IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC LAMPS OR LIGHTS OF THE ARC TYPE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick John Cheesbrough of the Office for Patents,
15 Water Street Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster Consulting Engineer
for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC LAMPS OR LIGHTS OF THE
ARC TYPE Communicated to him from abroad by Edward R Knowles of
Brooklyn in the County of Kings State of New York United States of
America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick John Cheesbrough
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st January 1883.
FREDERICK JOHN CHEESBROUGH of the Office for Patents, 15, Water Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELECTRIC LAMPS, OR LIGHTS OF THE ARC TYPE. [Communicated to him from
abroad by Edward R. Knowles of Brooklyn in the County of Kings State of New
York United States of America] *
This Invention consists of a novel method of combining, adjusting and operating
the illuminating conductors of an arc light.
The construction and operation of the Invention will be understood from the
following description
There are two plates of carbon and an armature of an electro magnet, which
serves also to carry an illuminating conductor. This armature is made of iron and
is supported above the magnet by a pair of links, pivoted to the magnet and to
the armature. The links are set at an inclination with the perpendicular and the
weight of the armature and carbon is supported upon springs and by counter-
weights, one spring being made to embrace an adjusting screw and the other
spring being bolted to the side of the magnet and connected to the armature by
means of a set screw. Weights are carried by levers fixed to the pivots of the
links. There is a frame, or plate of insulating material that supports the magnet
and also the other parts of the lamp. To the frame is fastened a carbon holder into
which a recess, or cavity is made to receive the carbon, which is firmly held in
position by means of set screws.
The armature has also a square recess cut into it to receive the lower end of the
carbon, which is also held into position by set screws.

page_text: A branch circuit of high resistance is placed around the lamp. The lever which
is operated by the magnet acts to introduce the resistance into the circuit when the
lamp is in operation, and to cut it out when the lamp is not in operation.
The lamp is operated by an alternating current and its action is as follows:
The current enters and divides one part going through the magnet and the carbons
and the other through the circuit. The magnet is energized by the current and
lifts the lever introducing the resistance into the circuit and at the same time
attracts its armature, which being moveable around as a centre is drawn towards
the magnet, but on the circumference of a circle. By these means one carbon is
drawn away from the other until stopped by a screw on the top of the magnet,
while at the same time, the two carbons are maintained upon planes parallel to each
other. The arc is thus established between the carbons and no matter where it
starts it will instantly travel to the highest points of the carbons and remain there,
and as the carbons are parallel to each other and are always the same distance
apart through their entire length the arc will travel across their tops back and
forth consuming them evenly and the intensity of the light will remain constant
as will also the resistance of the circuit in so far as such resistance inay be effected
by the distance between the carbons. The lamp will continue to burn until the
carbons are consumed provided the current be supplied, but if a break should occur
to stop the passage of the current through the lamp tho lever is released by the
magnet and cuts the fixed resistance out of the circuit preserving the continuity of
the lighting circuit.
The resistance also acts to reduce the sparking at its junction between the lever
whenever the lever is lifted by the magnet.
If when working the light becomes extinguished through a temporary disruption
of the current, the carbons are instantly forced together by the springs and
weights, thus making a new contact and re establishing the are as before.
To cut the lamp out of circuit it is only necessary to put the carbons in contact
and keep them so, which is done by turning down the screw in which case the
current will short circuit through the foot of the carbons, thus avoiding the use of
& switch for putting the lamp in, or out of circuit.
It will be observed the principal purpose of the Invention is to maintain the
carbons always exactly parallel to each other and always the same distance
apart so as to secure even and equal consumption and a uniform intensity of light.
In fitting the lamp for use care should be taken to make one carbon just a trifle
longer than the other so that when the first carbon is drawn away from the second
carbon by the magnet, the upper ends of the two carbons will be 'exactly on the
same level.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick John Cheesbrough in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th June 1883.
FREDERICK JOHN CHEESBROUGHI, of the Office for Patents, 15, Water Street,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer
A Communication to me from
ELECTRIC, LAMPS, OR LIGHTS OF THE ARC TYPE."
abroad by Edward R. Knowles, of Brooklyn in the County of Kings, State of New
York, United States of America
The following is a description of this Invention in such full, clear concise and
exact terms as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains or with
which it is most nearly connected to make and use the same reference being had
to the accompanying Drawing and to the letters and figures marked thereon
similar letters representing corresponding parts in all the Drawings.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figuro 4 a top view of the Invention. Figure 2
an edge view and Figure 3 a front view of the illuminating conductors.
This Invention consists of a novel method of combining adjusting and operating
the illuminating conductors of an are light.
The construction and operation of the Invention will be understood from the
following description; the points of novelty being designated in the claims following
the description of the several parts and their operation.
