IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WORKING GEAR AND APPLIANCES USED IN ELECTRIC LIGHTING
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Killingworth William Hedges of No 25 Queen Anne's
Gate Westminster in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WORKING GEAR AND APPLIANCES USED IN ELECTRIC
LIGHTING
"
°
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Killingworth William
Hedges at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd August
1882.
KILLINGWORTH WILLIAM HEDGES of N° 25 Queen Anne's Gate Westminster in
the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WORKING GEAR AND APPLIANCES
USED IN ELECTRIC LIGHTING "
As at
One part of this invention relates to an improved method of controlling from a
distance the speed of any motor used for driving the generator of electricity for
lighting purposes or for controlling the electromotive force of the same.
present effected the motor is either regulated by hand or by an automatic governor,
or the electromotive force of the machine is increased or diminished by putting in
resistances either automatically or by some person stationed near the machine.
According to my invention I use a separate wire or conductor connected either
with the earth to form the return current or with the return wire conveying the
main current, and through this wire I pass either a portion of the current from the
generator as a shunt or I use the current from a secondary battery or that from an
ordinary voltaic battery. To cause the current to pass I arrange a suitable switch
in some portion of the space or building to be lighted in a convenient position to
control the lights. This current actuates an electro magnetic apparatus which is
in connection either with the regulator or throttle valve of the motor, or it operates
by inserting or cutting out suitable resistances either in the main circuit or the
magnetic field of the electric generator. If a voltaic or secondary battery be used
to produce the electricity in the main circuit, the said electromagnet may be made
to work a switch so as to cut out or increase the number of cells. Any suitable
known construction of electromagnetic apparatus may be employed for the above

page_text: purpose, that described in the Specification to M. P. W. Boulton's Patent of 8th March
1879 N° 926 being well adapted therefor.
My invention relates furthermore to improvements in the switches and safety
plugs used with incandescent lights and also to a means of rapidly switching out
any number of these lights with the minimum amount of sparking at the contacts of
the switch.
For switches arranged to take the small amount of current used for a few
incandescent lights I make the contact by means of a metal spring bent into a hook
or loop form so as to avoid the tendency to break which occurs when the spring
of a straight piece of brass is used. I also construct the contact piece which bears
against this metal spring with two or more angular faces one of which acts as the
contact while the other acts as the insulator, so that on turning it into the one
position or the other it cannot be left with the contact partly bearing on the spring
or in such a position that an arc could be formed between the spring and the
contact piece. For the safety plug I prefer to use a round or rectangular piece of
mica covered with tin or silver foil either in the usual manner or with a metallic
solution and arranged to rest on two supports so as to admit of an air space between
the metallic covering and the wood of the switch. I also prefer to place this
metallic covering on the under side of the mica and lead the wire to the top side
of the same and connect it to the metallic covering underneath.
When more powerful currents are employed I use a switch such as that described
in the specification to my previous Patent dated 3rd August 1881 N° 3369.
In order to instantaneously take off the contact piece and shut off the current
I cause the action of making contact to compress a spring which is released by
means of a rod passing through the centre pivot of the switch and which actuates
a lever releasing a locking pin passing through the moveable contact piece which
slides on and off the metallic connection and terminal of the switch.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Killingworth William Hedges in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st February 1883.
KILLINGWORTH WILLIAM HEDGES of No 25 Queen Anne's Gate Westminster in
the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WORKING GEAR AND APPLIANCES
USED IN ELECTRIC LIGHTING
"
As at
One part of this Invention relates to an improved method of controlling from a
distance the speed of any motor used for driving the generator of electricity for
lighting purposes, or for controlling the electro-motive force of the same.
present effected, the motor is either regulated by hand or by an automatic governor,
or the electro-motive force of the machine is increased or diminished by putting in
resistances either automatically or by some person stationed near the machine.
According to my invention, I use a separate wire or conductor connected either
with the earth to form the return current or with the return wire conveying
the main current, and through this wire I pass either a portion of the current
from the generator as a shunt or I use the current from a secondary battery
or that from an ordinary voltaic battery. To cause the current to pass,
I arrange
a suitable switch in some portion of the space or building to be lighted in a
convenient position to control the lights. This current actuates an electro-magnetic
apparatus which is in connection either with the regulator or throttle valve of the
motor, or it operates by inserting or cutting out suitable resistances either in the
main circuit or the magnetic field of the electric generator. If a voltaic or
secondary battery be used to produce the electricity in the main circuit, the said
electro-magnet may be made to work a switch so as to cut out or increase the
number of cells. Any suitable known construction of electro-magnetic apparatus
may be employed for the above purpose, that described in the Specification to
M. P. W. Boulton's Patent of 8th March 1879 No. 926 being well adapted therefor.
My invention relates furthermore to improvements in the switches and safety
plugs used with incandescent lights and also to a means of rapidly switching out
any number of these light with the minimum amount of sparking at the contacts
of the switch.
