IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS OR CONDUCTORS, AND GLOBES OR BULBS, FOR INCAN- DESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS." SP
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Deodato Zanni, of 34, Charles Street, Hatton Garden,
Electrician and Arthur Shippey, of Gaston House, 95 Ladbroke Grove Road,
Bayswater Electrical Engineer, both in the County of Middlesex for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE MANUFACTURE OF
CARBON FILAMENTS OR CONDUCTORS, AND GLOBES OR BULBS, FOR INCAN-
DESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Deodato Zanni and Arthur
Shippey at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st December
1883.
DEODATO ZANNI, of 34 Charles Street Hatton Garden, Electrician, and ARTHUR
SHIPPEY, of Gaston House, 95 Ladbroke Grove Road, Bayswater, Electrical Engineer,
both in the County of Middlesex, "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO THE MANU-
FACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS OR CONDUCTORS, AND GLOBES OR BULBS, FOR
INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS
"
Our invention relates to incandescent electric lamps, and is chiefly designed to
provide various improvements in the manufacture of the carbon filaments whereby
they will be rendered highly efficient for developing the electric light; and globes
or bulbs of an improved form.
In carrying the said invention into practice we employ ordinary moss which we
bring to the condition of pulp by any suitable means and mix the same with
sugar. When this moss-pulp is brought into the necessary consistency we make it
into short lengths (say five or six inches more or less) which are pressed to the
thickness required to form the filaments, varying according to the candle power
and resistance required: The moss pulp or paste so prepared is then placed upon
a block or piece of plumbago moulded, or otherwise made, into the shape which
will give the filaments the required form, whether horse-shoe, zig-zag, or otherwise.
The whole is then placed in a crucible and surrounded by powdered plumbago and

page_text: fullers' earth, a layer of the latter being placed next to the block and a layer of
the former outside the said fullers' earth. The carbonizing then takes place by
heating the crucible in a well known manner to a white heat. When the
carbonization of the filaments has been thus effected they are withdrawn from the
crucible and immediately washed with aqua regia (nitro-muriatic acid) and are
then subjected to a further carbonizing action by being placed in a receptacle
containing coal or other suitable gas, and connected with a source of electricity such
as a dynamo-electric machine or a battery, the circuit being alternately made and
broken so as to deposit a coating of carbon upon the filaments according to the
resistance required for either high or low resistance lamps. The filaments are then
removed from the gas-receptacle and are dipped in a cold concentrated solution of
chloride of zinc or other suitable metallic chloride. They are, after this treatment,
washed first in dilute hydrochloric acid of a suitable strength then in a solution of
ammonia, and lastly in water, which treatment gelatinizes the outer surface of the
filaments. They are then re-carbonized in gas as above described for a sufficient
time according to the resistance and candle power required. When the said
filaments are brought into such a condition that they possess the required resistance
(say 50 ohms, more or less) we oxidize them by dipping them in a solution of salts
of platinum, iridium, palladium, ruthinium or other suitable luminous metal. The
carbonized filaments are then ready for being placed in the globes bulbs or holders
in which they are to be used for electric lighting. After being sealed in these
globes bulbs or holders all gases and air that may be in the globes or bulbs or
holders are exhausted by means of a suitable pump so as to produce the required
vacuum, and the lamps when properly exhausted, and sealed, are ready for use.
Although we have described these filaments as made of moss, which is the
material we prefer to use, we wish it understood that our invention is also
applicable to other materials such as straw cotton felt or other substances. And it
will be obvious that some substances will not require to be brought into the
condition of pulp in order to be subjected to our improved treatment.
For lamps of very high resi-tance and where long filaments are required we
prefer to use compressed felt or gold-beaters skin, in which case we soak the
inaterials in a weak solution of bisulphide of carbon for a space of twenty (20)
minutes, more or less, in order to remove the grease and fatty matters contained in
such materials after which the said materials so treated are washed in water prior
to the treatment of carbonization.
