Improvements in Switching Contrivances for Two Electric Incandescent Lamps Connected Up Together.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 26th Jan., 1900-Accepted, 31st Mar,, 1900
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Switching Contrivances for Two Electric
Incandescent Lamps Connected Up Together.
We, WILHELM SCHILOESSER, Manufacturer, of Eitorf, Holder of the Firm
Kammgarnspinnerei Eitorf," and HERMANN MOERES, Electrotechnologist, of
Eitorf, in the Province of Rhineland and Kingdom of Prussia, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention pertains to a switching contrivance for two electric
incandescent lamps in connection with each other, which is only applied to one
of these lamps, and makes it possible for this lamp or the other one connected
with it to be alternatingly in use, or for both to burn together, or neither' to
burn.
In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates the scheme of adjustment
of both the lamps and their conducting wires, Figs. 2-5 give sectional elevations
right through the mounting socket, the contact drum, as well as the contact
springs and the connecting-up of the conducting wires onto these in four views
each at an angle of 90° to the other, whilst Figs. 6-9 are successive sectional
plans of the vertical sections or elevations directly above them as seen from
above onto the plate carrying the contact springs, i.e. the view overlooking the
complete mounting, i.e. the view from below onto the plate carrying the contact
springs, i.e. the view from above onto the contact drum together with the springs
lying above it.
Figs. 10-13 are successive diagrams of the four divisions of the surface of the
contact drum in uncovered condition, just as it switches the lamp on or off in
any special instance.
The current flows from the place of connected which is here suggested by the
insertion-plug 1, through the conductor 2 to the first lamp 4 which is supplied
with the new switching contrivance 3, whilst the return current to the walling
contact passes either directly through the conductor 5 or it can go through the
wire 6, connecting the two lamps-to lamp 7, and from this back again through
conductor S (which branches off from conductor 5), to its junction with 5, then
again through the latter to the plug 1.
Whilst up till now one only knew of incandescent lamp-fittings with a key
switch suited with two contact springs and a contact drum, which last was pro-
vided with either two or four contact-surfaces, and whereas the lamp affixed
to it was once switched on and once switched off at each half or each quarter turn,
the present switch differs therein that three contact springs take the place of the
usual two namely 9, 10, 11, the contact drum has its three, four, or more contact
faces in different positions and of varied dimension which have their conducting
facings, which are alternately in contact with two separate contact faces or with
one of the same, according to the position of the druin.
The form of adjustment of the switch, on which the drawing is based. is chosen
to fulfil a given purpose, namely to prevent {e, to make it impossible for both

page_text: lamps 4 and 7 to burn at the same time, whilst of course but a slight adaptable
alteration in the size, shape, or order of succession of the facing-pieces of the
drum or also by an interchange of flow and discharge of current, or other grouping,
or other shaping and length of the contact springs, is requisite for the fulfilling
of even this condition. For the present adjustment, whereby only the three stages
of either no lamps, or one lamp, or the other lamp burning, come in question,
it is of course sufficient for the drum to have but three contact faces. On the
drawings however a drum with four contact surfaces, which represents the up
till now customary form of these drums, has been retained; in the first place
because it may come in handy for the special purpose that one of the lamps
may come to incandescence twice during a complete turn of the drum, whilst
the other is more rarely used, and in the second place because, by representing
the system with four contact pieces one can also very easily imagine how the
device should be adjusted in order that the fourth condition should be fulfilled,
namely the simultaneous burning of both lamps.
In the arrangement drawn, the conducting wire 2 is fastened by little screws 13
onto the small cheek 14, the ground plate 15 of which is in connection with the
spring 7, so that by this latter the current is transmitted to the drum 12 provided
that 9 just at the same time touches a conducting surface of the drum.
The current conducted through 9 either passes onto spring 10 or spring 11.
If the current goes through spring 10, then does this spring, which is joined up
to the main ground plate 16 and 17, transmit the current to the incandescent
lamp 4 by means of screw 17, spring 18, and the centre contact disc 19.
After the current has passed through the carbon filament of the lamp, it goes
through the metal screw terminal of the fittings and reaches by the screw 21 the
little jack seated beside the drum 12, consisting of a ground plate.22 and a vertical
cheek 23, on which said jack, the. return wire, which takes the current back to I
is fastened by the attachment screw 5.
If the current start from spring 9 through the contact plate on the drum to
spring 11, it goes from this, through the jack consisting of ground plate 25 and
the bow 26, on which said jack the wire 6 which conducts to the lamp 7, is
fastened by the attachment screw 27.
The current then flows through the fittings of lamp 7 and through its carbon
filament, and at length passes again through conductor 8 to conductor 5 and
through this once more back to 1.