For switches arranged to take the small amount of current used for a few
incandescent lights I make the contact by means of a metal spring bent into a hook
or loop form so as to avoid the tendency to break which occurs when the spring
of a straight piece of brass is used. I also construct the contact piece which bears
against this metal spring with two or more angular faces, one of which acts as the
contact, while the other acts as the insulator, so that, on turning it into the one
position or the other, it cannot be left with the contact partly bearing on the
spring or in such a position that an arc could be formed between the spring and
the contact piece. For the safety plug I employ a plate of mica covered with tin
or silver foil and arranged to rest on two supports so as to admit of an air space
between the switch and the base carrying the supports.
When more powerful currents are employed I use a switch such as that
described in the specification to my previous Patent dated 3rd August 1881
No 3369.
In order to instantaneously take off the contact piece and shut off the current, I
cause the action of making contact to compress a spring which, on releasing a pin
from the hollow in which it is engaged, throws the contact suddenly off.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS,
Fig. 1 is a diagram shewing one arrangement for controlling the speed of a distant
motor according to the quantity of electricity required. A is the machine for
generating the electricty driven by a steam or other fluid pressure engine having
its supply pipe provided with a throttle or other regulating valve B that is worked
by the core of a solenoid C. I will suppose that there are three sets of electric
lamps, each set brought into circuit by switches D1 D2 D3 respectively when
contact is made at d' d or d³. Each of those switches is provided with another
contact e¹ e² es communicating with the coil of the solenoid C, so that when any set
of the lamps is cut out of circuit the current that had been passed through them
is made to pass through the solenoid coil C, and the movement of its core alters the
regulating valve B so as to bring the power or speed of the motor engine, and of
the machine A worked by it, into accord with the demand for electricity for the
lamps remaining in circuit. According to the modified arrangement shown
diagrammatically by Fig. 2, the solenoid Chas its coil made up of separate parts each
of which is connected with one of the switches D1 D2 D3 so that, according as the
lamps connected with one or other of these are cut out of circuit, one or other
portion of the coil of C is brought into circuit. If, for example, the switch D¹ is used
for a large lanp, it may, when this lamp is cut out, bring into circuit a large
portion of the coil C. The core of C may by it movement work a regulating
valve of a motor engine or may bring suitable resistances into circuit.
Fig 3 is a plan of a switch consisting of a rectangular contact A with two of
its sides a a faced with insulating material, which contact can be turned round
between two springs B B. In the position shewn in Fig. 3, contact is made between
the springs, but when the rectangular piece is turned one quarter round so as to
present the sides a a to the springs, contact is broken. By employing the rec-
tangular form for the centre piece, its movement is made to complete itself suddenly
in either direction, and it is held firmly in position, as the blade of a pocket knife
actuated by the back spring. In the form shewn in Fig 4 applicable in cases where
there is a considerable current, the contact is first made and last broken with the
springs allowing a small quantity of current to pass through resistances R R, and
it is not until the springs are pressed against the contacts CC that the full current
is passed. Fig. 5 is a section of a switch according to my invention, arranged so
as to break contact suddenly. It consists of a spindle G which can be turned by a
handle or key. On this spindle is a volute helical spring H and a contact arm I
which is pressed upwards by a spring J so as to make contact at K. On the
arm I is a rounded stud i which is pressed by the spring H into a rounded hollow
so as to hold the arm I in the position making contact. When, however, the
spindle G is turned a little so as to disengage the stud i from the hollow, then the
volute spring H causes the arm I to turn suddenly aside from the contact K.
Figs 6, 7 and 9 shew safety plugs constructed according to my invention: I find
it desirable to use two or more conducting foils M which are kept apart by means of
insulating material such as mica. The conducting foils rest at each end on, and are
fastened to supports S S leaving an air space between them and the base on
which the supports are mounted. The current enters at one end, passes through
the foil, and leaves at the other end. When powerful currents are used the number
of foils and insulators may be increased as shewn in Fig. 9, the current dividing
itself among them. According to the form shewn in Fig 8, the foil is wrapped
round a plate of mica. Instead of mica, thin plates of any noncombustible insu-
lating material may be used. Fig 11 is a front view and Fig 12 a vertical section
shewing an arrangement of a pair of safety plugs M M for leading off a current
from a main conductor L which may be a cable as shewn. Two springs T T press
on the ends of the plugs M M so that both conduct from the one spring to the
other. Either plug may, however, be excluded by inserting a piece of paper or
other nonconducting sheet under either end of the springs T.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim :-
First. Connecting the distant electrical switches for sets of lamps by conductors
to coils of solenoids or electro magnets arranged to actuate the regulating valves of
the engines or machines employed for generating the electricity, or to introduce or
cut out resistances, so that as sets of the lamps are cut out of circuit, the speed or
power of the electric generator or the current transmitted from it is reduced,
substantially as described with reference to Figs 1 and 2.
Second. The construction of electric switch with rectangular contact turning
between two springs substantially as described with reference to Figs 3 and 4.
Third. The construction of electric switch having an arm on a spindle urged by
a spring to break contact when a stud holding it in contact is released, substantially
as described with reference to Fig. 5.
Fourth. Constructing electric safety plugs of metallic foil in combination with
layers of mica or equivalent material substantially as described with reference to
Figs 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
In witness whereof, I the said Killingworth William Hedges have hereunto
set my hand and seal this fourteenth day of February in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty-three.
KILLINGWORTH. W. HEDGES (L.S.)