Our improved globe or bulb for incandescent lamps is made as follows, that is to
say, we form it of such a shape that there is a small vacuum chamber at the neck
of the globe or bulb. This clamber communicates with the latter allowing for
expansion and contraction under the changes of heat and cold and thus preventing
the cracking of the glass a fault hitherto so much experienced in the present mode
of manufacture of incandescent lamps.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Deodato Zanni and Arthur Shippey in the Patent Office on the
30th June 1884.
DEODATO ZANNI, of 34 Charles Street, Hatton Garden, Electrician, and ARTHUR
SHIPPEY, of Gaston House, 95 Ladbroke Grove Road, Bayswater, Electrical
Engineer, both in the County of Middlesex, "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO
THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS OR CONDUCTORS AND GLOBES OR
BULBS FOR INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS
"
Our invention relates to incandescent electric lamps and comprises improvements
in the manufacture of the carbon filaments for such lamps, whereby they are
rendered highly efficient for developing the electric light; it also comprises
improvements in the manufacture of globes or bulbs for the said lamps as
hereinafter set forth.
Our improvements in the manufacture of the carbon filaments consist chiefly in
the treatment as hereinafter described of the strips or pieces of material which are
to form the said filaments. The material employed for this purpose may be
ordinary moss, straw, cotton, felt, Mexican fibre, rhea, china-grass, sea-grass, or any
other suitable substance.
In making the carbon filaments, for either high or low resistance lamps, from
ordinary moss, we bring the said moss to the condition of pulp by any suitable
means and add sugar thereto in about the proportion of one part of sugar to
three parts of the pulp. When this pulp has attained the requisite consistency, it
is made into flat sheets which are cut into strips or pieces of the required size to
form the filaments. These strips or pieces, when used for flat filaments, are
compressed to a thickness varying according to the candle-power and resistance
which it is desired the lamp should have when completed. The strips or pieces
thus produced from the moss-pulp are then placed, in the ordinary manner, upon a
block or piece of plumbago moulded or otherwise made into the shape which will give
the filaments the required form, whether horse-shoe, zig-zag, or otherwise. The whole
is then put into a crucible and surrounded by powdered plumbago and fullers' earth,
a layer of the latter material being placed next to the block, and a layer of the
plumbago outside the said fullers' earth. The carbonizing is then effected by
heating the crucible in a well known manner to a white heat. The carbon
filaments thus produced are withdrawn from the crucible and immediately washed
with aqua regia (nitro-muriatic acid), and are then subjected to a further
carbonization by placing them in a receptacle containing coal-gas or other suitable
gas and connecting them with a source of electricity, such as a dynamo-electric
machine or a battery, the circuit being alternately made and broken so that a
coating of carbon will be deposited upon the filaments. The thickness of this
coating must be greater or less according to the desired resistance of the filament.
The filaments are then removed from the said receptacle and are dipped in a cold
concentrated solution of chloride of zinc or other suitable metallic chloride. After
this treatment they are washed first in dilute hydrochloric acid, then in a solution
of ammonia and lastly in water, or, with greater advantage, in a solution consisting
of gum, sugar and soot, in about equal proportions, mixed with from sixty to
seventy-five per cent of water. This solution makes the outer surface of the
filaments smooth and free from defects, and also makes the said filaments very hard
and capable of enduring a more intense current than they otherwise would do.
The filaments are then recarbonized in gas as above described for a sufficient
length of time according to the resistance and candle-power required. When the

page_text: said filaments are brought into such a condition that they possess the required
resistance, we oxidize them by dipping them in a solution of salts of platinum,
iridium, palladium, ruthinium, or other suitable metal, or a similar substance.
The filaments are then ready to be placed in the globes or bulbs in which they are
to be used for electric lighting. All gases and air that may be left in the said
globes or bulbs are exhausted by means of a suitable pump so as to produce the
required vacuum, and the lamps, when properly exhausted and sealed, are ready
for use.
