Improvements in or relating to the Connection of House Service or Branch Conductors to Electric Mains.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 21st Mar., 1900-Accepted, 12th May, 1500
Improvements in or relating to the Connection of House Service or
Branch Conductors to Electric Mains.
We, LEONARD ANDREWS and JOHN GLASS, both of 20, South Terrace, Hastings,
in the County of Sussex, Electrical Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Where house service or branch conductors have to be tapped or connected onto
double concentric or triple concentric electric mains it is difficult to make a
neat and reliable joint and this invention has for object to obviate this dis-
advantage.
For this purpose in the case of an electric main having three concentric con-
ductors we proceed as follows:-A short length of the outer and middle conductors.
with insulation is removed so as to lay bare the central conductor to which one
of the branch conductors is electrically connected by soldering or otherwise in
the usual way, the bare connected portions of conductors being then suitably in-
sulated as by insulating tape or by a centrally and longitudinally divided tubular
tee shape piece of suitable insulating material for example vulcanite. The two
separated ends of the middle, i.e. intermediate main conductor, are then soldered
onto the two ends of a longitudinally divided tubular metal connector which is
formed with an exit opening for the branch conductor connected to the central
main conductor. If there are only two branch conductors the tubular metal
connector may be simply a plain split tube having a hole therein for the free
passage of the central branch conductor; if there be three branch conductors,
then the tubular connector would be made tee-shaped and the middle branch
conductor would be connected to the tubular portion of the metal tee shaped
piece that is at right angles to the main conductors. Around the divided tubular
connector, in either case, insulating material such as tape or a longitudinally
divided tee piece of suitable insulating material is then placed so as to enclose the
metal connector and the joints between the same and the ends of the divided
middle main conductor, and also the central branch conductor, and the
middle branch conductor if there be one. The two ends of the divided outer
conductor are then soldered or otherwise connected to the opposite ends of a longi-
tudinally divided tubular tee shaped metal connector that is placed over the
insulating material covering the middle connector and to the other or third end
of which the outer branch conductor is soldered or otherwise connected. This
outer tubular tee shaped connector and the joints between the same and the outer
main and branch conductors are then suitably insulated as by a wrapping of
insulating tape, or by a longitudinally divided tubular tee shaped piece of
insulating material.
When only two concentrically arranged main conductors are used, the middle or
intermediate tubular metal connector above referred to is of course omitted.
The ends of the tubular connectors may advantageously be recessed or reduced
in diameter to afford a space for the reception of the ends of the conductor to

page_text: be secured thereto so that the exterior of the tubular connector and the end of
the conductor secured thereto may be flush with each other, or practically so.
In some cases concentric branch conductors may be tapped or connected in the
manner described onto the outer and middle main conductors only.
If the conductors are lead covered, the joint, made as. described, is or may be
covered with a tubular tee shaped piece of lead that is so split as to admit of its
being opened out and placed around the main and branch conductors and of
being afterwards closed over the jointed portions thereof. For this purpose the
tubular lead tee piece may be slit longitudinally along one side of the main portion
thereof so that one half of this portion can be opened out and the undivided
branch portion slipped over the free ends of the branch conductors, and after these
have been connected to the main conductors and insulated as herein before des-
cribed, the opened out portion of the lead tee piece can be folded around the
'insulated main conductors and soldered to the adjacent portion of the tee-piece
and to the lead covering of the main and branch conductors.
Improvements in or relating to the Connection of House Service or
Branch Conductors to Electric Mains.
We, LEONARD ANDREWS and JOHN GLASS, both of 20, South Terrace, Hastings,
in the County of Sussex, Electrical Engineers, 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:-
Where house-service or branch conductors have to be connected to double con-
centric or triple concentric electric mains it is difficult to make a neat and reliable.
joint and this invention has for object to obviate this disadvantage.
For this purpose in the case of an electric main having three concentric con-
ductors we proceed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying draw-
ings, in which Figs. 1, 2, and 3 represent, in plan and by way of example, stages
in the process of connecting three concentric branch conductors to the three con-
ductors of a triple concentric main. Fig. 4 is a cross section of the complete
joint corresponding to the line A. A of Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
A short length of the outer and middle conductors 1 and 2 of the main, with
corresponding portions of the layers of insulation 3, is removed (Fig. 1) so as
to lay bare the central conductor 4 to which one, viz. 5, of the branch conductors
is electrically connected by soldering or otherwise in the usual way, the bare con-
nected portions of the conductors 4 and 5 being then suitably insulated, as for
example by insulating tape, or (as shown in Fig. 1) by a tubular tee-shaped
piece of suitable insulating material-for example, vulcanite-centrally and
longitudinally divided at 7 (Fig. 4). The two separated ends of the middle (i.e.
intermediate) main conductor 2, are then soldered (preferably with a preliminary
wrapping of wire 2") to the two ends of a tubular metal connector 8 (Fig. 2)
which is longitudinally divided at 9 (Fig. 4), and is formed with a lateral exit
opening for the branch conductor 5 connected to the central main conductor 4.
If there are only two branch conductors the tubular metal connector 8 may be
simply a plain split- tube having a hole through its wall for the free passage of

