IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Rudolph Bodmer at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th November 1878.
GEORGE RUDOLPH BODMER, of No. 11, St. Stephen's Road, Shepherd's Bush, in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR
ELECTRIC LIGHTING."
The first part of my Invention consists in certain machinery or apparatus for
supplying from a single source of electricity a number of electric lamps or candles
in such a manner that any variation in the resistance presented to the electric
current by one or more of the lamps shall not affect the remainder. I effect this
object by passing the whole of the available current from the source of electricity
through each of the branch circuits to the lamps in succession with such rapidity
that the effect of the light for the eye shall be continuous. The mechanical appa-
ratus which I purpose to use and employ for this purpose is represented in the annexed
Sheet of Drawings, where Fig. 1 shows the saine in elevation, partly in section, and
Fig. 2 in an end view, partly in section. It is designed for use with alternating
currents in connection with what is known as the Jablochkoff lamp or candle and
others. S and S₁ are two halves of a spindle or shaft separated from each other by
a disc or ring I of any suitable insulating material in such a manner that no
electrical contact can exist between them at that particular part, and revolving in
bearings B, B. The part S of this shaft is in contact through the spring s or other
equivalent contrivance with the conducting wire W through which passes the
positive current coming from the source of electricity, while the other half S' is in
contact by means of the spring & with the conducting wire W1 through which
passes the negative current coming from the source of electricity. On the shaft S
is fixed the disc D consisting of any suitable nonconducting material, and through
it passes radially the conductor c, c, which is in connection with the shaft S, and
similarly the disc D' with its conductor c¹, é¹, is mounted on the shaft S¹. Sur-
rounding the disc D is a ring or circular frame f, f, consisting of some nonconducting
material, and in this ring or frame are fixed or inserted the branch wires w, v,―w,
v, the number of which may vary according to circumstances, and which are made
to terminate by preference in enlarged prolongations p and q of any convenient
71

page_text: shape; one end or surface of each forming part of the inner circumference of the
ring ff, the wire w passing to the one electrode of an electric lamp, whilst the wire
v passes to the other. A-similar-ring.orcircular frame ff, in which the wires w', 1,
terminate, of which the one v¹ is joined to the wire w, while the other wis-joined
to the wire v, surrounds the other disc D1; the wires w¹ and v¹ terminate in the
enlarged prolongations p¹ and q¹ respectively.
The conductors c, c, and c¹; c¹; are connected at the circumferences of their
respective discs with springs or other contactmakers t and t. Supposing now the
shaft S, S¹, and with it the discs D and D¹ together with their respective conductors
-c, cand cl, cl, to revolve (which they may be made to do at any desirable velocity
and by any suitable means). the enlarged wire prolongations p, q, and p¹, q¹, are
brought successively into connection with the wires W and Wrespectively through
the contactmakers t and t¹, the shaft and springs S and s, and S₁ and s¹, so that
when the contactmaker t is in contact with the enlarged wire prolongation p, a
positive current is passed through the wire au to one of the electrodes of the corre-
sponding lamp, whilst simultaneously the contactmaker t' is in contact with the
enlarged wire prolongation p¹, and a negative current is passed through the wire w¹
to the other electrode of the same lamp. When, on the other hand, the contact-
maker t is in contact with the enlarged wire prolongation q, a positive current is
passed through the wire v to the electrode which had previously been in connection
with the negative current, and simultaneously the contactmaker t¹ being in contact
with the enlarged wire prolongation q', the negative current is passed to the
electrode which was previously connected with the positive current. By these
means the current passing to each electrode of a lamp is continually alternating.
It is to be observed that the bearings B and B as well as the standards or
supports for the contactmakers & and §¹ are supposed to be insulated, which insu-
lation may be effected in any wellknown manner. The frames or rings f, f, and
ff, may be made of any suitable shape, and fixed to the soleplate of the apparatus
in any desirable manner; and the wire prolongations p, q, and p', q¹, may be so dis-
posed that their ends may form part not of the internal circumferences of the
frames f, f, and f¹, f¹, but of any other surface of each of them, for instance, one of
the sides, in which case the contactmakers t and t¹ would have to be correspondingly
arranged. Also the conductors c, c, and c¹, c', may terminate in either side of their
respective discs and the contactmaker t or t' be there attached.
