IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER BY ELECTRICITY
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Edward Dering, of Lockleys, in the County
of Herts, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
BY ELECTRICITY."
Sealed the 17th August 1854, and dated the 16th May 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Edward Dering
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th May 1854.
I, GEORGE EDWARD DERING, of Lockleys, in the County of Herts, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING
MOTIVE POWER BY ELECTRICITY" to be as follows:-
It has long been proposed to obtain motive power by electricity, and various
combinations of electro-magnets and armatures or keepers have before been
proposed. My improvements consist of a peculiar combination of parts, with
a view to obtain a more favorable action of the electro-magnets used on their
keepers or armatures. For this purpose, I combine a rolling and rocking
action, in place of a continuous rotating action or other actions, heretofore
resorted to. Such partially rotatory rocking motion is obtained by using a
portion of a cylinder or other curve, which by the action of electro-magnets is
caused to roll or rock on a plane or other surface, first in one direction and
then in the other. This surface is composed of a series of electro-magnets,

page_text: and the rocking surface is either made itself to constitute a keeper or armature
for all the magnets or its carriers, or has suspended to it a number of keepers
or armatures, corresponding with. the electro-magnets; or the rocking piece
has attached to it a number of electro-magnets, so placed that their poles form
the rolling surface, and act upon the stationary electro-magnets or upon a
soft iron or other suitable surface, not composed of electro-magnets, but sus-
ceptible of magnetic action, on or in front of which it rocks. I prefer that the
surface of the rocker be not in actual contact with the magnetic surface acting
on or being acted on by it, but supported on independent rails, firmly fixed
outside the row of magnets, and so adjusted as to allow the surfaces to approach
each other as near as possible without contact during the whole extent of
motion, and flanges and cogged surfaces or other suitable arrangements may be
employed to keep the rocker at all times in proper position. It is from the
reciprocating motion of the rocker and arms or levers attached to it that the
motive power is derived, as from the piston of a steam engine. One pole of
the battery or batteries is directly connected. with one of the wires from each
electro-magnet, and the other pole of the battery or batteries is in connection
with a contact-forming arrangement, by which the currents of electricity are
caused to pass through the wires of the electro-magnets in succession, and thus
cause them in succession to attract the armature or armatures, and so urge
forward the rocker; and when the last of the series of electro-magnets has
acted, they are brought into action in succession in the opposite direction, thus
effecting the alternate motion of the rocker; and although this may be done by
various arrangements of apparatus, I prefer to use a fixed circular or cylindrical
surface, composed of twice as many, less two, separate conducting surfaces as
there are electro-magnets, and a revolving piece in connection with the battery
pole, making a single revolution-for-each-double-motion-of the-rocker-caused.
to press upon these conducting surfaces in succession, they being in connection
with the coils of the electro-magnets, in successive order-from-the-first-to-the
last and back again to the first, so that each electro-magnet, except the first
and last in the series, has two conducting surfaces in connection with it, by
which arrangement they will be brought into action in proper order. And I
prefer that the position of the separate conducting surfaces and the revolving
-piece pressing upon them be so adjusted, that the magnet next in succession
will be brought.into action immediately before the acting one is thrown out.
The action of the engine may be readily reversed by the use of any mechanical
arrangement to alter the position of the revolving piece, so that it shall bring
again into action the electro-magnet which was last thrown out, and thus
change the direction of the motion of the rocker. In order to prevent the

page_text: burning of the parts where contact is made and broken, I surround these parts
with oil or any suitable hydro-carbon, or other matter or gas which excludes
the presence of oxygen; or I extract the air from the chamber containing
them. And as a means of regulating the speed or power of the engine, I
employ means for readily introducing into the circuit of the battery a variable
extent of imperfectly-conducting matter or liquid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Edward Dering in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th November 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
EDWARD DERING, of Lockleys, in the County of Herts, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Edward Dering, Her special licence that I, the said George Edward
Dering, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said George Edward Dering, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER BY ELECTRICITY," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Edward Dering, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Edward Dering, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof (that is to say):-
It has long been proposed to obtain motive power by electricity, and various_
combinations of electro-magnets and armatures or keepers have before been.
proposed

