Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Laying of Electrical Conductors, Chiefly Designed for Military Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 25th Jan., 1890
Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Laying of Electrical
Conductors, Chiefly Designed for Military Purposes.
I, LEO KAMM, of 61, St. John's Villas, Upper Holloway, in the county of London,
Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improved apparatus which is adapted to be applied to a
railway train, bicycle, tricycle or other vehicle for paying out an electrical conductor
such as a telegraph or telephone wire, and which is especially adapted for military
purposes, as it enables communication to be readily established between any desired
points, for instance, between outlying posts and a camp or between scouts and the
main body of the force.
According to my said invention I provide a reel of suitable size upon which the
electrical wire is wound and in connection with the said reel I arrange on a shaft a
belt pulley from which a belt passes over the wire on the reel so that the latter is
positively operated to prevent the wire from being broken by sudden jerks. To keep
the belt taut as the diameter of the coil of wire on the reel decreases as the wire is
paid out the said reel is mounted in pivotted arms or in a pivotted frame which are or
is acted upon by a spring or springs.
A second shaft carries a friction wheel under which the wire passes as it is unwound
and in connection with the said friction wheel is a second friction wheel which is
driven by contact with one of the wheels of a bicycle, tricycle, or other moving
apparatus. The wire passes between the two friction wheels so that the paying out of
the same is ensured.
The shafts of the friction wheels and driving pulley are in some cases mounted upon
a pivotted frame so that they can be turned to occupy little space.
Dated the 25th day of February 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & CO.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improved Apparatus for Facilitating the Laying of Electrical
Conductors, Chiefly Designed for Military Purposes.
I, LEO KAMM, of 624 Holloway Road in the county of London, Electrician, 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 relates to improved apparatus which is adapted to be applied to a
bicycle, tricycle or other vehicle for paying out an electrical conductor such as a
telegraph or telephone wire, and which is especially adapted for military purposes, as
it enables communication to be readily established between any desired points, for
instance, between scouts and the main body of the force.
According to my said invention I provide a reel of suitable size upon which the
electrical wire is wound, and in connection with the said reel I arrange on a shaft a
belt pulley from which a belt passes around the wire on the reel, so that the
latter is positively operated to pay out the wire to prevent the latter from being
broken by sudden jerks or other strains. To keep the belt taut as the diameter of the
coil of wire on the reel decreases as the wire is paid out, the said reel is mounted in
pivotted arms or in a pivotted frame which are or is acted upon by a spring or
springs.

page_text: A second shaft carries a friction wheel under which the wire passes as it is
unwound, and in connection with the said friction wheel is a second friction wheel
which is driven by contact with one of the wheels of a bicycle, tricycle or other
moving apparatus. The wire passes between the two friction wheels, so that the
paying out of the same is insured.
The shafts of the friction wheels and driving pulley are in some cases mounted upon
a pivotted frame so that they can be turned to occupy little space.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a plan of my improved apparatus for paying out an electrical conductor
and adapted to be applied to a bicycle.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a similar view but showing some of the parts in a different position.
Figure is an end view, and
Figure 5 is a section on the line a, a, figure 1, looking in the direction of the
arrow.
Figure 6 is a plan showing the reel and the adjacent parts of the apparatus, the
latter being in the position which they occupy, to enable the reel to be removed from
the said apparatus.
Figures 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are views of details of one of the reel bearings.
Figures 12 and 13 are a longitudinal section and end view, respectively, of the
reel detached.
Figures 14, 15 and 16 are a front elevation, side elevation and plau, respectively,
of apparatus suitable for picking up the conductor.
Figure 17 is a side elevation of a bicycle showing my improved apparatus applied
thereto.
Similar reference letters indicate similar or corresponding parts throughout the
drawings.
I will first describe the paying out apparatus illustrated in figures 1, to 13. In
these figures a indicates the frame of the apparatus which is preferably tubular and
arranged in the form of a rectangle. The said frame at its front end is provided with
a slotted extension 6 to enable it to be attached to the saddle-post 6 of the bicycle, as
shown in figure 17, and is also connected by two stays to the rear end of the
backbone of the said bicycle..
c is the reel, upon which the wire to be paid out is coiled, the said reel being
supported upon a spindle c¹, which is carried in bearings d, d located within sockets
hereinafter described on the free ends of two arms d', d, the said arms being pivotted
upon brackets e secured to the side portions of the frame a. These arms, are
preferably bifurcated, as shown most clearly in figure 4, so that they straddle the
side portions of the frame a, and they are connected by bars e¹ so as to move in
unison.
f is the belt pulley from which a belt passes around the wire on the reel and
which revolves on a shaft mounted between the extremities of two bell crank levers f¹
pivotted at f* to the rear end of the frame, the other extremities f2 of the bell
crank levers are connected together by a bar f3 to which are attached two arms ft.