For the rest, the arrangement of the fittings, the combination of its various
parts, the construction of key and drum remain as in the well-known usual
patterns.
The springs bend down as low as it is possible for them to build an angle
whose apex is downwards as in 10 and 11, with the latter quite into a suitabla
wedge-shaped sinking 29 in the centre of the surface of plate 28. One can
easily have an oversight of the order of succession of the various phases
through which the lamps 4 and 7 alternate, and the different functions of the
contact springs 9, 10, and 11 on the diverse contact plates 30-33 of the drum 12
by a glance at the diagrammatic Figs. 10-13. In Fig. 10 the conducting
springs 10 and 11 rest on the plate contact 30 so that here no burning of the
lamps takes place because no current is supplied, i.e. because no current enters
the drum 12.
If now the drum receive a quarter turn to the right in the direction of the
arrow, the contact piece 33 comes to lie under spring 10, whilst spring 11 comes
upon an insulated space of the drum in the same plane with 33, and the current
conducting spring 9 comes simultaneously to lie on the contact piece 32. The
current now circulates from 9 to 10 through the contact pieces of the drum,
and lamp 4 comes to incandescence. Should the lamp now receive another
quarter turn to the right, the contact spring 10 quits the contact piece 33,
whilst contact spring 11 reaches the contact piece 32, and the current conducting 9
remains in connection with the conducting parts of the drum because it crosses

page_text: from the contact piece 32 onto 31. Lamp 4 therefore extinguishes, whilst at the
same moment lamp is switched on.
If one now give the drum 12 yet another quarter turn, the contact spring 10
comes onto the contact piece 31, whilst spring 11 again comes upon an insulated
face, and the current carrying spring 9 still remains in electric contact with
the contact pieces, by crossing from 31 to 32. Lamp 4 therefore burns again,
whilst lamp 7 is cut off. By a quarter turn once more of drum 12, the same
conditions as in Fig. 10 are fulfilled, whereby both lamps are out of circuit.
If now, among other conditions, one wish for the burning of both lamps, all
one has to do is to transfer the conducting wire 2 from spring 9 either onto
spring 10 or 11, whilst spring 9 is either connected up with the return current
wire 5 or the connecting wire 6 between both the lamps so that spring 9 has
either interchanged with 10 or 11, and all that is required is to make the contact
piece 31 just as large as 30. In this case we could have alternately either no
lamp, or the one, or the other lamp, or both lamps burning, and these conditions
we should have in the same or in another order of succession on each quarter turn of
drum 12. But of course we should not as heretofore as shown in drawing and
described above, have a two-fold burning of lamp 4 alone during a complete
rotation of 12 but once lamp 4 and once lamp 7.
The present switching has for certain purposes, namely for many factory works,
great benefits, because namely thereby a great saving of light, and thus also
of power.
Everywhere where only one person, be it an official, a workman or even the
proprietor himself, requires light in two different places it is of great value to bo
able from the place where he is to turn on the light of the place he wants to
go to, and then to turn out the first one, and vice versa, when one has come
back to the old place of work, to be able from here to turn off the light at the
spot just quitted. In this instance, the arrangement wherein alternately the one
or the other or both lamps burn would come in very handy, if one had not to give
heed to the forgetfulness and negligence of man, and on the other hand if the
burning of both lamps at once became unnecessary so that it would appear
desirable so to carry out the fittings that it became impossible for both lamps
ever to burn together but that the person at work be compelled when he changes
his place and turns on the lamp in the new place of work, to turn off the light
in the place just quitted. Only by this last adjustment it is possible to guarantee
a prevention of current and power waste, which is of the utmost importance in
large business establishments, factories and the like, where hundreds and even
thousands of lamps come in question.
Such cases for instance can namely be found in weaving factories where the
person serving the loom stands in front of, and therefore requires the light in
front of the loom, but when flaws in the web occur and one has to go and look
at the back of the loom and work there, one requires there light also.
One had up till now in such (cases) works either a lamp in front and at the
back and allowed both to simultaneously burn, which naturally entails very high
expenses for unnecessarily wasted light or one had the lamp in front hung onto
a cable, so that if need be the person at work could take the lamp at the back
of the loom. As however the looms as a rule are very high, the workman or
factory women often throw the lamps right over the loom to the back so that
a great loss of lamps and shades is not to be obviated not to speak of the damage
done by falling and scattered glass fragments and splitters and so oll. It is
exactly these evils which are done away with in such a suitable, simple, and
reliable manner by the present invention because it takes away all opportunity
for great material loss and on the other damage done by the throwing over of
the lamps, but on the other hand bids surety that the worker can use a lamp
exactly at that place where he is at work.
