Improvements in the Construction of Spring Reels for Roses for Ceilings or Wall Connections and other Electrical Fittings:
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, outh Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 29th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1895
Date of Application, suth Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 29th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Spring Reels for Roses for
Ceilings or Wall Connections and other Electrical Fittings:
I, KILLINGWORTH WILLIAM HEDGES, of 7 Carteret Street, Westminster,
London S.W., Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention to be as follows:-
My invention may be applied to ceiling roses instead of the usual counterweight,
likewise to spring winding drums for wall connections, or for portable electric
lamps; in the two latter description of fittings, the tendency of the spring to wind
up the flexible cord being controlled either by a detent or tooth which engages on
the spindle, round which the winding drum rotates but when it is applied to ceiling
roses the weight of the lamp or other fitting is arranged to overcome the spring and
the weight is controlled.
In one arrangement for a ceiling rose the detent or tooth is fixed to a rocking
lever, round which the flexible cord is passed; so that the weight of the lamp is
sufficient to cause the detent or tooth to engage in the serrations; but when the
weight is removed or supported, the detent will be released, and the action of the
spring will cause the flexible cord to be wound upon the drum, while the lamp is
lifted. Also when it is desired to unwind the flexible cord, as in lowering the lamp
the rocking lever will be pulled by the cord in such a manner that the detent or
tooth will pass through or past the pins, cogs, or serrations, and the spring will be
compressed by the unwinding of the drum in which it is encased.
This arrangement may be modified in various ways, as for instance instead of the
detent being fixed to the rocking lever, it may be fixed to the pillars supporting the
spindle on which the drum rotates, and engages in an ordinary ratchet toothed
wheel fixed to the winding drum, the rocking lever having a projecting pin which
lifts and disengages the detent from the ratchet wheel when the weight is removed,
or supported, thus allowing the action of the spring to wind up the flexible cord
upon the drum, but when the weight of the lamp is hanging on the flexible cord it
causes the rocking lever to fall and at the same time allows the detent to engage in
the toothed ratchet wheel and stop the action of the spring, and when it is desired
to unwind the flexible cord, the drum can be rotated by pulling the cord as owing
to the shape of the ordinary ratchet teeth the detent does not stop the drum in this
direction.
Another and still simpler way of effecting the same object and which may be used
either for ceiling roses, wall connections or portable lamps is to mount on one end
of the spindle of the winding drum, which is fixed, and divided into two parts
insulated one from the other, a disc with one or more recesses in the periphery of
same into which one or more detents or teeth which are loosely held on the side of
the: winding drum so as to be free to slide and engage in the recess; in the case
of wall connections and portable lamps the tendency of the spring drum to wind up
will be controlled by the detent falling into the recess and being held there either
by gravity or by a suitable spring.
When it is desired to wind up the flexible wire, by slightly pulling the cord the
loose tooth or detent is lifted out of gear, and if the tension is taken off the cord,
the drum carrying the detent will rotate so rapidly that it cannot fall into the

page_text: recess, but is held out by the action of centrifugal force as long as it is being
revolved with sufficient rapidity.
When used for ceiling roses, the recess in the disc on the fixed spindle, is so
shaped that the weight of the lamp or other fitting is supported by the detent falling
into the recess, the spring being employed to wind up the flexible wire when the
weight of the lamp is removed.
Thus the flexible wire can be pulled out as much as desired and the action
controlled, with two detents within half a revolution of the drum, or a lesser portion
of revolution with more detents. The two parts of the flexible wire are attached
to the reel which is preferably made of an insulating material on opposite sides but
are united on one side of the periphery of the reel so that the winding of the
flexible wire on the reel is freed from the tendency to overlap, and winds up more
regularly.
Dated 28th April 1894
.
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent.
Improvements in the Construction of Spring Reels for Roses for
Ceilings or Wall Connections and other Electrical Fittings.