page_text: the central branch conductor 5, with the corresponding portion of the tee-shaped
piece of insulating material thereon; if there are three branch conductors 5, 10,
and 11, then the tubular connector 8 is made tee-shaped as shown and the middle
branch conductor 10 is connected, as by soldering and preferably with a pre-
liminary wrapping of wire 10, to the tubular portion 12 of the metal tee-shaped
connector 8 which is at right angles to the main conductors 1, 2, and 4. Around
the divided tubular connector 8, in each case, insulating material, such for
example as tape or a longitudinally divided tee piece 6* of suitable insulating
material similar to the piece 6, is then placed so as to enclose the metal connector 8
and the joints between the same and the ends of the divided middle main con-
ductor 2 and also the central branch conductor 5 and the middle branch con-
ductor 10, if there be one. The two ends of the 'divided outer conductor ] are
then connected, as by soldering and preferably with a preliminary wrapping of
wire 1 to the opposite ends of a longitudinally divided tubular tee shaped metal
connector 8 (Fig. 3) that is placed over the insulating material 6ª covering the
middle connector 8ª, and to the other or third end of which the outer branch
conductor 11 is connected as by soldering and preferably with a wrapping of
wire 11. This outer tubular tee shaped connector Sa and the joints between the
same and the outer main and branch conductors and 11 are then suitably
insulated, as for example by a wrapping of insulating tape, or by a longitudinally
divided tubular tee-shaped piece 66 (Fig. 4) of insulating material. The com-
pleted joint is then enclosed in a suitable protecting box, such as a tee-shaped
cast iron box 13, indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4.
Instead of covering
each conductor separately with insulating material composed of tape or of a longi-
tudinally divided tubular tee-shaped piece of insulating material, as herein before
described, it is preferred to make openings Sb through the several metal con-
nectors 8 8 as indicated in plan and cross section respectively in Figs. 5 and 6,
to enclose the entire joint in suitable cast iron tee-shaped box 13 made in two
parts like the connectors 8, 8", and to pour melted insulating material 6ª, such as
Chatterton's compound or paraffin wax, into the box through one or more
apertures 13 provided for the purpose in its upper part the insulating material
will then fill all the interstices and produce a good insulation with little trouble..
The aperture or apertures 13" may be afterwards plugged.
When only two concentrically arranged main conductors are used, the middle
or intermediate tubular metal connector 8 hereinbefore referred to is of course
omitted.
The ends of the tubular connectors 8. Sa may, advantageously be recessed or
reduced in diameter, as shown, to afford a space for the reception of the ends of.
the wires constituting the conductor to be secured thereto so that the exterior
of the tubular connector and the end of the conductor secured thereto may be
flush with each other, or practically so. In some cases concentric branch con-
ductors may be connected in the manner described to the outer and middle main
conductors only of a triple main. Where concentric branch conductors are con-
nected to the central and outer conductors of a triple main and the insulation is
effected by pouring in insulating material as hereinbefore described, the tubular
metal connector 8 of the middle or intermediate main conductor must be tee-
shaped in order that the tubular portion 12 of the connector 8 may be placed over
the insulating material unremoved from the inner branch conductor to prevent
the connector 8 from slipping round, as it might otherwise do, into contact with
the inner branch conductor before being soldered to the two separated ends of
the intermediate main conductor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is:-
1. The connection of house-service or branch conductors to concentric electric
mains by means of divided tee-shaped tubular metal connectors, with or without

page_text: intermediate plain, split metal tube connectors provided with exit openings for
inner branch conductors, substantially as described.
2. Joints between main concentric conductors and house-service or branchi
conductors constructed with divided tee-shaped tubular metal connectors, with
or without intermediate plain split metal tube connectors provided with exit
openings for inner branch conductors, substantially as described.
3. Joints between main concentric conductors and house-service or branch
conductors constructed as herein before described with reference to and shown in
Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, or modified according to Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 21st day of March 1900.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.