In this case also, i.e. in a weaving establishment, the lamp 4 which bears
the key switch and is used the most is hung in front of the loom, whereas

page_text: lamp 7 by a suitable length of the connecting wires 6 and 8 can be brought
to the back of the loom. All that the workman has to do if he want to see
to something below and set it aright, is to turn the key once or more, to at
once obtain a light at the back, whilst it is cut off in front, and when he returns
to his old place and turns on the lamp, the one at the back immediately goes
out.
Similar cases to the one at the looms here described, are to be found in many
other works, so that in this respect the present invention will actually supply
a long felt want.
Of course with such fittings one could employ a contact disc with springs
rubbing against its divided-up side surface, instead of a contact drum with springs
pressing on its circumference, by using adaptable shapeing and adjusting of the
springs and other interior parts.
In general however we may say that the use of a drum with more than four
switching surfaces, as well as the use of a contact disc instead of the drum cannot
well be brought within the arrangement of the usual key switch casings without
this latter and with it the entire mountings being considerably enlarged, which
in practice are assuredly undesired and are nearly useless.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1899.
For WILHELM SCHLOESSER, and
HERMANN MOERES,
Bernh. Brockhues.
66
Improvements in Switching Contrivances for Two Electric
Incandescent Lamps Connected Up Together.
"
We, WILHELM SCHLOESSER, Manufacturer, of Eitorf, Holder of the Firm
Kammgarnspinnerei Eitorf,' and HERMANN MOERES, Electrotechnologist, of
Eitorf, in the Province of Rhineland and Kingdom of Prussia, 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 present invention pertains to a switching contrivance for two electric
incandescent lamps, in connection with each other, which is only applied to one
of these lamps, and makes it possible for this lamp or the other one connected
with it to be alternatingly in use, or for both to burn together, or neither to
burn.
In the drawing filed with the Provisional of Specification, Fig. 1 illustrates
the scheme of adjustment of both the lamps and their conducting wires, Figs. 2-5
give sectional elevations right through the mounting socket, the contact drum, as
well as the contact springs and the connecting-up of the conducting wires onto
these in tour views each at an angle of 90° to the other, whilst Figs. 6-9 are
successive sectional plans of the vertical sections or elevations directly above
them as seen from above onto the plate carrying the contact springs, .e. the view
overlooking the complete mounting i.e. the view from below on to the plate
carrying the contact springs .e. the view from above onto the contact drum
together with the springs lying above it.
Figs. 10-13 are successive diagrams of the four divisions of the surface of the
contact drum in displaced condition, just as it switches the lamps on or off in
any special instance.
The current flows from the place of connection which is here suggested by the
insertion-plug 1, through the conductor 2 to the first lamp 4 which is supplied
with the new switching contrivance 3, whilst the return current to the walling

page_text: contact passes either directly through the conductor 5 or it can go through the
wire 6, connecting the two lamps-to lamp 7, and from this back again through
conductor S (which branches off from conductor 5), to its junction with 5, then
again through the latter to the plug 1.
Whilst up till now one only knew of incandescent lamp-fittings with a key
switch suited with two contact springs and a contact drum, which last was pro-
vided with either two or four contact-surfaces, and whereas the lamp affixed
to it was once switched on and once switched off at each half or each quarter turn,
the present switch differs therein that three contact springs take the place of the
usual two namely 9, 10, 11, the contact drum has its three, four, or more contact faces
in different positions and of varied dimension which have their conducting facings,
which are alternately in contact with two separate contact faces or with one of
the same, according to the position of the drum.
The form of adjustment of the switch, on which the drawing is based, is chosen
to fulfil a given purpose, namely to prevent i.c. to make it impossible for both
lamps 4 and 7 to burn at the same time, whilst of course but a slight adaptable
alteration in the size, shape, or order of succession of the facing-pieces of the
drum or also by an interchange of flow and discharge of current, or other grouping.
or other shaping and length of the contact springs, is requisite for the fulfilling
of even this condition. For the present adjustment, whereby only the three stages
of either no lamps, or one lamp, or the other lamp burning, come in question,
it is of course sufficient for the drum to have but three contact faces. On the
drawings however a drum with four contact surfaces, which represents the up
till now customary form of these drums, has been retained; in the first place
because it may come in handy for the special purpose that one of the lamps
may come to incandescence twice during a complete turn of the drum, whilst
the other is more rarely used, and in the second place because, by representing
the system with four contact pieces one can also very easily imagine how the
device should be adjusted in order that the fourth condition should be fulfilled,
namely the simultaneous burning of both lamps.
