IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, *Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS." A communication from
abroad by Nicolas Bouliguine, of Paris, France, Lieutenant, Imperial Russian
Nav
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th May 1881.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC LIGHTING
APPARATUS."
[A communication from abroad by Nicolas Bouliguine, of Paris,
France, Lieutenant, Imperial Russian Navy.]
This Invention is designed to provide an electric lamp or lighting apparatus
which will be less expensive than those ordinarily employed and simple in its
arrangement.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide a disc of hardened india-
rubber, marble, glass, or other insulating material which serves as a base or support
for the various parts of the lamp. Upon this disc are mounted six carbon-holders
which are slightly inclined from a horizontal plane, and are connected with one
another by a circular metal plate. Through the centre of the aforesaid disc there
is a spindle which is at its lower end pivotted on the point of a screw, the latter
being partly in the armature of an electro-magnet; the aforesaid spindle carries a
piece of soft iron in front of the poles of the said magnet; the spindle has six arms
radiating therefrom, upon which arms are placed six carbon-holders which are at
the same distance from the centre as the carbon holders situated upon the disc as
aforesaid, these holders being inclined to the same extent as the others.
The electric current enters by a terminal, passes through the wire-coil of the
electro-magnet, and flows through a screw into the armature; it passes thence
through another screw and through a corrugated plate into the arms, the carbon
holders on the latter, and the carbons held by the same; it returns through the
other carbons, the holders carrying the same, and through another terminal.
At the lower end of the aforesaid spindle I arrange a spring which tends to

page_text: rotate the arms, so that the carbons connected therewith approach the carbons on
the disc. The magnetic axis of the soft iron piece is oblique with respect to the
magnetic axis of the electro magnet, so that the latter, tending to approach the
magnetic axis of the soft-iron piece will move the carbons connected with the arms
away from the other carbons until the magnetic force is no longer balanced by the
antagonistic force of the said spring. The tension of the latter may be varied
according to the intensity of the electro-magnet.
At the moment of its entry the electric current can pass through all the pairs of
carbons, but under the influence of the electro-magnet, causing the carbons to be
moved from each other; the voltaic arc will at first be produced in one pair of
carbons only, this is the time at which the incandescence of one pair and consequently
the light is produced. Some time after this (about 20 minutes) when the separated
carbons of the other pairs touch again, the current finding a shorter route passes
through another pair, a voltaic arc is produced therein, and so on. The last pair of
carbons will burn for twice as long a time as the first ones, as it will be the
longest.
When the last pair is consumed one of the arms presses (by means of an insulated
stud) a platinum contact piece on the entrance terminal against a contact-piece on
the aforesaid circular metal plate, and closes the circuit within the lamp without
including the electro-magnet in this circuit, so that the current is not interrupted,
and can supply the other lamps placed within the same circuit.
Underneath the disc there is a bolt carrying two terminals. By causing a movable
piece of this bolt to enter a fixed piece of the same contact is made, and consequently
the current passes directly from one of these terminals to the other without going
through the lamp, thus providing for lighting and extinguishing.
This improved electric lamp or lighting apparatus possesses the following
advantages, that is to say:
It may without alterations be supplied by continuous or intermittent currents,
and the intensity of the light produced may vary from that of fifty to that of
several thousands of ordinary candles. The carbons require no special preparation,
and the lighting may be continued for any desired length of time; moreover, as
this apparatus does not require the employment of a commutator, supervision is
dispensed with. One lamp may be extinguished without causing the other lamps
in the same circuit to be extinguished, and the various parts of my said apparatus
being exceedingly simple may be readily replaced without the necessity of employing
special workmen. The working of the apparatus which generates the electricity
need not be constant.
The form and dimensions of the various parts, also the material of which
they are made may be varied without departing from the principles of my
Invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION, in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th November 1881.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC-LIGHTING
APPARATUS." A communication from abroad by Nicolas Bouliguine, of Paris,
France, Lieutenant, Imperial Russian Navy.
This Invention is designed to provide an electric lamp or lighting apparatus
which will be less expensive than those ordinarily employed and simple in its.
arrangement.
