Automatic Lighting of Passages, Staircases, and the like for a Limited Time Only.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 3rd July, 1894-Accepted, 4th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Automatic Lighting of Passages, Staircases, and the like for a
Limited Time Only.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23 Southampton Buildings in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
a communication to me from Tony Blein, of 74 Cours de la Liberté, Lyons, in the
Republic of France, Architect, to be as follows:-
The invention has for its object the momentary lighting of passages, staircases
and the like during the night when the ordinary lighting is suppressed and this
lighting can be supplied either by the gas jets used for the ordinary lighting or by
electric lamps.
The installation is composed essentially
.of electricity
1st. Of an electric circuit supplied by a battery, or other source o
and uniting the gas jets or lamps which should be lighted.
2nd. Of a certain number of contacts operated by the doors of the various
passages, floors, landings &c. these contacts having for their object to close the
circuit on the doors being opened.
3rd. Of a certain number of auxiliary buttons to enable the circuit to be closed
by hand and placed ordinarily on each landing or where most convenient.
These buttons can in certain cases replace the contacts of the doors ou the
landings &c.
4th. Of a regulator which is intended, during a determined time to maintain the
current established momentarily in the circuit by the opening of one of the doors,
and of suppressing it after this time has elapsed.
The current thus created and maintained during a fixed time, serves directly to
light the electric lamps when this method of lighting is employed.
When gas jets are employed the current is used to open the passage for the gas
to the burners which continue to burn with a very small flame after the main gas
passage has been shut off.
There results from this arrangement that the tenant, lodger or occupier who
enters the house after the lights have been turned down establishes a current by
opening the door leading into the house or other door which causes the lighting of
the gas jets or electric lamps for a sufficient time to enable him or her to reach his
or her own apartment.
He or she can moreover prolong if necessary this lighting for another period by
pushing one of the buttons placed on the different landings.
The renter or lodger who leaves his or her apartment will in like manner cause
the staircase &c. to be lighted up by opening his or her door on the landing or if
this door is not furnished with a contact, by pressing on the button on the landing
or elsewhere.
During the day and as long as the entrance door of the house remains open, the
apparatus does not operate, the circuit being interrupted by the very opening of
this door.
Such is in principle the system of lighting for a limited time only, which forms
the object of this invention and which can be obtained by means of apparatuses of
various arrangements of which 1 will now describe a few examples.
It is not necessary to describe the contacts applied to the doors and the buttons
placed on the landings, these apparatuses are analogous to those known and
employed in connection with bells, having like them for their only object to close
the electrical circuit on which they are placed.

page_text: The regulator of which Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows the
arrangement is composed of an electro-magnet A and of a clock movement B, put
in operation by the electro-magnet and stopping by itself after the determined time
has expired, during which time it has sent the current to the lamps or to the gas
burners which are to be lighted. In order to explain the working of the
apparatus I will suppose the battery at P, comprising in a first circuit P CA
the contact button C and the electro-magnet A and in a second circuit PEJK M
the lighting apparatuses E E¹ and the mercury contact M placed in the
apparatus.
The armature of the electro-magnet A is suspended to a pendulum D which
carries at its other end an oscillating arm F, acting as a stop to the wheel G, of the
elock work. This wheel makes a half turn during the time fixed for the lighting
and stops each time by the bar H bearing against the arm F. The arm F also
carries a bent rod 1 which can raise the spring J carrying a metallic rod K
descending into the mercury cup M.
This rod K as also the spring J and the mercury cup being in the circuit of
lighting of the lamps. The pendulum D also carries a hook L acting upon the
pendulum N of the clock movement. At rest the contact is interrupted in the two
circuits, the wheel G resting against the arm F and raising the rod K, which does
not touch the mercury.
If the contact is established at C the circuit of the
electro-magnet A being shut, its armature will be attracted; the arm F in rising
again will liberate the wheel G whilst the hook L will put the pendulum in
movement. At the same time the rod K will descend into contact with the
mercury and the circuit of lighting being closed the lamps or gas jets will light.
The contact C only having sent one instantaneous current into the electro-
magnet, the armature of this latter is returned to its normal position as also the
arm Fat the end of the half revolution of the wheel G the bar H bears against
this arm and again raises the rod K which interrupts the lighting current and at
the same time stops the motor.
When applying the invention to gas lights, each of these gas burners is provided
with a proper arrangement to open the passage for the gas during the time the
current passes.
The accompanying drawings show an example at Figures 2 and 3.
Below the gas jet B is placed a cylindrical box A containing an electro-magnet E
to which the current passes by the intermediary of the regulator. The gas passes.
into the box A, by the pipe H the tap I of which remains open during the working
of the apparatus. A soft iron contact C pushed by a spring closes the passage of
the gas from the box to the burner, this contact is connected by a central rod D to
the key of the tap F which being formed like a cam see Figure 3, can lower the
rod and the contact to give passage to the gas during the ordinary lighting.
After the turning down of the lights the key being turned as in Figure 2 the gas
only passes to the burner by the orifice G, regulated by a screw so as to cause the
burner to give only a very small flame. If the current is then sent into the electro-
maguet, the contact is attracted and the burner lights completely and again becomes
a very small light as soon as the current is interrupted.
The keeping of the small burner. alight continually can be avoided by lighting
the gas at the moment of opening the gas passage to the burner by a spark from an.
induction coil arranged around the coil E of the electro-magnet.
נ...
1:009

