Lighting and Extinguishing as Lamps.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1887
Complete Left, 2nd Feb., 1888
Complete Accepted, 2nd May, 1888
Lighting and Extinguishing as Lamps.
We JOHANN RUDOLF SCHILLER and CHRISTIAN MEYER of the town of Zürich
Switzerland, Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of our said invention to be as
follows:
The object of this invention is the construction of a small and simple apparatus
for simultaneously turning on and lighting and turning off and extinguishing of a
number of gas flames, such as street lamps, etc.
These apparatus are constructed as follows:-Above or at the gas cock of a lamp
there are attached opposite to each other two electro magnets, between which there
swings an armature suspended on a pivot or pivots attached to the gas pipe above.
Attached to this swinging armature are two pawls, which fall into the teeth of one
or two ratchet wheels or segments which are fastened upon or to the plug of the gas
cock. Said pawls and ratchet wheel or wheels are arranged in such manner that
when the swinging armature is attracted by one of the electro-magnets and let go
again a certain number of times, said wheel or wheels and with it or them the plug
of the gas cock will be turned in one direction according to which of the two
opposite electro magnets the armature is attracted. In this manner the gas cocks
may be opened or closed by passing an electric current in one or the other direction
through the electro-magnets from a central station. As it is necessary to keep the
armature swinging from the middle only, to one or the other electro magnets
according as the gas cocks are to be opened or closed, this swinging armature is
always brought back to and kept in a vertical central position by two springs, which
always draw it back to said central position after it has been attracted and released
may be
again by the magnet of one or the other side as the case may be. There
one or two conducting wires employed. In the former case the armature consists
instead of soft iron of permanent magnets, the poles of which are so placed to the
poles of the electro magnets, that in opening and closing the current, the armature
will be attracted by one electro magnet and repelled by the other or vice versa as
the case may be either for opening or shutting the cock. As in street lighting a

page_text: certain number of lights are generally extinguished at mid-night, whilst the others
are left burning until morning, it is necessary to provide for this partial extinguishing
in the apparatus.
In order to be able to effect this from the central station, the gas cocks are altered
as follows:-
Instead of the stop pin commonly attached to the box of the cock to prevent the
plug from being turned around too far (the latter being provided with corresponding
shoulders) a small web or plate is attached to the cock box, which in the cocks of
lamps intended to burn all night is to the right somewhat shorter than the saine web
in the other cocks.
The cocks being closed by the ratchet wheels or segments as before described by an
electric current being sent through the magnets, those lamps, which are not to burn all
night, having cocks with a longer web will be extinguished sooner than those the
cocks of which are provided with a shorter web.
When the latter are to be extinguished towards morning, the electric current is
sent through the magnets and those cocks, which are still open will be turned off
entirely.
The lighting of the gas is effected in the following manner :-
The conducting wires of the electro magnets are led up along the gas pipe on
either side as far as the burner, where their ends are connected by a thin strip or
platina wire.
The current passing through the electro magnets must naturally pass the platina
strip or wire, which is thereby rendered hot. The gas cock being opened, the gas
escaping from the burner comes in contact with the heated platina and by absorption
of the gas the platina becomes red hot and thus ignites the gas.

page_text: Lighting and Extinguishing of Gas Lamps.
We JOHANN RUDOLF SCHILLER and CHRISTIAN MEYER both of the town of Zürich,
Switzerland, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The object of our invention is the construction of an automatic apparatus by means
of which any number of gas flames may be lighted or extinguished from a distant
point by the passage of an electric current, whereby each single gas cock is
turned on or off at will. These apparatus may be constructed in different ways, of
which the most important ones are to be described.
In the accompanying drawings, figure 1, sheet 1 is the front view of an apparatus
with two conducting wires.
Figure 2 is a side view of the same.
Figure 3, sheet 2, is a front view of an apparatus with only one conducting wire
and permanent magnets.
Figure 4 is a plan of the same.
Figure 5, sheet 3, is a front view of an apparatus with one conducting wire and a
switch.
Figure 6 shows the switch detached.
Figure 7 is a side view of the apparatus shown in Figure 5.
Figure 8, sheet 4, is a front view of a modification of the apparatus shown in
figure 3, with one conducting wire.
Figure 9 is a side view of this apparatus.
Figure 10 is a plan of the same.
Figures 11 and 12 are details of the apparatus.
Figures 13, sheet 2, shows in two views the gas cock to be used with the apparatus.
Figure 14 shows the burner with device for lighting the gas.
Figure 15, sheet 1, shows the arrangement at the central station for working the
apparatus with one wire.
Figure 16 the same for apparatus with two wires.
Figure 17 is a plan showing electric communication underground.
Figure 18 shows the arrangement of wires above the ground.
Figure 19 sheet 5 shows in front view another modified apparatus with cover.

