Improved Means or Devices for Making Electrical Contacts in Coupling Up Electric Conductors.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 8th June, 1889-Accepted, 13th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means or Devices for Making Electrical Contacts in
Coupling Up Electric Conductors.
We THOMAS MERITON SARGEANT and OSWALD RICKETTS SWETE both of Crown
Works Guildford Street York Road Lambeth in the County of Surrey Electrical
Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
The object of our Invention is to provide means or devices by which electrical
contacts can be made between electric conductors in a ready and efficient manner so
that the contact is protected from access of liquid or other injurious matter.
Say that two wires are to be connected. We provide a screwed stem projecting
from the place to which the wires are lead and over this screwed stem one of the
wires is placed its end encircling it and preferably being squared and flattened at this
part and it is seated upon an elastic washer placed over the stem before the wire is
placed thereover. The second wire (preferably squared and flattened) is then placed
around the stem and then another elastic washer is placed over the stem and then
there is placed over this second washer a vulcanite or like washer with an annular
edge which may be formed by the cupping of the washer and then a nut is screwed on
the stem the said nut at its inner side being preferably dished or cupped to fit the
back part of the cupped washer. When the nut is screwed home the annular edge
gives a very tight closure so that the contact is sheltered from any outside interference
with its efficiency-Although we have named wires it is evident that the device may
be used with conductors of other shape such for example as for coupling up the
conducting wires with the terminal strips or conductors from battery plates.
Dated this 9ad day of Santambor 1889
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means or Devices for Making Electrical Contacts in
Coupling Up Electric Conductors.
We THOMAS MERITON SARGEANT and OSWALD RICKETTS SWETE both of Crown
Works Guildford Street York Road Lambeth in the County of Surrey 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:―
The object of our Invention is to provide means or devices by which electrical
contacts can be made between electric conductors in a ready and efficient manner so
that the contact is protected from access of liquid or other injurious matter. We will
describe our Invention with reference to the accompanying drawings taking first as
an example a case in which two wires are to be connected. We provide as shewn in
Fig. 1. a screwed stem A of insulating material to be screwed into the box or the
like and having a shoulder at a formed by the lesser upper part a² of the stem A.
Over this screwed stem one of the wires is placed or over the said stem a² its bent
end is placed its end encircling the said stem and preferably being squared and
flattened at this part as shewn at 62 in Figure 3 and it is seated upon an clastic
washer placed over the stem before the wire is placed thereover the said washer
resting on a rigid washer d seated upon the shoulder at a or the washer d may be
dispensed with and the elastic washer rest directly on the shoulder a. The second
wire e preferably squared and flattened or it may be rounded and flattened as at e
Figure 2 is then placed around the stem and then another elastic washer f is placed

page_text: over the stem and then there is placed over this second washer a vulcanite or like
washer
either flat or with an annular edge which may be formed as a circular rib
on the washer or by the cupping of the washer as shown in Figure-4, and then a
nut is screwed on the smaller part of the stem A the said nut at its inner side being
dished or cupped to fit the back part of the cupped washer if that be cupped as shewn
in Figure 4. When the nut is screwed home it or its annular edge presses all the
washers together and also presses the wires firmly together and gives a very tight
closure so that the contact is sheltered from any outside interference with its
efficiency. Although we have named wires it is evident that the device may be used
with conductors of other shape such for example as for coupling up the conducting
wires with the terminal strips or conductors from battery plates.
Figure 5 shows an arrangement of the device for coupling the opposite surfaces of
a battery plate or element. In this case the stem A is passed through the battery
plate and has projecting from each of its sides a screwed stem a² a each being pro-
vided with a nut and curved or cupped washer 9 screwed down upon an elastic
washer which bears on a disc i of platinum and on one side presses in contact
therewith the wire e the inner side of this disc i being on both sides in contact with
the plate and with the wire or strip which is like that in Figure 3 but has two
squared ends 62 (as shewn in Figure 6) one of which squared ends is passed over one
stem a the other being passed over or around the other stem a² so that the said wire
electrically connects the opposite sides of the plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. The device for connecting electric wires or conductors whether it be arranged as
shewn in Figure 1 or modified as explained with reference to Figure 4 or to Figures
and 6.
•
2. A device for connecting electric wires or conductors the said device consisting of
a body part of insulating material provided with an elastic washer or elastic washers
by which the ends of the wires or conductors are pressed together by means of a nut
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In a device for connecting electric wires or conductors a body part of insulating
material through which one of the wires passes or in which it is embedded the ends
of the wires or conductors being pressed together by an elastic washer or elastic
washers substantially as herein before described.
4. In a device for connecting electric wires or conductors a body part of insulating
material around which the ends of the conductors are passed the said ends being
rounded and squared respectively and flattened and pressed together by an elastic
washer or between elastic washers confined between rigid surfaces or washers and
pressed together by a nut substantially, as herein before described.
Dated this 8th day of June 1889.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.