We have described our improvements as applied to the manufacture of filaments
from mess, which is the material we prefer to use, but other materials, such as
those above mentioned, may be treated in a substantially similar manner, and it
will be obvious that some of these substances will not require to be brought into
the condition of pulp or cut into strips or pieces in order that they may be
subjected to our improved treatment for the preparation of the filaments as above
described:
For lamps of very high resistance and where long filaments are required for
producing great luminosity, we prefer to use compressed felt or gold beaters' skin;
these materials should be soaked in a weak solution of bi-sulphide of carbon for
about twenty (20) minutes, more or less, to remove the grease and fatty matters
which they contain, and then washed in water, prior to their carbonization by the
treatment above described.
We sometimes make our improved filaments with two downwardly extending
loops as hereinafter described so that they will produce a highly luminous effect
when in operation.
We make globes or bulbs for our electric incandescent lamps with a small
chamber at the top or at that part of the globe or bulb which occupies the highest
position when the same is fixed or placed for lighting, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2,
of which
Figure 1 is a side elevation shewing the globe or bulb prior to the insertion of
the filament and the sealing of the lamp, and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the lamp when completed.
a is the globe or bulb and b the said chamber. We prefer to form a ring or
projection between the said globe and chamber as shewn. This chamber is in
communication with the interior of the globe or bulb a and is intended to allow
for the expansion and contraction of the glass under changes of temperature, and thus
prevent the cracking of the same thereby (which frequently occurs with globes or
bulbs for incandescent lamps as heretofore made), and also to prevent the blackening
of the globe or bulb by volatilization, as any loose carbonaceous matter naturally
ascends to the highest part of the lamp and deposits itself in the said chamber or
in the ring or projection between the said chamber and the globe or bulb.
blackening of the globe or bulb, in ordinary incandescent lamps, obscures the
light; but by our improvement we obviate this defect.
This
We, moreover, increase the efficiency of our lamps by various devices as
hereinafter set forth, that is to say :-
We sometimes make the said globes or bulbs with dioptric sections or spiral
ribs d, extending from the lower to the upper end of the said globe or bulb, as
shewn in Figure 3, to more effectually diffuse the light; for this purpose we first
make a glass tube with spiral ribs or projections d, as shewn in transverse section
in Figure 4; this tube is then blown to form the said globe or bulb. This globe
or bulb may be either crystal or of any suitable color.
Figure 5 shews a lamp chiefly designed for use in coal or other mines or in
railway carriages. The globe or bulb a of this lamp is made either of clear or of
colored glass and is surrounded by a glass globe or covering e in such a manner as
to leave a space between the two globes for the passage of air. By these means
the outer globe or covering is kept cool and is, therefore, not liable to be cracked
or broken by water dropping upon it. Moreover the risk of explosion will be
diminished because, should the lamp receive a blow sufficient to break the outer

page_text: globe, the inner globe will still serve as a protection against the ignition of gas
by the incandescent filament.
In making this lamp we insert a stem or tube of crystal or opal or other
colored glass in the outer globe; this stem or tube is then blown to form the inner
globe or bulb. The outer globe or covering may be secured in any suitable manner
to the base or support of the lamp.
In Figure 6 we have shewn a lamp chiefly designed for lighting billiard-tables.
This lamp is made with an upper part or section a' of opaline or other opaque or
colored glass joined to a lower part or section a² of crystal. It will be seen that
in this lamp the line of junction of the two parts or sections a¹, a² is in the same
plane as the filament for nearly so; by making the lamp in this manner the full
power of the light is directed downwards, without shadows, on the cloth of
the table.
