Improved Means for Suspending Lamps.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Suspending Lamps.
I, GEORG JÄHNC, of Cammerau, near Gross-Wartenberg, in the German
Empire, Schoolmaster, do hereby declare that the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved means for suspending lamps and has for
object a sliding device by means of which lamps can be moved to any desired
position in a room. The said device comprises a rail which is pivoted to a beam
in the ceiling of the room and on which the lamp is suspended by means of one or
more rollers.
It will be obvious that my invention can be carried out in various ways.
In one arrangement for carrying out my invention the rail is pivoted to a bolt
which is screwed into the ceiling, the rail being also supported by a hook or
bracket pivoted to the said bolt. When the rail is of considerable length it is
advantageously supported at the free end by a hook or bracket screwed into the
ceiling. The rail and the supporting hooks are advantageously secured to the
bolt by means of nuts whereby the rail can be moved vertically and adjusted to a
perfectly horizontal position. When it is desired to rotate the rail it is removed
from the hook and turned to the desired position by suitable means, such as for
instance, a pronged instrument the prongs of which can be inserted in a lug or
hook on the rail. When the rail is of considerable length several hooks are
advantageously fixed to the ceiling in suitable positions to support the free end of
the rail.
In order to avoid the necessity of supporting the rail by hooks or brackets it
may be attached to the bolt by means of a frame preferably having the form of a
triangle or parallelogram.
In another arrangement the rail runs on rollers so as to permit a backward or
forward and rotating movement of the rail. The rollers are arranged in a fixed
frame attached to the suspension frame. The rail is advantageously supported by
hooks fixed to the ceiling and provided with eyes. This arrangement is more
particularly adapted for long and narrow rooms.
In another arrangement two rails are attached to a common support. The rails
are pivoted to two bolts screwed to the said support and are also supported by
hooks or brackets attached to the said bolts. By means of lugs or eyes on the
rails the latter may be drawn from the hooks or brackets and then rotated around
the bolts to any desired position.
In another modification three rails are arranged converging to one point. In
this case the rails are pivoted to bolts which work in sleeves attached to a common
support.
It is to be understood that I do not confine myself to the arrangements above
described as my invention can be carried out in a variety of ways as above
stated.
Dated the Olet der of November 1905
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, GEORG JÄHNC, of Cammerau bei Gross-Wartenberg, Silesia, Teacher, 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 relates to means or apparatus for suspending lamps in such
manner that they can be moved into any desired position in a given space. This
is effected by suspending the lamp to a movable bar or rail by means of a
roller.
In the accompanying drawings are shown several arrangements for carrying the
invention into effect, all of which are based on the same principle, and only differ
from one another in the means for carrying the aforesaid bar rail.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 1 the rail a is pivotted at one end to the
bolt screwed into the ceiling, and is supported to some extent by a hook or
bracket c also pivotted on the bolt b. Near the other and free end of the rail a is
a bolt d likewise screwed into the ceiling, and carrying a hook or fork d¹. This
fork carries the free end of the rail a, and is fixed to the bolt d by lock-nuts as
shown, to enable it to be adjusted vertically, and the rail a can thereby be adjusted
into a truly horizontal position in order to prevent the roller f, carrying the lamp,
from having a tendency to run towards either end. The hook or fork d' is formed,
as shown in Figure 1A, so that the rail a is easily guided into it from either side.
In a circle described round the bolt b as a centre are arranged other supporting
bolts d, and forks d¹.
It will now be understood that the rails a can be turned round on the bolt b, and
moved from one supporting hook or fork d¹ to another. To effect this the free
end of the ail a is raised up out of the hook d' and brought into the desired
position by means of a fork-shaped instrument fixed on a suitable rod or handle
and adapted to engage with a lug e fixed to the rail a. The roller f, which carries
the lamp, is adapted to run on the rail a, and may be furnished with any suitable
means for raising and lowering the lamp.
The supporting hook or bracket c prevents the lamp from being moved quite up
to the centre of rotation b, but when it is desired that the lamp shall be movable
into that position a carrier g may be inserted between the pivot bolt 6 and the
rail a, instead of employing the hook c. This arrangement is shown in Figure 2.
The rail a is no longer, in this case, carried directly by the bolt b, but by the
intermediate carrier g pivotted on the latter. This intermediate carrier g may be
of triangular, rectangular, or other suitable shape, and is furnished with hooks or
staples which support the rail a. This latter lies loosely in the hook but is
so secured in the hook i that it can be raised somewhat at its free end to enable it
to be lifted out of the book when it is to be moved from one supporting hook d¹
to another. The roller on the carrier g runs along the ceiling, and serves not
only as a guide for the said carrier, but also to prevent lateral bending of the pivot
bolt b. The arrangement of the supporting bolt d and hooks d¹ is the same as in
Figure 1.
In the apparatus shown in Figure 3 the pivot bolt 6 is arranged in the middle of
the intermediate carrier g. The rollers serve to guide the intermediate carrier
and the latter does not, in this case, carry the rail a directly, but a rail k to which
the rail a is fixed by means of connecting pieces k¹.
The arrangement shown in Figure 4 is specially adapted to enable the apparatus
to be turned in a long-narrow space.
In this case the rail a runs on rollers /¹
arranged in a frame fixed to the intermediate carrier g. This apparatus enables

page_text: the rail a to be turned on its pivot b and at the same time to be moved in a radial
direction.
