Improved Means for Use with Electric Cables for Diverting the Current through Adjacent Cables when Required for Repairs or other purpose.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 14th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Use with Electric Cables for Diverting the
Current through Adjacent Cables when Required for Repairs or
other purpose.
I, HENRY EDMUNDS, of 39 Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object to provide at the junction boxes of electrio
cables means whereby any section can be disconnected for repair or other
purpose without interrupting the supply of current to the other sections of the
cables.
According to this invention the sections of each of the cables which enter the
junction boxes are connected together, the sections of the one cable by a readily
removeable connector and the sections of the other cable by means of a contact
piece which can be rotated or moved so that it can be caused to make contacts for
connecting together three sections instead of two so as to connect a section on one
side with the two sections on the other side. When it is desired to disconnect a
section the removeable connectors at the junction box on either side of the section
to be disconnected are removed so as to throw out that section, the rotatable or
moveable contact piece in each junction box being rotated or moved so that the
one contact piece conducts the current from both onble sections on one side to one
cable section on the other side whilst the contact piece in the other junction box.
conducts the current from the one cable section on one side to the two uable
sections on the other side so that the cables are still connected with the source
of electric supply only the particular section desired being cut off from the
supply.
"Although I have mentioned the connecting of two cables it will be understood
that three or more cables may be similarly.connected if required.
Dated this 14th day of November 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Jon Fields, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improved Means for Use with Electric Cables for Diverting the
Current through Adjacent Cables when Required for Repairs or
other purpose.
1, HENRY EDMUNDS, of 39 Victorin Street, in the City of Westminster,
Electrical Engineer, 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 has for its object to provide, at the junction boxes of electrio
cables connected in parallel at a common source of supply, means whereby any

page_text: Fection can be disconnected for repair or other purpose without interrupting the
supply of current to the other sections of the cables.
According to this invention the sections of each of the cables which enter the
junction boxes are connected together, the sections of the one cable by a readily
removeable connector, and the sections of the other cable by means of a contact
piece which can be rotated or moved so that it can be caused to make contacts for
connecting together three sections instead of two so as to connect a section on one
side with the two sections on the other side. When it is desired to disconnect a
section the removeable connector at the junction box, on either end of the section
to be disconnected, is removed so as to throw out that section, the rotatable or
moveable contact piece in each junction box being rotated or moved so that the
one contact piece conducts the current from both cable sections on one-side to one
cable section on the other side, whilst the contact piece in the other junction box
conducts the current from the one cable section on one side, to the two cable
sections on the other side, so that the cables are still connected with the source
of electric supply, only the particular section desired being cut off from the
supply.
Although I have mentioned the connecting of two cables it will be understood
that three or more cables may be similarly connected if required.
I will describe my invention by reference to the accompanying drawings in
Figures. 1, 2 and 3 of which I have shewn the said invention applied to two cables
each consisting of two concentric cables or conductors the inner of which cables
serves as the lead and the outer of which serves as the return.
In these drawings:-
Figure is a plan, the upper half shewing the junction box .complete, and the
lower half as with the cover or upper part removed.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vortical section on the crooked line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a view the left-hand half in eud'elevation and the right hand half
in transverse vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and,
Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams shewing respectively the normal arrangement of
the system and the manner in which certain sectious of the cables are cut out of
circuit according to this invention.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the various figures of the drawings.
In carrying my invention into practice in the manner represented in the
accompanying drawings, I provide at each junction of the cables, a box or case A
formed of an upper part a and a lower part a', these two parts being secured
together by bolts and nuts a³. Into the opposite ends of this box A enter the
cables B, B, C, C, each of which consists of an inner cable b or c, and an outer
cable 6 or c concentric with the said inner cable. The outer conductore b¹ c¹ are
connected together within the junction box A by bars or bridge pieces d suitably
clamped or secured at the ends, to the said outer conductors, these, bars & being
electrically connected together by a removable connector d' to which access may
be had for connecting or disconnecting said bars, by removing a cover A* from the
box or case A. The inner conductors b, c, are secured to clips or brackets e
supported in blocks or plates e¹ of non-conducting material. These clips or
brackets e are each provided with two sets of contacts & e³, to the former of which
may be fitted rods or bars e¹ of non-conducting material, and which said contacts e
may be placed in electrical conuection by a readily removable connector e³,
provided conveniently with a non-conducting handle e, by raising or removing the
connector which may be done by means of the handle e, the contacts at the
opposite ends of the junction box A aro electrically disconnected from each other.
To enable the connector to be operated in this mauner the cover A' above it,
must be detached from the box A; there are two covers A¹ to admit of the
connector.e being applied to the contacts e* of the conductors.c instead of to the
conductors b.
With the sets of contacts e a rotatable or movable contact F which, as shewn,
may be in the form of a sector, is adapted to be placed in electrical connection, 80

