Regulating Sockets or Holders for Incandescent Electric Lamps and other Translating Devices.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 1st Oct., 1892
CODT DETE DIECIFICATION.
Regulating Sockets or Holders for Incandescent Electric Lamps and
other Translating Devices.
We, THE RIES ELECTRIC SPECIALTY COMPANY, a body corporate, ELIAS,
ELKAN RIES and WILLIAM SMITH HORRY, corner of Baltimore and Entaw
Streets, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A., Electrical Engineers, 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 has reference to regulating sockets or holders for alternating
current incandescent electric lamps, in which the intensity of the light emitted by
the lamp is varied by setting up within the lamp socket or holder itself a variable
counter electro-motive force or current, tending to oppose to a greater or less
extent the flow of current to the lamp, and is in the nature of a modification of or
improvement upon the previous generic invention of Elias E. Ries filed under date
of July 6th, 1891, in the United States and British Patent Offices under
International Arrangement, January 14, 1892, No. 785.
The object of these improvements are to provide means for more economically
varying the intensity of the light emitted by the lamp, to secure a greater choking
action within a given space and to facilitate the construction of the regulating coil
and socket.
These objects are obtained by providing the lamp socket or holder with an
annular core wound with a number of lengths of insulated wire arranged in the
form of a strand or cable, as will hereinafter more fully appear, the ends of the
several wires being properly cross connected and brought to a series of terminals
arranged within the lamp socket in position to be traversed by an arm or contact
brush attached to an operating key, in such a manner that the current supply to
the lamp may either pass unobstructed through the socket without traversing any
of the said wires, or may be choked or opposed more or less by being made to
traverse in succession any desired number of the wires composing said strand or
winding, or the supply of current to the lamp may be cut off altogether. The
invention further comprises certain modifications and details of construction
whereby the accidental short-circuiting of the individual coils by the motion of the
circuit-closing arm may be prevented; for adapting the current-carrying capacity
of the wires comprising the coil to the variations in the strength of current
traversing the same respectively, and for various other purposes, some of which
will be hereinafter referred to.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the entire socket showing the lamp attached;
Fig. 2, is a view of the socket partly in section, taken at right angles to Fig. 1,
showing the regulating key and its contact terminals;
Fig. 3, is a diagram showing the winding of the core and connections ;
Fig. 4 is a diagram of a modified form of winding;
Fig. 5, is a detail view of the cable used in the construction of the socket.
Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several
views.
A represents an annular iron ring or core which is preferably laminated and may
be composed of thin iron stampings as shown, or of iron wire wound upon a suitable
former. This ring or core is wound with a strand or cable B of insulated wire,
which is preferably of such length as to cover the outer surface of the core to the
depth of one or two layers when wound thereou. The free ends of the wires
composing the strand are then brought to contact terminals, C, the end of one wire

page_text: ་
being connected to the beginning of the next, as shown in the diagram view, Fig. 3,
so that all the wires composing the strand are in series.
The contact terminals C preferably consists of screws or pins ranged in the
insulated block or support H in the path of an arm or brush D secured to one end
of the lamp or regulating: key, D which brush is capable of moving between the
limiting stops, I, I, through an are of 90 degrees, so that the position of the key
will indicate- tlie degree to which current 'is Howing to the lamp. The loops of
wires are preferably slipped from one side of the block H, through poles K, formed
therein and passed under the heads of the contact pins C, which latter are then
driven home, as shown in Fig. 1, and 2.