My improvements are illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of my improved apparatus; and
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of one pair of carbons and the corresponding part
of the lamp.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide a disc A of hardened
india-rubber, marble, glass, or other suitable insulating material which serves as a.
base or support for the various parts of the lamp. Upon this disc A are fixed six
carbon-holders F, F, which are slightly inclined from a horizontal plane, and are
connected with one another by a circular metal plate M. Through the centre of
the aforesaid disc passes the spindle B, which fits at its lower end upon the point
of a screw a; this screw enters the armature b of an electro-magnet d. The arbor.
or spindle B carries in front of the poles of the said magnet a piece of soft iron e,
and has six arms K, K, radiating therefrom; upon these. arms are placed six
carbon-holders E which are at the same distance from the centre as the carbon-
holders F, and have a corresponding inclination. In the Drawing the angle of
inclination is 82.5 degrees.
The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows, that is to say:-
:-The
electric current enters by the terminal f, traverses the wire surrounding the electro-
magnet d, and flows through a screw into the armature b, it passes thence
through the screw and the corrugated plate into the arms K, the carbon-
holders E and the carbons 1, and returns through the carbons m, the carbon-
holders F, and the terminal o.
At the lower end of the spindle B I arrange a spring p which tends to rotate the
wheel or part C so that the carbons approach the carbons m. The magnetic axis
of the soft iron piece e is oblique with respect to the magnetic axis of the electro-
magnet, so that the latter tendency to approach the magnetic-axis of the soft-iron
piece e will move the carbons away from the carbons m until the magnetic force
is no longer balanced by the antagonistic force of the spring p. The tension of the
latter may be varied according to the intensity of the electro-magnet.
At the moment of its entry the electric current can pass through all the pairs of
carbons, but under the influence of the electro-magnet, causing the carbons to be
moved away from each other. The voltaic arc will at first be produced in one pair
of carbons only; this is the time at which the incandescence of one pair of the
carbons and consequently the light is produced. Some time after this (about
20 minutes) when the separated carbons of the other pairs touch again, the current
finding a shorter route passes through another pair, a voltaic are is produced
therein, and so on. The last pair of carbons will burn for twice as long a time as
the preceding ones, as it will be the longest; thus the consumption or wear of the
pairs of carbons will be almost loxodromic.
Figure 4 is a diagram representing this rate of wear.
The roman figures indicate

page_text: the pairs of carbons, and the arabic numerals the duration of their consumption
and their succession. The pairs V. and VI. have the most wear, as denoted by the
numerals 6, 11, 16, 21, 26.
When the last pair of carbons is consumed one of the arms K. presses (by means
of an insulated stud t) a platinum contact-piece s on the terminal f against a
contact-piece r on the circular plate M, and closes the circuit so that the current
passes into the lamp without traversing the electro-magnet d; the current is there-
fore not interrupted, and can supply the other lamps placed within the same
circuit.
Beneath the disc A. there is a bolt R carrying the two terminals f, o. By causing
the movable part of this bolt to enter the fixed piece of the same contact is made,
and consequently the current passes directly from the terminal f to the terminal.o
without traversing the lamp, thus providing for lighting and extinguishing.
This improved electric lamp or lighting apparatus possesses the following
advantages, that is to say:-
It may without alterations be supplied by continuous or intermittent currents,
and the intensity of the light produced may vary from that of fifty to that of
several thousands of ordinary candles. The carbons require no special preparation,
and the lighting may be continued for any desired length of time; morcover, as
this apparatus does not require the employment of a commutator, supervision is
dispensed with. One lamp may be extinguished without causing the other lamps
in the same circuit to be extinguished, and the various parts of my said apparatus
being exceedingly simple may be readily replaced without the necessity of employing
special or skilled workmen. The working of the apparatus which generates the
electricity need not be constant.
The form and dimensions of the various parts of my improved apparatus, and
also the material of which they are constructed, may be varied, without departing
from the principle of my Invention.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
The above described improvements in electric-lighting apparatus comprising the
following novel features, namely,-
First. The arrangement of one series of carbons upon a stationary metallic
circular plate in combination with the other carbons mounted upon the arms of a
wheel having a movable axis.
Second. The combination of a plate or piece of soft iron.with an electro-magnet
and a spring adapted to operate in contrary directions to the former to separate
the extremities of the carbons, and the latter to cause them to approach each
other.
Third. The devices whereby the current is cut off from the electro-magnet if the
lamp should be extinguished, so that the current for the other lamps is not
interrupted.
All substantially as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord One