Improvements in the Manufacture of the Filaments or Light Emitting Portions of Electric Lamps.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of the Filaments or Light
Emitting Portions of Electric Lamps.
I, JOSEPH STOKES WILLIAMS of Riverton, New Jersey, United States of America
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS AND IN APPARATUS OR MEANS FOR USE IN MANU-
FACTURING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of incandescent lighting apparatus in
which an indestructible base or support for the conducting material is employed
such material being reduced to a minimum in any given cross section from which
light is emitted or to be emitted upon the passage of an electric current I can
employ materials or compounds as the base for instance chalk fluor spar French
chalk zirconia calcined materials or magnesium calcium or metallic oxides or salts
in solution or not basalt or asbestos or a combination of such materials moulded
into bars under high pressure with or without such materials being treated mixed
or saturated with cellulose ligneous or vegetable fibre oil gum turpentine petroleum
paraffine, starch collodion from the natural deposit chrysene india ink or other
carbonizable material or with or without the use of iridium platinum palladium or
such like metals in solution with or without hydrocarbons in a liquid state so
as to regulate the determined quantity of electrical resistance or give sufficient
conductivity to permit of the passage of an electric current of high force when
ready for use or I can employ such materials as kaolin zirconia cut saw or
machined from the mass as obtained from natural deposits.
-
*For instance I can take kaolin and saw it into bars or slabs of the desired length
and section and by means of suitable turnings and cutting or forming machinery
I reduce or shape the pieces the form of conductor or light emitting portion thereof
designed to be used in accordance with the standard of lamp in which the piece or
pieces is or are to be employed. The piece so turned or shaped can be circular in
form or like a tube or U or V-shaped or conical or hemispherical. For the ordinary
form of small electric incandescent apparatus I prefer the UV or M tubular
shaped piece in section or the equivalent thereof which pieces are provided with
extensions adapted for terminal connections adapted to extend through a globe
base holder or support when the material is reduced to the exact dimensions and
desired form or section I cut the same into very thin layers (thinnest possible
say Too of an inch more or less by rotary reciprocating saws or discs running at
a very high speed or by revolving at a very high speed the material to be cut the
saws and material being kept in proper relationship to each other by springs.or
feeding mechanism whose action is automatically regulated to keep the pressure
and speed practically constant.

page_text: When I use the circular pieces in section I drill a hole through the centre so as
to form a sort of a tube the U or V or M shaped pieces in section are cut length-
wise by a planing or milling tool running at a high speed-After the sectional
pieces are cut off the terminals are secured thereto by clamps or by fusing the metal
electrically or the platinum terminals can be flattened and split and a hydrocarbon
paste can be applied at the point of union.
The structure is then dipped, or immersed in heated liquid gum oil turpentine or
other hydrocarbon or carbonizable material until some predetermined saturation is
realized and the structure is then placed in a suitable carbonizing retort in which
they are packed in carbon dust or between clamps or plates, heat is then applied
for a predetermined length of time and of, some predetermined degree which degree
is regulated automatically by thermic devices adapted to operate upon the air or
fuel supply or both so as to realize such result and by time mechanisin the duration
of heating can also be regulated automatically or instead of carbonizing in this
manner I can perform the operation by chemical reagents as described in ny
application for Patent N° 12066 of 1884 or I can iridize platinize or paladiumize
the light emitting portions by the chemical process or by the electro chemical
process or I can coat or impregnate such structure with such or other metals or
metal alloys by immersing them in a bath heated to a high degree for some
predetermined length of time or I can employ a compound metallic and hydro-
carbon solution in which I immerse the structure and apply heat and in some cases
accelerate the action electrically by connecting the terminals and an anode of
platinum iridium or other suitable metal with each other or to a source of electric
power the circuit of which I regulate and control automatically so that the
electrical resistance of the light emitting portion of the structure will be of some
definite predetermined standard.
