Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1886. :
Complete Left, 11th Oct., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 11th Jan., 1887.
I BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS of the firm of Harris and Mills of
23 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby
declare the nature of the invention to be as follows,
This lamp is based upon the employment of carbons of small diameter enclosed in
reservoirs whence they emerge successively and automatically to give the light.
It is composed of two parts; Firstly, the carbon reservoirs Secondly; the regulating
apparatus.
I will describe these two parts in succession.
The carbon reservoirs are composed of two horizontal chambers situated in a line
with each other and separated by a space of three or four inches, in the centre of which
the light is produced.
Each chamber has two series of carbons superposed, and between the two series at
the bottom of the chamber an endless chain passes provided with catches projecting
alternately to the right and to the left, to the height of the lower carbons of each
series.
The chains of the two chambers conducted by the regulator travel towards each
other and their catches encountering alternately the extremity of the lower carbons of
the series on the right or left, press them forward according to their combustion.
When the two carbons are consumed the following catches have brought into contact
the two lower carbons of the series and the arc passes without interruption from one
couple of carbons to the other, the carbons stacked in the chambers descend to replace
those taken away by the chain; thus there is a continuous light and lasting indefinitely
as the chambers can be recharged during the burning of the lamp.
The regulating apparatus is situated above the two chambers. It places the chains
in movement by means of two pinions, the working of which is perfectly symmetrical
in order that the same movements may take place at the same time for both carbons.

page_text: The motor is a bobbin through which a derived current passes which is taken from
the principal current of the lamp, a cylinder of soft iron attached to a balance plunges
into this bobbin ; when the current which traverses it attains a sufficient intensity and
is pulled back by a counter-weight when the current ceases or becomes weaker a
distributor placed upon the balance interrupts or re-establishes the current in such a
manner as to constitute a real motor without fly or dead points, always ready to be
put in operation as soon as the current appears and stopping instantly when the current
ceases.
The balance of the motor has a friction clutch which puts the chains in motion
through the intervention of gearing which greatly reduces their speed..
Upon one of the intermediate axes of the mechanism is a break which is furnished
with a counter-weight which tends to draw the chains back a little distance as soon as
the motor stops completely.
I will now suppose the lamp to be in a state of rest and the carbons to be separated
from each other by any given distance, if the current for lighting is caused to pass,
it will find its passage only by the derivation which puts the motor in operation, the
carbons will therefore be caused to approach each other to the point of contact and
will at this moment give passage to the principal current, the derived current then
decreasing to nearly nothing, the motor will stop and the break by falling will separate
the carbons the distance necessary for the production of the are.
From this moment any increase in the length of the arc will cause an increase in
the derived current and the action of the motor in the direction required to cause the
carbons to approach each other, the arc will therefore preserve an almost constant
length.
In order to render lamps placed on the same circuit independent, there is established
below cach lamp a derivation from the current which feeds it, and in this derivation is
interpolated a resistance bobbin nearly equal to that of the lamp.
This derivation is closed during normal working, but it opens as soon as the current,
from any cause, no longer traverses the lamp, it thus gives passage to the interrupted
current and the other lamps do not suffer from it.
As soon as the normal working of the first lamp is re-established, the current which
traverses it closes the derivation and everything returns to the first state.

page_text: I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS of the firm of Harris and Mills of
23 Southampton Buildings in the county of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of said invention a communication to me from abroad by André
Million of 60 Cours Morand, Lyons in the Republic of France and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This lamp is based upon the employment of carbons of small diameter enclosed in
reservoirs whence they emerge successively and automatically to give the light.
It is composed of two parts.
Firstly. The carbon reservoirs.
Secondly. The regulating apparatus.
I will describe these two parts one after the other by the aid of the accompanying
drawings which represents at Figure 1 an elevation of the lamp complete.
Figure 2 represents a plan view of the carbon reservoirs, Figure 3 a transverse
section of the said reservoirs, Figure 4 a plan view of the regulating apparatus and
Figure 5 an elevation of the regulator in action.
I will first describe the carbon reservoirs.
They are composed of two horizontal chambers A, A, (see Figures 1, 2, 3) the
section of which, see Figure 3 is that of a trough with inclined sides, the carbon rods
or sticks a, al of uniform length are arranged along the length of these sides where
they are held by a double wall or side b,
At the bottom of the chamber between
the two piles of carbons passes an endless chain C, C furnished with catches e, e,
placed alternately on the right and on the left at the level of the lower rods or sticks
of each pile.
This chain passes over the pinion D in front of the chamber over the return
guide pulleys d, d and over the pinion B of the motive mechanism placed above the
chambers.
The chain advancing in the direction of the arrow its catches come in contact
alternately with the lower carbon on the right or on the left and push it in front into
contact with the corresponding carbon of the other chamber the arc is therefore
produced alternately at the point of contact of the carbons on the right or on the left
at or see Figure 2.
The distance of the catches is regulated so that two new carbons arrive in contact
at the same moment when those of the opposite side having gone beyond their supports
fall of themselves in front into the box E placed to receive them, the light passes thus
without interruption from one pair of carbons to the other.
When the carbons pushed by one of the catches e have travelled beyond the roller D,
they are pressed against the same by a spring roller placed below and a little in
advance.
The roller D can thus conduct the carbons in front and behind at the same speed as
the chain.

