IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Reeves, of the City of New York, in the United
States of America, now residing in London, in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES FOR
OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 25th March 1862, and dated the 28th September 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Reeves at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th September
1861.
I, JOHN REEVES, of the City of New York, in the United States of America,
now residing in London, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES FOR
OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE POWER," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its objects improvements in the arrangements of the
several parts of electro-magnetic engines, and these improvements consist in
constructing helices with copper or other metal cylinders, and placing them
one, two, or more in number, as may be required, in line with each other,
leaving a space between the ends, and through these helices I pass a metallic
piston encircled with iron tubes placed at proper distances apart from each
other, which when acted upon by the electric current are put in motion, and
the piston is thus caused to pass through the helices from one end to the other
of the series, and back again to a greater extent than it is possible to obtain by
the piston passing through one helix alone. The piston is connected by a rod
to a crank on a driving axis to give motion thereto. The advantage obtained

page_text: by this arrangement is that the length of the leverage or crank on the driving
shaft of the machine can be varied to any extent desired, and the combined
and successive action of a series of helices may be brought to bear thereon.
Another arrangement may be made to do away with the rod connecting the
piston with the crank axle by fixing the helices to a frame which has pins or
trunnions attached thereto, so that the piston rod being connected directly to
the crank on the driving axle causes the frame containing the helices and
piston to oscillate with the motion of the crank on the working shaft. Suitable
apparatus is affixed for making and breaking contact between the wires of the
galvanic battery and helices, and also to regulate the motion and to reverse
the direction of the engine, which may be similar in character to that described
in the Provisional Specification lodged with the application for Letters Patent
made by me, and bearing date the 16th September 1861, No. 2303.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Reeves in the Great Seal Patent Offico on the 28th
March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
REEVES, of the City of New York, in the United States of America, now
residing in London, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Reeves, Her special licence that I, the said John
Reeves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Reeves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES FOR OBTAINING AND APPLYING MOTIVE
POWER," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Reeves,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent

page_text: calendar months next and, immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Reeves, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the arrangements of the
several parts of electro-magnetic engines; and these improvements consist in
constructing helices with copper or other metal cylinders, and placing them
one, two, or more in number as may be required, in line with each other,
leaving a space between the ends, and through these helices I
pass a metallic
piston encircled with iron tubes placed at proper distances apart from each
other, which, when acted upon by the electric current are put in motion, and
the piston is thus caused to pass through the helices from one end to the other
of the series and back again, to a greater extent than it is possible to obtain
by the piston passing through one helix alone. The piston is connected by a
rod to a crank on a driving axis to give motion thereto. The advantage
obtained by this arrangement is, that the length of the leverage or crank on
the driving shaft of the machine can be varied to any extent desired, and the
combined and successive action of a series of helices may be brought to bear
thereon.
Another arrangement may be made to do away with the rod connecting the
piston with the crank axle by fixing the helices to a frame which has pins or
trunnions attached thereto, so that the piston rod being connected directly to
the crank on the driving axle causes the frame containing the helices and
piston to oscillate with the motion of the crank on the working shaft. Suitable
apparatus is affixed for making and breaking contact between the wires of the
galvanic battery and helices, and also to regulate the motion and to reverse
the direction of the engine, which apparatus is similar in character to that
described in the Specification of a Patent granted to me, bearing date the
16th September 1861, No. 2303.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into practice, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.

page_text: a, a, are a series of helices of (by preference) insulated copper wire coiled
around the tubular holders a', which are fixed to the side plates of the
frame b, b, as shewn. The frame is supported at one end, and moves on the
necks or axes b', ', carried by the fixed supports or standards c; the other end
of the frame is supported by and rests on the piston or rod d, there being a
grooved friction roller carried by the frame at that end for the rod d to
travel against; and 63 is another friction roller upon which the rod d rests and
travels upon at the other end of the frame. The tubular piston or rod d is
composed of a series of magnetic and non-magnetic surfaces arranged thereon
alternately at suitable distances apart, and the end of the piston or rod d is
connected by a pin at d¹ to the crank e, fixed on the axis f, so that when to-
and-fro movement is given to the piston or rod d by the attraction of the
electro-magnets carried thereby, motion is communicated by the crank e to the
driving axis f, from which power can be transmitted to other machinery, as is
well understood. Currents of electricity from a galvanic battery are succes-
sively conducted through the several coils of insulated wire in the following
manner-One end of each coil of wire is placed in connection with a galvanic
battery, whilst the other end of each coil is connected to suitable break
apparatus for the purpose of alternately making and breaking contact between
the ends of the metallic circuit through which the successive currents of
electricity pass. This apparatus acts on the same principle as that described
in the Specification of a Patent granted to me before referred to, and therefore
forms no part of my present improvements, although the arrangement of the
apparatus is varied to render it suitable for being applied to work in connection
with my present improvements. 9 is an axis supported at one end by the
standard c, and at the other by the curved bracket c¹ fixed to the side of the
frame b. On the axis g a break wheel or pulley his fixed, the surface of which
is composed of conducting and non-conducting material, as shown; the con-
ducting surfaces of the wheel h, being at all times in metallic contact with a
wire or wires from a galvanic battery; i, i, are metal springs, the ends of which
rest on the surface of the wheel h; the springs i are in metallic contact with
one end of the coils or helices a, the other ends of such coils passing to the
galvanic battery; the springs i are fixed upon the plate ³, which is supported
and is capable of moving upon the axis g, and the position of the plate i¹, and
of the springs i can be varied from time to time, in order to regulate or reverse
the motion of the piston or rod d as required; is a spring or lever catch
carried by the plate 2, the end of which enters into slots or recesses cut or
formed in the side plate of the frame b, in order to retain the plate 2, and
conducting springs i in any desired position. Alternating rotatory motion is

page_text: communicated to the break wheel h, in order to make and break contact with
the ends of the conducting springs i in the following manner :- is a toothed
rack connected at one end to the arm j¹ fixed on the end of the piston or rod d,
the other end of the rack j sliding in a guide fixed on the frame b, as shown.
The teeth of the rack j take into and drive the toothed wheel k fixed on the
axis g, so as to give motion thereto, and to the break wheel h fixed thereon,
as before described.
I would remark, that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein
described, as the number of the helices and the mode of giving motion to the
driving axis by the to-and-fro movement of the piston or rod d may be greatly
varied without departing from the nature of my Invention, so long as the
peculiar character thereof be retained, and more than one set of electro-magnets
may be arranged to communicate power to the same driving shaft or axis.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Reeves, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
J. E. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.
JOHN REEVES. (L.S.)