Another method of carrying out my aforesaid improvements is as follows:-The
shaft or spindle would as in the previously described arrangement be divided into
two parts insulated from each other, and on each half would have to be mounted as
many discs as there are electric lamps to be supplied. Those discs fixed on the
portion S of the shaft take the place of the disc D, D, while those on the other
portion Stake the place of the disc D', D'. Each of these discs holds a conductor
to which is attached a contactmaker, both conductor and contactmaker being
similar to and disposed in the same manner as the conductors c, c, and c¹, c', and
contactmakers t and t¹ previously described; and further the enlarged prolongations
P, q, and p¹, q', in which the branch wires terminate would be so arranged that the
contactmaker at the end of each conductor in its corresponding disc would come
into contact with only one pair of enlarged wire prolongations p and q or p¹ and q¹
during each revolution, being however in contact with only one enlarged wire end
at a time, and passing the current, whether positive or negative, first to one electrode
of a lamp and then to the other. The said discs may also be made to act as cams
on any suitable form of contactinakers gradually depressing the same during each
revolution until the point of contact is reached, and then allowing them to rise by
the action of springs or other suitable mechanism.
P
When other than Jablochkoff candles or lamps and such as require alternating
currents are used, one half of the shaft, for instance S¹, in either of the previously
described arrangements is dispensed with, as well as the discs and their accompani-
ments mounted on the same. The wires in the previous description marked vand vi
are not required, while those marked w¹ are all of them continually in electrical

page_text: contact with the main wire W¹. The frame or ring f', f¹, falls away, and the above
mentioned wires w¹, w¹, may be connected with W₁ in any known manner suitable
for maintaining electrical contact. The wires w, w, remain with their enlarged pro-
longations p, p, as in the previously described arrangements.
The second part of my Invention consists in an improved electric lamp, and is
shewn in elevation, partly in section, in Fig. 3 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings.
It is intended for use in connection with what is known as the Jablochkoff candle,
or other electric candle made on a similar principle. The lamp consists essentially
of a disc d, d, turning on a pivot n, n, which has its bearing at B, B, and which
carries a number of clips or candle holders, each of which consists of a pair of jaws
y and made of any suitable conducting material, of which is connected with a
spring s attached to the cylinder 7, 7, which is simply intended to act as a support
or standard, and to which any other known form or shape may be given. The
other jaw y of each pair is rigidly connected with the disc d, d, but is insulated
from it in any convenient way, and it must be understood that every part belonging
to the lamp, from the bearing B, B, upwards, is likewise insulated from the support
on which it stands or to which it is fixed, or from the ground. Each of the candles
c, c, c, (of which there may be six or more or less) held by the jaws y and z has
fixed to or into it just above the said jaws a pin or peg p of wire, wood, or any
suitable material, which is placed radially with regard to the centre of the disc d, d,
and projects beyond the latter; the springs f, f, or other suitable contactmakers are
so placed that when the disc d, d, is made to revolve the pairs of jaws y and z come
successively into contact, the jaw y with one of the contactmakers, and the jaw
simultaneously with the other of the contactmakers f, f, one of the said contact-
makers being connected through the standard t' with one of the wires w of the
circuit, and the other through the standard t which is insulated with the other of
the wires w¹ of the circuit. The standard t terminates upwards in a prolongation
tagainst which abuts one of the pins or pegs p, and the pivot. n, n, (or it might
be the disc d, d, itself) is connected with a spiral spring m, m, which is represented as
fixed to the upright b, b, in such a manner that the pin or peg p is kept pressed
against the prolongation t", and if free to turn would make at least one complete
revolution, an effect which could however also be produced by means of a weight
attached to one end of a cord whose opposite end is fixed to and embraces in one or
more folds the pivot on which the disc turns, or to a pulley attached to the same, in
which case the cord may be guided by a grooved pulley or otherwise. When the
candle c, the pin or peg p of which is pressing against the prolongation t¹ of the
standard t, has been consumed down to a certain point, the pin or peg p will either
drop or be consumed, and the disc d, d, will therefore be free to turn until the pin
belonging to the next candle comes up, which it does of course instantaneously
against the prolongation t", and electrical contact being at the same moment
established through the contactmakers f, f, this candle is in its turn consumed, and
the process is repeated until all the candles held by the apparatus have been burned
down, whereby a great deal of trouble and loss of time consequent upon the renewal
of the candles by manual labour is saved.