Improvements in Electrical Switches and Safety Fuses.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th May, 1892-Accepted, 11th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrical Switches and Safety Fuses.
I WILLIAM HUMPHREY WHEATLEY of 40 Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a
communication to me from abroad by Alfred Ashfalck, Engineer of Cologne on
Rhine, in the Empire of Germany) to be as follows :-
This invention for improvements in electrical switches and safety fuses has for
its principal object to provide a switch which can be readily operated in any
position whether within reach or not and which shall contain an ordinary safety
fuse that can readily be inserted or renewed so that the conductors or leads need
not be first led to a switch within easy reach of the hand and then to the lamps but
can be brought more direct to the lamps without being laid under the plaster thus
reducing the expense of the conductors themselves and of laying them. The
switch is adapted to be secured to the ceiling of the room to be lighted and forms
a rosette or ornament and can be operated by means of a cord or rope.
A switch constructed according to this invention comprises an insulating base
with a stud on which is mounted an insulating disc connected to an operating lever
and carrying at each side two contact pieces arranged opposite to one another.
The disc is arranged to rotate between two pairs of spring contacts connected to
the house conductors and to two metallic catches. The cover of the switches has
secured inside two metallic terminals connected to the conductors passing through
a central hole and leading to the lamp and also two metallic pieces provided with
tongues adapted to engage with metallic catches on the base. The metallic
terminals and pieces are provided with clips to retain lead or other safety fuses
inserted between and which connect each terminal with the corresponding piece
and thus, when the cover is in position, with the spring contacts.
The motion of the operating lever is limited by a stop in one direction when the
circuit is broken and by a spring catch in the other when the circuit is completed
and is forced towards the position when the circuit is broken by a spring fixed on
the stud. It is connected to a cord by which it is pulled over the spring catch to
complete the circuit; and when desired to break the circuit a sharp pull or jerk is
given to the cord and the spring then forces it over the spring catch to the position
at which the circuit is broken. As the springs always press either on the
insulating disc or on the contact pieces carried by it a good connection is always
ensured and as the breaking of the circuit is instantaneously effected by the spring
there is no injurious sparking.
It will readily be seen that the cover can be removed to insert or replace the
fuses and that the base or switch proper can be used with any other suitable
cover so as to form an ordinary switch or the cover can be used with a suitable
base to form a safety fuse; also the lever may be operated in both directions by a
cord.
Dated this 5th day of August 100
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Electrical Switches and Safety Fuses.
I WILLIAM HUMPHRY WHEATLEY, of the firm of Wheatley and Mackenzie,
Patent Agents, 40 Chancery Lane, London, 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 :-
This invention for improvements in electrical switches and safety fuses has for
its principal object to provide a switch which can be readily operated in any
position whether within reach or not and which shall contain an ordinary safety
fuse, that can readily be inserted or renewed so that the conductors or leads need
not be first led to a switch within easy reach of the band and then to the lamps
but can be brought more direct to the lamps without being laid under the plaster
thus reducing the expense of the conductors themselves and of laying them. The
switch is adapted to be secured to the ceiling of the room to be lighted and forms
a rosette or ornament and can be operated by means of a cord or rope.
A switch constructed according to this invention comprises an insulating base
with a stud, on which is mounted an insulating disc connected to an operating lever
and carrying at each side two contact pieces arranged opposite to one another.
The disc is arranged to rotate between two pairs of spring contacts connected to
the house conductors and to two metallic catches. The cover of the switch has
secured inside two metallic terminals connected to the conductors passing through
a central hole and leading to the lamp and also two metallic pieces, provided with
tongues adapted to engage with metallic catches on the base. The metallic
terminals and pieces are provided with clips to retain lead or other safety fuses
inserted between and which connect each terminal with the corresponding piece and
thus, when the cover is in position, with the spring contacts.
The motion of the operating lever is limited by a stop in one direction when the
circuit is broken and by a spring catch in the other when the circuit is completed
and is forced towards the position when the circuit is broken by a spring fixed on
the stud. It is connected to a cord by which it is pulled over the spring catch to
complete the circuit, and when desired to break the circuit a sharp pull or jerk is
given to the cord and the spring then forces it over the spring catch to the position
at which the circuit is broken. As the spring always presses either on the
insulating disc or on the contact pieces carried by it, a good connection is always
ensured and as the breaking of the circuit is instantaneously effected by the spring
there is no injurious sparking.
