IMPROVEMENTS IN HAND SIGNAL LAMPS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Wilson Clark, of Upper Thames Street, in the
City of London, Iron Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HAND SIGNAL LAMPS."
Sealed the 12th January 1877, and dated the 13th July 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Wilson Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th July 1870.
SAMUEL WILSON CLARK, of Upper Thames Street, in the City of London, Iron
Merchant. IMPROVEMENTS IN HAND SIGNAL LAMPS."
My Invention has reference to those hand signal lamps, in which the colored
glasses or "spectacles" are held in frames which are allowed to drop between the
light and the "bull's eye," as required, by moving a bent rod to the one side or the
other. The said bent rod terminates at its upper end in a finger piece under the
lamp handle, and when in its central or normal position holds up both the colored
glasses.
A defect in these lamps as hitherto constructed is that the colored glasses are so
near to the light or flame as to be liable to crack or break owing to the heat or
direct contact with the flame, and this necessitates frequent replacing of the glasses.
With the present circular form of the body of the lamp it is not practicable to place
the glasses further from the light unless they be curved to a similar radius as the
lamp body, and curved glasses are objectionable on account of their expense.
Now the object of my Invention is to construct hand signal lamps in such
manner that while the glasses may be placed at a sufficient distance from the light
they may nevertheless be flat. For this purpose I make the front of the lamp,
that is to say, the part to which the bull's-eye is connected, flat instead of being a
portion of a circle, as heretofore, the lamp body being semi-elliptical or nearly so in
horizontal section, and I place the colored glasses as close to the flat front as cir-
cumstances will allow. The cone which carries the bull's-eye does not extend within
the lamp, as usual, but terminates at the front of the lamp body.
The lamp cover is of corresponding shape to the body, and has a hollow piece of
arched form projecting vertically therefrom to receive the glasses and their frames
when in their raised position. These frames are jointed to a transverse frame
carried by the cover, and are held up by the lower portion of a bent rod, the upper
end of which is beneath the lamp handle so as to be acted upon as required by the
[Price 6d.]

page_text: hand which holds the lamp. When the rod is pushed to the one side the red
glass is freed, and drops between the light and bull's-eye, and when the rod is
pushed to the other side the other or green glass is freed, and drops in liko
manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samuel Wilson Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
January 1877.
SAMUEL WILSON CLARK, of Upper Thames Street, in the City of London, Iron
Merchant. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAND SIGNAL LAMPS."
My Invention has reference to those hand signal lamps in which the colored
glasses or "spectacles" are held in frames which are allowed to drop between the
light and the "bull's-eye," as required, by moving a bent rod to the one side or the
other. The said bent rod terminates at its upper end in a finger piece under the
lamp handle, and when in its central or normal position holds up both the colored
glasses.
A defect in these lamps, as hitherto constructed, is that the colored glasses are so
near to the light or flame as to be liable to crack or break, owing to the heat or
direct contact with the flame, and this necessitates frequent replacing of the glasses.
With the present circular form of the body of the lamp it is not practicable to place
the glasses further from the light unless they be curved to a similar radius as the
lamp body, and curved glasses are objectionable on account of their expense.
Now the object of my Invention is to construct hand signal lamps in such manner
that while the glasses may be placed at a sufficient distance from the light to prevent
their getting cracked or broken, as herein-before stated, they may nevertheless be
flat. For this purpose I make the front of the lamp, that is to say, the part to
which the bull's eye is connected, flat instead of being a portion of a circle, as
heretofore, the lamp body being semi-elliptical or nearly so in horizontal section,
and I place the colored glasses as close to the flat front as circumstances will allow.
Thecone which carries the bull's-eye does not extend within the lamp, as usual, but
terminates at the front of the lamp body.
The lamp cover is of corresponding shape to the body, and has a hollow piece of
arched form projecting vertically therefrom to receive the glasses and their frames
when in their raised position. These frames are jointed to a transverse frame carried
by the cover, and are held up by the lower portion of a bent rod, the upper end of
which is beneath the lamp handle, so as to be acted upon as required by the hand
which holds the lamp. When the rod is pushed to the one side the red glass is
freed, and drops between the light and bull's-eye, and when the rod is pushed to
the other side the other or green glass is freed, and drops in like manner.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation, with part of the
outer case removed; Figure 2, a front elevation; Figure 3, a horizontal section;
and Figure 4, a front view, with the front removed, of a hand signal lamp constructed
according to my present Invention, one of the colored glasses being seen in its
lowered position in the last-named Figure.
A is the body of the lamp, the front of which is flat, while the whole body is of
semi-elliptical form in horizontal section, as clearly seen in Figure 3; B is the cover,
made of corresponding shape to the body A; and C is a hollow piece of arched form
projecting vertically from the cover B to receive the glasses and their frames when
in their raised position; D, D¹, are the two glasses and frames, which are placed as
close to the flat front of the body A as circumstances will allow, so as to be as far
as possible from the light or lamp proper E; F is the bull's-eye; and G, the cone in
which it is fitted; this cone terminates at the front of the body A, as seen in
Figure 3, instead of extending to some distance within the lamp, as usual.
frames of the glasses D, D¹, are jointed at H, H', respectively to a transverse frame I
The

page_text: which is carried by the cover B, and they are held up by a bent rod K, the lower
end of which bears against the bottom of the frame I, while the upper end is
beneath the lamp handle M, so as to be readily acted upon when required by the
hand which holds the lamp. When the rod I is in its central or normal position
its lower end rests in a notch L in the frame I, and holds up both the glasses D, D¹,
(see Figure 1), but when the said rod is pushed to the one side or the other the one
or the other of the glasses, as the case may be, is freed, and drops between the light
and the bull's-eye (see Figure 4). On returning the rod I to the centre it again
lifts the lowered glass. The front of the lamp can be opened on a vertical hinge N
in the usual manner, and the top or cover B can be opened on a horizontal hinge O.
P is a spring catch to secure the cover.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, constructing hand signal lamps
(of the kind herein-before referred to) substantially as herein-before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawings, so that the colored glasses may be
placed at a sufficient distance from the light or flame for the purpose explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Wilson Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-six.
SAM. W. CLARK (L.S.)