Methods and Apparatus for Cleaning Electric Lamps.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th July, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Methods and Apparatus for Cleaning Electric Lamps.
I JAMES ROBSON, of 32, Queenshead Lane, Handsworth, in the County of
Staffordshire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
My Invention is for the purpose of cleaning the inner surface of the glass bulb
or envelope of incandescent electric lamps from the carbonaceous or other dirty
deposit, thrown off by the incandescent carbon or other filament. It is found that
this dirty deposit obscures and reduces the illuminating power of the lamp to a large
extent, especially in electric lamps constructed with a hermetically sealed glass
envelope, containing a carbon filament and vacuum.
In carrying my invention into practice I enclose a brush, scraper, or rubber, in
the glass envelope, at the time of its construction and before it is hermetically sealed.
The rubbers may be iron filings, particles of sand, glass or other substances, capable
of rubbing the deposit off the glass envelope; when the lamp is revolved or shaken by
hand, or machine; but I prefer to make the brush, scraper, or rubber, of iron, steel,
or other metal, capable of being attracted by a magnet, situated outside the glass
envelope so that when the lamp is revolved or moved in proximity to the magnet, the
brush, or rubber remains opposite the magnet, and thus rubs the deposit off the glass
envelope; which is moving between the brush and the magnet. Or the magnet may
be rapidly revolved in a circle, and the lamp held in the centre of the circle, the
magnet will then move the rubber round with it, and thus rub and clean the internal
surface of the glass envelope.
The magnets may be permanent, or electro, and excited by contact with a dynamo,
or electric battery, and moved by hand, or machine; or the lamp may be moved by
an electro motor, near a solenoid, or wire conducting an electric current.
Dated this Eighth day of October 1889.
JAMES ROBSON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Methods and Apparatus for Cleaning Electric Lamps.
I, JAMES ROBSON, of 32 Queenshead Lane, Handsworth, in the County of
Stafford, 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 is for the purpose of cleaning the inner surface of the glass bulb, or
envelope of incandescent electric lamps from the carbonaceous or other deposit,
thrown off by the incandescent carbon, or other filament. It is found that this dirty
deposit obscures and reduces the illuminating power of the lamp to a large degree,
especially in electric lamps constructed with a hermetically sealed glass envelope,
containing a carbon filament and vacuum.
In carrying my invention into practice, I enclose a brush, scraper, or rubber, in
the glass envelope, at the time of its construction and before it is hermetically sealed.
The rubbers may be iron filings, particles of sand, glass or other substances capable of
rubbing the deposit off the glass envelope, when the lamp is revolved or shaken by
hand or machine; but I prefer to make the brush, scraper, or rubber, of iron, steel,
or other metal capable of being attracted or influenced by a magnet, situated outside
the glass envelope, so that when the lamp is revolved or moved in proximity to the
magnet, the brush, or rubber remains opposite the magnet, and thus rubs the deposit
off the glass envelope; which is moving between the brush and the magnet. Or the

page_text: magnet may be rapidly revolved in a circle, and the lamp held in the centre of the
circle; the magnet will then move the rubber round with it, and thus rub and clean
the internal surface of the glass envelope.
The magnets may be permanent or electro, and excited by contact with a dynamo
or electric battery, and moved by hand, or machine; or the lamp may be moved by
an electro motor, near a solenoid, or wire conducting an electric current.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
specification, for the purpose of more fully showing the mode of carrying my inven-
tion into practice.
The same numerals of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawings.
Fig. A is a side view partly in section of the revolving magnetic apparatus, 1 is a
wood base, 2 vertical wood sides, 3 is an electro magnet with its yoke 4; this yoke is
made of iron with projections above and below 5, on which is its driving pulley 6, the
magnet revolves on an axis 7, fixed on its metal foot 8; the magnet is revolved by a
cord passing over its pulley 6, guide pulley 9, and driving wheel 10, and handle 11.
The electro magnet 3 is excited by an electric current entering at the spring 12,
which presses on a copper ring 13, insulated by a ring 14 from the magnet's axis, the
current passing up insulated wire 15, round the electro magnet, the wire being then
connected to yoke 4 then down the axis to foot 8 and out by wire 16.
The lamp 17 to be cleaned is placed above the poles 18 of the magnet, a thin
plate 19 is to prevent the magnet striking the glass lamp; this plate can be raised or
lowered by a screw at 20; the steel or iron scrapers 21 shown as small blocks inside
the lamp are attracted to the poles 18 of the magnet and are moved round in a
circle by the revolving magnet, the poles 18 of which are formed a little out of the
centre as shown, and thus cause the brush or scrapers to travel in a circle on lines 22;
the lamp being moved about into different positions enables the brushes to clean the
inner surface of the glass bulb; a brush formed of an iron plate and wire bristles is
shown at 23 Fig. D, or the metal brush might be covered with velvet. The lamp may
be revolved by being held in a spring clip holder 24, which is revolved by pulley 25
from pulley 26. Fig. B, and C, show another method of holding the lamp in various
positions above the magnet poles by means of the spring clip 27 and jointed links 28,
this method being very applicable when two or more machines are driven from a
motor shaft, which method enables a number of lamps to be cleaned at the same time
by one attendant. As a detail, 1 sometimes form two small tubes 29 and 30 on
opposite sides of the lamp, the tube 29 being used as a receptacle for dirt swept
from the lamp sides, also to hold the scrapers in, it has a copper valve and rod 31
attached to an iron head 32 moving in the tube 30 and pressed outwards by the
spring 33, this closes the valve on the tube 29, a magnet 34 is placed near the tube
and attracts the iron head and raises the valve, when it is required to open the tube 29
for the entrance or exit of the scrapers. The scrapers 21 may be moved by iron
pole pieces 35, oscillated on a stationary magnet 3 by a connecting rod and crank 36,
Fig. E.
A permanent may be used instead of an electro magnet, or a solenoid, or wire
conducting an electric current, may be used to move or oscillate the brushes. The
scrapers may be made of iron, steel, nickel, or any substance capable of magnetic
influence.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :
1. In incandescent electric lamps, the methods of cleaning the internal surface of
the glass envelopes by a brush, or scrapers, made of iron, steel, or other substance
contained inside the lamp, and capable of being moved by the influence of a moving
magnet on the outside of the lamp envelope, or of moving the lamp near to a magnet,
or electrical solenoid, or wire conducting an electric current, substantially as herein
described.

page_text: 2. The use of apparatus wherein is revolved or moved by hand or motor, an electro
or permanent magnet in proximity to an electric lamp envelope, for the purpose of
revolving or moving iron, or steel scrapers or brushes, contained inside the lamp glass
bulb, and thereby cleaning the inside surface of the lamp from deposit or dirt thereon,
substantially as herein described.