Improvements in Electric Switches.
Year: 1891

page_text: 22nd Dec. 1891-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1892
Lian
22nd Dec. 1891-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Switches.
1, GWYNNE ERNEST PAINTER, of No. 16, East Center Street in the City of
altimore, State of Maryland, United States of America, Electrician, do hereby
eclare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
erformed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
tatement:-
This invention relates to improvements in electrical switches and more
articularly to the class of switches used on minor circuits such as are found in
ncandescent light wiring, gas lighting, bell wiring, &c. The principal object of
ny invention is to provide a safe and efficient switch which can be put up in an
ordinary house and which will take up no available room and will not be an
unsightly object. My switch is so constructed that it can he let into the
wainscotting or framing of doors and will lie flush therewith and can be
made ornamental or can be made the same color as its support and will be very
inconspicuous.
The device is more completely shown and described in the accompanying
Specification and drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my switch in single form.
Fig. 2 is a side view showing the contact as broken.
Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the circuit as completed.
Fig. 4 shows my invention as applied to what is commonly known
switch."
66
us a
gang
Fig. 5 is an end view of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 shows the reverse or front side of the switch, showing arrangement of
push-buttons.
Fig. 7 shows a double bell circuit partly in diagram.
As here shown, the switch is
In Fig. 1, A, is a base plate preferably of insulating material, to which the
various parts comprising my switch are secured.
used to make and break both sides of a circuit.
At the center of the base A, is secured a bridge piece B, in which is pivoted a
lever L. This lever L, is adapted to be engaged at one end by a spring detent D,
At its other end the lever L, is provided with
which is secured to the base A.
a switch bar C, either made of insulating material or thoroughly insulated there-
from. Spring contact pieces c, c', c³, c³, are secured to the base A, by screws d, d', d', d³,
which are adapted to engage the conductors 1, 2, 3, 4, of an incandescent light or
other circuit. The contact c, is secured to the base opposite to ce, and c², opposite
to e, and they are so positioned that they will be beneath the bar C, and sufficiently
apart to engage said bar and firmly hold it when it is forced between them by
moving the lever L. The ends of the bar C, are left bare in case of its being
metallic and insulated from lever L, or are covered with conducting material in
0 case it is a non-conductor. In order to manipulate the lever L, push buttons E, E',
are provided in the face of the plate A, said push buttons having a shank h
adapted to engage lever L, and a spring i, which returns them to their normal
position when the lever L, has been placed in either of its operative positions
shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This operation of the push button is shown in the position
As will be seen, by pressing the push button E
5 of E, Fig. 2, and E, Fig. 3.
lever 1, will be released from the detent D, and the switch bar C, forced between
the contact pieces c, c', and c², c³, thus electrically completing the two sides of the
circuit 1, 2, 3, 4. This position is shown in Fig. 3. By pressing button E', the
lever will be returned to the position shown in Fig. 2, and the contacts made by
ill be broken.

page_text: .
In Fig. 2 the lever is secured in position by the detent D, alone, and in Fig. 3
by both the detent and the contact pieces.
In Fig. 5 three of my switches are combined to form what is commonly known
as a gang switch. The number of individual switches and circuits in such an
arrangement may, of course, be greater or less according to circumstances. A
special arrangement is shown in this figure for throwing on and off all the switches
at once, and the advantage of this is that where a great many circuits are used,
as, for instance, a number of gas lighting circuits, or incandescent circuits, all of
them may be thrown on suddenly or all thrown off, or any number, or any special
one, operated without reference to the others. To accomplish this, I place two
bars K, and K, immediately beneath but not attached to the levers, one bar being
upon one side of the bridges B, and the other being upon the opposite side. It
will, of course, be necessary, in order to operate these bars properly, to make the
spring, retracting, instead of expanding, as is the case with the other push
buttons and to secure one end of it to the base B, and the other to the
'bars K, K. The bars will then be retracted and the push buttons F, F, be
returned to their normal positions, after each operation of the said bars K, K,
which move the levers comprised in the gang switch.
Fig. 5 is an end view of Fig. 4, showing the relative position of the bars K, K'.
Fig. 6 shows the reverse side of the base A, with the push buttons thereon,
the switch being placed in position.
Fig. 7 shows my device as applied to a bell circuit, although it is equally
applicable in this form to any circuit where a single pole switch is sufficient.
As here seen, there are two detents D, D', at opposite ends of the lever L. To
each of these detents is attached one end of the conductors of two bell circuits the
. opposite ends being attached to one pole of a battery J, or other source of
electricity. The other side of the circuit is formed by a third conductor which
leads from the opposite pole of the battery to a binding screw on the bridge B,
in which the lever L, is pivoted. Between the battery J, and the detents D, D',
are placed the bells G, G¹, to be operated, and between the battery and the
bridge B, is placed a switch which may be a third push button E2, upon the
hase A, or may be a simple switch located at any convenient point in a building.
This third connection is here shown, however, as a push at H. With the lever L,
in the position shown, the bell G, will be rung when the switch at H', is closed
or push at E2, is operated. If push 1, be pressed, the lever will be thrown
over on the detent D, and if the switch on the third conductor be then closed
the bell G, will ring.
Such an arrangement as just described might be used to great advantage
where different circuits are used at different times, and need to be frequently
changed.
It will be understood that the devices here shown are merely by way of illustration
and that I do not confine myself to these exact details.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. An electric switch consisting of a base plate, a rocking lever supported upon
a shaft having its axis parallel to the surface of said plate, a detent engaging one
end of said lever, a contact piece or picces carried by its other end but insulated
therefrom for making and breaking an electric circuit, and spring push buttons
extending through the plate to operate the said lever
2. An electric switch comprising a base plate, a rocking lever supported upon an
axis parallel thereto, a detent detachably engaging one end of said lever, a contact
piece carried by the opposite end thereof but insulated therefrom, circuit terminals
engaged by the contact, and spring push buttons extending through the base plate
and engaging the levers whereby it is adapted to be thrown into engagement with
the detent or the circular terminals.

page_text: 3. An electric switch comprising a base plate, a suitably supported rocking lever
thereon, circuit terminals upon the said base plate, a spring detent detachably
engaging one end of the lever, a contact carried by the opposite end of said lever
consisting of two conducting parts insulated from each other, and a push button or
buttons extending through the base plate and engaging the rocking lever whereby
it may be thrown into or out of contact with the switch terminals.
4. An electric switch comprising a plurality of suitably supported rocking
levers, detents for engaging one end of each of said levers, contacts upon their
opposite ends adapted to make or break electric circuits, independent means
for operating each of the levers, and means for operating all of the levers
simultaneously.
5. In an electric switch, the combination of a base plate, a lever mounted upon
an axis supported by said plate and rocking vertically with respect thereto, detents
mounted upon the said plate adapted to engage the ends of the said lever, push
buttons extending through the base plate and engaging the said lever whereby it
is put in contact with either of the detents as desired, and a circuit or circuits
connected to the said detents and adapted to be completed or broken by the
operation thereof.