In the arrangement drawn, the conducting wire 2 is fastened by little screws 13
onto the small cheek 14, the ground plate 15 of which is in connection with the
spring 9, so that by this latter the current is transmitted to the drum 12 provided
that 9 just at the time touches a conducting surface of the drum.
The current conducted through 9 either passes onto spring 10 or spring 11.
If the current goes through spring 10, then does this spring, which is joined up
to the main ground plate 16 and 17, transmit the current to the incandescent
lamp 4 by means of screw 17, spring 18, and the centre contact disc 19.
After the current has passed through the carbon filament of the lamp, it goes
through the metal screw terminal of the fittings and reaches by the screw 21 the
little jack seated beside the drum 12, consisting of a ground plate 22 and a vertical
cheek 23, on which said jack, the return wire, which takes the current back to 1
is fastened by the attachment screw 5.
If the current start from spring 9 through the contact plate on the drum to
spring 11, it goes from this, through the jack consisting of ground plate 25 and
the bow 26, on which said, jack the wire 6 which conducts to the lamp 7, is
fastened by the attachment screw 27.
The current then flows through the fittings of lamp 7 and through its carbon
filament, and at length passes again through conductor 8 to conductor 5 and
through this once more back to 1.
For the rest, the arrangement of the fittings, the combination of its various
parts, the construction of key and drum remain as in the well-known usual
patterns. The springs bend down as low as it is possible for them to build an
angle whose apex is downwards, as in 10 and 11, with the latter quite into a
suitable wedge-shaped sinking 29 in the centre of the surface of plate 28. One
can easily have an oversight of the order of succession of the various phases through
which the lamps 4 and 7 alternate and the different functions of the contact

page_text: springs 9, 10, and 11 on the diverse contact plates 30-33 of the drum 12, by
a glance at the diagrammatic Figs. 10-13. In Fig. 10, the conducting spring 9
rests on an insulated space of the drum 12, whilst both springs 10 and 11 rest
on the plate contact 30, so that here no burning of the lamps takes place, because
no current is supplied, i.e. because no current enters the drum 12.
The
If now the drum receive a quarter turn to the right in the direction of the
arrow, the contact piece 33 comes to lie under spring 10, whilst spring 11 comes
upon an insulated space of the drum in the same plane with 33, and the current
conducting spring 9 comes simultaneously to lie on the contact piece 32.
current now circulates from 9 to 10 through the contact pieces of the drum,
and lamp 4 comes to incandescence. Should the lamp now receive another
quarter turn to the right, the contact spring 10 quits the contact piece 33
whilst contact spring 11 reaches the contact piece 32, and the current conducting 9
remains in connection with the conducting parts of the drum because it crosses
from the contact piece 32 onto 31. Lamp 4 therefore extinguishes, whilst at the
same moment lamp 7 is switched on.
If one now give the drum 12 yet another quarter turn, the contact spring 10
comes onto the contact piece 31, whilst spring 11 again comes upon an insulated
face, and the current carrying spring 9 still remains in electric contact with
the contact pieces, by crossing from 31 to 32. Lamp 4 therefore burns again,
whilst lamp is cut off. By a quarter turn once more of drum 12, the same
conditions as in Fig. 10 are fulfilled, whereby both lamps are out of circuit.
If now, among other conditions, one wish for the burning of both lamps, all
one has to do is to transfer the conducting wire 2 from spring 9 either onto
spring 10 or 11 whilst spring 9 is either connected up with the return current
wire 5 or the connecting wire 6 between both the lamps so that spring 9 has
either interchanged with 10 or 11, and all that is required is to make the contact
piece 31 just as large as 30. In this case we could have alternately either no
lamp, or the one, or the other lamp or both lamps burning, and these conditions
we should have in the same or in another order of succession on each quarter turn of
drum 12. But of course we should not as heretofore as shown in drawing and
described above, have a two-fold burning of lamp 4 alone during a complete
rotation of 12 but once lamp 4 and once lamp 7.
The present switching has for certain purposes, namely for many factory works,
great benefits because namely thereby a great saving of light, and thus also
of power.
Everywhere where only one person, be it an official, a workman or even the
proprietor himself, requires light in two different places it is of great value to be
able from the place where he is to turn on the light of the place he wants to
go to, and then to turn out the first one, and vice versa, when one has come
back to the old place of work, to be able from here to turn off the light at the
spot just quitted. In this instance, the arrangement wherein alternately the one
or the other or both lamps burn would come in very handy, if one had not to give
hoed to the forgetfulness and negligence of man, and on the other hand if the
burning of both lamps at once became unnecessary so that it would appear
desirable so to carry out the fittings that it became impossible for both lamps
ever to burn together but that the person at work be compelled when he changes
his place and turns on the lamp in the new place of work, to turn off the light
in the place just quitted. Only by this last adjustment it is possible to guarantee
a prevention of current and power waste, which is of the utmost importance in
large business establishments, factories and the like, where hundreds and even
thousands of lamps come in question.