page_text: as to connect together either only the inner conductors c as indicated in dotted
lines in Figure 1 aud in the junction boxes 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Figure 4 which is the
normal arrangement, or so as to connect together any three of the sections of the
inner conductors bc that is to say one section b with two sections c as indicated in
the junction boxes 4 and 5 of Figure 5 or one section c with two sections bas
shewn in the junction boxes 2 and 3 of Figure 5, or the said rotatable or movablo .
contact F may be turned so as to connect the ends of the conductors c. b. of (the
same section of cables as shewu in the junction box 5 of Figure 4, or it may be
entirely reversed from the position shewn in Figure 1 so as to be in electrical
contact with only the conductors b.
The rotatable or movable contact F, is mounted on, but insulated from, a
spindle the upper end of which projects through the top of the case A into a cup
or chamber a and is squared at its end: so as to enable the contact F to be turned
by a suitable key, into either of the before described positions. An index or
pointer f mounted on the spindle within the chamber a indicates the position of
the rotatable or movable contact F within the box A. The chamber a³ is closed
by a cap G which may be provided with a lng g, with which a tumbler gl pivotted
to one of the before mentioned covers A', is adapted to engage, this tumbler, when
necessary being locked in its operative or locking position by a padlock g³ so as
to prevent the junction box being opened or tampered with by unauthorized
persons.
When in use, the junction box A is preferably filled with heavy oil.
The before described junction boxes are introduced in the electrical system.at
suitable distances, say half a mile, apart and in Figure 4 I have diagrammatically
shewn five such boxes iu their normal condition and in Figure 5 I shew the same
five boxes arranged to cut certain sections of the cables or conductors out of the
circuit. In these two figures the dotted lines b and the dot-and-dash lines o
represent the conductors herein before referred to as the inner conductors, and the
full lines and o' represent the conductors herein before referred to as the outer
conductors which in these diagrams are shewn as connected to earth. In Figure 4
the circuits through both of the cables b..c. are represented as complete as far as
the junction box 5 at which the said circuit is interrupted, by the before described
connector & having been removed, and the rotatable contact F having been turned
out of contact with the conductors cb leading from the box 4. In Figure I shew
how, by turning the rotatable contacts F of the junction boxes 2 and 3, the section
of the conductor c between the boxes 2 and 3 may be cut out of the circuit and
also, how, by removing the connectors e and rotating the contacts Fat the
junction boxes 4 and 5, the section of the conductor 6 between those two boxes
may be cut out of the circuit.
By the foregoing apparatus the section of the conductor 6 or c, between any
two of the junction boxes may readily be cut out of the circuit without even a
momentary interference with the supply at the other parts of the system.
Although I have herein described my invention as applied to concentric
conductors, the said conductors may be arranged in any other suitable way,
Figures 4 and 5, by shewing the conductors be outside of the junction-boxes,
serving to illustrate one such modified arrangement.
I may arrange the apparatus so as to make and break the circuit through either
the outer conductor or the inner conductor, or by providing two rotatable contacts F
on the spindle and the necessary contact surfaces on both the inner and outer
conductors b. 6 or c. c' I may make or break the circuit through both of these
conductors simultaneously.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with two or more electrical conductors of a readily-
removable contact or two or more readily-removable contacts such as aud

page_text: a rotatable or movable contact or two or more rotatable or movable contacts such
as F arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
:
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the switch device
substantially as and for the purpose herein before described and illustrated in the 5
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of August 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.