Improvements in Couplings for Electric Wires.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 17th June, 1892-Accepted, 23rd July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Electric Wires.
1, ALEXANDER SHIELS, of 190 Bath Street, Glasgow, M.B., C.M., B.Sc., do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
--
This invention relates to couplings for electric wires and it has for its object to
improve and simplify the form of coupling, known as the "Shiels and Elliot "
coupling.
In carrying out my invention, for a single wire, I make the two parts or clamps
of the coupling, preferably of the shape described in my prior Patent No. 20,367.
The parts or clamps of the coupling are made of suitable conducting material and
are merely connected together. No contact springs or plugs are used, as the metal
itself serves as the conducting medium. The parts of the coupling may be covered
or coated on the outside, with a suitable insulating material.
When the coupling is to be used for two wires, the coupling itself serves as the
connection for the one wire, whilst the other wire is led up the centre of each clamp
to a contact piece, which is inserted in the middle or other part of a vulcanite or
other non-conducting plug, fitted in the clamp. The vulcanite plug is preferably
surrounded, as usual, with a rubber ring or washer.
-
When three wires are to be carried by the coupling, the coupling itself is made
to serve as the connection for one wire, while the other two wires are led to suitable
contact pieces, fitted in the vulcanite plug.
When the coupling is to be used for four wires, the coupling itself is made to
serve as a connection for one wire the second wire is led up the interior of the
clamp to a central contact piece, fitted, as before, in an insulating plug. The other
two wires are led to suitable contact pieces, embedded or fitted near the circumference
of the insulating plug.
The parts or clamps of the coupling which are exactly similar, in construction,
are so made as to close tightly together and the contacts also are so made as to rub
against one another.
In the case of the central contact piece, it may be made cylindrical in form and
with two raised, wedge-shaped, arced contacts.
The coupling is specially adapted for railway trains, although it may be applied
for other purposes.
Dated this 25th day of January 1892.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
Glasgow and London, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Electric Wires.
I, ALEXANDER SHIELS, of 190 Bath Street, Glasgow, M.B., C.M., B.Sc., 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 relates to couplings for electric wires, and it has for its object to
"Shiels & Elliot "
improve and simplify the form of coupling, known as the
coupling.
In carrying out my invention for a single wire, I make the two parts or clamps
of the coupling, preferably, of the shape described in my prior Patent No. 20,367.
The parts or clamps of the coupling are made of suitable conducting material, and

page_text: are merely connected together. No contact springs or plugs are used, as the
inetal itself serves as the conducting medium. The parts of the coupling may be
covered or coated, on the outside, with a suitable insulating material.
When the coupling is to be used for two wires, the coupling itself serves as the
connection for the one wire, whilst the other wire is led up the centre of each
clamp, to a contact piece, which is inserted in the middle or other part of a
vulcanite or other non-conducting plug, fitted in the clamp. The vulcanite plug is,
preferably, surrounded, as usual, with a rubber ring or washer.
When three wires are to be carried by the coupling, the coupling itself is made
to serve as the connection for one wire, while 'the other two wires are led to suitable]
contact pieces, fitted in the vulcanite plug,
When the coupling is to be used for 'four wires, the coupling itself is made-to
serve as a connection for one wire; the second wire is led up the interior of the
clamp to a central contact piece, fitted, as before, in an insulating plug. The other
two wires are led to suitable contact pieces, embedded or fitted near the circum-
ference of the insulating plug.
The parts or clamps of the coupling, which are exactly similar in construction,
are so made as to close tightly together, and the contacts also are so made as to
rub against one another.
In the case of the central contact piece, it may be made cylindrical in form, and
with two raised, wedge-shaped, arced contacts.
The coupling is specially adapted for railway trains, although it may be applied
for other purposes.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood, I have
hereunto appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, whercon
Fig. 1 shows a "Shiels and Elliot" coupling made of suitable conducting
anaterial and is merely connected together. This form of coupling is used for
carrying a single current of electricity.
Fig. 2 shows
coupling for conveying two currents of electricity.
Fig. 3 shows a coupling for conveying three currents of electricity.
Fig. 4 shows a coupling for conveying four currents of electricity.
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are respectively front, plan, longitudinal section and end
views of a "Shiels and Elliot "coupling for conveying two currents of electricity.
Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged detail views.
Referring to the drawings whercon the same reference letters wherever repeated
indicate similar or like parts.
In Fig. 1 the clamps a, b of the coupling, which may be-similar in general cou-
formation to the clamps shown at Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 or to the clamps described and
shown in the Specifications of my prior Patents Nos. 14,663 of 1891 and 20,367.of
1891, are made without contact springs or plugs and are or may be solid throughout.
The clamps are merely joined or coupled together and the metal faces of the clamps
bearing against one another close the electric circuit. The electric current is
conveyed through the metal of both clamps a, b. The clamps may be covered with
a suitable insulating material c. The clamps may be cored out for lightness as
shown in dotted lines.
In Fig. 2 one current of electricity is conveyed along the wires and through the
material of the clamps whilst the other current is conveyed along a wire g which
passes up the interior of the clamp a to a metal contact piece d which is inserted in
a vulcanite plug e secured in the clamp. is the usual rubber ring surrounding
the plug e.
The clamp a is somewhat similar in section to that at Fig. 7. "The
electric wire g is surrounded by insulating material g' and the wires by insulation's'.
The dotted lines at represent the other clamp of the coupling.
In Fig. 3 three currents of electricity are conveyed through the coupling. One
current.passes along the wires and through the material of the clamps a, b. The
other two currents pass along wires g, h, which are covered with suitable
insulation,g, h. The wires; g, h are secured to contact pieces i, j, secured in the
plug e.

page_text: In Fig. 4 the coupling is made to carry four currents. One current passes along
the wires and through the material of the clamps. The second current passes
along the wire g to the central contact piece d. The third current passes along the
wire to the contact piece i. The fourth current passes along the wire k to the
contact piece j. k is insulation for the wire k.
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 show one of the clamps to an enlarged scale.
In these figs.
the clamp is shown as made for conveying two currents of electricity. One current
passes along the wire s to a pint secured in the material of the coupling and the
other along the wire g to the central contact piece d. The contact piece d may have
two raised, wedge shaped, arced contacts r, q on it. The contact piece d may be
secured in place by a screwed projection and nut m. The clamp in these figures
is similar to that at Fig. 2.
The central contact pieces d may be grooved tangentially as shown at n Figs. 9
and 10. This is for the purpose of cleaning off any dirt which may be on the plugs
when the clamps are coupled together.
at
The projections o of the clamps may also be grooved as shown in dotted lines
for the same purpose.
The coupling is mainly intended for use on railway trains although it may be
used for other purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I'
claim is
1. A coupling for conveying a single current of electricity made substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings annexed.
2. A coupling for conveying two currents of electricity made substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings annexed.
3. A coupling for conveying three currents of electricity made substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings annexed.
4. A coupling for conveying four currents of electricity made substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 16th June 1892.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
Glasgow and London, Agent.