Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for Subjecting the Person to the Action of Electric Currents.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for Subjecting the Person
to the Action of Electric Currents.
We, ACHILLE LOISEAU and ONÉSIME PIERRARD both of 57 rue Fontaine au roi,
Paris, France, Electricians 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 :-
In the Specification to an application for Letters Patent filed by us on the
8th October 1886 No. 12833 we described an automatic apparatus for subjecting the
person to the action of electric currents wherein, a person placing himself on a stand
and introducing a coin into the apparatus effected the closure of certain electric
circuits some of which served to bring certain parts of the apparatus into position for
rendering the apparatus operative, while another circuit served to bring the electrifying
devices into action.
According to our present invention we effect the bringing of the parts into position
for operating and for controlling the duration of the electrifying current by mechanical
means instead of by means of electric currents, the only electrical circuit employed,
being that required for exciting the electrifying apparatus.
For this purpose we construct the machine as we will proceed to describe with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of the
apparatus in position for giving an electric shock, the side covers being removed to
shew the interior and Fig. 2 is a view looking from the back with the cover removed,
shewing the apparatus in the reverse position.
The electrifying devices are brought into action as follows. The person to be
electrified mounts upon the stand A, which is supported in the raised position indicated
by dotted lines Fig. 2 by springs B. By the weight of the person the stand is
depressed whereby the lever C, having its one end pivotted thereto is caused to raise a
rod D into the position shewn in Fig. 1. A lever E having its fulcrum at E' is
weighted at E so as to keep its other end raised in the position beneath the shoot F
shewn in full lines at Fig. 2. In this position a tail E³ thereon presses down the one
end of a lever G fulcrumed at G¹ so as to keep a toothed wheel H carried by its other
end out of gear with the wheels of a clock work mechanism I.

page_text: The lever G has an arm G2 which when the lever is in the above mentioned position,
is in contact with the fly I' of the clock work, and thus stops the motion of the latter.
The battery J or other suituble source of electric currents has its one pole connected by
a wire J with the lever E, while its other pole is connected by a wire J2 to the one
terminal of the primary coil of the induction apparatus K, the other terminal is 5
connected through wires J2 J3 with the vibrating contact Kand the contact spring L.
After the person has assumed the position upon the stand as before described he
introduces a coin F into the shoot F, through the opening (shewn dotted) which
coin in falling upon the lever E overbalances its weighted end and causes it to assume
the position shewn in full lines at Fig. 1 and in dotted lines at Fig. 2, in which it is
supported by the raised rod D and in which it makes contact with the spring L,
thereby closing the circuit of the battery and rendering the electrifying apparatus
operative. At the same time the tail E³ of the lever, being raised, releases the lever G
and allows its front end to drop so as to bring the wheel H in gear with the wheels of
the clock work mechanism, which, by the raising of the arm G2 on the rear end of the
lever G, is at the same time set in motion.
The wheel H carries a finger H that is brought by its rotation against an inclined
or curved rod M1, the upper end of which is attached to a slide or door M pivotted to
the shoot F. This door has an inclined lower edge as shown in Fig. 1 so placed
that when in the position shewn the opening left in the face of the shoot below it is
not sufficiently large to allow the coin resting on the lever E to fall out. As the finger H¹
revolves with the wheel it pushes the rod M¹ to one side and thereby causes this to
turn the door slightly in the direction of the arrow. By this motion of the sloping
lower edge of the door the opening below it is enlarged sufficiently to allow the coin
to fall from the lever E.
This lever will then rise again into the position shewn in Fig. 2, thereby breaking the
circuit of the electrifying apparatus and stopping the clockwork by its tail E³, which
again depresses the lever G so as to bring the wheel Hout of gear; thus although the
person may remain upon the stand, he will no longer be electrified. On his descending
from the stand this will rise and the rod D will descend again into its original position.
On the wheel H being raised out of gear, it together with the finger H¹ is brought
back to the original position, by the spring H2, and consequently the rod M² and
door M will also again drop back into their original positions.
If the person descends from the stand before the clock work has completed the above
described operation, the lever E, losing its support from the rod D, will sink down
somewhat lower than the dotted position Fig. 2, and in so doing will move away from
the lower edge of the door M sufficiently to allow the coin to fall out. The lever will
then rise again, breaking the electrifying circuit and stopping the clockwork, as before.
The arrangement of the apparatus for conveying the electric currents to the person
on the stand is similar to that described in the previous specification above mentioned,
NN being two levers framed together and pivotted at O, to which are connected the
electrifying handles P forming the terminals of the secondary circuit of the
induction coil K. The levers have toothed quadrants gearing with wheels the
spindle of which imparts motion through bevil gear R to the spindle of a pointer S on
a dial T shewn in dotted lines. To the lever N is connected an iron core K² which by
the motion of the levers consequent upon a pull exerted on the handles P is drawn
more or less into the induction coil thereby increasing proportionately the strength of
the current to which the person is subjected, so that the strength of the current will be
indicated upon the dial T.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
First. In electrifying apparatus of the kind herein described, effecting the closing
of the electrifying circuit and maintaining it closed by the combined action of a rod or
stop actuated by the depression of the stand or treadle, a contact piece connected to
the one pole of the electric generator and a lever connected to the other pole of the
generator, the said lever being so arranged that on being depressed by the weight of a

page_text: coin introduced through the shoot, it makes contact with the spring so as to close the
electrifying circuit, while when the person descends from the stand, the rod or stop
allows the further descent of the lever so as to deliver the coin, after which the lever
ascends and breaks the electrifying circuit again, substantially as herein described.
Second. The combination with the lever which closes the electrifying circuit on
being depressed by the weight of a coin of a slide or door in the shoot through which
the coin is introduced, which slide or door is actuated by a clockwork mechanism set
in motion by the depression of the lever and so arranged that after a certain lapse of
time it will move the slide or door so as to allow the coin to fall off the lever and thus
to ascend again and break the electrifying circuit, substantially as herein described.
Third. The combination of the rod D actuated by stand or treadle A, the lever E
contact L shoot F with door M and rod M', lever G with wheel H and finger H', and
clockwork mechanism I, all arranged and operating substantially as herein described
with reference to the drawings.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.