Improvements in Devices for Conducting Electricity to Lamps or the like on Dining Tables, or on other places, where it is desirable to employ Concealed Conductors.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 25th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 1st Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Conducting Electricity to Lamps or
the like on Dining Tables, or on other places, where it is
desirable to employ Concealed Conductors.
We GEORGE PHILLIPS and GEORGE FITZHARDINGE ROSE both of 175 Oxford
Street in the County of London China and Glass Dealers do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to provide means whereby devices for conducting
electricity to lamps or the like on dining tables or on other places can be applied
so that the said devices are concealed and so that there is no necessity to cut or
otherwise injure the table mantel shelf sideboard or the like to which the devices
are applied. According to this invention the conductors proper are formed
preferably of flat strips of conductive material so that they present no objectionable
projection when covered by a table cloth or the like-at the places where the lamp
standards or the like are to be connected to the conductors there are secured pieces
of conductive material through which the conducting strips can be passed these
pieces being provided with conductive spikes or the said pieces may be of non-
conductive material and the spikes pass therethrough to make contact with the strips.
The said spikes pass through a table cloth or the like when it is covered over the
table or the like and the conductive devices upon it. To secure rigidity of the
devices there may be strut pieces or stretchers connecting the aforesaid spiked
pieces or any two or more of them that may be adjacent to each other. The con-
nection of the conductors of the lamps to the aforesaid spikes may be effected by a
metal brush or web attached to the conductors of the lanp and readily penetrated
by the spikes when it is pressed upon them. The aforesaid conductive devices may
be simply laid upon the table or the like and being flexible may be removed with
the cloth or covering or the said devices may be put in a framing or in a board to
be laid upon the table or the like.
Dated this 24th day of December 1891.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Devices for Conducting Electricity to Lamps or
the like on Dining Tables, or on other places, where it is
desirable to employ Concealed Conductors.
We, GEORGE PHILLIPS and GEORGE FITZHARDINGE ROSE both of 175 Oxford
Street in the County of London, China & Glass Dealers do hereby declare the
nature of our 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 has for its object to provide means whereby devices for conducting
electricity to lamps, or the like, on dining tables, or on other places can be applied
so that the said devices are concealed, and so that there is no necessity to cut, or
otherwise injure the table, mantel shelf, sideboard or the like, to which the devices
are applied. According to this invention the conductors proper are formed
preferably of flat strips of flexible conductive material, (such as copper for instance)

page_text: so that they present no objectionable projection when covered by a table cloth or
the like. At the places where the lamp standards, or the like, are to be connected
to the conductors there are secured pieces of conductive material, or contact
making devices, through which the conducting strips can be passed, or which can
be passed over the said strips, these pieces, or devices being provided with
conductive spikes. The said pieces or devices, may be of non conductive material
and the spikes pass therethrough or be put in contact with a contact spring or the
like, to make contact with the strips. The said spikes pass through a table cloth or
the like, when it is covered over the table, or the like, and the conductive devices
upon it. To secure rigidity of the devices there may be struts, or distance pieces
or stretchers, connecting the aforesaid spiked pieces, or any two, or more, of them,
that may be adjacent to each other, or the strips may be connected by such struts,
or distance pieces. The connection of the conductors of the lamps to the aforesaid
spikes may be effected by metal brushes, or webs, attached to the conductors of the
lamp and readily penetrated by the spikes when pressed upon them. The aforesaid
conductors may be simply laid upon the table, or the like, and, being flexible, may
be removed with the cloth or covering or the said devices may be put in, or on, a
framing, or in, or on, a board to be laid upon the table, or the like.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents a table, side-board, or the like,
to which my invention is applied. a are strips, or ribbons of conductive material
such as copper for example covered with insulating tape, or other material, except
at the parts a² where the contacts for leading the current to the lamps are to be
made. The said strips a are connected by the leads, b, c, from any suitable dynamo,
or generator of electricity so that they constitute continuations of the said leads for
completing the circuit through the lamps.
The devices for making contact consist of clips d, (shewn in elevations at right
angles to each other in Figure 2) of vulcanite, or other insulating material, con-
taining contact springs 2 electrically connected to spikes d³, by the metal pieces d²,
so that when the said clips are passed over the bare parts a² of the outgoing and
return leads constituted by the strips a they make electric contact with the said
strips. The conductors e from and to the lamps are provided with contact devices
(shewn in vertical section and plan of underside in Figure 3) containing metal wire
net work, or brushes e² in electrical connection with the metal pins and plates e so
that when the said network, or brushes, is or are, pressed over the spikes the
circuit from the one lead to the other is established through the lamp. In the
drawing at Figure 1 I have shewn an arrangement for two lamps along the centre,
and one at each corner of the table or the like, but there may be any other
convenient arrangement of the leads, and placement of the lamps. In using the
device the strips or leads a are first placed on the table, or the like, and the clips d
are put in place at a² on the said strips or leads and a table cloth, or like covering,
being placed over all, the spikes ³ project therethrough and the lamps are then
placed in position and the wire-work terminations, or brushes e² are pressed onto
the said spikes 3 and the circuit through the lamp across the strips or leads is
established. The strips or leads a, should be as thin, and flat, as may be, so as to
make as little projection as possible beneath the table cloth. In the arrangement
described the lamps are in multiple arc, but they may be in series, if desired, by
discontinuing the conductive material & making the contacts so that the lamp
completes the circuit across the discontinuations. If desired the spikes ³ may of
course, be at the ends of the lamp conductors, as shewn at the left hand of Figure 4
and the wire work or brushes & be in the clips d which are placed on the strips a
and the spikes d³ be passed downwards through the table cloth, and into the wire-
work, or brushes. fare distance pieces, or struts, of vulcanized fibre, or other non-
conductive material, to keep the strips in a proper relative position. Figure 5 shews
a portion of a table with a lamp in place. In this figure the parts shewn in the
other figures are marked with the same letters of reference; g is the table top;
I is the table cloth, or like covering, and i is the lamp standard.

page_text: 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
claim is :-
For electric lighting on dining tables, side-boards, or other analogous places,
conducting strips and contact devices for connecting the lamps thereto arranged
substantially as, and for the purpose, herein before described and illustrated by the
examples shewn in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this th
1900
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.