IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETS and in BatterIES OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREWITH.”
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Slater, of Euston Road, London,
Electrician, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETS
and in BatterIES OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREWITH.”
C
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Slater at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th July 1874.
I, THOMAS SLATER, of Euston Road, London, Electrician, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for ".
'IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-
MAGNETS AND IN BATTERIES OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREWITH," to be
as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in electro-magnets and in
batteries or apparatus to be employed therewith, and has reference more
particularly to the batteries or apparatus to be employed therein.
་
My improvements in the battery consist in arranging around a cylin-
drical or other suitably shaped porous pot or vessel, either on the inside
or outside thereof, a series of plates or blocks of carbon in such a manner
as to be in close proximity thereto, and to a cylinder of zinc or iron

page_text: placed either inside or outside the said porous pot or vessel, according
to the position of the carbon plates or blocks, the porous vessel being
always situate between the said carbon blocks and the zinc or iron
cylinder.
In carrying out this part of my Invention I arrange around the porous
pot or vessel a metal ring having a number of openings formed therein for
the reception of a corresponding number of carbon plates or blocks, such
blocks being held firmly in the said openings by means of set screws,
which bear against metal plates interposed between the ends of the said
screws and the carbon blocks to protect the latter from injury when
tightening up the screws, and to form complete metallic contact around
the carbon plate. The protecting plates have lugs or projections formed
at the upper part of each end thereof, which projections bear upon the
top face of the metal ring, and thereby prevent the said plates from
falling out of the openings when the set screws are loosened or removed.
By this mode of arranging the carbons I obtain a battery of great
power with a minimum consumption of zinc or iron and the electrolyte
employed, whilst a free passage for the current and the gases evolved
when the battery is at work is also obtained.
Any suitable electrolyte may be employed, but that employed in the
Bunsen battery is found in my battery to considerably augment the
power thereof.
My improvements in electro-magnets consist in making the core upon
which the conducting wire is wound of a conical form, the diameter of
the base of such cone being by preference about twice its height, or,
in other words, the sides of the cone form with the base an angle of
about 45°. At the apex of the cone I form a stem with a screw thread
thercon to receive a nut for the purpose of securing the magnet to the
apparatus to which it is to be applied, a plate of any suitable non-con-
ducting material being interposed between the surface to which it is
attached and the wire which surrounds the core. I have found that
with a cone having a base of 3 inches diameter great power can be
obtained, but by increasing or diminishing the size of the conical core,
and surrounding it with a correspondingly thicker or thinner wire,
magnets of greater or less power will be produced accordingly with an
equal amount of battery power.

page_text: PECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Slater in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SLATER, of Euston Road, London, Electrician, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Slater, Her special
license that I, the said Thomas Slater, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Slater, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELECTRO-MAGNETS AND IN BATTERIES OR APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREWITH,'
"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Slater, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Slater, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to improvements in electro-magnets_and_in_
batterics or apparatus to be employed therewith, and has reference more
particularly to the batteries or apparatus to be employed therein.
My improvements in the battery consist in arranging around a cylin-
drical or other suitably shaped porous pot or vessel, either on the inside
or outside thereof, a series of plates or blocks of carbon in such a manner
г

page_text: as to be in close proximity thereto, and to a cylinder of zinc or iron
placed either inside or outside the said porous pot or vessel, according
to the position of the carbon plates or blocks, the porous vessel being
always situate between the said carbon blocks and the zinc or iron
cylinder.
In carrying out this part of my Invention I arrange around the porous
pot or vessel a metal ring having a number of openings formed therein
for the reception of a corresponding number of carbon plates or blocks,
such blocks being held firmly in the said openings by means of set
screws, which bear against metal plates interposed between the ends of the
said screws and the carbon blocks to protect the latter from injury when
tightening up the screws, and to form complete metallic contact around
the carbon plate. The protecting plates have lugs or projections formed
at the upper part of each end thereof, which projections bear upon the
top face of the metal ring, and thereby prevent the said plates from
falling out of the openings when the set screws are loosened or removed.
By this mode of arranging the carbons I obtain a battery of great power.
with a minimum consumption of zinc or iron and of the electrolyte
employed, whilst a free passage for the current and the gases evolved
when the battery is at work is also obtained.
Any suitable electrolyte may be employed, but that employed in the
Bunsen battery is found in my battery to considerably augment the
power thereof.
My improvements in electro-magnets consist in making the core upon
which the conducting wire is wound of a conical form, the diameter of
the base of such cone being by preference about twice its height, or,
in other words, the sides of the cone form with the base an angle of
about 45°. At the apex of the conc I form a stem with a scrow thread
thereon to receivo a nut for the purpose of securing the magnet to the
apparatus to which it is to be applied, a plate of any suitable non-con-
ducting material being interposed between the surface to which it is
attached and the wire which surrounds tho core. I have found that
with a cone having a base of three inches diameter great power can
be obtained, but by increasing or diminishing the size of the conical
core, and surrounding it with a correspondingly thicker or thinner wire,
magnets of greater or less power will be produced accordingly with an
équal amount of battery power.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be carried into practical operation, I
wish it to be understood that what I claim and desire to secure under
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The peculiar construction and arrangement of the apparatus or
battery herein-before described.
And, Secondly. I claim the peculiar construction and arrangement of
the electro-magnets hereing-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Slater, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
Witness,
CHARLES BARLOW,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
London, !
Patent Agent.
THOMAS SLATER. (L.s.)