Above the annular coil. B is a bases N, of insulating material, to which is secured
the lamp holding,shell or terminal G of the socket; which may be of any ordinary
or desirable construction, according to the make of lamp or other translating
device the current to which is to be regulated. One of the leading-in wires-s
attached to tlie binding terminal, L at the lower portion of the block, H, Fig. 1,
from which the current flows along the wire E to the lamp holding shell G; the
other leading-in-wire is attached to the binding terminal M, from which the current
is conveyed to the switch arm D', thence along the core A through such of the
wires of the strand ori cable B as may be in circuit, to the first terminal, 1, of
the series of contacts C, and thence along a conductor, E, to the other lamp
terminal F
The operation of the socket will now be understood. The circuit wires that
supply the lamp being secured to the terminals L and M in the usual manner, and
the key D being in its vertical position so that the contact arm D' rests upon
contact 1 of the series of terminal C, at the extreme left the flow of alternating
current through the lamp will be obstructed and the latter will glow at its highest
brilliancy. When now the arm D is moved so as to rest upon contact 2, the
current, instead of flowing directly to the lamp, will first pass around the core A
through one of the wires forming the strand or cable B. This current energizes
and sets up an alternating polarity in the iron core A, which in turn generates a
counter electro-motive force in the active wire of the strand which partially opposes
or neutralizes the direct electro-motive force and thus permits but a portion of the
current to flow through the filament of the lamp, causing the same to glow with a
slightly reduced brilliancy.
As the key D is moved further to the left, passing over the contacts 3, 4, 5; 6,
and 7 successively, the length of active opposing wire included in the lamp circuit
is progressively increased, thus causing the core A to generate a gradually increased
counter electro-motive force that largely opposes the flow of the direct current and
causes the lamp filament to glow at its lowest point of incandescence. When the
arm D of the key is moved to the stop 1 at the extreme right, so as to rest upon
the contact 8, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, the circuit is open and the flow of
current is entirely interrupted. In like manner, when the key D is moved towards
the left or from the full to the dotted position shown in Fig. 3, the lamp is
gradually brought from total extinction to full brilliancy, and it will be evident
that any intermediate degree of incandescence can be maintained for any desired
length of time by moving the arm D' to the desired point.
By winding the ring or core A with a set of insulated conductors arranged in the
form of a single stranded cable of short length as shown, instead of employing
the long single wire method of winding hitherto used in reaction coils of the closed
core and other types, an enormous amount of time and labor is saved and the con-
struction of the socket greatly simplified. One is thus enabled to produce in an
essentially small and very compact form a cheap and at the same time efficient
réaction coil of the ring or closed core type, and thereby permit the use of a
counter electro-motive force regulator of this type in connection with incandescent
lamp sockets as already described. It will also be observed that 'since each wire
contained by the cable is substantially of the same length, the mere wrapping of
the cable upon the core will wind the latter simultaneously with any number of
1.

page_text: sections of equal length and capable of generating an equal counter-electro-motive.
force when in action..
It will be apparent that when the switch arm D'is in contact with the terminal 2,
(Fig. 3,) but a single section of the cable B is in circuit with. the lamp, and the
amount of counter force set up (being due only to this one active section,), is so
small that nearly the full volume of current passes through this wire to the lamp.
On the other hand, it will be seen that when the switch is in contact with the last.
terminal 7, the counter E.M.F., generated by the coil is so great that only a very
Advan-
small amount of current passes through the wires constituting.the cable.
tage is taken of this fact by making the cable of different sizes of wire, (as shown.
in the diagram view by lines of different thickness,) the heavier or normal sized
wires constituting those sections of the completed coil, through which the heaviest.
flow of current takes place, while the wires of smaller gauge are connected to the
terminals corresponding to a lesser flow of current, the wire connecting with the
last terminal, 7, in Fig. 3, being the smallest of the series.. In this manner:
the conductivity of each wire is proportionate to the maximum current it carries
and thus permits of the use of a thinner cable or strand B, thereby not only
economizing but 'increasing the efficiency or the choking action of the coil by
permitting an increased number of convolutions to be wound upon the core without
increasing the size of the coil.
