IMPROVEMENTS IN INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Jameson, of Akenside Hill, Newcastle on Tyne,
Consulting Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN INCANDESCENT
ELECTRIC LAMPS."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Jameson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th October 1881.
JOHN JAMESON, of Akenside Hill, Newcastle on Tyne, Consulting Engineer.
IMPROVEMENTS IN INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS."
My Invention consists, firstly, in an improved method of providing sealed up
relays of mounted carbons or other filaments intended for incandescence in vacuous
electric lamps, and in arrangements whereby, on the failure of a carbon or filament
it may be removed from its position and a fresh one may be substituted without
access to the interior of the lamp and without destroying the vacuum; such
substitution of fresh carbons being continuous as required until the whole number
of filaments provided in reserve and sealed up be used in succession; and secondly,
in making provision for cleaning the inner surface of the glasses of electric lamps
without destroying the vacuum. I prefer to employ for the replacement of carbons
such arrangements as are sometimes used for the display of stereoscopic photographs,
consisting of an endless band passing over two rollers and bringing each picture
into a vertical position by itself successively; if this method be employed I prefer
to mount the filaments on a series of bars having insulation between the points at
which the ends of the filaments are attached, and to make the electrical contact by
pressure of the connecting wires on fixed points in the mechanism and on the
roller nearest to the light, and I prefer to operate the movements of the carbons by
means of clock work wound up before insertion in the lamp, but restrained from
movement by means of a catch which may be released at will by means of a
magnet outside. It may however be arranged to be operated by gravity by
alteration in the position of the lamp, or wholly by magnets outside. For the
purpose of cleaning the interior of the lamp I provide a small pad or brush having
Price 6d1

page_text: a piece of iron fitted into it. I prefer to provide a position for the pad in the
stein of the lamp, so as that when not in action in may be out of sight. When it
is desired to bring the cleaning operation into action I allow the pad to pass into the
globe of the lamp and apply a strong magnet to one side of the lamp so as strongly
to attract the pad. I then revolve the lamp and alter its position or the position
of the magnet so as to cause the pad to move over the entire surface of the glass
with a pressure corresponding to the magnetic attraction. When the glass is thus
cleaned I allow the pad to fall into the recess provided for it. By these means I
am enabled to produce change of filaments while only one at a time is yet in the
part of the lamp intended to give light, and I am also enabled to clean off deposited
carbon or other deposit from the inner surface of the glass without destroying the
vacuum.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Jameson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th April
1882.
"
JOHN JAMESON, of Akenside Hill, in the Town and County of Newcastle-on-Tyne,
Consulting Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS."
My Invention consists, firstly, in an improved method of providing sealed up
relays of mounted carbons or other filaments intended for incandescence in vacuous
electric lamps, and in arrangements whereby on the failure of a carbon or filament
it may be removed from its position and a fresh one may be substituted without
access to the interior of the lamp and without destroying the vacuum; such
substitution of fresh carbons being continuous as required until the whole number
of filaments provided in reserve and sealed up be used in succession; and secondly,
in making provision for cleaning the inner surface of the glasses of electric lamps
without destroying the vacuum. I prefer to employ for the replacement of carbons
such arrangements as are sometimes used for the display of stereoscopic
photographs, consisting of an endless band passing over rollers and bringing each
picture into a vertical position by itself successively; if this method be employed I
prefer to mount the filaments on a series of bars having insulation between the
points at which the ends of the filaments are attached, and to make the electrical
contact by pressure of the connecting wires on fixed points in the mechanisin and
on the roller nearest to the light, and I prefer to operate the movements of the
carbons by means of an electro magnet placed inside the glass, which when contact
is made, attracts an armature and thereby gives motion to worm wheels keyed
fast on the spindle of the rollers carrying the endless chain. I may also operate
the movements of the carbons by means of clock work wound up before insertion
in the lamp, but restrained from movement by means of a catch which may be
released at will by means of a magnet outside. It may however be arranged to
be operated by gravity by alteration in the position of the lamp, or
wholly by magnets outside. By these meaus I am enabled to produce change
of filaments while only one at a time is yet in the part of the lamp
intended to give light. For the purpose of cleaning the interior of the lamp
I provide a small pad or brush having a piece of iron fitted into it. I prefer to
provide a position for the pad in the stem of the lanp, so as that when not in action
it may be out of sight. When it is desired to bring the cleaning operation into
action I cause the pad to pass into the globe of the lamp and apply a strong magnet
to one side of the lamp so as strongly to attract the pad. I then revolve the lamp
and alter its position or the position of the magnet so as to cause the pad to move
over the entire inner surface of the glass, or such part of it as may be desired, with
a pressure corresponding to the magnetic attraction. When the glass is thus cleaned
I again pass the pad into the recess provided for it, preferably using the electro
magnet to release and secure it. A modification of the cleaning apparatus consists
of a series of pads or brushes fixed on a brass ring to which are attached any desired
number of soft iron armatures corresponding in number and position to a series of
magnets outside the glass, which ring is caused to rotate by the rotation of the
nagnets, or is held steady while the lamp is rotated, or instead of the brass ring
and iron armatures I use a solenoid or series of solenoids and an iron ring to which
the pad or brush is attached, which arrangement by the magnetization of the
solenoids gives the brush a vertical movement instead of a rotary movement. By
these means I am enable to clean off deposited carbon or other deposit from the
inner surface of the glass without destroying the vacuum.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention I will proceed, with reference

page_text: to the Drawings hereto annexed to describe more particularly the means of carrying
into effect my said Invention, and the manner of its operation. Fig. 1 represents
a front, and Fig. 2 a side view; and Fig. 3 plan of an endless chain arrangement
for effecting renewal of filaments and a simple form of cleaner, similar letters
representing similar parts in each view. A and B are rollers squared at the parts
on which the chain bears, and operated by worm wheels C and D, which are
revolved synchronously by screws upon the spindle E. This spindle E is revolved
by means of a lever a, ratchet wheel b, and palls c, c, (as shewn in the plan, Fig. 3)
by a series of movements of this lever a, which movements are produced by the
movement of the armature F of an electro magnet G, and are dependent upon the
passage of a current of electricity round this electro magnet, as is well understood.