page_text: My improvements consist of a peculiar combination of parts, with a view to
obtain a more favorable action of the electro-magnets used on their keepers or
armatures. For this. purpose I combine a rolling and rocking action, in place
of a continuous rotating action or other actions, heretofore resorted to. Such
partially rotatory rocking motion is obtained by using a portion of a cylinder
or other curve, which by the action of electro-magnets is caused to roll or rock
on a plane or other surface, first in one direction and then in the other. This
surface is composed of a series of electro-magnets, and the rocking surface is
either made itself to constitute a keeper or armature for all the magnets, or
it carries, or has suspended to it a number of keepers or armatures, corre-
sponding with the electro-magnets; or the rocking piece has attached to it a
number of electro-magnets, so placed that their poles form the rolling surface,
and act upon the stationary electro-magnets, or upon a soft iron or other
suitable surface, not composed of electro-magnets, but susceptible of magnetic
action, on or in front of which it rocks. I prefer that the surface of the rocker
be not in actual contact with the magnetic surface acting on or being acted on
by it, but supported on independent rails, firmly fixed outside the row of mag-
nets, and so adjusted as to allow the surfaces to approach each other as near as
possible without contact during the whole extent of motion, and flanges and
cogged surfaces or other suitable arrangements may be employed to keep the
rocker at all times in proper position. It is from the reciprocating motion of the
rocker and arms or levers attached to it that the motive power is derived, as from
the piston of a steam engine. One pole of the battery or batteries is directly con-
nected with one of the wires from each electro-magnet, and the other pole of the
battery or batterics is in connection with a contact-forming arrangement, by
which the currents of electricity are caused to pass through the wires of the
electro-magnets in succession, and thus cause them in succession to attract
the armature or armatures, -and-so urge forward the rocker; and when the last
of the series of electro-magnets has acted, they are brought into action in
succession in the opposite direction, thus effecting the alternate motion of the
rocker; and although this may be done by various arrangements of apparatus,
I prefer to use a fixed circular or cylindrical surface, composed of twice as
many, less two, separate conducting surfaces as there are electro-magnets, and
a revolving piece in connection with the battery pole, making a single revo-
lution for each double motion of the rocker, caused to press upon these con-
ducting surfaces in succession, they being in connection with the coils of the
electro-magnets, in successive order, from the first to the last and back again to
the first; so that each electro-magnet, except the first and last in the series, has
two conducting surfaces in connection with it, by which arrangement they will

page_text: be brought into action in proper order. And I prefer that the position of the
separate conducting surfaces and the revolving piece pressing upon them be so
adjusted that the magnet next in succession will be brought into action imme-
diately before the acting one is thrown out. The action of the engine may be
readily reversed by the use of any mechanical arrangement to alter the position
of the revolving piece, so that it shall bring again into action the electro-
magnet which was last thrown out, and thus change the direction of the motion
of the rocker. In order to prevent the burning of the parts where contact
is made and broken, I surround these parts with oil, or any suitable hydro-
carbon or other matter or gas which excludes the presence of oxygen; or I
extract the air from the chamber containing them. And as a means of regu-
lating the speed or power of the engine, I employ means for readily introducing
into the circuit of the battery a variable extent of imperfectly-conducting
matter or liquid.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark, with
reference to the rocking or rolling action for obtaining motive power from
electro-magnets, that the means of carrying out the same may be greatly
varied, and numerous modifications of the arrangement will suggest themselves
to the mechanic; I believe, however, that which I have described to be one of
the best for general application. I have obtained good results from a series of
six electro-magnets, but the number employed in series may be varied, according
to circumstances. With regard to the arrrangement for letting on the electrical
current at the proper time to cach of the magnets, if the engine have a
revolving shaft set in motion by a crank acted on by the rocker, I in general
attach the moving spring to some part of this shaft; but since the distance
through which a crank is made to move by a certain amount of rectilinear
motion imparted to it varies considerably at different parts of the stroke, as is
well understood, it will be necessary so to arrange the extent of the separate
conducting surfaces on which the spring presses during its revolution, that the
time during which the current is let on to each electro-magnet may correspond
with the motion of the rocker from a position of equilibrium over the magnet
which it has just left to a position of equilibrium over the acting magnet, or
nearly so; and this may be determined practically by placing the rocker
successively in the position of equilibrium over each electro-magnet, and
marking carefully upon a circular surface the position occupied by the contact-
spring at each position of the rocker. The amount of space between each of
these marks will show the extent of conducting surface to be placed in con-
nection with the corresponding electro-magnet and insulated from every other.
But I find that it is advisable to set the revolving spring slightly in advance of

page_text: the corresponding position of the rocker. There may be various means of
reversing the engine besides that which I have described, which will readily
suggest themselves, and I have therefore not thought it necessary to enter
into a further description of them. With reference to the method of pre-
venting the burning of the parts where contact with the electro-magnets is
made and broken by the exclusion of oxygen, I am aware that it has been
before proposed to employ oil or naptha about the contact surfaces; I do not
therefore claim this principle, but I find it advisable in all cases to resort
to means of this nature to prevent the destruction of the parts where
the spark occurs on making or breaking contact. With reference to the
means which I have described for regulating the amount of electricity passing
from a battery to work an electro-magnetic, engine, I find an efficient means
of carrying out this principle to be the immersion to a greater or less depth of
a tapering bar of iron or steel, or other imperfectly-conducting metal, in a
vessel of mercury, the small end downwards. This bar being introduced into
the circuit of the battery, a greater or less amount of electricity will be allowed
to pass, according to the depth to which the bar is immersed, and the speed or
power of the engine may thus be regulated with the greatest accuracy.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the details of the
description which I have given of my Invention, as the mode of carrying out
the same may be greatly varied; but what I claim is,―
First, the means described of obtaining motive power by an alternate
rocking action actuated by electro-magnets.
Secondly, the means described of bringing into action successively a series
of elèctro-magnets, so as to produce an alternate backward and forward motion.
for motive power, and the means of reversing the direction of engines thus
worked.
Thirdly, the means described of regulating the speed or. power of electro-
magnetic engines:
In witness whereof, I, the said George Edward Dering, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
GEORGE E. DERING. (L.S.)