It will readily be seen that the cover can be removed to insert or replace the
fuses and that the base or switch proper can be used with any other suitable
cover so as to form an ordinary switch or the cover can be used with a suitable
base to form a safety fuse; also the lever may be operated in both directions by a
cord.
The accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings show a switch suitable for
fastening to the wall of a room.
In the centre of a discs of glass, porcelain, or other suitable insulating material
fastened to the wall by means of screws a is provided a pin d around which works
an ebonite disc g provided at two opposite points on each side with metal pieces h
which when the switch completes the circuit make contact with the spring b and f.
The springs which at their outer ends carry the clamping screws for the
conductors I of the main circuit are screwed into the insulating disc s in order not
to interfere with the rotation of the top o. The springs bare fixed by means of
screws to a raised rim on the discs forming the guide for the cover o and have on
this rim contact-springs with which the contact piece C of the top O engages when

page_text: turned from left to right, thus completing the electrical circuit between the switch
and the top O containing the safety fuse.
On the disc g rotating or movable round the screw d and fixed by the pin k is
attached a lever i terminating at its outer end in a hole for securing the switch-
cord. The movement of the lever is limited by the screw n and by the spring /
with its catch m. In order to bring the disc g from the closed position (when
the lever is in the position shown in Figure 2) back again to the position shown in
dotted lines to open the circuit a spring secured by the screws t and d on the
bases and the disc g, on the lever being disengaged from the spring catch 1, forces
it back to the open position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.
The case o serving as protecting cover and junction box and made of insulating
material such as glass or porcelain contains the terminals p, to one end of which
are fastened the conductors leading to the lamp, and to the other ends clamps for
securing the ends of safety fuses e. The other ends of the safety fuses are received
in metallic terminals, terminating at the opposite extremity, in contacts c engaging
in the springs b. The case O has on one side a part cut away in order to allow the
free movement of the lever i and is further provided with an opening through
which the conductors fastened to the strips p are led to the lamp. (Fig. 3.)
The action of the apparatus is as follows:
In its normal position, the apparatus opens the circuit, the spring is eased, the
contact-strips disengage from the springs f and the lever i bears against the pin n
(Fig. 2). If now the cord fastened in the hole W of the lever i be pulled the
disc
g is turned from left to right and the lever i engages with the catch m and is
stopped. By this movement the metal strips slide in the springs f and the
spring is extended and the circuit is completed. A sudden jerk on the cord
attached to the lever i causes it to depress the catch and before the catch is
again raised it passes over the catch m and the disc 2 is forced to the normal
position by the spring and the circuit is opened.
In order to insert a safety fuse, the top O shown in section in Fig. 1. and from
underneath in Fig. 3. provided with conductors to the lamps, is turned from right
to left whereby the strips C leave the springs b and the top O can be removed.
On the insertion of the fuses e between the clamps c and p no current flows through
the fuses nor through the lamp circuit so that with full current in the main circuit
of the apparatus the fuse can be inserted and this can be done without difficulty
and possible danger when in full work. After the fuse is thus inserted the top Ŏ
is again placed on the disc S and by turning the top from left to right the circuit
is completed through the fuse and the lamps. The apparatus is thus closed from
the outside and the top serves as a protection for the switch, and for burnt fuse,
and also as a junction box.
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. An electric switch constructed and arranged so as to be operated by one
hanging cord substantially as described.
2. An electric switch operated from a single hanging cord through a spring
lever connected to an insulated disc carrying contact pieces working in conjunction
with two sets of contacts, one set being connected to terminals of the house circuit
and the other to the lamp, the lever being retained in one position against the
action of the spring by a spring catch over which it is passed by its spring on
giving it a sudden jerk, the whole substantially as described.
3. The combination with an electric switch of a cover carrying safety fuses and
contacts adapted when the cover is in position to engage with contacts on the
switch and complete the circuit at these points and hold the cover in place, the
whole substantially as described.
4. A safety fuse or cut-out arranged substantially as described with reference to
Fig. 3, in connection with a suitable base.

page_text: 5. The arrangement and construction of electrical switches and safety fuses
substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 5th day of May 1892.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, Agents.