To the arms are pivotted two other arms f, carrying between their free ends, a
friction wheel 6, which is held in contact with a portion of the surface of the belt
pulley by means of a spring f7 attached to a bell-mouth g, through which the wire
passes as it is paid out in the manner hereinafter described. f is a loop attached to
the arms and which passes beneath the underside of the bell-mouth and acts as a
stop to limit the upward movement of the friction wheel fo.
The central portion of the belt. pulley f also forms a friction wheel, it being
arranged to bear upon the tire of the rear wheel of the bicycle, as shown clearly in
figure 17, so that when the latter wheel revolves, motion will be imparted to the said
belt pulley and thence through the medium of the belt + to the reel c. The movement
of the pulley also operates the friction wheel f

page_text: g is a brush which bears against the friction wheel portion of the pulley f and
serves to clean off any mud which may accumulate thereon from the tire. The
brush g' is attached by spring arms g, to the bar f³, and can be adjusted against the
pulley by a screw g³.
In order that the belt shall always remain taut, notwithstanding the reduction in
the diameter of the coil of wire upon the reel c, I provide springs i, i, which are
located in the tubular side portions of the frame and secured therein at one end, the
other ends being connected by chains passing around pulleys to extensions,
on the arms d, d.
,, are belt guides to prevent the belt from running off the pulley f, as shown
clearly in figure 5.
By arranging the belt to run upon the surface of the coil of wire on the reel c I
insure the delivery of it at an uniform speed, notwithstanding the reduction of the
coil; the wire being positively unwound from the coil, by passing between the friction
wheel and the belt pulley f, obviates the breakage of the same, which might occur,
if the wire were simply unwound by tension due to its weight or to its attachment to
a fixed point. When the wire is almost entirely unwound from the reel, I provide
for automatically indicating this by an alarm bell j, the hammer of which is adapted
to be operated through the medium of an arm j. and on the spindle c¹ of the reel I
secure two (or more) arms, j, which, when the reel has been pulled sufficiently far
under the action of the springs i, i, consequent upon the reduction of the coil of wire,
impinge upon the arm and so cause the ringing of the hell. These arms, are
also provided with lugs or pins which enter corresponding holes in one of the
flanges of the reel, as shown in figures 12 and 13, thus insuring the rotation of the
said arms with the reel.
In order to connect the wire (c* with the telegraphic or other instrument, by means
of which it is desired to communicate to a point along the said wire. I provide a
contact ring 2, on one end of the reel, as shown clearly in figures 2, 3, and 12. To
this ring, one end of the wire on the reel is attached, and on the arm & I fix a
spring-piece, provided with, but insulated from, a contact-maker et. The switch or
contact-maker is provided with a pole clamp to which the wire from the
telegraphic or other instrument is connected. To enable the contact-maker e to make
and break contact with the ring ², I provide a trigger of pivotted to the spring-
piece and of the shape shown at figure 4, so that when in the position shown in the
said figure the contact-maker is out of contact with the ring, but when turned
into a position approximately at right angles to that shown, the spring-piece will be
enabled to press the contact-maker against the said ring .
In order to enable an empty reel to be readily removed and replaced by a full reel,
the bearings d, d, (which are advantageously ball bearings) are adapted to slide
laterally so as to disengage themselves from the spindle c¹ of the reele, and for this
purpose they are located in sockets on the free ends of the arms ', . The
bearing and its enclosing socket on the arm is shown drawn to an enlarged scale
in end elevation, plan and longitudinal section in figures 7, 8 and 9 respectively.
This lateral motion of the bearings is effected by imparting a slight rotary motion to
them, through the medium of levers ¹, k, connected together by a spring bar ², as
clearly shown in figures 4 and 6. This rotary motion of the bearings causes a pin 3,
with which they are each provided, to slide in a cam-shaped groove in a casing
fixed in each of the sockets k by screws k*, whereby the said bearings are caused to
move longitudinally in the said casings. One of these casings is shown in side
elevation and inverted plan at figures 10 and 11.
Figure 6 represents a spring-bar kas having been operated or turned down, so as
to enable the reel to be removed from the apparatus. 6, 5 are openings in the
sockets and casings through which the ends of the reel spindle a pass when lifted
out.