Reference being had to the Drawing A and A' are two plates of carbon
preferably of the shapo shown, although they may be perfectly flat without the
enlargement a at the bottom. B is an armature of an electro magnet G and serves
also to carry the illuminating conductor A. This armature is made of iron and is
supported above the inagnet G by a pair of links CC pivotted to the magnet
at E E and to the armature at El E¹. The links are set at an inclination with tho
perpendicular and the weight of the armature and carbon A is supported upon
springs S and K and by the counter weights W W, the springs S being made
to embrace an adjusting screw D and the spring K being bolted to the side of the
magnet and connected to the armature by means of a set scrow L. The weights W
His a frame, or
are carried by levers R fixed to the pivots E of the links C C.
plate of insulating material that supports the inagnet and also the other parts of
the lamp. To the frame H is fastened a carbon holder B into which a recess, or
cavity is made to receive the carbon A' which is firmly held in position by means
of the set screws F¹ F¹.
The armature B has also a square recess cut into it to receive the lower end of
the carbon A which is also held into position by set screws F. F.
J, M, J J is a branch circuit of high resistance placed around the lamp, M being
the resistance. The lever J which is operated by the inagnet G acts to introduco
the resistanco M into the circuit when the lamp is in operation and to cut it out
when the lamp is not in operation.
The lamp is operated by an alternating current and its action is as follows; the
current enters at I and divides one part going through the magnet and the carbons
and the other through the circuit J M J J. The magnet is energized by the
current and lifts the lever J' introducing the resistance M into the circuit J M J' J
and at the same time attracts its armature B which being moveable around E as a
centre is drawn towards the magnet, but on the circumference of a circle described
by the links C C. By these means the carbon A is drawn away from the carbon A¹
until stopped by the screw D on the top of the magnet, while at the same time
The arc is thus
the two carbons are inaintained upon planes parallel to each other.
established between the carbons A A' and no matter where it starts it will instantly
travel to the highest point of the carbons A A¹ and remain there and as the
carbons are parallel to each other and are always the same distance apart through
their entire length the arc will travel across their tops back and forth consuming

page_text: them evenly and the intensity of the light will remain constant as will also the
resistance of the circuit in so far as such resistance may be effected by the distance
between the carbons. The lamp will continue to burn until the carbons are
consumed provided the current be supplied, but if a break should occur to stop the
passage of the current through the lamp, the lever J¹ is released by the magnet
and cuts the fixed resistance M out of the circuit preserving the continuity of the
lighting circuit.
The resistance M also acts to reduce the sparking at the junction between the
lever J with J whenever the lever J' is lifted by the magnet G.
If when working, the light becomes extinguished through a temporary disruption
of the current, the carbons are instantly forced together by the springs K and S
and weights W W, thus making a new contact and re establishing the arc
as before.
To cut the lamp out of circuit it is only necessary to put the carbons A A' in
contact and keep them so which is done by turning down the screw D in which
case the current will short circuit through the foot of the carbons, thus avoiding
the use of a switch for putting the lamp in, or out of circuit.
It will be observed the principal purpose of the Invention is to maintain the
carbons always exactly parallel to each other and always the same distance apart,
so as to secure even and equal consumption and a uniform intensity of light.
In fitting the lamp for use, care should be taken to make the carbon A just a
trifle longer than A so that when it is drawn away from the carbon A' by the
magnet, the upper ends of the two carbons will be exactly on the same level.
Having thus described this Invention, what I claim as the Invention communi-
cated to me by my Foreign correspondent is:
First The method substantially herein described of making adjusting and
operating the illuminating conductors of an are light, which method consists of
making two illuminating conductors and placing their sides together in actual
contact from end to end and of causing them to make and break such contact to
form, or extinguish the arc at their ends by moving to, or from each other in a
line transverse their lengths and at the same time to maintain themselves in a
position parallel to each other when in, or out of contact, the distanco between the
conductors and the length of the are remaining constant until the conductors are
consumed from end to end.
Second In an, are electric light the combination of a stationary illuminating
conductor (A'). moving a conductor (A) an oscillating armature (B) and a
magnet (G), said conductors to be set side by side in contact with each other from
end to end and said magnet and armature coacting to make and break the contact
of said conductors and at the same time to maintain then in a position parallel to
ench other.
Thind The method substantially herein described of extinguishing the lamp and
maintaining the continuity of the lighting circuit which method consists of forcing
and keeping the illuminating conductors into actual contact by which the are is
short circuited through the conductors substantially as described.
Fourth In an electric lamp two continuously closed circuits, one through the
lamp of low resistanco and one around the lamp of high resistance.
In Witness whereof, I, the said Frederick John Cheesbrough have hereunto
set my hand and seal this twenty seventh day of June in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty three