Improved Means for Conducting Electricity through Table-cloths, Carpets, and the like, to Electric Lamps and other Electrical Devices.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 3rd May, 1895
Improved Means for Conducting Electricity through Table-cloths,
Carpets, and the like, to Electric Lamps and other Electrical
Devices.
We THE ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION COMPANY LIMITED of 66 and
64 Victoria Street, Westminster Manufacturers, and EDMOND LYONS O'BRIEN
of the same place, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :--
Hitherto when electric lamps or other electrical devices have been placed upon a
table, floor, or other like surface, which is covered with a cloth, carpet or the like,
difficulty has been experienced in obtaining or ensuring proper connection between
the contacts carried by the lamp or other electrical device and the conducting wires
when these are on the other side of the cloth or carpet.
Now the object of our invention is to obviate this difficulty and to enable the
lamps or other devices to be placed in any position desired on the table, floor
or other surface.
We will describe the invention as applied to a lamp.
In connection with the conducting wires below the cloth or carpet we employ a
frame of wood, ebonite or other non-conducting material divided by non-conducting
material. In the respective halves or divisions of this non-conducting frame we
place metallic gauze or a plate of metal and we connect the two conducting wires
respectively with the gauze or plates in the two divisions.
The wires in the lamp terminate in needle points which when the lamp is placed
upon the table pierce the cloth and make contact with the metallic gauze or metal
plates below, and thereby complete electrical connection between the lamp and the
source of supply.
The frame is hidden by the base of the lamp and can be placed at any desired
part of the table.
When we employ metal plates we preferably fit the lamp wires with needles
pressed outwardly by springs so as to better ensure contact, we sometimes pack the
plates with loose tin foil, Dutch metal or the like, covered by textile or other
fabric.
The conductors below the cloth are preferably flat or approximately so, in order
that the cloth may lie as flat as possible. The wires themselves may be round, but
we cover the two side by side with insulating material in a flat form.
By the means above described and of a suitable plug board we are enabled to
have a great variety of position of the lamps on the table.
Dated this 2nd dose of Mar 1804
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
05 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.

page_text: Improved Means for Conducting Electricity through Table-cloths,
Carpets, and the like, to Electric Lamps and other Electrical
Devices.
We, THE ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION COMPANY LIMITED of 66 and
64 Victoria Street, Westminster, Manufacturers and EDMOND LYONS O'BRIEN
of the same place, Electrical 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 :-
Hitherto when electric lamps or other electrical devices have been placed upon
a table, floor or other like surface which is covered with a cloth, carpet or the like,
difficulty has been experienced in obtaining or ensuring proper connection between
the contacts carried by the lamp or other electrical device and the conducting wires
when these are on the other side of the cloth or carpet.
Now the object of our invention is to obviate this difficulty and to enable the
lamp or other device to be placed in any position desired on the table, floor or other
surface.
We will describe the invention as applied to a lamp.
In connection with the conducting wires below the cloth or carpet we employ a
frame of wood, ebonite or other non-conducting material divided into two parts by
non-conducting material. In the respective holes or divisions of this non-conducting
frame we place metallic gauze or plates of metal or other metallic pieces for making
contact, and we connect the two conducting wires respectively with the gauze or
plates or metallic pieces in the two divisions.
The wires in the lamp terminate in needle points which when the lamp is placed
upon the table pierce the cloth and make contact with the metallic gauze or metal
plates (or other metallic pieces) below and thereby complete electrical connection
between the lamp and the source of supply.
The frame may be hidden by the base of the lamp and can be placed at any
desired part of the table.
When we employ metal plates we preferably fit the lamp wires with needles
pressed outwards by springs so as to better ensure contact. We sometimes pack
the plates with loose tinfoil, Dutch metal or the like covered by textile or other
fabric.
The conductors below the cloth are preferably flat or approximately so in order
that the cloth may be as flat as possible. The wires themselves may be round, but
we cover the two side by side with insulating material in a flat form.
By the means above described and of a suitable plug board we are enabled to
have a great variety of position of the lamp on the table.
The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate our invention.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a table with plug board secured below and frames
and conducting wires above;
Figure 2 is a plan of the same;
Figure 3 is an elevation and Figure 4 a plan both partly in section of the plug
buard on a larger scale;
Figure 5 is a section on the line a-b of Figure 3;
Figures 6 and 7 are plans representing respectively two constructions of non-
conducting frame with metallic pieces for making contact ;
Figure 8 is a section on the line c-d of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a vertical section of a device to be connected with the wires to the
lamp and for making contact with the metallic pieces in the non-conducting
frame;

page_text: Figure 10 shows in vertical transverse section the frame represented in Figures 7
and 8 and the device shown in Figure 9 making contact with the metallic pieces in
the said frame :
Figure 11 shows in vertical transverse section the frame represented in Figure 6
and one of two spring points attached to the lamp and passed through the table
cloth so as to make contact with the metallic pieces in the frame;
Figures 12 and 13 are respectively a plan and an edge view of a portion of one of
the conductors.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, A is the table underneath which is fixed the
plug board B which is connected to the nearest wall plug or preferably to a
Hoor-plug underneath the table. CC represent the plugs and D D the con-
ducting wires which pass from the corresponding plugs up between the leaves of
the table (which are not drawn close together) and then through a hole in the
baize cover X, which cover however is not essential. The conducting wires lie
flat on the baize cover and terminate in a special frame or connector E, two
forms of which are shown in detail in Figures 6, 7, 8 and 10. The table
cloth F is laid in the ordinary way covering the conducting wires D and frames or
connectors E. The plug board B is provided with a number of plug holes so as to
accommodate as many plugs as may be required according to the number of
conductors D and the number of electric lamps to be connected up.
The plug board (see Figures 3, 4, 5) comprises a block G of vulcanite, red fibre
or other non-conducting material; two parallel longitudinal holes H are formed
therein and are filled by spiral wires J of some suitable metal such as copper or
brass. One end of each of these wires is connected by means of the binding
screws K with the source of supply. The parallel holes H have as many pairs of
communicating holes I as there are plugs CC to be provided for.
Referring to Figures 6, 7 and 8, L is a frame of non-conducting material which
we prefer should be stamped out of the material known to electricians as red fibre
aud partially covered over by the same material. This frame comprises two
halves separated by non-conducting material and containing any substance capable
of making electrical contact and we connect each of these halves with the conducting
wires D D as shown. Where the substance in the halves is loose we cover the
same with textile or other fabric as in Figure 6, but we find that one of the best
methods of fitting these halves with metallic contact-making pieces is to wind wire
into one or more coils or spirals M, Figures 7, 8 and 10, connecting as before each
of the terminals of these spirals with the conducting wires D.
The top cover we prefer to make of two pieces N N as shown in Figures 7 and 8
(one piece being removed in Figure 7) to facilitate the joining of the terminals
with the conducting wire.
Figures 9 and 10 show one form in which the needle points can be arranged so as
to form electrical contact between the frames or connectors and the lamp. A non-
conducting block O made of suitable material and pierced with the necessary holes
for the passage of the wire is furnished with the two screws P and two needle
points the screw making contact between the needle and the wires of the lamp.
Referring to Figure 11, L is the frame or connector underneath the cloth F.
R is a spring needle point attached to or forming part of the lamp and so arranged
as to press down and form a good contact with the frame or connector underneath
the cloth.
Figures 12 and 13 show how the two conducting wires D D (which are of circular
section) should be wound so as to lie flat on the table.
In carrying our invention into effect the number of plugs C required according
o the number of conductors D and lamps to be employed are inserted into the plug
board B and the conducting wires D and frames or connectors E are placed upon
he baize cover X in accordance with the desired positions for the lamps.
After the cloth F has been laid the lamps carrying on their undersides the
evices shown in Figure 11 or connected with the devices shown in Figure 9 are
laced upon the cloth above the frames Ę; the needles Q pierce the cloth and enter

page_text: into the frames E as shown in Figure 10 and make metallic connection with the
contact devices M M in the frames so that the electric circuit to the lamps is
completed. We attach much importance to having a spring in the needle itself or
in the coil of the frame or connector so as to ensure an efficient contact.
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
we are aware that wires ending in needle points have been in use for making
electrical contact through table cloths for electric lighting and otherwise, and we
make no claim to the use of such needle points for this purpose, but what we
claim is :-
1. The combination of spring metallic needle points carried by the stands of
electric lamps or the like and metallically connected therewith, frames of non-
conducting material fitted with metallic pieces to make contact with such needle
points, conductors leading from each of said frames to a corresponding plug, and a
plug board adapted to receive a number of plugs and connected with a source
of electricity, all substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
represented in the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination of frames of non-conducting material fitted with spring
metallic coils to form contact with the wires of the lamp, conductors leading from
each of the said frames to a corresponding plug, and a plug board adapted to
receive a number of plugs and connected with a source of electricity, all as and for
the purpose herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawings.
3. For the purpose hereinbefore set forth a plug board constructed substantially
as herein before described and represented in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
4. For the purpose herein before set forth a frame provided with metallic contact
pieces, substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in Figures 7 and 8.
Dated this 4th day of February 1895.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.