page_text: 2015 a pair of the same.
Figure 21 is a side view of the apparatus.
Figure 21, is a side view showing another mode of lighting the gas.
As will be seen from the different apparatus shown, their common principle and
manner of working is the following: One, two or more electro-magnets act upon a
swinging armature when an electric current is passed in such manner as to operate a
lever or cog-segment by means of which the gas cock is either opened or closed. A
wire or wires leading to the gas burner produce sparks as the current passes them,
whereby the gas escaping therefrom is ignited. The different constructions shown all
follow the above principles and only vary in their form and details.
The apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 has two electro-magnets for each of which
two conducting wires are provided. Upon the gas cock two cog segments a a' are fastened,
the ratchet teeth of which are placed in opposite directions. The two electro magnets e e
with their coils ff are placed opposite each other upon the bottom plate g of a street
lamp for instance where they are fastened by means of the washer plates h and screws h¹.
To the gas pipe is attached an insulated ring or sleeve i provided with the pivot i, upon
which swings an arm k². At the lower end of this arm the double armature k k
connected by bar k' are attached in such manner that said double armature k k¹ k swings
pendulum shape between the electro magnets ee. The armature carries the oscillating
pawls cc which engage into the teeth of the cog or ratchet segments aa; a pin d
keeps said pawls ce in their proper position. Two spiral springs ss attached with one
end to arm and with their other end at either side to any convenient point of the
magnets, here, for instance, to washer plate h, serve for always bringing and keeping
the double armature k k in a central position between the face ends of the electro
magnets. Figure 14, sheet 2, shows the devico for lighting the gas. The two wires ll
lead from the electro magnets to the burner, where they are held by an insulated
ring. At their ends they carry by means of the binding screws m² m² two thin strips
of platinum mm which are near the mouth of the burner connected by a thin
platinum wire m¹ which closes the circuit. The working of this apparatus under
the influence of a series of interruptions of the electric current will be easily
understood. As in street lighting some of the lamps are extinguished at a certain
hour while some of them are left burning till morning an arrangement had to be
made to allow for this in extinguishing from a central station. We obtain this
object by the peculiar construction of the gas cock as shown in Figure 13, sheet 2,―
On the pin n, with which each cock is provided for limiting its motion to either side, a
snall strip of metal n¹ is fixed. In those lanterns which are intended to burn all
night, the metal strips n¹ are somewhat shorter to the right of pin n than those
of the other lanterns. By this arrangement the cocks of the former lanterns require a
longer turn for closing them than the latter in consequence of which the latter
lights will be extinguished sooner than the former, which, when they also are to
be extinguished, the cocks have again to be operated.
Figures 3 & 4 show an apparatus with only one conducting wire and with
permanent magnets. The construction of this apparatus is essentially the same as the
.one above described, with the only difference that here instead of the iron armature k
permanent magnets k are employed.
The electro magnets are so arranged that during the passage of the electric current
the ends, for instance, of the right horse shoe will show the opposite poles to those
of the opposite swinging permanent magnet, whereas the ends of the left horse shoe
in this case would show the same poles as their opposite swinging permanent magnet.
The consequence of this arrangement is that the permanent swinging magnets, when
the current is closed will be attracted by the one electro-magnet and repulsed by
the other. By alternately opening and closing of the current this apparatus will
operate in exactly the same manner as the one before described. The advantage
of this modification is that only a single conducting wire is required.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 show a similar apparatus, which, however, is provided with
a commutator. for changing the current and consequently opening and closing the

page_text: arm
0
gas cock. Figure 6 shows this commutator detached, which consists of a plato
upon which. is balanced the beam p turning on pivot o¹. Beam p carries on its
under side pins pl p² which dip alternately into the mercury cups o²o³ as beam p
oscillates. On either end of beam p is provided with an
each reaching
downwards against the side of one of the ratchet segments a a in the manner
shown in the drawing. When the segments are turned in one or the other direction,
they will, when far enough, strike one or the other of the arms 7 and thereby turn
beam p which causes the current to change.
In this apparatus the peculiar gas cock as before described is not required as the
same object is attained by making arms q of different lengths in the different lanterns.
Figures 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 show different modifications of details in the apparatus.
Here the amature k swings on two arms ²² instead of on one as before described,
which arms turn upon pivots ¹¹. The armature consists of the magnets k coupled
together by means of the bolts A³ whereby the tubes through which said bolts & pass
serve to keep the two magnets in proper distance from each other. To each tube r
there is attached an arın with springs resting with one end against tuber and with
the other against slide s' attached to the binding plate of the electro magnet. By
means of a slot and screw these slides s' may be regulated. The whole serves to keep
the armature k in a central position between the electro magnets.
There is further in this modification but one arm a fastened to the gas cock provided
with the two ratchet segments a¹ a³.
3
Figures 19 to 21, show another modification. In order to reduce the bulk of the
apparatus the electro-magnets are here doubly curved as shown and the whole is
enclosed in a box G. The niagnets here are attached to the gas pipe by means of the
plate or foot g¹ g². Instead of two segments there is only one employed with straight
teeth into which pawls cc engage alternately according to which side the swinging
armature is attracted. Pawls crest upon and are regulated by the adjustable
rests d d.
In order to prevent the segment from being turned too far to one side or the other,
adjustable plates as a³ are attached to foot plate g'. Figure 21 shows another device
for igniting the gas at the burner consisting of the wires m m m¹ and operating in the
manner aforedescribed.
To provide against an interruption of the current by the melting off of one of the
thin platinum wires m' there must in all apparatus a safety connection be formed
between the wires. This is effected by means of a graphite connection z which in
case the current should be interrupted at m' would conduct the current between the
two wires. As long as wire m¹ is not broken very little of the current will pass by =
owing to the great resistance the graphite offers. To prevent the loud knocking of the
apparatus rubber caps e¹ (Figure 21) upon the ends of the magnets may be employed.
As a matter of course either of the modifications may be employed in any of the
'apparatus described. The arrangement of the central stations for operating these
apparatus is the following: The central station for apparatus with one single
conducting wire is shown in Figure 15. The current coming from battery t passes to
the rheostat u and commutator w, and when the circuit is closed by means of button v
through wire which by means of binding screws leads to the lanterns, from where
it returns by the earth to plate t¹, commutator w and finally to battery t.
By repeatedly operating the commutator (closing and interrupting the circuit) all the
gas cocks may be closed or opened and the Hames lighted. The rheostat at the central
station serves for regulating the strength of the current as the same in passing
platinum wires m² only heats them without making them glow; the glowing is
subsequently caused by the absorption of the gas escaping from the burner. For
apparatus with two wires the arrangement of a central station is shown in Figure 16.
The current taken from a battery or dynamo passes through the rheostat u to plate H.
Here the circuit may be closed by a button v and by means of wires a¹³, whereupon
it passes through posts v³ to the line and returns through the earth to plate t' and to the
battery.

