozzle thereby illuminating the stream
issuing from the transparent nozzle and imparting a tint thereto corresponding to
the colored glass interposed for the time being between the lamp and the lens.
A modification of the means for actuating the lantern is shown in Fig. 4 which
represents only so much of the fountain as is required to explain the mechanism for
rotating the lantern. This lantern E carries as already explained a ratchet wheel e
into which takes a pawl rod e¹ fitted to slide vertically in a guide formed in the foot
of the standard F. This rod is pivotted at its lower end to the free end of a rock
lever I which is fulcrummed on a bracket pendent from the bottom plate A³ of the
case A. This rock lever carries an armature which underlies an electro magnet N
aud is designed to impart a rocking motion to the lever and through the pawl rod
and ratchet wheel impart an intermittent motion to the lantern.
nn are two elastic terminals (see the detached view Fig. 5) depending from a
block of ebonite carried by a bar crossing the top of a tank L. These terminals
are respectively connected with the wire coils of the electro maguct N and the
battery with which the electro magnet is in circuit.

page_text: The cross bar of the tank serves to support a central rod which is attached to
the bottom of the tank. This rod forms a guide for a metal spherical float O which
is designed to make metallic contact with the terminals n n' and thus close the
electric circuit. The waste water from the fountain flows into the tank L as before
mentioned and accumulating therein raises the float O and closes the circuit. The
electro magnet then acting upon the lever I raises the pawl rod e' (which is held in
contact with the ratchet wheel by a light spring) and causes a partial rotation of
the lantern.
To effect the discharge of the waste water from the tank the syphon arrangement
is provided consisting of a tube P open both ends and extending through the
bottom of the tank to near the top thereof. Over this open tube is placed a
tube P closed at top and open at bottom to the tank. As the water rises in the
tank it will flow up between the tubes P and P₁ and discharge by the central tube
until by the flow of the water from the cistern air is allowed to pass up between
the tubes and prevent the further flow of the accumulating water until the overflow
level is again reached.
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 I
claim is:
The arrangement of parts constituting a luminous varigated fountain in which
changes of color are automatically produced by the discharge of the waste water of
the fountain as set forth.
Dated this 28th day of Sentember 1002
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.