The spring-bar before mentioned serves to return the bearings to their normal
positions after another reel has been introduced. The said spring-bar is provided with

page_text: a loop or handle to enable it to be operated and with a spring-catch 8, pivotted to
the said handle, provided with a pin which, when the parts are in their normal
positions, as shown in figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, engages in a hole in the cap of
the bearing socket on the arm and so locks the parts in position.
For preventing the lateral movement of the reel upon the spindle c', the latter is
provided with a spring-catch 7, which, when it is desired to remove the reel from the
spindle, is depressed into a recess beneath the said spring-catch.
In order to throw the apparatus out of gear when it is not required to pay out the
wire, I provide for lifting the belt-pulley f out of engagement with the tire, and for
this purpose one of the bell crank levers fl is provided with a toothed segment m
which engages with a pinion on a shaft n', the latter being provided with a hand
wheel n², by rotating which, motion will be imparted to the shaft and the pinion n
and thence to the said segment m.
Figure 3 represents the position of the parts just described after they have been
moved or thrown out of gear to their fullest extent.
In order to hold the shaft n' in any position in which it may be turned, I provide a
catch o, pivotted to the frame a, which catch is adapted to engage with one or other of
a series of notches formed in a disc o secured to the said shaft..
A spring 2 is adapted to bear with its two ends upon the flattened sides of the
catch spindle, as shown in figure 5, to hold the catch in its locked position.
In conjunction with the apparatus herein before described I find it sometimes
advantageous to employ a second set of apparatus for picking up the wire c* after
it has been paid out so as to enable it to be made use of again. Apparatus
suitable for this purpose is shown in figures 14, 15 and 16, and it comprises a reel p
of similar construction to that shown in the paying out apparatus, mounted on a
spindle pl carried in bearings p², 72, supported upon a standard p³ secured to the back-
bone 6 of the bicycle, as shown in figure 17, in front of the saddle-post . This reel
is frictionally connected to the spindle by means of a spring plate q secured to the
spindle and having a series of arms pressing against one of the flanges of the
reel, as shown in figure 15. ql is a nut on the end of the spindle 2 for keeping the reel
in place. Motion is imparted to the said reel from the belt pulley f of the paying out
apparatus, a long belt being adapted to extend from the said belt pulley to a pulley r
on the spindle p', as shown by the dotted lines in figure 17.
It will be obvious that if the whole of the wire on the reel c in the apparatus,
shown in figures 1 to 13, has been paid out that the said reel can be transferred
to the spindle p¹ in order to have the wire rewound thereon.
In order that the wire shall be as evenly coiled as possible upon the reel I
provide the guide s through which the wire is caused to pass. The said guide is
arranged to move to and fro across the front of the reel, by means of a cord s¹ attached
to one of two bars carrying the said guide, the cord passing around pulleys 2, to a
hand-lever on the handle bar 5 of the bicycle, as shown in figures 14, 15, 16 and 17.
The bars t, t carrying the guide are operated in one direction by a spring u, so that
after they have been moved forward by means of the hand-lever t¹, the action of the
spring will serve to move them in the opposite direction.
Although I have described my improved apparatus as adapted for use with a
bicycle, it will be obvious that other forms of velocipedes, horse vehicles, railway
trains and the like can be used for the same purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is —
1. In apparatus for paying out an electrical conductor, the provision of means for
positively unwinding such conductors from the reel upon which it is wound
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
2. In apparatus for paying out an electrical conductor, which apparatus is adapted
to be applied to a bicycle or other vehicle, the arrangement of a wheel or drum

page_text: adapted to bear frictionally upon one of the wheels of such vehicle, so that during the
traverse of the latter, motion will be imparted to the said wheel or drum, which
motion is utilized for feeding the wire, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for paying out an electrical conductor the employment of a belt
running upon the surface of the coil of wire to be paid out, so that the latter is
delivered at an uniform speed, substantially as described.
4. In apparatus for paying out an electrical conductor the arrangement of
mechanism, substantially as herein before described, whereby the reel upon which
the wire is wound may be readily removed or replaced substantially as described.
5. The manufacture and use of the improved apparatus herein before described
and illustrated in figures 1 to 13 of the accompanying drawing for the purpose
specified.
6. The combination with apparatus of the kind hereinbefore described of mechanismi
for picking up the wire, substantially in the manner set forth.
001
1
T
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.