I, KILLINGWORTH WILLIAM HEDGES, of 7 Carteret Street, Westminster,
London S. W., Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 may be applied to ceiling roses as a substitute for the usual
counterweight when it is required to raise or lower the suspended fitting, likewise
to spring winding drums for wall connections or for portable electric lamps for
winding up the slack wire; in the two latter kinds of fittings, the tendency of the
spring to wind up the flexible cord is controlled by a detent or tooth which engages
on the fixed spindle round which the winding drum rotates, but when it is applied
to ceiling roses the weight of the lamp or other fitting is arranged to overcome the
spring and the weight is controlled.
In one arrangement for a ceiling rose the detent or tooth is fixed to a rocking
lever, round which the flexible cord is passed; so that the weight of the lamp is
sufficient to cause the detent or tooth to engage in the serrations on the drum, but
when the weight is removed or supported, the detent will be released, and the action
of the spring will cause the flexible cord to be wound upon the drum, while the lamp
is lifted. Also, when it is desired to unwind the flexible cord as in lowering the
lamp the rocking lever will be pulled by the cord in such a manner that the detent
or tooth will pass through or past the pins, cogs or serrations, and the spring will
be wound up by the unwinding of the drum in which it is encased.
Another and simpler way of effecting the same object, and which may be used
either for ceiling roses, spring drops, wall connections or portable lamps is to mount
on one end of the spindle of the winding drum-which spindle is fixed and divided
into two parts insulated from one another- -a disc in which a portion of the periphery
of the same is cut away so as to leave one or more shoulders against which one or
more detents or teeth engage, the said detents being loosely held on the side of the
winding drum so as to be free to slide radially. In the case of wall connections
and portable lamps, the tendency of the spring drum to wind up is controlled by
the detent falling into the recess and being held there either by gravity or by a
suitable spring. When it is desired to wind up the flexible wire, by slightly
pulling the cord the loose tooth or detent is lifted out of gear and if the tension is
taken off the cord, the drum carrying the detent will rotate so rapidly that it

page_text: cannot fall into the recess, but is held out by centrifugal force as long as it is being
revolved with sufficient rapidity.
When used for ceiling roses the disc on tue fixed spindle is so shaped that the
weight of the lamp or other fitting is supported by the detent bearing against the
shoulder; the spring is employed to wind up the flexible wire when the weight of
the lamp is entirely or partially removed, the detent not engaging with the disc
when the drum is winding up the wire. With two detents the action can be
controlled within half a revolution of the drum and a finer adjustment can be had
with more detents.
When heavy lamps are to be suspended from the spring reel so that the flexible
wire or cord, and the moving parts of the reel are heavy it is necessary to check
the momentum of these parts when the cord is pulled out rapidly, which if
unchecked would cause the reel to continue to revolve after the desired length of
cord has been unwound, for this purpose I arrange a disc into which the detent
takes, so that instead of being fixed it shall be capable of revolving but will be
restrained from revolving by friction or in some other convenient manner; when
the lamp is lowered, the detents engage with the disc and the momentum is checked
by the friction of a spring which presses a plate or cross-bar against the disc, the
latter being mounted loosely on the spindle. The pressure of this spring can be
adjusted and the bearing surfaces where it presses on the disc can be fitted with
some self-lubricating material such as graphite or carboid.
My invention is also applicable to spring drops in which the flexible cord is
wound up on the drum in such a manner that the two ends wind on or off the drum
simultaneously.
When used to support are lamps it may not always be advisable to use the
suspending cord to carry the current and in this case I use my invention as
previously described, substituting for the flexible wire a rope or other suitable
material for suspending the lamp, which rope is wound up on the reel as before ;
the lamp, when it has been drawn up to the ceiling rose, may be electrically
connected to the supply by an automatic clutch or other arrangement now in use.
This modification does not allow the lamp to be put in any position with the current
on, which is not generally necessary for large are lamps as they usually hang close
to the point of suspension, but may require to be lowered for putting in fresh
carbons. A small amount of adjustment can be obtained by having slack flexible
wires, independent of the suspending cord, to connect the lamp to the source
of supply.
The two parts of the flexible wire are attached to brass plates on opposite sides
of the reel, which is preferably made of an insulating material such as porcelain,
but are united on one side of the periphery of the reel so that the winding of the
flexible wire on the reel is freed from the tendency to overlap and winds up more.
regularly.
