Improvements in Portable Electric Lamps for Use in Mines and other Places.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Electric Lamps for Use in Mines and other
Places.
SYDNEY FERRIS WALKER, Electrical Engineer, Cardiff Electrical Engineering
Works, Severn Road, Cardiff, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the inventions for which Letters Patent have been
granted ei-No. 24443, 1895, and 3772, 1897, and is intended to simplify the
arrangement of the apparatus described in the latter, and to at the same time
provide for increased lighting power for certain special forms of lamp, pending
the development of the manufacture of incandescent lamps to work at low voltages,
while preserving the liquid proof cover & other points aimed at.
Portions of this invention will also be applicable to the apparatus described in
the Letters Patent No. 24443, 1895.
In this invention, I use a cylindrical jar of metal, preferably of aluminium as
before, with a cylinder of vulcanite or other insulating material inside; but
I divide the vulcanite cylinder into two or more portions, by means of vertical
divisions forming part of the vessel itself, and I make as many divisions as I
require to have cells. If I require two galvanic cells, I divide the vulcanite
cylinder into two semi-cylindrical halves, by a vertical division.
If I use three cells, I divide the cylinder into three divisions, by three vertical
divisions uniting in the centre and dividing the circular section of the cylinder
into three sectors of 120° each.
If I require four cells, I divide the cylinder into four equal divisions, the
circular section being divided with four sectors of 90°, and similarly for larger
numbers.
I provide a zinc and carbon electrode, in each cell, as before, the carbon being
preferably a hollow cylinder, having holes drilled in various portions of its length
to allow of the free passage of the exciting liquid, and having its pores impreg
nated with sulphur, the zinc being a solid cylindrical rod held centrally inside the
hollow carbon eylinder.
I also now form the metal cap of the carbon referred to in the before mentioned
Patents as follows:-
I electroplate the top of the carbon as before, and firmly solder on its inner
urface a metal ring, preferably of brass, having a flange arranged to extend
ver the top end of the carbon cylinder, and to engage with a second ring of
netal, which I solder to the outer surface of the carbon cylinder.
I cut a screw thread on the inner surface of the inner metal ring of the carbon
ylinder, and in this I screw a disc of vulcanite, having a large percentage of
ulphur, as described in the Patents before referred to, and I form the disc of
ulcanite with a flange on its lower outer edge to engage with and protect the
ower edge of the inner metal ring.
In the centre of the vulcanite disc, I place a metal screw of coarse pitch, screwed

page_text: into the vulcanite and extending below the disc for the top of the zinc rod to
engage with.
In the outer brass ring I insert three or more metal pins extending radially
outwards, which are to engage in recesses provided for them in the cover to be
presently described.
I now form the zinc electrode from pure rod zinc, drawn to the required size
to give the necessary duration to the charge, and cut to the required length.
In one end of the zinc rod, I drill a vertical hole and form a coarse pitched
thread which engages with the brass screw in the centre of the small vulcanite
disc before described.
At the other end of the zinc rod, I insert a tinned brass pin, or other suitable
metal, and on this pin I place a small milled vulcanite disc, so that the zinc rod
can be easily and quickly fixed and removed.
I attach the one, two, or more electrodes as before to a vulcanite cover;
but I now make this cover principally of one thick disc of vulcanite in which I
make circular recesses to receive the carbons with their caps, and small recesses
radiating from the circular recesses, in which the radial pins before described
are placed.
When all the carbons are in place I fill in all the space left in the recesses, with
the cement described in Letters Patent already referred to.
I then cover the cement with a thin disc of vulcanite, sticking it to the thick
disc with any suitable material.
The two vulcanite discs with their carbon and zinc electrodes form, as before,
the cover to the lower vessel, and the battery is put in operation by merely
lowering the electrodes into the liquid in the lower vessels; but I do not in this
invention secure the insulating disc, with its electrodes attached to the flanged
ring to be presently described.
I form the lower vulcanite vessel already described, with a flange on the outer
periphery of its upper edge, and I make the disc carrying the electrodes of
sufficient diameter, so that its outer edge rests on the flange of the lower vessel.
