Improvements in or relating to Electrical Apparatus for Signalling.
Year: 1892

page_text: his Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands
after Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c., Act, 1883), as
allowed by the decision of the Comptroller General of the 30th day of
January 1897.
Date of Application, 22nd July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Apr., 1893-Accepted, 15th July, 1893
Improvements in or relating to Electrical Apparatus for
Signalling.
MAUNSELL MERCIER 5 Deansgate Manchester, County of Lancaster Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object the improvement of electrical apparatus used for
signalling in mines, railways, chemical works, or other places. Where explosive,
moist, damp or corrosive vapours or gases may exist it is desirable to protect the
contacts from the action of the injurious gases. My invention is to so arrange the
construction of my apparatus that the working parts or delicate contacts shall be
isolated from contact with the outer atmosphere or if necessary unaffected even if
submerged in water. It is well known that apparatus of this kind is largely used
in mines and other places and is liable at times to be surrounded by an explosive
atmosphere and where an electric contact be made or broken a spark or are may be
formed which in many cases is sufficient to ignite the explosive mixture.
One great objection to improved apparatus of this kind at present in use is that
although they may partly accomplish some of the advantages I claim, they are
subject to the objection that the air or watertight joints require to be made by
inexperienced hands in connecting up the apparatus where used.
My invention is so arranged that important air or watertight joints or connections
that may be necessary to make on fixing the apparatus are arranged to be made
outside the keys, bells or other apparatus covered by my invention at a convenient
distance from the same. To accomplish my purpose in the case of a single, double,
or multiple contact signalling key I use a combination of one or more flexible air or
watertight envelopes diaphragms cones or bags preferably made of india rubber
or other watertight material which entirely covers the contacts and a packed
gland or glands suitably arranged through which I have a convenient length of
single, twin or multiple cable connected to my contacts inside the key & arranged
so that the cable or wire of each contact is a part of the whole cable & insulated
from the other cables. Each cable or wire consists of one or more strands of a
distinct number and size of wires so that the connections are made to the other ends
of this cable in accordance with the instructions sent out with the apparatus.
To accomplish ny purpose in the case of a bell or other indicator for recording
signals I. make use of similar arrangements to the above & attach my flexible

page_text: watertight envelope, diaphragm, cone or bag to my armature or other parts
attached.to or in connection with the armature so as to allow of the free working
of the same.
Improvements in or relating to Electrical Apparatus for
Signalling.
MAUNSELL MERCIER 5 Deansgate Manchester in the County of Lancaster
Engineer 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:-
My invention has for it object the improvement of electrical apparatus used for
signalling in mines, railways, chemical works or other places. Where explosive,
moist, damp or corrosive vapours or gases may exist it is desirable to protect the
contacts from the action of the injurious gases. My invention is to so arrange the
construction of my apparatus that the working parts or delicate contacts shall be
isolated from contact with the outer atmosphere or if necessary unaffected even if
submerged in water. It is well known that apparatus of this kind is largely used
in mines and other places and is liable at times to be surrounded by an explosive
atmosphere and where an electric contact be made or broken a spark or arc may be
formed which in many cases is sufficient to ignite the explosive mixture.
.
One great objection to apparatus of this kind at present use is that although it
may partly accomplish some of the advantages I claim it is subject to the objection
that the air or watertight joints require to be made by inexperienced hands, as a
general rule, in connecting up the apparatus where used.
My invention is so arranged that important air or watertight joints or con-
nections that may be necessary to make on fixing the apparatus are arranged to
be made outside the keys, bells, or other apparatus covered by my invention at a
convenient distance from the same.
To accomplish my purpose in the case of a single, double, or multiple contact
signalling key I use a combination of one or more flexible air or watertight
envelopes, diaphragms, cones, or bags preferably made of indiarubber or other
watertight material which entirely covers the contacts and a packed gland or
glands suitably arranged through which I have a convenient length of single, twin,
or multiple cable connected to my contacts inside the key and arranged so that the
cable or wire of each contact is a part of the whole cable, and insulated from the
other cables.
Each cable or wire consists of one or more strands of a distinct number and size
of wires so that the connections are made to the other ends of this cable in
accordance with the instructions sent out with the apparatus.
To accomplish my purpose in the case of a bell or other indicator for recording
signals I make use of similar arrangements to the above and attach my flexible
watertight envelope, diaphragm, cone, or bag to my armature or other parts
attached to, or in connection with the armature so as to allow of the free working
of the same.
In the accompanying drawings Figures 1, 2, 3, & 4, shews the application of my
invention to a signal key or mining tapper key used for transmitting signals, and
is constructed on the ordinary Morse key principle:

