IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL OR ALARM APPARATUS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT, to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL OR ALARM APPARATUS."
A communication from abroad by George Washington Shawk and
Job Franz, both of Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.
Scaled the 22nd May 1868, and dated the 22nd February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd February 1868.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL OR ALARM
APPARATUS," a communication, to be as follows:-
My improvements relate, first, to means for increasing the energy and
sound in a fire alarm or signalling apparatus. The said apparatus is
provided with magnets constructed and arranged in the ordinary manner.

page_text: A. lever is pivoted to a standard fixed on the base of the apparatus, and
from one end of this lever extends an arm which carries a ball arranged
to strike a bell; near each end of the lever is an armature. To another
standard is connected a key for making and breaking the connection.
When the connection is made the armatures are brought in close
contact with the magnets, thereby moving the lever upon its pivot and
causing the ball or hammer to strike the bell. The lever is turned back
on its pivot by means of a spring connected to a post or standard. A
cushion to prevent the rebounding of the hammer is arranged at the
back of the same. If it is desired to give more sound to the bell, or
if the battery is weak, the arm of the armature lever can be adjusted
endwise upon the lever, and the bell and cushion can be moved farther
away from the fulcrum of the said lever by means of slots in the base
or platform. The cushion is attached to a rod which passes through a
post, and is adjusted by means of a set screw. The wire from the
battery passes through a binding post to one of the magnets, thence to
the other magnet and to the key standard, through which the circuit
passes to an upright post, and thence through a wire to any number of.
instruments in a circuit.
My improvements relate, secondly, to the peculiar construction of the
instruments, whereby any desired number of local batteries can be
made to connect or break their local circuits at pleasure by breaking
or connecting the main circuit on the extended line. The wires of the
main circuit pass from one instrument to another, thus connecting all
the instruments in the line with the main battery. When this circuit
is closed a pair of helices arranged on each instrument become
magnets. An armature is arranged near these helices, and when the
circuit is closed this armature is attracted to the same. The armature
rests upon an insulating point, the circuit being completed from the
battery by means of a wire passing through a binding post to one of
the helices, thence through the other helice and another binding post,
back to the battery. Two pairs of helices are connected with and
operated by a local battery; two armatures are attached to a vibrating
lever whose outer end carries a hammer, which when at rest lies in
contact with a cushion or buffer and opposite a signal bell. A platinum
point is attached to the armature operated by the helices of the main
circuit, and another such point is attached to a post. When these
two points are in contact the circuit of the local battery is complete,

page_text: and the helices of the local circuit become magnets. A spring capable
of a delicate adjustment is provided to bring the platinum points in
contact whenever the main circuit is broken. As long as the main
circuit is complete the local circuit is broken, and when the main
circuit is broken the local circuit becomes closed by means of the con-
tact of the platinum points. By simply breaking the general current the
local current becomes closed in every instrument placed within the main
circuit, which is provided at convenient points with keys for breaking
the circuit. By thus breaking and closing the main current the signal
bell is caused to ring.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. S, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence, that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
my executors, 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 Ircland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL OR ALARM APPARATUS,'
upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake,
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
33

page_text: 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 William Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings forming a part of this Specification :-
My improvements relate, first, to means for increasing the energy
and sound in a fire alarm or signalling apparatus.
Figure 1 is a top view of my improved apparatus; Figure 2 is a
side view of the same. Like letters refer to like parts in the various
Figures.
B, C, are magnets constructed and arranged in the ordinary manner;
His a lever pivoted to the standard I, from one end of this lever
extends an arm H', on whose end is a ball h, which by the action of
the lever strikes the bell J. Near cach end of the lever H is an
armature b, b; to the standard D is connected the key E for the purpose
of making and breaking connections. When the connection is made
the armatures b, b', are brought in close contact with the magnets B, C,
thereby moving the lever H which turns on a pivot, as before stated,
and causes the ball or hammer on the end of the arm II' to strike the
bell, thus giving the alarm, the lever being turned on the pivot by the
action of the magnets and spring c connected to a post or standard C'.
If it is desired to give more sound to the bell, or if the battery is weak
the arm H can be lengthened by pulling it out farther from the lever,
and the bell and standard K with the cushion K can be moved farther
away by means of slots in the platform L, thus giving the lever more
sweep, which causes it to strike the bell with more force. The rod to
which the cushion K' is attached can be shortened by turning the
screw d, the rod being pushed further through the post K from the bell.
The cushion is to prevent the ball from rebounding against the bell,
as it would do if it came against anything hard instead of the cushion.
The wire A¹ is connected with the battery passing therefrom through
post A, then along to the magnet B, to which it is connected from the
magnet B to C, then to the standard D of the key E, through which
the circuit passes to the post F, connecting with the wire a, thence
to the post G, from which the wire may be connected with any number
of instruments in a circuit. There is more energy from two magnets

page_text: embodying the same amount of wire, than if the same wire was coiled
upon one, hence it takes a much less amount of battery power to work
a system of fire alarms made in this way than in the ordinary manner.
The lever being pivoted so as to have a magnet at each end rather
than at one end only, renders the friction less on the pivot, the force
being equal upon both sides, and the whole influence of the magnets
is brought in direct contact with the armatures, as these armatures
do not recede from the magnets so far as would be the case if only
one magnet and corresponding connection was used. In the latter
case the lever must recede from the magnet to obtain the proper stroke
or momentum in striking the bell, and the influence of the magnets on
the armatures is lost in receding half an inch from the coils; hence
it will be observed how greatly the influence is lost on the armatures.
As they recede from the magnets they must have an increased force of
battery to compensate for the amount of influence lost in the receding
of the lever and armatures in striking the bell, which is not required in
the use of my Invention.
My improved fire alarm is susceptible of various modifications
without changing the principle of construction and operation, as will be
seen in the following description.
My improvements relate, secondly, to the peculiar construction of the
instruments whereby any desired number of local batteries can be
made to connect or break their local circuits at pleasure by breaking or
connecting the main circuit on the extended line.
Figure 3 is a top view of the instrument; Figure 4 is a side elevation,
and Figure 5 an end view of the same. Like letters refer to like parts
in the various Figures.
A represents the positive pole of the main circuit, and B' represents
the negative pole of the same.
These wires pass from instrument to instrument, thus connecting all
the instruments in the line with the main battery. When this circuit
is closed and the connection perfect the helices C2, C3, become magnets.
E' is an armature which belongs to the helices C2, C3, and when the
circuit is closed, as above stated, it is attracted to the helices C², C³.
The armature E rests upon the insulating point F", the circuit being
completed from the battery at A through the post A³, to the coil C²,
thence through the coil C³, back to the binding post B to the battery
through the wire B'; G' represents the positive pole of the local battery,

page_text: and G the binding post; H' represents the negative pole of the same,
and H³ the binding post; I', I, represent two pairs of helices that are
connected with and operated by the local battery; L', L³, represent
two armatures that are attached to the vibrating lever M, which carries
on its outer end the hammer N; the latter when at rest lies in contact
with the buffer N¹; O represents a signal bell which is rung by the
action of the hammer N, as will be more fully described hereafter;
P represents two platinum points, one of which is attached to the
armature E', and the other to the post Q. When these points are in
contact the circuit of the local battery is complete, and the helices I', I*,
become magnets. R represents a spring capable of having a delicate
adjustment just sufficient to bring the platinum points P in contact
whenever the main circuit is broken; S represents an adjustable spring
attached to the armature L', L2, which holds the armature in the
position shown in Figure 3, when the local current is broken. Now as
long as the main circuit is complete the local circuit is broken, and
when the main circuit is broken the local circuit becomes closed by
means of the contact of the platinum points P. The main circuit is
represented by the lines A², a', b³, B', and the local circuit by the dotted
lines E, h, d, e, g, G₁, it being understood that the wires H², G¹, are
always in connection with the local battery. By simply breaking the
general current A, B, the local current becomes closed in every
instrument placed within the main circuit by the contact at P. This
main circuit is provided at convenient points with keys for breaking the
circuit, and by thus breaking and closing the main current the signal
bell is caused to ring, and these signals can be repeated as often as
desired, each breaking of the main current giving one peal upon the
signal bell.
The special advantage derived from the use of this apparatus is a
large saving in the battery power, as it can be used with better effect
with less than one-half the battery required to work the present system.
With a closed battery, as hitherto employed, to strike the bell with good
efect requires from sixty to seventy cups of Grove's battery, whereas
in my arrangement of the apparatus with an open battery from ten to
thirteen cups will give a much stronger effect.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondents, and shown how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim, -

page_text: First. The adjustable bell extension arm H', adjustable post K,
cushion K', lever H, magnets and armatures, Figures 1 and 2, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Second. The arrangement of the points P, local magnets I, I,
lever M, and armatures L', L, Figures 3, 4, and 5, when so arranged in
relation to the line and local circuit that when one circuit is closed
the other will be open, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
THO. N. PALMER,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
8, Southampton Buildings, W.C.