Improvements in Switches for Electrical Purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Switches for Electrical Purposes.
I, ALFRED WATSON, trading as A. Watson and Company, of Hockley Street,
in the City of Birmingham, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows;-
This invention relates to switches for electrical purposes and has for its object,
to provide a switch in which a positive contact and a greater reach or extent of
break are obtained. The switch is also much simplified in its construction.
According to the present invention, the switch piece carrying the contact for
bridging the poles is made of some insulated material and is arranged to swing
horizontally across the top side of an earthenware base. The said switch piece
turns or swings at one end upon a vertical pivot carried by the said base, the
middle of whose middle may be sunken with a well of suitable depth, leaving
an annular rim at or near the edge, to which the bracket carrying the elevated
seating or bearing of the switch-operating arm is fitted. The outer edge of the
switch piece is bifurcated or slotted inwardly and into this slot, the lower end
of the pivoted operating lever engages in such a manner that when the said lever
is rocked, its lower end traverses the slot and causes the said switch piece to
swing horizontally for making or breaking contact.
The contact, which is made in the form of copper or like bar or strip, is fitted
to the other edge of switch piece and has outwardly curved ends or separated
ears, raking in the same direction or curved to arcs struck from the pivot about
which the said switch piece turns, whilst by curving the tips of the said ears
they make a snapping action when making contact with the terminals, which
are separated from one another to an extent a little less than that which sepa-
rates the two cars.
In order to obtain a fly-action for obtaining a quick break and keeping the
switch piece in its breaking position, a suitably arranged spring is provided
acting against the switch piece in the opposite direction to that in which it is
moved for making contact, which is rendered positive by the snapping of the
ears of the copper strip past the terminals.
Instead of communicating the necessary horizontal movement to the switch
piece by a rocking arm, I may use a suitably mounted and rotating turn pro-
vided with a cranked end working within the slot or bifurcation of the said
switch piece.
Instead of using a switch piece pivoted at one end so as to swing horizontally,
I may employ a suitably-shaped block of insulating material excentrically
pivoted to the base, to which a circular movement is imparted by a crank arm
or lever for the purpose of making or breaking contact between a copper piece
on its edge and the terminals or poles fitted to the base.
In applying my invention to a two-way switch, I may employ upon the two
opposite sides of the swinging switch piece, a separate and insulated pair of
contacts adapted to engage with or make connecting between an outer terminal
and either one or other of a pair of inner terminals, so that assuming the switch

page_text: piece is pivoted inwards of, and connected to the single outer terminal, the
inner ear of the right-hand side contact will engage with the said outer terminal
and the other ear will engage with a corresponding inner terminal on the same
side. The swinging over of the switch piece will cause the inner ear of the
other or left hand contact to engage with a corresponding terminal on its side.
Instead of the foot end of the operating lever working between the branches
of a bifurcation in the switch piece it may work within a slot formed therein.
Dated this 25th day of April 1899.
Improvements in Switches for Electrical Purposes.
I, ALFRED WATSON, trading as A. Watson and Company, of Hockley Street,
in the City of Birmingham, 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 switches for electrical purposes and has for its objects,
to provide a switch in which a positive contact and a greater reach or extent
of break are obtained. The switch is also much simplified in its construction.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents an elevation of a two-way
or double pole switch (having the cover removed) constructed and arranged in
accordance with one form of my invention, and particularly designed for the
purpose of conveying current to either the one or the other of a pair of electric
lamps, only one of which is required to be in use at a time, or for other analo-
gous purposes.
Figure 2 represents a transverse vertical section of the said switch.
Figure shows a plan of the said instrument, but with portions of the same
broken away to better show the arrangement of the switch piece or contact piece
and terminals. The contact piece in this view is shown in electrical connection
with the right hand circuit terminal, whilst in Figure 4, which is a similar view
to that of Figure 3, the said contact piece is shown transferred to the left hand
terminal.
Figure 5 is a view with the contact piece removed.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the said Figures 1
to 5.
According to this form of invention, the switch piece a, carrying the con-
tact b, for bridging the poles or terminals c and d or e and c, is made of some
insulating material and is arranged to swing horizontally across the top side
of an earthenware base f. The said switch piece turns or swings at one end
upon a vertical pivot a¹, carried by the said base, whose middle may be sunken
with a well f, of suitable depth, leaving an annular rim f at or near the edge,
to which the bracket gl, carrying the elevated seating or bearing g of the switch
operating arm is fitted. The switch piece is slotted at a², and with this slot,
the lower end 3, of the pivoted operating lever engages in such a manner that
when the said lever is rocked, its lower end traverses the slot and causes the
said switch piece to swing horizontally for making or breaking contact.
This switch is provided with a series of three pole pieces or terminals c, d and e,
each having binding screw connections c, d, for the current lead wires or
cables. The terminal is extended, as will be seen in Figure 5, into a fixed