His a wheel geared fast to the spindle of the top roller, the operation of which is
to raise the spring I and contact piece J during the revolution of the roller, and to
allow it to fall suddenly at a fixed point so as to produce good contact with the
support K; when the filament L, is in the desired position, K, is a support for the
filament L, insulated at its point of junction with the cross bar M, so as to prevent
passage of electricity excepting through the filament; M is a cross bar attached
to one link of the endless chain before referred to for convenience of arrangement
only in the attachment of the filaments, otherwise it might be dispensed with and
the supports K and N might be attached direct to the links, saving that K must
always be insulated. It may be advisable in certain cases, so as to avoid risk of
short circuiting from a piece of a filament falling into some parts of the lamp, to
insulate both supports of the filaments, and to have two contact arrangements like
that at I, J, and K, to act synchronously one on each side of the chain; but this is not
shewn in my Drawing to avoid complexity. The wires through which the current of
electricity passes for the purpose of producing light are shewn at O and P, the wire
O being attached with electrical contact to the contact piece J, and the spring I
which are insulated from the frame of the lamp and the wire P, being attached to the
lamp frame, and thus in electrical contact with one end of all the filaments. There are
two other wires Q and R passing from within to without the lamp, and forming
the ends of a circuit round the electro magnet G. S is a small iron button or
packet of iron filings wrapped in chamois leather, or any other suitable material for
cleaning the glass, or secured in a wooden ring, as shewn, so as to prevent its rolling
on its edges or taking some undesired position, and T is a powerful electro magnet,
which last parts S and T represent in Figs. 2 and 3 the cleaning arrangements of
the Figures referred to already. As however I enter into the description of the
cleaning operations more, in explaining the other Drawings hereto annexed, I omit,
for brevity and clearness, a more particular description of cleaning apparatus, in
reference to Figs. 2 and 3, and confine further description of Fig. 1, 2, and 3 for
the present to the operation of and replacement of the filaments. It will be obvious
from the description I have already given that if the filament L be in such a
position as that the contact piece J can fall into electrical contact with the insu-
lated support K, and does so fall, and that an adequate current of electricity be
established in the wires O and P, incandescence will occur in the filament so in
circuit proportioned to the resistance, et cetera, as is well understood, and these
conditions will remain so long as the circuit is complete. If, however, from any
cause the filament should be ruptured, and the circuit be consequently broken, the
electro magnet G is called into action, and by a series of strokes of the apparatus
before described as connected with it, it will gradually displace the broken filament
and put a new one in its place, when if electrical contact be established as before
the new filament will become incandescent, and so on until the number in reserve
be exhausted. I render the replacement of filaments automatic by means of
external electro magnets and commutators of well known construction, and therefore
not included in the Drawing, so arranged as that when electricity can pass in the
wires and P an armature is attracted which breaks contact in the circuit in which
Qand R are placed, and so as that when the circuit in O and P is broken the
armature thereby released completes the circuit, in which are Q and R. In this

page_text: last circuit is placed a contact breaker of any convenient form so as to make the
circuit intermittent, and thus obtain reciprocating movement in the armature F
and its accessaries. Care must be taken that the proportion of parts are such as
that the magnet armature operated by the circuit O, P, is so prompt in its action
as to anticipate and prevent movement of the armature F. Should the break of
current arise, for instance, from some temporary stoppage of the supply of
electricity this object can be attained by making this electro magnet much more
powerful than the magnet G, or by placing its armature much nearer to it, or by
both means combined. I prefer also to introduce resistance into the magnet
circuit Q, R, as usually a much higher electro motive force is required to produce
light than is required for the efficient operation of the electro magnet G. The
various parts of the mechanism I have described can be replaced by any convenient
equivalent mechanical device, as, for instance, the reciprocating arrangement of
the magnet G and its armature F may be replaced by a small rotating electro
dynamic apparatus, or by solenoid and armature or by clock work, or by a gravity
arrangement, or by magnets or solenoids outside the lamp. The worm wheels and
screws may be replaced, for instance, by ratchet wheels and palls, or by train of wheels,
and the relay of filaments may be arranged for replacement without being linked
as a chair as, for instance, in grooves in the frame of the lamp, or by any other
means which will suggest themselves to any ordinary mechanic. I will now
proceed to describe various forms of apparatus and the method of accomplishing
the cleaning of the inside of a vacuous electric lamp according to my Invention.