In some cases I reduce to a very fine powder gannister magnesia calcium fire
clay kaolin asbestos or the like and therewith a small proportion say 1 to 4 per
cent of cellulose dextrine gums resins or other carbonizable cementing agent or
I employ pulverized graphite or coke saturated with heated resin or pitch with or
without using pulverized kaolin asbestos or the like or such compounds or elements
can be cemented together by metallic solutions or soluble earthy heating resisting
or refractory materials or compounds or these compounded with carbonaceous
cementing agents as described I treat material so prepared so as to reduce it to
homogeneous structure by forcing it through dies or by moulding devices under
high pressure so as to form rods or tubes of such material which can be operated
upon by cutting and shaping mechanism as described for forming the parts to
constitute-the light emitting portions of the apparatus. The completed structure
can be carbonized by heat in the well known manner or the structure can be
dipped into collodion paraffin turpentine or other liquid containing carbon as
herein referred to and may be subsequently carbonized by any known means or as
described in my application for Patent dated 5th September 1884 under title
"Carbon fabrics or materials their manufacture and application" or the structure
can be impregnated with and covered by a very small percentage of conducting
material say carbon or metal and this structure can be completed in a gas jar or
-chamber through the medium of the electric current or I can employ a structure
so formed or shaped impregnated with metal or carbon as described prior or
subsequently to the final cutting and attachment of the terminals. I prefer to use
-the electric current as a medium for depositing or as the test of resistance so as to
prevent any excess of deposit or I can operate in a reverse manner and oxidize
the conducting part. In carrying this into practice and in constructing and
arranging such structure in the lamp I employ means as described in my application
for Patent N° 12064 of 1884.

page_text: Emitting Fortions of Electric Lamps.
I JOSEPH STOKES WILLIAMS of Riverton New Jersey, United States of America
Engineer 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 invention relates to the manufacture of the filaments or light emitting
portions of electric lamps in which an indestructible base foundation or support for
the conducting material is employed and consists in the combination in the said
manufacture of conducting and non-conducting materials by which combination
I am enabled to regulate the electrical resistance of the said filaments.or light
omitting portions by varying the relative proportions of the conducting and non-
conducting coustituents.
I employ various materials or compounds as the base support or non-conducting
constituent such for instance as french chalk zirconia calcined materials or magnesia
calcium or metallic oxides or salts in solution or asbestos or a combination of such
materials moulded into bars under high pressure such materials being treated or
mixed with a carbonaceous or carbonizable material constituting the conductive
ingredient cellulose ligneous or vegetable fibro being suitable for the purpose or
I may mix or saturate the non-conducting materials with oil gum turpentine
petroleum paraffine starch collodion chrysene india rubber or other carbonizable
material or instead of employing the carbonizable material as the conducting
constituent I can employ iridum platinum palladinium or other suitable metals
(which may be used in solution) for adding to the conducting material in the
proportion necessary in accordance with the required electrical resistance of the
filament or light emitting portion to be produced.
I will now. describe various ways in which my Invention may be carried into
effect premising that I do not limit myself to the precise procedures hereinafter
described as it will be evident that they may be varied without departing from the
nature of my Invention-I take conducting and non-conducting materials such for
example as those hereinbefore set forth and incorporate them and form them into
a suitable solid mass and by turning and shaping or forming machinery I reduce
or shape the pieces to the form in cross section of filament or light emitting portions
for electric lamps in accordance with the kind of lamp in which the piece or pieces
is or are to be employed The pieces so turned or shaped can be circular in form
or like a tube or of U or V shape or conical or hemispherical or the equivalent
thereof and such pieces can be provided with extensions adapted for terminal
connections-When the material is reduced to the exact dimensions and desired
form or section I cut the same into thin layers which may be conveniently effected
by rotary saws or discs or reciprocating cutters running at a very high speed, or
the material to be cut can be operated at a high speed against stationary cutters.