page_text: plate, provided at one end with a tongue of spring copper or other metal c³,
having an extended part or head e, whose opposite ends come respectively
underneath the terminals and e, with which both the plate part 1, and the
end 2 of the contact b, carried by the insulated and swinging switch piece a,
are always in electrical connection, whilst the end of the said contact, which
is made of a spring or yielding character as shown in Figure 2 is taken under
and caused to also make electrical connection with, either the terminal or the
terminal e, according to the direction in which the current is to be conveyed,
for lighting up either the one lamp or the other, as may be required. This
form is not applicable for use in cutting off a current completely from both
lamps, as this operation is performed by a separate switch.
"
Figure shows this part of my invention applied to a single-pole switch for
turning on and off current in the ordinary way, being the swinging switch
piece, the one terminal with its extension, and spring metal tongue ;
d the second terminal and b the contact piece, which, when in its
make"
position, takes up and conveys current from the said tongue 3, to the terminal d,
but when in its break" position, is taken clear of the said terminal d, as
represented in the drawing.
According to a modification of my invention, each edge a², of the swinging
switch piece a may be fitted (as represented in Figure 7) with a contact b, in
the form of a copper or like bar or strip outwardly curved ends or separated
cars, raking towards one another in the same direction so that when the
switch piece is actuated these ears of one or other of the contacts come between
and make electrical connection one or other, of the sets of terminals, d², or e¹, e²,
which are separated from one another to an extent a little less than that which
separates the two ears. In a single pole switch only one such contact is required.
In order to obtain a fly-action for obtaining a quick break and keeping the
switch piece in its breaking position, a suitably arranged spring may be pro-
vided to act against the switch piece in the opposite direction to that in which
it is moved for making contact, which is rendered positive by the snapping of
the ears of the copper strip past the terminals.
Instead of communicating the necessary horizontal movement to the switch
piece by a rocking arm, I may use a suitably mounted and rotating turn g, pro-
vided with a cranked end g, working within the slot of the said "switch
piece, as represented in Figure 8, and instead of the actuating lever or turn
engaging a slot in the middle of the switch arm it may take into a gap or
bifurcation formed upon one edge of the same.
Instead of using a switch piece pivoted at one end so as to swing horizontally,
I may employ a suitably shaped block of insulating material excentrically pivoted
to the base, to which a circular movement is imparted by a crank arm or lever
for the purpose of making or breaking contact between a copper piece on its
edge and the terminals or poles fitted to the base..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
First In electrical switches, the employment of a horizontally-swinging
switch arm, provided with contacts for completing circuit between separated
poles or terminals and actuated by a lever or turn engaging with a slot or gap
in the said arm, substantially as herein described, and also as set forth in the
accompanying drawings.
Secondly: In a double pole or two-way switch for electrical purposes, the
employment in combination with a horizontally-swinging switch arm actuated
by a lever or turn engaging with a slot or gap formed in it, and provided with
a contact piece, of a series of circuit terminals and spring contacts arranged
substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein described and set forth
in Figures 1 to 5.

page_text: Thirdly-
:- In electrical switches, the employment in connection with a hori
zontally-swinging switch, of a crank-ended turn or excentric engaging a slot
or gap in the said turn, substantially as herein described and also as set forth
in Figure 8.
Fourthly In electrical switches having horizontally-swinging switch arms,
the employment upon one edge, or upon the opposite edge, of the said arm, of
a contact piece having spring ends or cars, adapted to be forced between, and
make electrical connection between, separated terminals or poles, substantially
as herein described and also as set forth in Figure 7.
41 041
....
1000
ALFRED WATSON,
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.