To fasten the ends of the flexible wire to the rotating drum, I prefer in the case
of small wires to thread each end through two or three holes in the side of the drum,
securing the end to the brass face under the head of a screw or by other suitable
means. When using large wires or cables, I employ a cleat of insulating material
such as vulcanized fibre, or made of metal with strip of insulating material
beneath, to fasten the wires to the body of the drum, the ends then passing to the
outside of the drum to be electrically connected to the brass plates by screws.
When several lamps are suspended from one spring reel and it is desirable to
control them by more than one switch, I arrange one or more concentric contact
rings insulated from one another on one side of the reel and connect to these rings
the flexible wires leading to the various lamps; the current is conveyed to the
rings by wiping springs and the opposite side of the reel is used as a common
return for all the circuits.
If it is desirable to dispense with an external switch for controlling the suspended
lamp, this can be done as follows. The disc with which the detents engage as
described above is made in two parts, one part of small diameter made of brass

page_text: and used for engaging the detents and a second part of greater diameter fastened
to it, made of vulcanized fibre or other insulating material, against which the
friction spring presses; this latter portion has one or more brass pieces fastened to
its periphery at intervals against which a spring presses; the brass pieces are
connected electrically to one end of the flexible wire and the spring to one pole of the
source of supply. It is clear that the current will be alternately off and on as the
disc is rotated, depending upon whether the spring is left touching a brass piece or
the edge of the disc itself. To ensure a quick break and prevent any chance of
arcing, I cut away portions of the disc so that, when the current is broken, the
spring which presses radially towards the centre of the disc, drops into the recess
thus made and is thus clear of the brass plate on the edge.
Although I have described my invention in connection with electric fittings, it is
obvious that it may also be applied to the suspension of oil or candle lamps,
or for suspending any other object, the height of which from the floor has to be
adjusted.
My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings to which the following
descriptions refer.
Figs. 1 and 2 are sectional views of a ceiling rose fitted in accordance with my
invention; a the winding drum inside which is a spring having one end fixed to the
drum and the other to the spindle b; this spindle is made in two parts insulated from
each other, and is fixed and supported by the two brackets c. d. and has fastened
to it a disc e. which is cylindrical in shape, with a gradual slope at a part of its
circumference so as to form a tooth as shown in Fig. 2. The drum has at each
end a brass plate f. g. the latter carrying a slide h, in which a detent or tooth k. is
free to slide radially and engage in the disc e; is a spiral spring on the spindle.
The two ends of the flexible wire are fastened to the plates f. g. the current being
conveyed to the said plates from the source of supply through the brackets, the
spring and the disc e. In order to lower the fitting it is first raised slightly which
causes the detent to ride up the sloping surface on to the cylindrical part. When
the fitting is then suddenly raised the drum will revolve so rapidly that the
detent cannot again fall into the recess until the fitting has been lowered to the
desired height.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the rocking lever arrangement. The drum a in this case has
at one end a brass plate b on the face of which are a series of projections c, c, c;
d is a pivotted spindle with two arms e, e. fastened to it, which latter carry the
spindle f, this spindle f has on it a loose pulley g. and a projecting arm h. shaped
with a projection k at its side as shown in Fig. 5. A collar is fastened to the
spindle, against which the drum is pressed by the spring m. The flexible wire
passes from the drum over the pulley g. to the lamp, and the spring n is adjusted
by the nut p, to the suspended fitting so as to hold the arm h in the position shown
relatively to the projections c, c, c, c, in its normal position. When the lamp is
lifted, the spring n draws up the lever so that k is clear of the projections c. c. and
allows the spring in the drum to wind up the wire. When the lamp is pulled
down, the lever is drawn down also and thus allows k. to clear the projections and the
wire to be unwound.
Fig. 6 shows an application to spring drops, the arrangement of the reel being
the same as in Figs. 1 and 2, but shown as fitted with a friction arrangement to be
described later on. In this case no electrical rubbing contacts are required the
centre of the wire, viz. the point midway between the lamp and the ceiling,
being fastened to the reel by a cleat or by other means (the spring having been
previously wound up) and then doubled back so that the wire passes upwards from
one side of the drum and downwards on the other; consequently when the wire is
pulled, it will unwind from both sides.