page_text: Automatic Lighting of Passages, Staircases, and the like for a
Limited Time Only.
I BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
a communication to me from Tony Blein of 74 Cours de la Liberté Lyons, in the
Republic of France, Architect, and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
The invention has for its object the momentary lighting of passages, staircases
and the like during the night when the ordinary lighting is. suppressed, and this
lighting can be supplied either by the gas jets used for the ordinary lighting or by
electric lamps.
The installation is composed essentially
1st. Of an electric circuit supplied by a battery or other source of electricity
and uniting the gas jets or lamps which should be lighted.
2nd. Of a certain number of contacts operated by the doors of the various
passages, floors, landings &c. these contacts having for their object to close the
circuit on the doors being opened.
3rd. Of a certain number of auxiliary buttons to enable the circuit to be closed
by hand and placed ordinarily on each landing or where most convenient.
These buttons can in certain cases replace the contacts of the doors on the
landings &c.
4th. Of a regulator which is intended, during a determined time to maintain the
current, established momentarily in the circuit by the opening of one of the doors,
and of suppressing it after this time has elapsed.
The current thus created and maintained during a fixed time, serves directly to
light the electric lamps when this method of lighting is employed.
When gas jets are employed the current is used to open the passage for the gas
to the burners which continue to burn with a very small flame after the main gas
passage has been shut off.
There results from this arrangement that the tenant, lodger or occupier who
enters the house after the lights have been turned down establishes a current by
opening the door leading into the house, or other door, which causes the lighting
of the gas jets or electric lamps for a sufficient time to enable him or her to reach
his or her own apartment.
He or she can moreover prolong if necessary this lighting for another period by
pushing one of the buttons placed on the different landings.
The renter or lodger who leaves his or her apartment will in like manner cause
the staircase &c. to be lighted up by opening his or her door on the landing or if
this door is not furnished with a contact, by pressing on the button on the landing
or elsewhere.
During the day and as long as the entrance door of the house remains open, the
apparatus does not operate, the circuit being interrupted by the very opening of
this door.
Such is in principle the system of lighting for a limited time only, which forms
the object of this invention and its operation can be obtained by means of
apparatus of various arrangements, a few examples of which I will now describe
by the aid of the drawings accompanying my Provisional Specification.
It is not necessary to describe the contacts applied to the doors and the buttons
placed on the landings or elsewhere, these apparatuses are analogous to those known
and employed in connection with bells, having like them for their only object to
close the electrical circuit on which they are placed.

page_text: I will describe the invention with reference to the drawings accompanying my
Provisional Specification.
The regulator, of which Figure 1 shows the arrangement, is composed of an
electro-magnet A and of a clock movement B, put in operation by the electro-
magnet and stopping by itself after the determined time has expired, during which
cime it has sent the current to the lamps or to the gas burners which are to be
lighted. In order to explain the working of this apparatus I will suppose the
battery at P, comprising in a first circuit P. C. A. the contact button C and the
electro-magnet A and in a second circuit PEJ KM, the lighting apparatuses E E'
and the mercury contact M placed in the apparatus.
At rest,
The armature of the electro magnet A is suspended to a pendulum D which
carries at its other end an oscillating arm F, acting as a stop to the wheel G, of
the clock work. This wheel makes a half turn during the time fixed for the
lighting and stops each time by the bar H bearing against the arm F. The arm F
also carries a bent rod I which can raise the spring J carrying a metallic rod K
descending into the mercury cup M: this rod K as also the spring J and the
mercury cup being in the circuit of lighting of the lamps. The pendulum D also
carries a hook L acting upon the pendulum N of the clock movement.
the contact is interrupted in the two circuits, the bar H of the wheel.G resting
against the arm F and raising the rod K, which does not touch the mercury. If
contact is established at C the circuit of the clectro-magnet A being closed, its
armature will be attracted; the arm F, in rising again will liberate the wheel G
whilst the hook L will put the pendulum in movement. At the same time, the
rod K will descend into contact with the mercury and the circuit of lighting being
closed the lamps or gas jets will light.
The contact C only having sent one instantaneous current into the electro-magnet
the armature of this latter is returned to its normal position as also the arm Fat
the end of the half revolution of the wheel G, the bar H now bears against this
arm and again raises the rod K which interrupts the lighting current and at the
same time stops the motor.
When applying the invention to gas-burners, each of these gas-burners is
provided with a proper arrangement to open the passage for the gas during the time
the current passes. The drawings show an example at Figs. 2 and 3.
Below the gas jet B is placed a cylindrical box A containing an electro-
magnet E, to which the current passes by the intermediary of the regulator. The
gas passes into the box A, by the pipe H, the tap 1 of which remains open during
the working of the apparatus. A soft iron contact C pushed by a spring, closes
the passage of the gas from the box to the burner, this contact is connected by a
central rod D to the key of the tap F which, being formed like a cam, see Fig. 3,
can lower the rod and the contact to give passage to the gas during the ordinary
lighting. After the turning down of the lights the key being turned as in Figure 2,
the gas only passes to the burner by the orifice G regulated by a screw so as to
cause the burner to give only a very small flame. If the current is then sent into
the electro-magnet, the contact is attracted and the burner lights completely and
again becomes a very small light as soon as the current is interrupted.
The keeping of the small burner alight continually can be avoided by lighting
the gas, at the moment of opening the gas-passage to the burner, by a spark from
an induction coil arranged around the coil E of the electro-magnet.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A system for the lighting of passages, staircases and the like for a limited
time, in which various lighting apparatuses comprising gas or electric lamps are
united in an electric circuit which can be closed by the opening of the doors of the
various passages, floors. landings &c. and if required by buttons operated by
'hand. The transitory current thus determined being maintained during a given

page_text: time by means of a regulating apparatus and employed during this time to light.
electric lamps or to keep open the passage of gas to the burners.
2. The arrangements of apparatus for lighting passages, staircases and other
places for a limited time substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1894.
B. J. B. MILLS,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents..