Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 25th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 30th Nov., 1888
I, JOHN TAYLOR LEIGHTON of 18 Montgomery Street, Edinburgh, Scotland,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
My present invention has reference to and is based up the Specification of my
invention No. 11179 dated 31st August 1886 in which magnetise the nose-pieces
and other parts of the frames of eye-glasses, spectacles and the like by means of a
current of electricity passing through a helix of wire.
Now in accordance with my present invention, I form the voltaic piles employed
for generating the electric current of two or more dissimilar metals, preferably two,
one of which is electro negative to the other, as for instance zinc and copper, placed
one over the other, and separated from each other by a suitable absorbent material
such as paper, cloth, fustion and the like. Said absorbent material may be saturated
with a solution of zinc chloride or other suitable excitent and dried. When the
spectacles are in use, the absorbent material may be moistened with water, this how-
ever is not absolutely necessary as the zinc chloride will take up sufficient moisture
from the atmosphere and the skin of the face to create excitation. The metal plates
aforesaid are held together by means of small projections formed on the edges of one
or both plates, care being taken that the latter are perfectly insulated from each other.
also under some circumstances envelope one of the electrodes-say the zinc-
in an absorbent material and surround the whole with wire of a dissimilar metal,
as for instance copper, thus producing a compound element.
I
may
Instead of the plates above mentioned I may employ wire wound round a conductor
or a nonconducting material such as tortoiseshell, celluloid and the like, said coil or
coils being attached to the nose-piece and insulated entirely or partially from the
other parts of the frame.
When I employ plates, they may be formed of any convenient shape, such as oval,
square, round, oblong and the like, and attached to plates of a suitable insulating
material secured to the bridge or nose-piece of eye-glasses and spectacles,

page_text: As a modification of the system of plates forming the elements of a voltaic pile, I
may employ flat helices of wire of dissimilar metals, fastened to the frame either by
its upper end alone, or both top and bottom in any convenient manner. Said helices
of wire forming flexible plates will rest firmly and comfortably against the sides of
the nose.
.
As a further alternative method to the foregoing I may form the plates of wire net
or gauze, and may attach said plates to parts of the frame of eye-glasses and spectacles
other than the bridge or nose-piece as may be most desirable.
Dated this 24th day of January 1888.
JAMES
STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers,
20, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Application of Electricity to Spectacle Frames.
I JOHN TAYLOR LEIGHTON of 18 Montgomery Street, Edinburgh, Scotland,
Gentleman 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 :-
My present invention has reference to and is based upon the Specification of my
invention No. 11179 dated 31st August 1886 in which I magnetise the nose pieces
and other parts of the frames of eye glasses, spectacles and the like by means of a
current of electricity passing through a helix of wire.
In accordance with my present invention I form the voltaic piles employed for
generating the electric current, of two or more dissimilar metals, preferably two, one
of which is electro-negative to the other, as for instance zinc and copper as hereinafter
more fully described.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I have appended the
accompanying sheet of drawings in which Figure 1 represents a pair of spectacles
having adapted thereto metal plates for forming a voltaic pile according to my inven-
tion. Figure 2 is a similar view of a pair of eye-glasses, and Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6
are detached views of one type of the plates which serve to make up the voltaic pile.
I form the voltaic pile, as above mentioned, of two dissimilar metals Figures 4, 5 and 6
placed one over the other, and separated from each other by a suitable absorbent
material such as paper, cloth, fustian and the like. Said absorbent material may be
saturated with a solution of zinc chloride or other suitable excitent and dried. When
the spectacles are in use, the absorbent material may be moistened with water, this
however is not absolutely necessary, as the zinc chloride or like salt will take up
sufficient moisture from the atmosphere, as also from the nose and adjacent parts of
the wearer of the spectacles or eyeglasses to create the requisite excitation.
The metal plates aforesaid which may be of any convenient shape and size are held
together by means of small projections formed on the edges of one or both plates; or,
instead of the projections aforesaid one of the plates may be formed broader, the
two plates being secured by bending one over the other as shown in Figures 4, 5,
and 6.
I may also under some circumstances envelope one of the electrodes-say the
zinc in an absorbent material and surround the whole with wire of a dissimilar metal,
as for instance copper.
Instead of the plates above mentioned, I may employ wire wound round a conductor
or upon a non-conducting material, such as tortoishell, celluloid and the like, said coil
or coils being attached to the nose piece of spectacles and eye-glasses in the ordinary
manner, and insulated entirely or partly so from the other parts of the frame.
As a modification of the system of plates forming the elements of a voltaic pile, I
may employ flat helices of wire of dissimilar metals, which, serving the purposes of
the nose pieces may be secured to the frame by the upper ends alone thereof, or by

page_text: both top and bottom of said helices, and in any convenient manner.
Said flat helice
of wire forming, so to say, springs, will rest firmly and comfortably against the sides
of the nose.
As a further alternative method to the foregoing, I may form the plates of wire
net or gauze, and may attach said plates to parts of the frame of spectacles and eye-
glasses other than the nose pieces as desired.
In the case of the employment of solid plates, the inner surfaces thereof would be
corrugated or otherwise roughened to allow of a firm grip being obtained upon the
nose. Similar plates to the foregoing may be adapted to the arms of spectacles as
shown at Figure 1.
In the application of solid plates to the nose pieces of spectacles and eye glasses,
two pairs of plates a, a¹ (Figures 1 and 2) are attached by any ordinary means to flat
strips or plates of a suitable insulating material 6, 61 which latter are secured by one
end only at d, d, or by both ends c c¹ and , d¹ to the frame B, the connection
between the two pairs of plates being secured by a fine insulated wire wound spirally
upon the bridge A, one end of which wire is connected with the zinc plate of one
pair a, and the other end of said wire to the copper plate of the other pair a
So soon as the spectacles or eye-glasses (as the case may be) arranged in the
manner above described are adapted to the nose of the wearer, the electric circuit
is closed, and a current generated by virtue of the moisture held in suspension by the
absorbent material separating the two plates. This current of electricity flows from
the zinc plate of one pair a by way of the interposed absorbent material to the copper
plate, whence it is conveyed by the moisture of the skin of the wearer over the
surface and through the tissues of the nose and adjacent parts of the face to the zinc
plate of the opposite pair a', thence through the moist separating material to the
copper plate, and finally by way of the insulated wire upon the bridge A back to the
zinc plate of the first pair a aforesaid.
The current set up as above described exerts a very beneficial influence upon the
nerves of the eyes, giving strength thereto and inducing in the wearer whilst reading
and writing, a feeling of rest and great comfort.
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 :
In the application of electricity to Spectacles and eye glasses the adaptation to the
frames thereof of voltaic piles, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein
described and set forth.
Dated this 24th day of October 1888.
JAMES STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers,
20, High Holborn, W.C.,
Agent for Applicant.
JAMES
STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers,
20, High Holborn, W.C.,
Agent for Applicant.