In order to prevent permanent bridging of any two adjacent contacts by the
arm D and consequent short-circuiting of the coil included between the same, it
is expedient to forma slight cavity in the end of the arm D', which will cause it to
cone to rest directly upon the slightly convex shaped head of the terminals C. when.
made to traverse the latter. However, other well known or desirable means may
be employed for this purpose instead.
int
Fig. 4, represents a modified form of winding in which accidental short-circuiting:
of a given section of the winding is prevented and in which the transit of the switch..
arm from one terminal to the next produces what may be termed a "half step"
the variation in the amount of light given by the lamp. In this arrangement the
wires of the cable B, are divided into two sets, B and B', shown separately in the
diagram for the sake of clearness, the terminals of one set alternating with those of
the other. Ordinarily only one set or portion of a set is in circuit at one time, but
in the act of passing from an even numbered to an odd numbered terminal or vice
versa the switch arm D' places both sets, or portions thereof as the case may be, in
multiple with each other, which by affording a double path for the current around
the core, reduces or varies the resistance without substantially varying the amount..
of counter force generated, and thus causes a more even. and gradual variation in
the flow of current. to the lamp or other translating device when the key is
moved.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed; we declare that what we
claim is :
1. A reaction coil for alternating current incandescent electric lamps and other
translating devices, the same comprising a laminated iron ring or core wound with
a strand or cable composed of a number of separate insulated wires and having the
ends of said wires connected in series with one another after the cable is wound
upon the core, substantially as described.
2. A reaction coil regulator for alternating current incandescent lamps and other
translating devices having an iron ring or core wound with a single strand or cable
composed of a number of separate insulated wires, contact terminals to which the.
free ends of the wires composing the cable are connected, and a switch arranged to.
traverse said terminals and make electrical connection with the same, substantially
as described.
3. A regulating socket for alternating current incandescent lamps having an iron
ring or core wound with a single strand or cable. composed of a number of separate.

page_text: insulated wires, terminal connections between the end of one wire and the beginning
of the next, and a key or switch within the socket arranged to traverse said
terminals and thereby include a greater or less number of the wires composing the
strand in the lamp circuit, substantially as described.
4. A reaction coil or counter electro-motive force generator having a laminated
core wound with a single cable composed of two sets of separate insulated
conductors, a series of contacts or terminals for each set of conductors to which the
ends of said conductors are brought, and a key or switch arranged to traverse the
said terminals and to make connection with those of both sets coils, substantially as
described.
5. A regulating socket for incandescent electric lamps, etc. said socket containing
a reaction coil regulator or counter electro-motive-force generator provided with
two separate sets of windings, and having a switch arranged to be operated to make
contact with the terminals of either or both sets, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
6. A self-inductive coil or counter electro-motive force generator having a
laminated iron core, two sets of self-inductive coils wound thereon, one end of cach
set being connected to one terminal of the supply circuit, a series of contacts or
terminals for each set of coils to which the ends of the coils composing each set
are respectively brought, and a key or switch connected to the said terminal
contacts and to make connection alternately or simultaneously with those of each
set of coils, substantially as described.
7. A regulating socket for alternating or intermittent current incandescent
electric lamps, the same comprising a reaction coil wound with a cable composed of
separate insulated wires of substantially equal length and connected in series with
each other, contact terminals to which the connected ends of the said wires are
brought, a suitable non-conducting support for the said coil and contacts, and for
the lamp holding terminals, and a circuit closing key or switch adapted to traverse
the said contacts and arranged to include more or less of the connected lengths of
wire composing the cable in the lamp circuit, substantially as described.
8. The combination with an incandescent electric lamp or other translating
device, of a holder or receptacle for the same, counter-electro-motive force coil or
generator contained within the said holder or receptacle, a series of contact
terminals electrically connected with said generator and a key projecting through
a slot or opening in said holder and having an arm arranged to be moved by it over
the contact terminals, so as to vary the amount of counter electro-motive force
generated by the said coil or generator, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of March 1892.
J. P. BAYLY,
18, Fulham Place, W., Agent for the Applicants.