Improvement in Electric Couplings.
Year: 1887

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Electric Couplings.
1, CHARLES RUNELS, of 235 Thorndike Street, in the City of Lowell, in the County
of Middlesex, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the United States of
America, Granite-dealer, 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 :-
My invention relates to electric couplings or connectors especially adapted to
connect separable sections of conductors in a closed circuit, and to enable said
sections to be connected and disconnected without breaking the circuit, the prin-
cipal use of said coupling being to unite the electrical conductors employed
upon railway trains, to operate station-indicators, or to signal from one car to
another or to the engine and from the engine to any one of the cars of the same
train. The coupling hereinafter described is capable of connecting sectional con-
ductors in open or closed circuits and to unite the parts of sectional conductors of
two or more circuits, some of which are closed and some of which are open.
In the accompanying drawing, Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of a coupling
constructed in accordance with my invention, the coupling being represented in
Figure 2, as turned on its axis 90° from the position it occupies in Figure 1;
Figure 3, a vertical central section of the coupling entire, on the line xx in Figure 2;
Figure 4, a central vertical section of one of the counterparts of the coupling on the
line in figure 2; figure 5, a section on the line y y in figure 6; figure 6, a
plan of that end of either counterpart of the coupling which is in contact with the
other counterpart of the coupling when said counterparts are coupled or united;
figure 7, a plan of the locking plate showing the inner face thereof; figure 8, a
vertical section of said plate on the line y y in figure 7.

page_text: The coupling consists of two counter parts e c¹ which are precisely alike in all
respects and the description of one applies to the other.
The body B of each counterpart is of any suitable insulating material, as vulcanite.
Through the body B extends one or more metallic strips 623 (three being shown)
these strips being insulated from each other and the outer ends of said strips being
each connected with a separate wire or electrical conductor w¹ w² w³. Each of the
counterparts is provided with as many spring-plates d' d² d, as there are strips 61 62 63,
and these spring-plates d' d² d³ are insulated from each other and from said strips
and their outer ends are connected with conductors or wires v v² 3, which, with the
wires w¹² 3, form complete metallic circuits through said strips, spring-plates.and
metallic pins e e e³, each of which pins is in contact with one of said strips and pro-
jects towards one of said spring-plates, and is in contact therewith, when the
counterparts of the coupling are disunited.
The means of connecting the conductors www to the strips 23 and the con-
ductors to the spring-plates d¹ d² d³ is shown in figures 3 and 4, each
conductor being provided near its end with a collar or shoulder s¹² 3, and being
tapered from said collar to its end, the tapering end of each conductor being inserted
in a tapering opening in one of said strips 61 62 63 or spring-plates d' d² d³, as the
case may be, and being retained therein by the locking plate P, shown in figures 7
and 8, said locking plate being of insulating material, as vulcanite, and having as
many openings p as there are conductors and these openings p being tapering and
being pressed down over the shoulders of the conductors, as shown in figures 3 and 4,
by an internal flange e in the case E, crowding the tapering points of the conductors
into their seats. The case E is preferably cylindrical, as shown, and is preferably
metallic, and incloses and protects from injury the insulating material, strips spring-
plates and locking plate and, not necessarily, but for convenience, is provided with
removable ends or caps e, these caps being screw-threaded internally at e³ to engage
a corresponding screw-thread et on the outside of said case, the flanges above named
being on the inside of the caps e. This construction allows the locking plates P to be
readily removed and replaced and enables a sufficient pressure to be exerted on said
plates P to force the points of the conductors into their seats in the conducting strips
and spring-plates, the wires and their insulating coverings fitting the orifices in the
ends of the caps e so loosely as to allow the caps to be turned without turning or
twisting said wires or their coverings.
For convenience also the locking plate P is made in three parts p³ p² p³, as shown
in figure 7, being twice divided through the centers of all the holes on each side of
the center of said plate P to allow all or some of the conducting wires to be easily
removed or inserted, one dividing line y y passing through the holes p which receive
the conductors w¹ w² w³ and the other dividing line z passing through the holes
which receive the conductors ¹² 3.
The inner ends of the counterparts of the coupling are halved together, as shown
in figures 1 and 2, at c², that is to say, the coupling is divided into two equal parts
by two planes c³ ³ at right angles to its axis and by a third plane e passing through
said axis at right angles to said first named planes. The inner ends, or ends of the
strips and spring-plates nearest the middle of the coupling, are bent or bevelled
towards the axial dividing plane ct of the coupling so that when the parts of the
coupling are united, as shown in figures 1, 2 and 3, the strips of each counterpart
pass between the axis of the coupling and the free ends of the spring-plates, making an
electrical contact between each strip of each counterpart and the corresponding
spring-plate of the other counterpart, and making this contact before the strips of each
counterpart force the spring-plates of the other counterpart out of contact with the
pins e ee which connect said strips and spring-plates in the same counterpart when
the counterparts are disunited, as above described.
The counterparts of the coupling or couplings, where several are used to unite the
sections of sectional conductors, should all be wired alike, that is, the spring-plates, in
every counterpart should be connected to the same pole of the battery (or batteries,