page_text: Figure 1. is a sectional elevation on mine A
Figure 2. is a sectional plan through line X Y.
Figure 3. is an elevation view.
Figure 4. is sectional plan of plunger &c.
The contacts (A. B & C) are mounted on a non-conducting base made of fibre
vulcanite, or other suitable material. The middle contact (B) can be depressed by
the pressing down of the plunger (P) to transmit a signal in the usual way. Over
these contacts I have a rubber cup, cone, or cap (R) which is tightly secured at
its circumference by the flange of the metal cover (D) screwed down upọn it, and
making an air and watertight joint.
The plunger (P) may be connected through the crown of the rubber cup (R)
with nuts (N) screwed on either side of the cup to make a perfectly watertight
joint, or the plunger may press on the outer side of the cup without passing through
the rubber, in which case it is preferable to have a cup shaped head on the end
of a plunger and the middle contact in this case will have a stud with a rounded
surface to fit under the cup shaped head of the plunger as is shewn in Figure 1.
It is obvious that by this method the lower portion of the plunger (P) must be
insulated by fibre (F) or other insulating material as is more particularly shewn in
Figure 4, which shews the details of connection of cup to plunger spindle and
contact maker (M). The insulated wires (W1 W3 W') are connected to each of
the desired number of contacts in pre-arranged order say for example W₁ (con-
sisting of one wire) to line, W³ to bell, W7 to battery and are taken through a
gland (G) or glands packed with suitable watertight packing and a length of wire
is sent out with each key to which the wires leading from the line, battery, or bell
are connected outside of the key.
In the accompanying drawings Figures 5, 6 & 7 shew the application of my
invention to a single stroke or trembling bell of the horizontal or table pattern as
ordinarily used for mining and other signalling purposes. It is obvious that the
invention can be applied to any other pattern of electro-magnetic bell.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation on line X Y.
Figure 7 is an elevation view.
Figure 6 is a sectional plan through X Y.
The electro magnetic coils (A) are mounted on a metal frame or base (B) in the
ordinary manner with the armature & adjusting screws over which is placed a
cover (C) preferably metal making an air and watertight joint with base (B) and
through which base the necessary insulating connecting wires (D) pass, being then
taken through a gland (E) or glands packed with a suitable watertight packing-
a length of wire being left to which the line wires may he attached. On the
cover (C) I fix a metal cover (M) and having a slot (P) (as shown in Fig. 7) to
allow free play to hammer spindle and inside which is a rubber cup, cone, or
cap (G) which is tightly screwed to the cover (C) at its circumference by the
metal ring (R) protected by the metal cover (M). The hammer spindle (S) may
be connected through the crown of the rubber cup (G) with a nut (T) screwed on
either side of the cup to make a perfectly watertight joint or may be attached to
cup in any other convenient manner.
A plug () may be inserted in the cover (C) making a watertight joint by
means of rubber rings or other methods to enable the adjusting screw to be
accessible without removing cover (C).
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
I. The combination of a waterproof flexible cap cup, or cone and an insulated
cable or cables passing through a waterproof gland or glands with a ringing key
or other tapper key for transmitting signals.
II. The combination of a waterproof flexible cap, cone or cup & an insulated

page_text: cable or cables passing through a waterproof gland or glands with single stroke or
trembling bells."
III. The combination of the waterproof arrangements substantially as described
with apparatus for electric signalling.
Dated this Tranty first day of Anvil 1902