Such cases for instance can namely be found in weaving factories where the
person serving the loom stands in front of, and therefore requires the light in
front of the loom, but when flaws in the web occur and one has to go and look
at the back of the loom and work there, one requires there light also.
One had up till now in such (cases) works either a lamp in front and at the

page_text: back and allowed both to simultaneously burn, which naturally entails very high
expenses for unnecessarily wasted light or one had the lamp in front hung onto
a cable. so that if need be the person at work could take the lamp at the back
of the loom. As however the looms as a rule are very high, the workman or
factory women often throw the lamps right over the loom to the back so that
a great loss of lamps and shades is not to be obviated not to speak of the damage
done by falling and scattered glass fragments and splitters and so on. It is
exactly these evils which are done away with in such a suitable, simple, and
eliable manner by the present invention because it takes away all opportunity
for great material loss and all the other damage done by the throwing over of
the lamps, but on the other hand bids surety that the worker can use a lamp
exactly at that place where he is at work.
In this case also, ie. in a weaving establishment, the lamp 4 which bears
the key switch and is used the most is hung in front of the loom, whereas
lamp 7 by a suitable length of the connecting wires 6 and 8 can be brought
to the back of the loom. All that the workman has to do if he want to see
to something below and set it aright, is to turn the key once or more, to at
once obtain a light at the back, whilst it is cut off in front and when he returns
to his old place and turns on the lamp, the one at the back immediately goes
Similar cases to the one at the looms here described, are to be found in many
other works, so that in this respect the present invention will actually supply
a long felt want.
out.
Of course with such fittings one could employ a contact disc with springs
rubbing against its divided-up side surface, instead of a contact drum with springs
pressing on its circumference, by using adaptable shapeing and adjusting of the
springs and other interior parts.
In general however we may say that the use of a drum with more than four
switching surfaces, as well as the use of a contact disc instead of the drum cannot
well be brought within the arrangement of the usual key switch casings without
his latter and with it the entire mountings being considerably enlarged which
in practice are assuredly undesired and are nearly useless.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :--
1). A switching contrivance for two electric incandescent lamps connected up
together, thereby characterised, that three conducting wires (2. 5, 6) end in the
mounting (3) of the first lamp (4) provided with a key switch, the first (2) of
which is the current receiver, the second (5) the return wire, and the third wire (6)
a connection with the second lamp (7), from which a special return wire (S) leads
back to the return wire (5) of the first lamp (4) and the second lamp (7) is set
in action from the first lamp (4) by means of the ends of the three conduc-
tors (2, 5, 6), terminating in the mounting (3) of the first lamp (4), being inter-
changeably brought in various ways in contact with each other by turning the
switching contrivance (12) lying in the inside of the mounting by the so-called
key so that the current go only through the first lamp (4) or only through the
second lamp (7), or through both lamps at once.
2). On the switching contrivance characterised in Claim (1), the adjustment
of the wire ends and the switching arrangement in the inside of the mounting (3)
therein characterised that the switching arrangement is formed by an insulated
drum (or disc or wheel) with three, four, or more divisions on its circumference
(or on the sides which are provided with conducting plates of varied shape and
size, and that instead of the usual two frictional contact springs, there are
three (9, 10, 11) of which one (9) is electrically connected with the receiving
wire (2), the second (10) with the inside contact plate (19) to conduct the current
to the first incandescent lamp (4), and the third (11) with the connecting wire (6)

page_text: to the second incandescent lamp (7), whilst the return wire (5) electrically connects
the first lamp (4) with the metal terminal (20) of the latter.
3). An especial form of carrying out the switching contrivance for two lamps
connected-up together as in Claim (1) therein characterised that the conducting
plate on the switching contrivance (12) in the inside of the mounting (3) of the
first lamp (4), and the contact springs (9, 10, 11) be so adjusted that the two
lamps (4 and 7) can never burn together; but always one goes out when the other
is turned on, to be adapted there where one person has alternately two places to
work in, so that they are so adjusted that the two lamps (4 and 7) can alternately
be left burning in the two places of work, but that current waste through forget-
fulness or negligence is prevented.
Dated this 25th day of January 1900.
For W. SCHLOESSER, and
H. MOERES,
Br. Brockhues.