Improvements in Switches for Electric Signalling Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 15th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Switches for Electric Signalling Apparatus.
I, LEOPOLD SELLNER of Pol, in the Province of Istria, in the Empire of Austria
Naval Officer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to switches, by means of which any desired lamp from a
number of white and coloured or continuously and intermittingly lighting electric
incandescent lamps can be interposed into the circuit of an electric current generator
in order to give a signal while, at the same time, an equal number of other lamps,
provided for maintaining in the circuit unvariable resistance, are put out of circuit.
The invention has for its object to provide a switch of small size and admitting of
any desired combination of lamps being surely and rapidly caused to appear, while the
corresponding resistance lamps are extinguished at once.
According to the present invention, two contact discs are provided, separated by a
layer of insulating material, one of the said discs consists of a number of separate
metallic contact pieces representing the terminals of interruptions of the shunts,
which contain the signal lamps, while the other contact disc is made up of metallic
contact pieces similarly included in shunts of the circuit, into which the resistance
lamps are interposed.
The said metallic contact pieces are so formed, that seats for pegs are provided
between them, in such a manner that the peg scat or hole in the shunt containing
a given signal lamp is located in front of the peg hole of the corresponding resistanco
lamp. Between each pair of corresponding peg seats, the layer of insulating material
separating the two contact plates is likewise provided with holes, and the pegs inserted
into the holes have one half of their length made of metal and the other half of
insulating material. Under normal circumstances, all pegs have their metallic halves
in contact with the contact pieces of the resistance lamp shunts while their non-con-
ductive halves are engaged in the seats between the contact pieces of the signal lamp
shunts, and when a signal is to be given, the respective pegs are so displaced in their
holes, that the metallic halves of the same get into the seats between the contact pieces
of the signal lamp shunts.
In order to enable the pegs, which are to be shifted, for giving any signal, to be
displaced at once, two discs are provided, against which bear the ends of the pegs,
and which are mounted on a revoluble and end wise movable rod; the disc, which
faces the resistance lamps contact disc, being provided with a number of perforations
so shaped and arranged, that, on the rod being displaced end wise after having previously
been rotated a certain angle, those pegs, which shall not be displaced for the signal
in view, come in front of holes of the perforated disc, and enter these holes, while the
other pegs are shifted by solid portions of the disc.
The said revoluble and endwise movable rod carries a hand which points on a disc
or dial to an image or representation of the combination of lamps or signal which it
is desired to show.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.;
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Switches for Electric Signalling Apparatus.
I, LEOPOLD SELLNER, of Polar, in the Province of Istria, in the Empire of Austria,
Officer in the Imperial and Royal Austrian Navy, 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 :-
This invention relates to switches, by means of which one or more of a number of
white and colored or continuously and intermittingly lighted electric incandescent lamps
can be interposed into the circuit of an electric generator in order to give a signal,
while, at the same time, an equal number of other lamps, provided for maintaining in
the circuit an invariable resistance, are put out of circuit.
The invention has for its object to provide a switch of small compass, admitting of
any desired combination of lights being surely and rapidly caused to appear, while the
corresponding resistance lamps are extinguished at once.
According to the present invention, two contact discs are provided, separated by a
layer of insulating material, one of the said discs consists of a number of separate
metallic contact pieces representing the terminals of interruptions of the shunts, which
contain the signal lamps, while the other contact disc is made up of metallic contact
pieces similarly included in shunts of the circuit into which the resistance lamps are
interposed.
The means for closing the shunt of any signal lamp and at once breaking the shunt
of the corresponding resistance lamp or vice versa consists in pegs, movable between
and in rubbing contact with the said contact pieces. The simultaneous shifting of all
the pegs corresponding to a given combination of lamps is provided for by a disc
movable toward and away from the said contact discs and adapted to be turned round
its centre, this disc being provided with holes, through which, on the disc being moved
toward the contact discs, pass those pegs, which are not intended to be shifted.
The accompanying drawings represent a switch of the kind referred to above, and
intended to operate an electric telegraph composed of three white, three coloured (red)
and three resistance incandescent lamps.
In the drawings
Figure 1. is a sectional elevation of the switch:
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on line a, a, Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 is a plan of the apparatus ;
Figure 4 is a diagram of the electric connections of the two contact discs and the
nine incandescent lamps.