page_text: The current is conducted to the carbons by small metallic contacts F, F, which rest
by their weight upon the carbons at their exit from the chamber near to their point,
the carbons being themselves made conductors by an electro-deposited coat of copper,
the intensity of the current is entirely utilized in the production of the voltaic are."
I will now describe the regulating apparatus shown at Figures 1, 4 and 5.
The endless chains C, C, which conduct the carbons, arc. operated by two pinions B, B,
mounted on two parallel axes caused to operate simultaneously by two toothed
wheels G, G, so that the movements may be exactly symmetrical on the two sides of
the lamp.
One of the wheels G, is driven by a pinion H, the axis of which carries a ratchet
wheel I, put into motion by a click or driver suspended from a rocking lever K,
carrying at its other end a piece of soft iron P, which enters the bobbin J; a retaining
click prevents any return motion, when it is not held by the mechanism.
I
Upon one of the shafts of the pinions B, is mounted a pulley L, carrying a break M,
the pressure of which is obtained by a counterpoise N; this break is itself carried by
a counterpoised lever O, the action of which tends to cause the mechanism to return
in its motion, which cannot take place unless the click is raised.
The rocking lever K, carries a counterpoise R, which can raise the cylinder P, when
no electric action acts upon it, it also carries a distributor S, which interrupts or
re-establishes the current in the bobbin J.
This combination forms a real motor without either fly or dead points, which works
at the desired time in the manner I will now explain.
The principal current enters at 1, into the carbon reservoir A, and leaves at 2, after
having produced the are between the two carbons. The reservoirs A serving thus as
conductors, are insulated from their supports at 3, and 4; The motor is operated by a
derived current 5, 6, 7, 8, which traverses the bobbin J, and which is interrupted at i,
by the distributor. This latter establishes or interrupts the current by a small
platinum contact S, which is displaced with the rocking lever K.
Figure 1 represents the apparatus in rest, no electric action taking place, the
counterpoise O, has fallen on the bed plate, the counterpoise R, has also fallen to the
bottom of its course and the connecting rod of the click or driver h, now resting upon
the tail of the retaining click g raises the latter.
#
I will now suppose the current established and the carbons separated referring to
Figure 5. The principal current passing entirely by the derivation, the bobbin J, will
powerfully attract the iron bar or cylinder P, and lowering the rocking lever K, will
displace the distributor S, the current will be interrupted and the counterpoise R,
will again fall, but before it has been able to again raise the retaining click g, the
contact S, has re-established the current and the bar or cylinder P, is again attracted,
the motor will therefore continue to work by acting by the click or driver h, upon the
mechanism to advance the carbons towards each other.
During this time, the lever N, O, carried by the break M, comes to rest on the
stop T, and the wheel L, continues to turn in the interior of the break. At this
moment the counterpoise O, tends to cause the mechanism to return in its motion,
but it is prevented from doing so by the retaining click , which is no longer raised
by the fall of the weight, R, the motion of which is not sufficient.
This movement, continues as long as the current passes through the derivation, but
the carbons approaching each other arrive in contact, the derived current becoming
almost nothing, the motor stops, the counterweight R, again completely falls and then
raises the retaining click g.
The mechanism having become free, the counterpoise O, again falls and brings it
back the necessary quantity for the lighting of the carbons, at this moment the arc is
established and the mechanism takes the position shown at Figure 1.
From this moment, each time that the resistance of the are increases by the con-
sumption of the carbons the derived current augmenting in intensity, will cause the
carbons to approach each other and if this approach is too great, the fall of the rocking
lever by disengaging the retaining click will permit the break to widen the distance
between them."

page_text: Thus whilst the motor is in operation, the click y works as a retaining click to
prevent the return motion of the mochanism, as soon as the motor stops, which takes
place when the carbons are in contact or too near each other, the counterpoise R again
falling lower than during the advance, raises the click y and permits the counterpoise O,
to again cause the mechanism to make a return motion to separate the carbons a short
distance.
This latter effect does not take place except for lighting and in case of accident to
the carbons. In normal working the motor works constantly, regulating its speed by
the consumption of the carbons.
The lamp arranged as represented by the drawings works with alternate currents, it
is easy to modify the operation of the carbons to make it work by continuous current.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is.
1. The method of obtaining a continuity of the light by means of a provision of
rods or sticks of carbon, succeeding each other automatically without stoppage in the
production of the light, by the movement of a chain provided with catches and moved
by the regulator substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The regulation of the arc by a mechanism operated on the one hand for the
approach of the carbons by an electro-motor with neither fly nor dead points, and on
the other hand, for the separation of the carbons, by a counterpoised break, the
retrograde motion of which is determined by the stoppage of the motor substantially
as herein shown and described.