I place two or more pins in the top of the metal containing vessel, projecting
upwards, and I cut slots in the periphery of the ebonite disc carrying the electrodes
to engage with these pins, so that the disc cannot turn when the lamp is being
closed down. I also make the connections between the metal caps of the carbons,
the brass screws to which the zinc rods are attached, and the connecting pieces
in the lampholder, by means of broad metal straps, passed thro' slots in the before
described vulcanite disc, cut horizontally and vertically for the purpose, and I
fill the space left in these slots with the cement before described.
I also paint all the metal work about the carbons, zines and connecting pieces
with a special varnish put on at a high temperature, that will resist the action
of the acids used in the battery.
I use the upper flanged metal ring as described in the Letters Patent previously
mentioned, but in this invention I allow it to be loose, engaging with the screwed
ring on the lower vessel; but securing the vulcanite disc in place by downward
pressure only.
I also use a conical protecting glass for the incandescent lamp, with a metal
plate above, of smaller diameter than the flanged ring, and I fix the guard wires
at an angle to the vertical.
I may use a lower containing vessel of any shape, other than a cylinder, such
as one of square, or hexagonal section, the divisions being made by properly
dividing the mathematical figure; but when I do so, I arrange that the flanged
ring is still cylindrical, on the inside at least, and that the ring attached to the
top of the containing vessel is cylindrical on the outside, the two having male
and female screw threads of the same pitch, arranged to engage as before.
This at low of Mor 1908

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Electric Lamps for Use in Mines and other
Places.
SYDNEY FERRIS WALKER, Electrical Engineer, Cardiff Electrical Engineering
Works, Severn Road, Cardiff, 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:-
My invention relates to the inventions for which Letters Patent have been
granted viz No. 24443, 1895, and 3772, 1897, and is intended to simplify the
arrangement of the apparatus described in the latter, and to at the same time
provide for increased lighting power for certain special forms of lamp, pending
the development of the manufacture of incandescent lamps to work at low voltage,
while preserving the liquid proof cover & other points aimed at.
Portions of this invention will also be applicable to the apparatus described in
the Letters Patent No. 24443, 1895.
In this invention, I use a cylindrical jar of metal, preferably of aluminium, as
before, with a cylinder of vulcanite or other insulating material inside; but
I divide the vulcanite cylinder into two or more portions, by means of vertical
divisions forming part of the vessel itself, and I make as many divisions as I
require to have cells. If I require two galvanic cells, I divide the vulcanite
cylinder into two semi-cylindrical halves, by a vertical division.
If I use three cells, I divide the cylinder into three divisions, by three vertical
divisions uniting in the centre and dividing the circular section of the cylinder
into three sectors of 120° each.
If I require four cells, I divide the cylinder into four equal divisions, the
circular section being divided into four sectors of 90° & similarly for larger
numbers.
I provide a zinc & carbon electrode in each cell, as before, the carbon being
preferably a hollow cylinder, having holes drilled in various portions of its length
to allow of the free passage of the exciting liquid, and having its pores impreg
nated with sulphur, the zine being a solid cylindrical rod held centrally inside the
hollow carbon cylinder.
I also now form the metal cap of the carbon referred to in the before mentioned
Patents as follows:-
I electroplate the top of the carbon as before, and firmly solder an inner
surface, a metal ring, preferably of brass, having a flange arranged to extend
over the top end of the carbon cylinder, and to engage with a second ring of
metal which I solder to the outer surface of the carbon cylinder.
I cut a screw thread on the inner surface of the inner metal ring of the carbon
cylinder and in this I screw a disc of vulcanite having a large percentage of
sulphur, as described in the Patents before referred to, and I form this disc of
vulcanite with a flange on its lower outer edge to engage with and protect the
lower edge of the inner metal ring.
In the centre of the vulcanite disc I place a metal screw of coarse pitch, screwed
into the vulcanite and extending below the disc for the top of the zinc rod to
engage with.
In the outer brass ring I insert three or more metal pins, extending radially
outwards, which are to engage in recesses provided for them in the cover to be
presently described.

