Improvements in and connected with Automatic Electric Switches.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 8th Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Automatic Electric Switches.
I, FRANCIS CALVIN MCMILLIN, of Society for Savings Building, Cleveland,
State of Ohio, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
-
Our invention relates to improvements in automatic switches and cut-offs,
and the objects of the invention are to provide means for automatically opening
and closing the lamp circuit at predetermined intervals of time whereby the
lamp consumption can be confined to a specified number of hours and the life of
the lamp prolonged.
Our invention consists in the clock mechanism and means for controlling
a magnet circuit thereby, in combination with line and lamp circuits and suit-
able cut-outs, and in the arrangement of parts and construction of details as
hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings and specifically
pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device; Fig. 2
is a side sectional elevation showing the lamp circuit closed.
Fig. 3 is a skeleton view showing the dials and levers, magnets and switch
lever, and switch contact points or connections, with switch open, and also
showing details of wiring from line circuits, and the wiring connections from
the dial lever contacts through magnets, the arrows showing the direction of
the current to close switch when electrical contact is made at the point o.
Fig. 4 is same as Fig. 3, with exceptions that it shows switch closed, and the
direction of the current to open switch when contact is made at point v.
Fig. 5 shows dials with radial notches and method of spacing and numbering.
In these figures A is a double magnet, which operates the switch lever B.
pivoted at upon the base C, which also supports the other portions of the
device; a is an upper coil, a¹ the lower coil; e the core of the magnet, e¹ the
stem which connects the two armature heads and c³. D and E are spring
contact plates, which are connected respectively with the house or lamp and
line circuits by means of binding posts and e and connecting wires and e¹.
F are switch blades insulated from one another and connected through the
rod f with the outer end of the lever B.
Supported upon lever B is also a contact rod 61 insulated therefrom and
designed to connect the switch contacts 62 and 63, Fig. 4, placed in the line
circuit at b, which actuates the upper magnet, and is designed to act as a coil
circuit breaker.
G represents a clock, preferably of the eight day pattern, upon the hour stem
of which are placed two dials and g¹, respectively, each divided into twenty-
four sections to represent the hours of one solar day and night. Adjacent to
the clock are placed spring contacts 92, 3 and The contact is per-
manently connected with the line wire, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. while the
contacts and g³ are connected respectively with the upper and lower magnet
coils. Spring actuated contact levers and are pivotally mounted so as to

page_text: respectively engage the edges of the dials, and are provided with projections 98
and g, which instantly enter the recesses 2 and 3 in the dial edges when the
radial edges of projections and recesses coincide.
The outer extremities of these levers are provided with insulated contact rolls
or plates 4 and 5, which normally engage the contacts g2 and g³, but when
released from the edge of the discs the spring actuated levers are thrown in-
wards and severally engage also the contact. g*, which is placed centrally
between the others."
The dials upon the clock move in unison with the hour stem of the clock,
and are graduated upon their edges in twenty-four divisions, a deep notch being
made on each at zero, into which the projection on the lever is thrown.
It is by means of these dials that the magnet coils are charged from the line
circuit and the switch lever B is operated.
The front or upper dial is employed to close the circuit in the upper magnet
coil, and the lower dial to close the circuit in the lower coil.
The operation will be seen to be as follows, reference being had to the arrange-
ment of connecting wires shown in Figs. 3 and 4. When it is desired to close
the switch upon the lamp circuit, the contact lever g is thrown so as to connect
the contacts g² and gr. The current from the line wire will then pass from the.
contact g to the contact g³, and thence into the upper magnet coil through the
wire H and back through the circuit breaking switch into the central or neutral
binding post h, shown in Fig. 1.
As soon as the magnet has pulled down the upper armature it will depress
the lever B and simultaneously pull down the switch blades upon the spring
contacts, and also open the switch band break the circuit through the coil a..
so that the instant the lamp circuit is closed the magnet circuit is cut off, and
no current can run through the magnet coil, thus preventing injury to the
magnet.
The levers will then be in the position shown in Fig. 4, the lamp circuit being
closed, and coil circuit open. As soon, however, as the radial edge of the notch
in the lower díal coincides with the projection upon the spring actuated:
lever it will be thrown and the circuit through the lower coil will be closed,
the connecting wires h¹ and h² being employed to connect the neutral binding.
post of the house circuit h. with one end of the lower magnet coil a¹, and the
other end of the coil with the contact g³.
The lower magnet will then act at once and raise the switch lever B thus
opening at once the lamp circuit, closing against the circuit through the upper
coil and switch.
To prevent the magnets from operating unceasingly when the radial sides of
the dial notches are set, so as to be in line with each other allowing levers 96.
and g to make full connections between the points 92 and g, and g³ and g;
the rod 8 is permanently attached to the lever 9. as shown in Fig. 1, and pro-
jecting downward passes through an opening at the point 9. The rod 8 playing
freely through the opening in the lever g until the said lever in rising comes
in contact with the shoulder at 10 on the rod 8 when it either stops before it
makes contact between g³ and g or else raises lever g7 out of contact between g³
and or else raises lever g7 out of contact between g³ and g, when the rod 8
is carried downward the shoulder 10 comes in contact with the upper side of
lever and the action described is reversed, thus preventing both levers from
being in contact at the same time.
The advantage of. employing two dials is found in the case with which the
lamps can be thrown in or out of the circuit at any time, at the pleasure of the
operator.
The upper dial as shown throws the lamps in circuit, the lower dial cuts them
out, and any desired number of hours can intervene.
The twenty four spaces upon the sides of the dials g and are numbered
consecutively from one to twenty-four, each number representing one hour, and