In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shewn a very simple form of apparatus, in which T is an
electro magnet outside the glass of the lamp (but a permanent magnet might be
employed), and S is its armature within the lamp. It will be obvious that
pressure is applied to the inner surface of the glass proportioned to the magnetism
operating upon the armature, and if the magnet or the lamp be moved the armature
or button may be made to pass over a part of the inner surface of the lamp while
exerting a more or less considerable degree of pressure, and by scraping, or brushing,
or rubbing of the armature on the glass, thus the lamp may be cleaned. Figs.
and 5 are a side view and plan of another form of cleaner, better as I think in
some respects than that I have already described. There are magnets in this
arrangement, and the armatures are made in the form of small rollers U, so as to
pass more easily in a rotating direction over the inner surface of the lamp; these
rollers are attached to a ring of brass or other substance other than iron or steel,
so as that each of the armatures is free to roll on its axis, but not otherwise to
shift its position in relation to the ring, thus providing that the ring is carried with
them if they move in reference to the lamp. The ring is furnished with pads,
brushes, or scrapers formed on the ends of strips of thin hard sheet brass capable
of bending to the arch in the crown of the lamp. If in these circumstances the
magnetism be adequate and the lamp or the magnets be revolved, the pads, brushes,
or scrapers will revolve in reference to the lamp, and by a slight longitudinal
movement accompanying the rotary movement may be made to traverse a
considerable portion of the interior of the lamp. Figs. 6 and 7 represent another
form in which a solenoid W is placed outside the lamp glass, the ring X within
the glass being of iron instead of brass and without rollers, but furnished with
pads, brushes, or scrapers, as in the case of Figs. 4 and 5. If the solenoid be
placed in circuit of an electric current and be moved longitudinally in reference to
the lamp, or if the lamp be moved longitudinally in reference to the solenoid and
the magnetic attraction be adequate, a reciprocating movement will be produced in
the iron ring within and in reference to the lamp; and this may be made to be
also slowly rotary by means of a set of ratchet teeth upon the ring and a shifting
pall, which as the ring moves down shifts the ring round one tooth, as is shewn by
the dotted arc in Figs. 6 and 8, and is well understood. Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11
represent still another form in which a similar iron ring with its slowly rotating
arrangements and with its pads, brushes, or scrapers is employed, but where

page_text: seperate solenoids W 1, W 2, W 3, and W 4, are used with a commutating arrange-
ment, Fig. 10 and 11, giving contact to each in succession. If the solenoid W 4 be
in circuit the tendency produced is to draw the ring within it; if W 3 be in
circuit the tendency is correspondingly to alter the position of the ring, and so on
with W 2 and W 1, or any larger number of solenoids; and by this arrangement
the lamp may be cleaned with greater facility and in any convenient position. In
Fig. 10 the parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 are strips of copper electrically insulated from each
other and from the revolving handle but connected by the wires, shewn below in
Fig. 11, each to one end of the correspondingly numbered solenoids in Fig. 8.
The wire No. 5 is connected to all the opposite ends of the 4 solenoids shewn in
Fig. 8, and there is a small wire brush 6, Fig. 10 and 11, set in the handle 7,
which in succession as the handle is moved round establishes succession of contacts
and currents in the corresponding solenoids, and thus if the attraction be adequate
produces movement of the ring and the cleaning pads, brushes, or scrapers. The
solenoids last described being independent of any movement of the lamp may if
desired be placed within the lamp in a recess provided for them, or other forms of
electrical mechanism may be substituted for them to accomplish the object in the
way I have indicated. The effect of a chandelier arrangement may be obtained
by introducing several series of carbon elevators within one glass globe with one
cleaning device.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood that what I claim as the
Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent are,―
First. The means herein described and shewn of replacing filaments in incan-
descent vacuous electric lamps without destroying the vacuum in such lamp, or
any mere modification of such means.
Secondly. The means herein described and shewn of cleaning the interior of
incandescent vacuous electric lamps without destroying the vacuum in such lamp,
or any mere modification of such means.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jameson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
aight hundred and nighto two
Witness,
JOHN BOWMER,
Clerk,
Forest Hall,
Nr. Newcastle-on-Tyne.
J. JAMESON. (L.S.)