The arrangement shown in Figure 5 differs only from that shown in Figure 3
in that the intermediate carrier g is furnished with two rollers h2, which are
guided in an angle iron ring fixed to the ceiling. In this case there are two
supporting points for the intermediate carrier 9 whereby the stability of the
apparatus is increased.
Figure 6 shows the combination of several rails a, a', a 2 for a crown light,
which are pivotted respectively to bolts b b 62 secured in sockets m, m', m 2
fixed to a carrier common to them all.
Instead of pivotting the rail it may be so arranged that it can be moved
horizontally parallel to itself. This can be effected either by carrying the rail on
two arms pivotted to the ceiling, to the wall, or to a portable frame or stand, so
that it can be moved by turning these arms. Or the rail may be pivotted on two
guide rails, which can likewise be carried by the ceiling or wall, or by a special
frame or stand. This arrangement offers the advantage that the rail-carrying
device has two or more points of suspension, whereby the stability of the apparatus
is materially increased." The apparatus with parallel movable rails, also offers
the advantage that it can be employed for the suspension, not only of petroleum
and spirit incandescence lamps, but also of gas lamps, electric light lamps and
so forth.
By the use of rotatable arms on which to pivot the rails, the carrying arms can
be so arranged that they either remain always parallel to one another, when
moved, or diverge outwards.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 7 and 8 the rail a for the lamp is pivotted
on two guide rails n, which are fixed to the ceiling by bolts 6', or they may be
carried by the wall or by a portable frame or stand. The connection of the rail a
to the guide rails n may be effected in any suitable way, for example by rollers
adapted to run on the guide rails n, and to carry the rail a as shown in the
figures.
Figures 9, 94 and 9B show in front and side view, and in a diagrammatic plan, a
suspending apparatus with pivotted arms carrying the suspending rail a in such
manner that the latter moves parallel to itself, and Figures 10 and 10 show
a suspending apparatus with pivotted diverging arms carrying the suspending
rail a.
The carrying arms g are pivotted on bolts b screwed into the ceiling, and the
connection of the rail a with the arms g is effected, in the case where these arms
are to remain parallel to one another, by a hinge joint p (see Figures 9 and 9*),
or in the case of diverging arms by pivotting forks q with rollers g (see Figure 10)
on which the rail a rests. The rollers on the carrying arms roll along the
ceiling, and serve to guide the said carrying arms. When the carrying arms are
made diverging, as in Figures 10 and 104, stops may be employed to prevent the
said arms from turning inwards beyond the position in which they would stand
parallel to one another.
The carrying arms g may be arranged double sided, each carrying a suspending
rail supporting a lamp which can be moved over one half of the given space.
Instead of being fixed to the ceiling the carrying arms may be fixed to the wall or
to a portable frame or stand.
Figure 11 shows, by way of example, an arrangement suitable for a writing or
drawing table, with a gas lamp, and Figure 12 shows an arrangement suitable for
lighting a piano.
When long spaces have to be illuminated it is sometimes desirable, in order to
prevent bending of the suspending rail, to arrange a special support between the
two carrying arms. This can be effected, as shown by way of example, in
Figures 13 to 17, by a bar or rail r fixed in the side walls of the room, or, if
preferred, to the ceiling. The rail a is connected to a second rail s, which is
carried by a roller t on the bar or rail r. The two rails a and s are connected

page_text: together by side pieces u, and are thus stiffened so that the rail a is prevented
from bending materially, while the arrangement allows the roller f to pass unhindered
along the rail a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. A lamp-suspending apparatus in which the lamp is suspended to a
movable rail a by means of a roller f, substantially as described.
Second. A lamp-suspending apparatus in which the lamp is suspended to a
pivotted rail a by means of a roller f, substantially as described.
Third. In a lamp-suspending apparatus of the kind herein described, a rail a
pivotted to a bolt b, a supporting hook c also pivotted on the bolt b, a bolt d and
a vertically adjustable hook d' on the said bolt d, for supporting the free end of
the rail a, combined and arranged substantially as described.
Fourth. In a lamp-suspending apparatus of the kind herein described, having a
pivotted rail a the use of an intermediate carrier g between the said rail a and its
pivot bolt b, and of a frame or stand fixed to the intermediate carrier g, and
provided with guide rollers h or h¹, substantially as described with reference to
Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, and for the purposes specified.
Fifth. In a lamp-suspending apparatus of the kind herein described, having a
pivotted rail a, the arrangement of two rollers 2 pivotted to the intermediate
frame g, and guided in an angle-iron ring fixed to the ceiling, substantially as
described with reference to Figure 5 of the drawings.
Sixth. In a lamp-suspending apparatus of the kind herein described, the arrange-
ments whereby the suspending rail a can be moved parallel to itself in a horizontal
direction, substantially as described.
Seventh. In a lamp-suspending apparatus a suspending rail a movable parallel
to itself and pivotted on two rotatable arms g which either remain parallel to one
another during the movement of the rail a as illustrated in Figures 9, 94 and 9B of
the drawings, or diverge outwards as illustrated in Figures 10 and 10 of the
drawings, substantially as described.
Eighth. In a lamp-suspending apparatus in which the suspending rail a can be
moved parallel to itself, the use of a supporting rail r placed between the carrying
arms g, substantially as described with reference to Figures 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17
of the drawings.
Ninth. In a lamp-suspending apparatus a suspending rail a movable parallel to
itself on rollers adapted to run on two fixed guide rails n, substantially as described
with reference to Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings.
Dated this 29th day of February 1896.