Referring to figure 1, a is the contact disc comprising the contact pieces, which form
parts of the six signal lamp shunts, and b is the contact disc composed of the contact
pieces appurtenant to the resistance lamp shunts. These contact discs are separated
from each other by a layer of insulating material c, and they are so shaped as to form
seats for the contact pegs 1, 11, 2, 21, 3 and 31. Each peg has its lower portion d made
of conducting material, its top portion of non conductive material, and either end
of each peg is provided with an operating pin, made of non-conducting material or
insulated from the metallic portion of the peg. The ends of the said operating pins
bear against dises e and el, which are screwed to a spindle provided with a knob or
thumb piece y, and so the said discs e and et are adapted to be rotated and raised and
lowered. The upper disc el is made solid, while the lower one e is provided with
perforations of the shape shown in figure 2, and has formed in its circumference as
many notches as there are combinations of lamps to be produced. According to
the position given to the disc e by turning it the one or the other of the
notches will on the disc e being raised be engaged by a rib h provided on one of
the standards of the casing and thus the raised disc e will be prevented from rotating
Upon the cover of the casing, representations of all possible combinations of white
and coloured lamps are provided, and a pointer 1 secured to the thumb piece g may
be set at any one of these representations, when the knob g with the spindle f and the

page_text: liscs e and el is raised, certain pegs will be raised and thereby caused to close the
shunts containing the signal lamps, which compose the combination indicated by the
pointer while the other pegs remain in their position in consequence of their operating
In order to avoid raising the
pins facing the perforations of the lower disc e.
pointer with the knob g, the said pointer is secured to a separate socket provided
with an internal groove, into which projects a pin f1 fixed to the spindle f.
Each white signal lamp has arranged by its side a red one and the three pairs of
lamps II II II and III III' are enclosed in a common box. These lamps are
interposed in a multiple are between the current generator and the contact disc a
from the central piece of which a conducting wire runs to the other pole of the
IIe and III e are contained
generator. On the other hand the resistance lamps 1e,
in three separate shunts each of which is doubly interrupied in the contact
disc b.
If, for instance the pointer be brought into the position shown in Figure 3 that is
to say, if the white signal light I were intended to be shown, the disc e would occupy
the position shown in Figure 2, relatively to the operating pins of the pegs 1, 1, 2, 21, 3.
and 31; in consequence of which only the peg 1 can be lifted on the knob being
pulled upward, while all other pegs pass through perforations of the disc e and keep.
the shunts of the resistance lamps II e and III e closed.
In the same mauner any other position given to the pointer and consequently to
the disc e would result in only those pegs which correspond to the signal lamps to
be placed into the circuit being raised, while the others remain in their lower position.
As already stated and clearly shown in Figure 4 the contact disc is so constructed
that the shunt of each resistance lamp is interrupted in two points. One of these.
interruptions is closed by the peg corresponding to the white signal lamp and the
other by the peg corresponding to the red signal lamp, and so the shunt of each
resistance lamp will be broken when the shunt of either of the corresponding white.
signal lamp or the corresponding red signal lamp is completed.
The above described switch may be used for signals composed of continuous and
intermittent lights as well as for optic signals composed of white and coloured lights..
In this case, a make and break is interposed into the shunts of the lamps I, II
and III provided with white glass globes and additional metal springs, continuously
rubbing over suitably arranged portions of the revolving make and break cylinder
are so connected to the shunts of the resistance lamps Ic, 1Ie and III e that these
latter are worked in the intervals between the successive illuminations of the
corresponding intermittingly lighted lamps.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
First. In a switch for incandescent lamp optical telegraphs, comprising signal lamps.
and resistance lamps, the combination with a disc composed of metallic contact pieces.
that represent interruptions of the signal lamp shunts and a disc composed of
metallic contact pieces that represent interruptions of the resistance lamp shunts, of
pegs movable between the contact pieces corresponding to a couple of signal and
resistance lamps and adapted to close, on being displaced, the shunt circuit of either
lamp while breaking at once that of the other, substantially as described.
Second: In a switch for incandescent lamp optical telegraphs comprising signal
lamps and resistance lamps, the combination with a number of pegs adapted to close
on being displaced, the shunt circuits of signal or resistance lamps and to break at
once the shunt circuits of the corresponding resistance or signal lamps, of a plate
movable round an axis perpendicular to its own plane and adapted to be moved
toward the pegs and away from the same, the said plate being provided with
perforations, into which, on the plate being moved toward the pegs, certain pegs.
enter, while the others are carried along by the plate, substantially as, and for the
purpose, described.

page_text: Third. In a switch for incandescent lamp optical telegraphs comprising signal
lamps and resistance lamps, the combination with the contact discs a and b of
pegs d, d' part of the length of which is made of metal and part of insulating material
substantially as described.
Fourth. In a switch for incandescent lamp optical telegraphs, comprising signal
lamps and resistance lamps, the combination with the contact discs a and b and
pegs d d of insulated extensions of the said pegs, the revoluble spindle and the
perforated disc e secured to the said spindle, substantially as described.
Fifth. In a switch for incandescent lamp optical telegraphs comprising signal
lamps and resistance lamps, the combination with the end wise movable pegs dd,
spindle and perforated disc e of the pointer secured to the said spindle and the
signal dial substantially as described.
Sixth. In a switch for incandescent lamp optical telegraphs comprising signal
lamps and resistance lamps, the combination with the endwise movable pegs a d¹, of
the revoluble spindle the perforated disc e secured to the said spindle and having
notches formed in its circumference and the rib adapted to enter any of the
notches on the spindle f and disc e being raised, substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.