Figure 7 shews a lamp suitable for lighting streets or other places where large
filaments are required to be used. In this lamp the filament f is made of the
peculiar shape above mentioned, that is to say, it is made with two downwardly
extending loops f¹ for the purpose specified. I prefer to make this lamp with a
chamber b at its upper end for the purpose above described. g is the base of the
lamp which fits into the socket or piece h in any suitable manner so as to make
contact between the conductors of the lamp and the wires i, . The socket or
piece h is intended to be fixed in its place, on a lamp-post for example, and the
lamp is made so that it can be removed therefrom and another lamp substituted for
it. Lamps of 100 candle-power and upwards can, if desired, be made as shewn in
Figure 7 and above described.
We sometimes combine, in a suitably arranged group, three or more electric
incandescent lamps each having its globe or bulb formed of two or more rings or
sections of different colors. These lamps are arranged in series in the circuit and
are fixed to any suitable device whereby they can be caused to revolve and thus
produce rings of light for signalling or for ornamental illumination or for
advertising purposes. The connection with the source of electricity may be made
by mercury or in any other manner that will permit the rotation of the said
lamps.
In Figure 8 we have shewn an arrangement of this kind in which we employ
four lamps a carried by a central piece a* and each having its globe or bulb formed
of four sections marked 1, 2, 3, 4. We prefer to make the first section blue, the
second red, the third green and the fourth or inner section opal.
We also combine, with the globes or bulbs of our electric incandescent lamps,
ornamental supports, such as vases, to enable the said lamps to stand on a table or
other flat surface and to adapt them for use in ferneries. The said vases or the
like also serve as insulators.
In Figure 9 we have shewn a globe or bulb a combined with a vase k, the neck
of the said globe or bulb being inserted in the said vase and the two conducting
wires, being passed through apertures in the glass or other material of which
the vase is composed. In Figure 10 we have shewn a globe or bulb a combined
in a similar manner with another form of vase k, and in Figure 11 a globe or
bulb a combined with a vase k which is provided with a base g fitting into &
socket has described with reference to Figure 7. This socket can be fixed in any
desired position and the lamp inserted therein or removed therefrom at will. The
conducting wires of the lamp are, in this case, passed through an aperture or
apertures in the glass and fixed in the said base g.
The vase or the like may be made of clear or colored glass or of other suitable
material, and is sometimes filled with any ornamental material such as colored wool
or gold or silver paper shavings, or it may be filled with moss, if desired, when
designed for use in ferneries for example.
In some cases the globe or bulb is secured to the neck or mouth of the vase by
fusion or otherwise.

page_text: Having thus fully described our said Invention and the manner of performing
the same we wish it understood that we claim :-
First. The improved manufacture of filaments for electric incandescent lamps,
substantially as set forth.
Second. A carbon filament for an electric incandescent lamp, formed with two
downwardly extending loops, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Third. A globe or bulb for an electric incandescent lamp, formed with a chamber
at the top thereof (with or without the ring or projection), substantially as, and for
the purpose, set forth.
Fourth. The manufacture of our improved globe or bulb with dioptric sections or
spiral ribs blown in the glass, substantially as described with reference to Figures 3
and 4 for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The combination, with our improved globe or bulb, of an additional globe
or glass covering surrounding the same so as to leave a space for the passage of
air between the inner and outer globes, substantially as, and for the purposes, set
forth.
Sixth. The manufacture of our improved globe or bulb with an upper section of
opaque or colored glass and a lower section of clear glass, as, and for the purpose,
Bet forth.
Seventh. The combination of three or more of our improved electric incandescent
lamps each having its globe or bulb divided into two or more rings or sections of
different colors, which lamps are arranged in a group to be rotated by any suitable
means, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Eighth. The combination, with our improved globe or bulb, of an ornamental
support such as a vase, which may or may not be filled with moss or with any
ornamental material such as colored wool or gold or silver paper shavings, and in
which the neck of the said globe or bulb is inserted, the conductors being passed
through the material of which the said vase or the like is composed, substantially
as, and for the purpose, set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Arthur Shippey for myself and on behalf of the
said Deodato Zanni have hereunto set my hand and seal this thirtieth day of June
in the Year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty four.
ARTHUR SHIPPEV
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