Figs. 7, 8, and 9 show, on a larger scale, the arrangement fitted to a ceiling rose
with friction brake, a is the reel preferably of porcelain fitted with brass plates b, c,
at the ends, one of which carries the slide d in which the detent or tooth e is free
to move being pressed towards the centre of the springƒ; g. is the winding spring,

page_text: inside the drum. The spindle is divided into two parts by the insulating piece h.
one end being fastened permanently to the bracket k, the other end passing
through the bracket 1; m is a collar fixed to the spindle, against which the reel is
pressed by the spring wo; n is a disc, which has one or more portions cut away to
form shoulders, two being shown in Fig. 7 this disc is loose on the spindle and does
not move when the lamp is raised to this disc is attached a rubbing surface, when
the wire is pulled down, the detent e engages against the shoulders of the disc and
thus rotates it and its rubbing surface which destroys the momentum when the
fitting is pulled down rapidly. The amount of friction is controlled by the nuts,
and the spring r. It is clear that when the weight of the suspended fitting is
removed the spring drum is free to revolve and wind up the wire without bringing
the friction disc into action. Should however, the lamp be suddenly let go, it is
prevented from falling (as might be the case with heavy fittings used with the
simpler arrangement previously described) by the detent engaging with the disc
which disc the drum has to rotate so that the friction thus introduced prevents it
from falling suddenly. To connect the appliance to the supply two wires are
brought through the base by the holes u, u, and connected to the screws vv;
a fuse is intended to be inserted between x and y.
Figs. 10 shows a method of fastening the two ends of the flexible wire to the
drum; each end is shown passing three times thro' the side of the drum, being
then held under the head of the screw s. f, g. are the brass plates to which it is
required to connect the wires electrically. The method adopted for heavy wires
is shown in Fig. 9 in which the twin wire is clamped under the cleat t, the ends
then passing through the ends of the drum to be secured by screws as before.
Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate the multiple circuit arrangement. The drum a has at
one end a brass plate b with detent etc., as before described and shown in Fig. 8.
The other end has a plate of vulcanized fibre d, upon which are fixed one or more
concentric ringe, 3 being shown in the figure, e, f, g, to which the various wires, h, j, k,
leading to the different lamps are fastened. Against the two outer rings press
springs l, m, the current to the ring y. being e carried through the bracket as
before described. The several wires are stranded together and preferably secured
by a cleat as shown in Fig. 9.
Fig. 13 shows the method of fixing the ends of the wires to the rings viz.-by
passing the end through a hole made in the ring in a radial direction, a screw sunk
below the surface being then screwed down upon the wire to secure it.
The rings
themselves are fastened to the drum by screws sunk in the same way to give a
smooth surface to the rings upon which the springs may press.
Figs. 14 and 15 show the switching arrangement; the disc corresponds to that
marked in Fig. 8. In Fig. 15 the part a is made of brass with depressions in
which the detents engage; the part b is made of insulating material such as
vulcanized fibre and has on its edge two or more pieces of brass, two being shown
in the fig. c. c, the disc being cut away as shown. is a spring pressing on the
edge of the disc, alternately making and breaking the circuit as the disc is rotated;
the pieces c c are connected preferably by wires sunk in the disc b.
Fig. 16 shows an arrangement of spring reel which is used for suspending oil,
or candle lamps or for suspending any other object by means of the cord or
chain c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my Baid
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The construction of reels for holding flexible cords in which the reel is held
in any desired position by a detent which when winding up the cord is thrown out
of gear substantially as described.
2. The construction of reels for holding flexible cords in which the reel is held
in any desired position by a detent which on unwinding is held by a disc whose

page_text: motion is restrained by friction and which detent on winding slides over the disc
substantially as described.
T
motion is restrained by friction and which detent on winding slides over the disc
substantially as described.
3. The construction of reels
substantially as described.
shown in Figs. i,
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