page_text: I now form the zinc electrode from pure rod zinc drawn to the required size
to give the necessary duration to the charge, and cut to the required length.
In one end of the zinc rod I drill a vertical hole & form a coarse pitched
thread which engages with the brass screw in the centre of the small vulcanite
dise before described.
At the other end of the zinc rod I insert a tinned brass pin, or other suitable
metal, and on this pin I place a small milled vulcanite disc, so that the zinc rod
can be easily & quickly fixed & removed.
I attach the one, two, or more pairs of electrodes, as before, to a vulcanite cover;
but I now make this cover principally of one thick disc of vulcanite, in which I
make circular recesses to receive the carbons with their caps, and small recesses
radiating from the circular recesses, in which the radial pins before described
are placed.
When all the carbons are in place, I fill in all the space left in the recesses with
the cement described in the Letters Patent already referred to.
I then cover the cement with a thin disc of vulcanite, sticking it to the thick
dise with any suitable material such as Chatterton's compound.
The two vulcanite discs with their carbon & zinc electrodes form, as before,
the cover to the lower vessel, and the battery is put in operation by merely
lowering the electrodes into the liquid in the lower vessels; but I do not in this
invention secure the insulating disc; with its electrodes attached to the flanged
ring to be presently described.
I form the lower vulcanite vessel already described, with a flange on the outer
periphery of its upper edge, and I make the disc carrying the electrodes of
sufficient diameter so that its outer edge rests on the flange of the lower vessel.
I place two or more pins in the top of the metal containing vessel, projecting
upwards, and I cut slots in the periphery of the ebonite disc carrying the electrodes
to engage with these pins, so that the disc cannot turn when the lamp is being
closed down. I also make the connections between the metal caps of the carbons,
the brass screws to which the zinc rods are attached, and the connecting pieces
in the lampholder, by means of broad metal straps, passed thro slots in the before
described vulcanite disc, cut horizontally & vertically for the purpose, and I
fill the space left in these slots with the cement before described.
I also paint all the metal work about the carbons, zines & connecting pieces
with a black japan varnish, put on at a high temperature, that will resist the action
of the acids used in the battery.
I use the upper flanged metal ring as described in the Letters Patent previously
mentioned, but in this invention, I allow it to be loose, engaging with the screwed
ring on the lower vessel; but securing the vulcanite disc in place by downward
pressure only.
I also use a conical protecting glass for the incandescent lamp, with a metal
plate above, of smaller diameter than the flanged ring, and I fix the guard wires
at an angle to the vertical.
I may use a lower containing vessel of any shape, other than a cylinder, such
as one of square or hexagonal section, the divisions being made by properly
dividing the mathematical figure; but when I do so, I arrange that the flanged
ring is still cylindrical, on the inside at least, and the ring attached to the
top of the containing vessel is cylindrical on the outside, the two having male
& female screw threads of the same pitch, arranged to engage as before.
In the drawing
a represents the metal jar.
b
"
"
d
"
C
دو
inner vulcanite cell.
one of the carbon cylinders.
division in the vulcanite cell.
Hangad connecting nieces on the top of the carbon

page_text: Q6
represents the metal caps for the zinc rods.
"
"
"
"
m
"
7
"
0
"
=
25
the large vulcanite disc in which the carbons, zines & connecting
pieces are held.
the metal lampholder.
the flanged ring which holds the large vulcanite disc in its place.
the conical glass protecting the incandescent electric lamp.
the metal plate over the lamp.
one of the bars guarding the conical glass.
the incandescent electric lamp.
one of the zinc rods.
Having now particularly described & 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. The arrangement of metal cap for the carbon cylinders, with inner vulcanite
disc substantially as described.
2. The arrangement of a loose flanged metal ring closing the cells and keeping
the elements in place, substantially as described.
3. The arrangement of the whole of the connections between the elements &
the lamp set with cement in recesses in the body of a thick vulcanite disc sub-
stantially as described.
4. The arrangement of the metal carbon caps with their projecting pins set
with cement, in special recesses cut for them in a thick vulcanite disc, substantially
as described.
Dated this First day of March One thousand eight hundred and ninety nine.