An Improved Method of and Arrangements for Illumination by Means of Incandescent Electric Lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Feb., 1897-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
An Improved Method of and Arrangements for Illumination by
Means of Incandescent Electric Lamps.
I, PIERRE CHARLES EUGÈNE CHAMPION, of 147 Avenue de Neuilly, Neuilly
(Seine) in the Republic of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a method of and arrangements for electric illumination
by means of either uncovered incandescent lamps or such lamps enclosed in globes
or devices or india-rubber, gold beater's skin, transparent paper, celluloid or mica
or of these different substances combined.
I will now explain the manner of arranging the principal conductors and the
method of attaching or suspending, insulating and supplying current to lamps
employed for the purposes of illuminations, for decorative purposes or as temporary
advertisements.
The current is supplied through cables and passes in shunt through the con-
nections and the wires or shunts of the lamp; these wires are themselves insulated
by means either of small india rubber tubes or cork insulators, the wires are
soldered to the two connections which hold the conductors whether the lamp is or
is not formed with a base or shank and no matter of what kind this latter
may be.
The usual socket is dispensed with, the contact which is made by means of the
connections (and in case of wear or damage by the end of the wire extending beyond
the connection and wound upon the principal conductor) is far superior to the
contact usually produced by the springs of the socket.
In order to ensure that the insulation shall be perfect in case of rain the part of
the lamp base or shank (or of the lamp itself when there is no shank) is immersed
in a bath of sealing-wax mixed with a little cork dust and tallow or with mica or
asbestos powder so as to form an insulator.
The lamps are arranged upon the principal conductors which are wires or cables
of sufficiently large section to supply the number of lamps intended to be employed;
they are insulated by means of washers or small tubes of either natural, compressed
or amalgamated cork which may if necessary be rendered incombustible, like
linoleum tubes. Attachments serve to maintain the separation of the conductors in
a lateral direction.
The portion of the conductor where the contact binder of the lamp is to be
placed being naked in opposition with an insulated portion of the opposite conductor,
the portions or sections of the insulating tube situated on each side of this
connection or binder, are attached with that in opposition in such a manner that
the connections may never be opposite one another and thus produce short
circuiting.
In order to increase the decorative effect of a lamp so attached, suspended or
held in any position whatsoever by a wire support or a spring shackle embracing
the base of the lamp, I arrange the lamps in the centre of a balloon or device of
any suitable kind of coloured india rubber or of celluloid or the like.
The india rubber balloons or devices are inflated after the lamp or lamps with
which they are to be illuminated has or have been placed in position.

page_text: The celluloid balloons as also large devices may be forined of several parts which
are brought into juxtaposition and joined by wires or small hooks placed upon one
portion and bent back upon the holes in the opposite portion. The celluloid may
also be formed of two portions connected by means of flanges.
These balloons may also be arranged in festoons of different forms and kinds.
Dated this 20th day of October 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Method of and Arrangements for Illumination by
Means of Incandescent Electric Lamps.
I, PIERRE CHARLES EUGÈNE CHAMPION, of 147 Avenue de Neuilly, Neuilly
(Seine) in the Republic of France, Engineer, 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 a method of and arrangements for electric illumination
by means of incandescence lamps covered with globes or the like of indiarubber,
gold-beater's skin, transparent paper, mica or preferably of celluloid or compounds
of these different materials.
I will proceed to explain with reference to the accompanying drawing how I
arrange the principal conductors, the mode of attachment or suspension, insulation
and current supply of the lamps serving for the lighting, the decorating and
temporary advertisement and the transparent globes or the like which enclose the
lamps.
In the said drawing
Figure 1 represents an installation with globes or the like of celluloid;
Figure 2 is a modification of Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 is a transverse section of this modification.
Figures 4 to 7 show details of the invention and
Figure 8 shows a decorative arrangement according to my invention.
The current is supplied through the cables a a passes in shunt through the
holders c (one of which is shown separately in Figures 4 and 5) and the wires or
shunt d into the lamp 9; these wires themselves are insulated by small tubes i of
indiarubber; they are soldered at e to the two holders c which seize the conductors a,
whether the lamp has a bottom piece or not, and whatever may be the system
of the latter.
The contact is made by the holders, and in case of inefficiency by the end of the
wire k passing beyond the holder wound upon the principal conductor (see
Figure 4).
The sleeve of the lamp is dispensed with, the wires are soldered directly upun
the contacts of the lamp and in order to ensure the perfect insulation in rainy
weather the portion of the bottom piece of the lamp is dipped into a bath of
sealing wax mixed with a little pulverized cork and of tallow and with pulverized
mica or asbestos for the purpose of constituting an insulator f.
The conductors a to which the lamps are suspended are insulated by discs or
small tubes 6 of natural, compressed or amalgamated cork or by preference varnished
cardboard rendered incombustible if necessary. Attachments m serve to maintain
the conductors at the desired distance apart in the lateral direction.
The part of the conductor, where the holder has to be for the contact of the
lamp, being bare in opposition with an insulated part of the opposite conductor, the

page_text: parts or sections of the insulating tube situated on each side of the holder are
attached with those in opposition in such a manner that the holders can never be in
front of each other and thus give rise to a short circuit.
In order to increase the decorative effect of lamps so suspended, from the
conducting wires, I arrange them in a globe or the like of celluloid.
These globes or the like h are preferably made of two hemispheres which are
connected by flanges / placed side by side and united by small hooks n with two
branches which are bent down. These flanges may be horizontal as in Figure 1;
but it may happen that water drops through the opening o and accumulates at the
bottom of the lower hemisphere. I prefer to employ the arrangement shown in
Figures 2 and 3, in which the two hemispheres are similar and connected by vertical
flanges. As shown to full size by the detail in Figures 6 and 7 I attach for the
passage of the conductors of the lamp g a small piece p of cork or rubber, on each
side of which the conductors d are arranged; this cork prevents a short circuit
being produced between the two wires in case of a defect in their insulator. An
attachment n is passed through the flanges and the piece of cork.
This arrangement prevents the penetration of rain, and its accumulation if a
little should penetrate; the half spheres, which are all similar, may be easily
stored.
These globes or the like may be arranged in the form of garlands or various
shapes and kinds as shown for expample in Figure 8 I may also employ globes or
the like of any forms and designs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is:-
The herein described system of lighting by electric lamps, presenting as
distinctive features
First. The system of insulation of the conductors by tubes or discs of cork,
cardboard, leather or other insulating material.
Second. The system of current supply by holders with or without a supplementary
winding of wires.
Third. The mode of attachment upon the lamp by solder and of insulation of the
shunt wires of the holder of the lamp, whether the latter is with or without a
bottom piece.
Fourth. The new application of globes or the like of celluloid or other similar
material for lighting, whatever form it may be, globes of any shapes, flowers, birds,
grotesque objects, letters or figures which are transparent, colourless, coloured or
semi opaque, or of half-globes or other forms provided as required.
Fifth. The manufacture of half-globes of two hemi-spheres with flanges juxtaposed
and connected by attachments, which arrangement facilitates the storing and
transport of the globes in pieces.
Dated this 2-1 1190
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.