page_text: if a battery is used on more than one section of the conductors), and the conducting
strips to the other pole of the same.
The counterparts of the coupling are held together by a spring latch L secured to
each counterpart and hooking over a projection 7 on the other counterpart, the spring
latches being guided by longitudinal ribs arranged on the counterparts, respectively,
and said counterparts may be readily drawn apart endwise after lifting the spring
latches L out of engagement with the projections 1.
a
For convenience of illustration, suppose that lines ¹¹ form a telephonic circuit,
lines form with suitable instruments an electric-lighting circuit, that the
lines to form a signal-circuit or station-indicating circuit, and that the coupling
above descrived be used to unite sections of the circuits upon the engine and cars of a
railway train, now if a single car is used the circuits will be completed through
counterpart of the coupling at the rear of the train, but if two cars are used and the
counterparts of the coupling (one counterpart being carried by one car, and the other
by the other car) are united, as shown in the first three figures, the lines will then be
complete through the wires w² ² w³ in one direction and by the return-wires 123,
only one of the counterparts in any case being used at the end of the train, the wires
out and the return-wires being connected in this case through the strips, pins and
spring-plates of the same counterpart, as above described.
It will be seen that if the dividing plane ef be continued through the coupling,
each counterpart will consist of two unlike halves, and that each half of each counter-
part will be precisely like one of the halves of the other counterpart, and that the
counterparts when coupled, have their longitudinal axes in the same straight line, and
that when properly connected, as above described, the counterparts are capable of
connecting like sectional conductors and that when uncoupled each counterpart is
capable of automatically continuing the electric connection of its section of the
conductors.
By the use of the coupling above described, several complete independent circuits,
each containing its own generator may be united so as to be worked simultaneously
without interfering with the working of any of them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
.and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. An electric coupling consisting of two like counterparts, each provided with one
or more conducting strips and with one or more conducting spring-plates, each strip
of each counterpart making connection with a corresponding spring-plate of the
other counterpart when said counterparts are coupled, as and for the purpose
specified.
2. The coupling herein described consisting of two counterparts, each provided
with a conducting strip having its inner end bent or bevelled towards the middle of
the coupling and with a conducting spring-plate, said strip being provided with a
conducting-pin or contact-point against which said spring-plate rests when said counter-
parts are disunited, said spring-plate being adapted to be forced out of contact with
said contact-point by the bent or bevelled inner end of the conducting strip of the
other of said counterparts upon the uniting of said counterparts, the strip of each
counterpart making connection with the spring-plate of the other counterpart, as and
for the purpose specified.
3. The electric coupling herein described, consisting of two counterparts,
substantially as described, and each provided with one or more conducting strips
having their inner ends.bent or bevelled towards the middle of the coupling and
insulated from each other, and with a corresponding number of conducting spring-
plates insulated from each other, each of said strips being provided with a conducting-
pin or contact-point, against which one of said spring plates rests when said counter-
parts are disunited, but otherwise insulated from said spring-plates, said spring-plates
being adapted to be forced out of contact with said contact-points by the adjacent
hevelled inner ends of the strips of the other counterpart on the uniting of said
counterparts, as and for the purpose specified.

page_text: 4. The combination of the conducting spring-plates and conducting strips provided
with holes and the conductors provided with ends adapted to enter and fit said holes
and provided also with collars near said ends and a locking plate of insulating material
provided with holes to receive said conductors, a case surrounding said spring-plates
and conducting strips and provided with an external screw-thread, and
a cap
having
an internal screw-thread to engage the screw-thread on said case to press said locking
plate against said collar and to crowd said ends of said conductors into the holes in
said spring-plates and strips, as and for the purpose specified.
5. The combination of the conducting strips and the conductors provided near their
ends with collars, a locking plate of insulating material provided with holes to receive
said collars and conductors, the holes in said locking plate tapering away from the
ends of said conductors and being smaller at their smaller ends than said collars, a
case surrounding said strips and provided with an external screw-thread, and a cap
provided with an internal screw-thread adapted to engage the screw-thread on said
case and to press said locking plate towards said strips, thereby bringing said ends
of said conductors in contact with said strips, as and for the purpose specified.
6. The combination of the conducting strips and the conductors provided near their
ends with collars, a locking plate of insulating material provided with tapering holes
to receive said conductors and said collars, and divided through the middle of said
holes into sections, the case containing said strips and provided with an external
screw-thread and a cap provided with an internal screw thread to engage said thread
on said case and provided with an internal flange adapted when said cap is screwed
upon said case to press upon said locking plate and to force the ends of said conductors
against said strips, as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this Fourteenth day of July A. T 1007
CHARLES RUNELS.
By Herbert & Co.,
67, Strand, W.C., London,
Agents to Applicant.