The saws or cutters and the material can be kept in proper relationship to each
other by springs and feeding mechanism whose action can be automatically

page_text: regulated by springs or weights to keep the material up against the saws or
cutters as it is sawn or cut.
i
When the pieces are cut off the terminals are secured thereto by clamps or by
fusing the metal electrically or the platinum terminals can be flattened and split
and a hydro carbon paste can be applied at the point of union.
I have described the conducting and non-conducting materials as being combined
before being shaped and cut but if desired the non-conducting materials alone or
combined with part only of the requisite quantity of conducting material can be
so shaped and cut and afterwards the filaments or portions so shaped and cut be
dipped or immersed in heated liquid gum oil turpentine or other hydro carbon or
carbonizable material until a degree of saturation is reached in accordance with the
electrical resistance required in the filament or light emitting portion and then the
filaments or portions are placed in a suitable carbonizing retort or vessel in which
they are packed in carbon dust or between clamps or plates.
When so arranged heat is applied to the said retort or vessel for the length of
time and with the degree of heat necessary to carbonize the carbonizable material
The lieat can be regulated automatically if desired by any suitable or well known
pyrometric devices adapted to operate upon the air or fuel supply or both for
instance the expansion of the retort itself under heat may operate upon the valve
or cock regulating the supply of gas or the damper so as to regulate the supply
of air in accordance with the temperature of the retort.
⋅
By the employment of time mechanism combined with the heating apparatus the
duration of heating can also be regulated automatically for example a time mechanism
can be arranged so that at a certain period the air or the gas valve or both is or are
closed and the heating is consequently discontinued. Instead of carbonizing as
described, can perform the operation of combining conducting and non-conducting
materials by chemical agents as described in my application for Patent N° 12066 of
1884 or I can iridize platinize or paladiumize the forms for the filaments or light
emitting portions of non-conducting material by the chemical process or by the electro
chemical process so as to combine with them the requisite amount of conducting
material or I can coat or impregnate such filaments or portions with metals or
metallic alloys by immersing them in a bath or solution of such metals or alloys,
heated to a high degree for a length of time in accordance with the degree of
electrical resistance required, and I may accelerate the action by passing a current
of electricity through the filaments or portions by connecting them with a sourse of
electric power the circuit of which I regulate and control, in strength and duration
in accordance with the electrical resistance desired in the filaments or portions.
Or I may effect the object of my Invention by reducing to a very fine powder
the non-conducting constituent such as magnesia calcium, fire clay, asbestos or the
like and combine therewith the conducting material by adding a small proportion
of cellulose dextrine gums resins or other carbonizable and cementing agent in
proportion in accordance with the desired electrical resistance or I employ carbon
or coko saturated with heated resins or gums with or without using asbestos or the
like or such compounds or, materials can be combined with or cemented together
by soluble earthy heat resisting materials or compounds moulded into the desired
shape and the quantity of material transformable into conducting material will it
is evident regulate the resistance of the filament or light emitting portion.
To render the compound thoroughly homogeneous I may force it through dies
or pass it between rolls or I may mould it under high pressure so as to form rods
or tubes of such material which can be operated upon by cutting and shaping
mechanism as herein before described so as to form the parts to constitute the
filaments or light emitting portions of the apparatus.
The structures so formed can be carbonized by heat in the well known methods.
.such as those hereinbefore set forth.
In some cases in the constructing of the filaments or portions as herein described
I Day use the electric current as a medium for the addition of the conducting to
the non-conducting constituents by depositing carbon or metal on non-conducting

page_text: or combined non-conducting and conducting materials applying the current for a
length of time in accordance with the desired electrical resistance or I can operate
in a reverse manner, and oxodize the conducting part and thereby regulate the
resistance. An electric current can be employed for testing the resistance of the
material during the time or at intervals whilst the process of transformation is
being conducted.
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. The manufacture of filaments or light emitting portions for electric lamps by
combining a heat resisting. non-conducting material with a conducting material
substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
2. The several methods of manufacturing filaments or light emitting portions of
electric lamps of any desired electrical resistance substantially as hereinbefore set
forth.