Improved Means for Indicating and Controlling the Supply of Electricity to Portable and other Electric Lamps and Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 25th Mar., 189-Accepted, 6th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Indicating and Controlling the Supply
of Electricity to Portable and other Electric Lamps and
Apparatus.
We, ROBERT HACKING, of 77 Kirkewhite Street, Joiner, and GEORGE
BRAND, of 152 Queen's Walk, Engineer, both in the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improved means for indicating and controlling the
supply of electricity to portable and other electric lamps, and apparatus, the object
being to enable the length of time a battery or electric generator has been
supplying a lamp or other device with current to be indicated and ascertained;
and to enable the lamp, or other device, to be automatically cut out at the end of
a prescribed period of time. The invention is particularly applicable to miners and
cyclists lamps.
For the purpose of our invention we employ a counter having a stop mechanism,
similar to that of an ordinary stop watch, and so connect the said counter with the
switch of an electric lamp, or other device, that the manipulation of the switch, to
light the lamp, also sets the counter mechanism in operation, and the cutting out or
switching off the lamp simultaneously stops the counter.
The counter may be actuated by a spring, as in a stop watch, or electrically, as
desired, and is provided with a dial and index for indicating the number of hours,
or fractions thereof, that the lamp, or other device, has been supplied with current
from the battery.
In order to enable the lamp, or other device, to be cut out automatically at the
end of a prescribed period of time, as for instance when the battery is nearly
exhausted, we arrange a solenoid or small electro magnet in such a manner that
the stop either forms the core or armature thereof, or is connected with such core
or armature. The solenoid or magnet is on a shunt from the lamp circuit, which
sbunt is open until the counter has turned to indicate the desired period of time.
The mechanism of the counter which preferably forms part of the circuit then
closes it, and the magnet circuit being closed, the magnet attracts the armature or
stop and thus arrests the counter and cuts out the lamp.
In the case of a solenoid being used, instead of an electro-magnet, the movement
of the core of the solenoid operates the stop and cuts out the lamp, or other device,
by means of a suitable arrangement of rod and lever mechanism, or its equivalent.
This takes place on the hand or index of the counter reaching a certain position or
bumber, and contact being made (by means of a suitable attachment to the counter
mechanism) between two points or contact pieces in such a manner as to close or
complete the shunt circuit.
Dated thie 26th dow of Turn 100%

page_text: Improved Means for Indicating and Controlling the Supply
of Electricity to Portable and other Electric Lamps and
Apparatus.
We, ROBERT HACKING, formerly of 77 Kirkewhite Street, but now of
44 Crocus Street, Joiner, and GEORGE BRAND, of 152 Queen's Walk,
Engineer, both in the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention relates to improved means for indicating and controlling the
supply of electricity to portable and other electric lamps, and apparatus, the
object being to enable the length of time a battery, or electric generator, has been
supplying a lamp, or other device, with current to be indicated and ascertained,
and to enable the lamp, or other device, to be automatically cut out at the end of
a prescribed period of time. The invention is particularly applicable to miners'
and cyclists' lamps.
For the purpose of our invention, we employ a clockwork, counter, or time
indicator, having a stop mechanism similar to that of an ordinary stop watch, and
connect said counter or time indicator with the switch of the electric lamp, or other
device, in such a manner that the manipulation of the switch to light the lamp will
set the said counter in operation, and the cutting out or switching off the lamp will
simultaneously stop it. We also provide suitable arrangements whereby the
indicator or counter can, at any predetermined time, complete the circuit of an
electrically operated switch, so cutting off the main current from the lamp, or
other device, automatically, and thus controlling the flow of such current.
And in order that our invention may be readily understood, we will proceed to
describe the same by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 shows a part sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of our means
for indicating the supply to a glow lamp applicable for the use of cyclists, miners,
and others. In both these figures the battery and its casing are omitted.
Fig. 3 shows an arrangement in which an electro-magnet is employed to auto-
matically stop the time indicating device and simultaneously break the battery
circuit.
Fig. 4 shows an arrangement in which a solenoid is used to hold the stop in
such a position that the time indicating device can operate so long as the current
is flowing.
a is the clockwork or time indicator, which may be of any suitable construction,
and is provided with a dial and an index a', for indicating the number of hours, or
fractions thereof, that the lamp, or other device, has been supplied with current
from the battery. This time indicator may, however, be operated electrically, if
desired. b is the stop mechanism, which consists, in this instance, of a lever
pivotted at c, and having a tooth or projection d at one end which, when the lever
is moved upon its pivot, can be brought into contact with the rim of the balance
wheel e of the time indicator and stop its motion. The outer end of said lever is
provided with a slot f, in which works a pin g, on the end of a switch lever h. In
Figs. 1 and 2, the switch lever is shown over the contact piece i, the circuit through
the lamp being completed, and the tooth d held off the balance wheel. On moving
this switch lever, so that it rests against the stop k, the circuit will be broken, and
at the same time, the tooth d will be caused to bear upon the balance wheel e and
will coton the clockwork