page_text: In the apparatus provided with a commutator there is of course none required at the
central station as in this case the apparatus reverses automatically.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
--
1. A device for the turning on and off of gas cocks, consisting of two electro
magnets placed opposite each other, between which there swing permanent magnets or
iron armatures, said armature or magnets being provided with two pawls engaging
each into the teeth of a ratchet wheel or segment fastened to or upon the plug of
the gas cock in such manner that by turning said wheel or segments the gas cock may
be opened or closed according to the direction in which the wheels or segments are
turned, substantially as described in the foregoing specification and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
2. An apparatus of the kind specified in claim 1 provided with two horse shoe
magnets e fef each with two conducting wires in combination with an iron armature
kkkk suspended upon pivot ¹ and swinging between said electro magnets where
springs & continually tend to bring said armature into a central position; two
ratchet segments the teeth of which stand in opposite directions, into which teeth
engage two pawls c c attached to the swinging armature and resting upon pin d ;
substantially as and for the purpose set forth in the foregoing specification and shown
in the accompanying drawings.
3. An apparatus of the kind specified in claim 1 with two opposite electro
magnets efef each with only one single conducting wire; between these electro
magnets, swinging permanent magnets kk arranged in such manner that under the
influence of the electric current the ends of one electro magnet will show opposite poles
to that of its opposite swinging permanent magnet while the other electro magnet
shows the same poles as its opposite swinging magnet, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
4. In apparatus of the kind specified in claim 1:
a. The application of two pivots ¹¹ on the gas pipe upon which pivots there
swings the double pendulum 2 provided with magnets e, f, or an iron
armature k, the whole being held together by means of screw bolts k³ and tubes 1.
b. A regulator for the pendulum armatures herein described consisting of the
rods or pins attached to tubes or to armature itself, provided with spiral
springs and guided and held by the adjustable plate s¹.
C.
single wheel or segment, attached to the plug of the gas cock and provided
with two ratchet rims with teeth standing in opposite directions.
d. A device for opening and closing gas cocks, consisting of a single ratchet
wheel or segment attached to the gas plug and provided with straight teeth into
which engage alternately the pawls cc attached to the swinging armature, all
substantially as and for the purpose set forth in the foregoing specification and
shown in the accompanying drawings.
5. In apparatus of the kind specified in claim 1, the application to the gas cock of a
plate or piece n', substantially as and the purpose set forth in the foregoing specification
and shown in the accompanying drawings.
6. In apparatus of the kind specified in claim 1, the application of a commutator
consisting of the oscillating beam p with pins p¹ and p* dipping into mercury cups o³ ³
and with arms 9 9 reaching to the sides of the ratchet segments, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth in the foregoing specification and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
7. In apparatus of the kind specified in claim 1, the application of the graphite
connections z between wires 11, substantially as and for the purpose set forth in
the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
8. For apparatus of the kind specified in claim 1 with one single conducting

page_text: wire a central station consisting of battery or dynamo t, rheostat u, commutator w,
wires v2, button v and plate t¹, substantially as and for the purpose set forth in the
foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
9. For apparatus of the kind specified in claim 1 with two connecting wires a
central station consisting of the battery or dynamo t, rheostat u, plate H, wires ¹²,
button and plate t substantially as and for the purpose set forth in the foregoing
specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of February 1888.
J. R. SCHILLER.
C. MEYER.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London,
Agent.