page_text: in Fig. 1 as shown by dial 9 the clock would run ten hours before the point g³
drops into the radial notch 3, and thus turns on the lights. The lights would
then continue to burn until the dial g₁ revolves, so that the point 8 drops into
the radial notch 2, then contact would be made and the switch opened and the
lights out.
The user regulates the length of the time the lights are to burn by setting the
dials g and g and then turning the thumb-screw d¹, shown in Fig. 2, down, so
that the dials g and g¹ are held rigidly together and caused to revolve once each
twenty-four hours. By this means the lights are turned on, and afterwards
turned off at the same hours each evening. Fig. 5 shows method of spacing
and numbering dials.
A very important feature of this invention is found in the spring action im-
parted to the lever B, Fig. 2, whereby the full action of the magnets is delayed
until the lines of force have accumulated all their power; a cushioning effect is
also obtained which results in less injury to the magnet from the shock of the
quick stroke. This effect is obtained as follows: Within the forked extremity
of the lever is pivoted the bar 12 the other end of which is secured to the arma-
ture by the link 13. Above and below this bar are secured the springs 14 and 15
inserted in the lever B.
It will be seen that when the magnets commence their action the springs will
give in either direction, thus permitting the armatures to move nearer their
poles before the full strain of the lever is borne by them, by which time the
lines of force have had full time to act.
The construction of the switch blades and insulating support is shown clearly
in Figs. 1 and 2.
The forked extremities of the lever B supports the vulcanite rod f, through
which is passed the metal strengthening centre f¹. Upon this rod are fixed
the blades F by means of set screws.
The spring contacts for this switch are clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, where
flat metal strips are bent upward on either side of the binding posts.
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. In an automatic switch, the combination with a three wire line and lamp
circuit, of a three bladed switch adapted to close said circuit, a lever for said
switch, electro magnets adapted to operate said lever, coil circuits for said
magnets connected with the line circuit, the coil circuit for one of the magnet
coils being opened and closed by the contacts upon said lever, and the other
coil circuit being opened and closed by one of the switch blades, whereby the
movements of the switch lever will cut the magnet coil, substantially as
described.
2. In an automatic switch for the purpose described, the combination with
line and magnet circuits, of magnets in said magnet circuit, clock mechanism
and discs mounted upon an hour hand, the said dises being divided upon the
surface into divisions representing hours and provided with radial recesses at
the zero division, spring actuated switch levers adjacent to the edges of the said
discs provided with insulated contacts at their outer extremities, and projections
coinciding with the radial notches in the discs when at zero, and spring con-
tacts severally upon line and magnet circuits, adapted to be engaged by said
switch lever when the dials are turned to zero and operate said magnets, substan-
tially as described.
3. In an automatic switch the combination with switch lever and operating
magnets therefor, of a bar pivoted upon said lever at one extremity and con-
nected with one of the magnet armatures at the other extremity, and springs
secured to said bar upon either side, and engaging pins secured to the switch

page_text: lever, whereby the bar receives the first action of the magnets, substantially as
described.
4. In a combined cut-in and cut-out switch the combination with line and
lamp circuits, of clock mechanism, magnet circuits connected with the line
and lamp circuits, magnets in said circuits, a switch adapted to connect the
line and lamp circuits and operated by said magnets, spring contacts (adapted
to close and open said magnet circuits) operated by said clock mechanism, and
means for cutting out either magnet circuit from the line circuit as soon as the
switch lever is thrown and thus protect the magnets, substantially as described.
5. In a combined cut-in and cut-out switch, the combination with line and
lamp circuits, of clock mechanism, magnet circuits connected with the line
and lamp circuits, magnets in said circuits, a switch adapted to connect the
line and lamp circuits and operated by said line circuits through said magnet
coils, spring contacts (adapted to open and close said magnet circuits), operated
by said clock mechanism, and means for cutting out either magnet circuit from
the line circuit as soon as the switch lever is thrown and thus protect the magnet,
substantially as described.
1000
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents, 321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.