page_text: It will thus be apparent that the time indicator will show on its dial the total
time during which the current has been switched on, independent of interruptions,.
and hence, in the case of a portable electric lamp, if the user know the total length
of time the battery was charged for, he can readily tell at any moment how much
longer the charge still remaining in the battery will last.
† is.
For the purpose of automatically controlling the supply of current, and for
enabling such supply to be cut off at the end of a prescribed period of time, the-
arrangement shown in Fig. 3 may be employed, in which is an armature
arranged at the end of the stop-lever b, opposite an electro magnet / on an open:
shunt m.
The lever, in this case, takes the place of the switch h, the main circuit.
being completed through the contact points n and n' against which the end of the
lever b bears. Upon the hand arbor p of the clock, a disc q, having a notch g¹, is
held by friction, or otherwise, so as to partake of the movement of said arbor, but.
yet so as to be capable of being turned relatively to it by hand, when desired.
a pivotted contact lever carrying a pin r¹ which rests upon the rim of the notched
disc and so keeps the lever away from a fixed contact s. Before starting, the-
notched disc is turned back till its notch is separated from the projection r¹ by an
amount corresponding to the time the current is to be supplied. The contact.
lever is thus separated from the contact s, and the shunt circuit is and the
stop lever is resting against the contacts n, n', so completing the main circuit, as-
shown. When, however, the apparatus has been working the required or pre-
arranged number of hours, (which, for instance, in the case of a battery may be
the number of hours for which the battery has been charged), the notch q¹ is.
brought under the projection on the lever r, and the latter falls and makes
contact withs, and so closes the shunt m. The magnet then attracts the lever b,.
and thus breaks the contact at n, n', cuts out the lamp, or battery, and stops the
clockwork simultaneously. The lever b may be returned to position by hand, or,.
in some cases, a spring m³ may be employed for the purpose.
T
open,
Instead of the dial only indicating 12 hours, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3,.
dials may be used which indicate any number of hours. In Fig. 4, which
represents an arrangement for use on a switch board, or in connection with.
accumulators in a large installation, a dial is shown for indicating 10,000 hours..
The stop lever b, in this case, is attached by a notched link t to the core u of a
solenoid in a closed shunt from the mains wo, suitable resistances being, if
necessary, interposed in this shunt, and the arrangement is such that when the
circuit is closed and the core n is consequently drawn into the solenoid, the parts
assume the positions shown in Fig. 4, and the clockwork would be in operation.
On the breaking of the circuit, however, the spring & withdraws the core of the
solenoid, and pulls the stop lever b against a fixed pin y, so putting the stop
mechanism into operation and arresting the action of the clockwork, as described
with reference to Figs. 1 and 3. Above the notched link t, is arranged a
pivotted catch z for the purpose of automatically stopping the clockwork for
alterations in the installation, or when desired.
As shown, this catch is turned back, and will not interfere with the movement of
the link, but will simply slide thereon, and if the current be broken from any cause,
and remade, the dial will indicate the total number of hours electricity was supplied,
unaffected by the number or length of the periods during which the circuit was
broken. But if the said catch be thrown over in the direction of the arrow, then,
upon the circuit being broken, it will fall into the notch in the link t when the latter
is retracted by the spring, and the clockwork will be held stationary until the
said catch is disengaged by the attendant. This permits of a current being passed
through the solenoid for testing or other purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
5 claim is :-
1. The herein described means for showing how long an electric current has been

page_text: flowing, comprising the combination and arrangement of parts as shown in Figs.
and 2 of the annexed drawings.
2. The herein described means or arrangement for automatically cutting off the
current at the end of a prescribed period of time, and for showing the total or
aggregate number of hours during which such current has been flowing, as shown
in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.
3. The herein described means or arrangement for indicating how long. a
current of electricity has been flowing, as shown in Fig. 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. Our improvements in means for indicating and controlling the supply of 1
electricity to portable and other electric lamps, and apparatus, as hereinbefore
described and shown in the annexed drawings.
Dated this 25th des
1900
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 54 Market Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicants.