Improvements in Electric Arc-lamps or Lighting Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18t. May, 1894-Accepted, 30th June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Arc-lamps or Lighting Apparatus.
I, JOSEPH BARCLAY MCKEOWN, of No. 1027 Payne Avenue, City of Cleveland,
County of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, United States of America, an expert Electriciau,
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 :-
In the accompanying drawing-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of my new arc-lamp showing the construction and
method of operation of the several parts.
Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.
Figure 3 is a detached view of the electro magnet, which controls the feed of the
carbons.
The invention relates especially to the mechanism for feeding and controlling the
carbon rod, and has for its object to provide a simple and efficient method of
construction.
Referring to the drawing, A represents a casing and centre chimney for containing
and supporting the working parts of the mechanism. B is a carbon holder consisting
of a tube open at its upper end, and suspended in the chimney by means of cords
attached to its top and running over pulleys bb, secured in the top of the chimney
and passing down on the outside of the said tube and connected with a counter-
balance weight ring E' surrounding said tube. CC are guide wheels bearing
against the sides of the tube B, attached by suitable means to the top and bottom
of casing A for the purpose of accurately holding and guiding the tube in its vertical
movements. To the lower end of said tube is attached the upper carbon in the usual
manner. The lower carbon being held by the suspension rod A' which also supports
the globe.
D is a gripping armature consisting of two cone-shaped pieces united at their bases
by flexible wires d, and the armature is held suspended in place by a central rod F
attached at its top end to a corde wound on a cross-shaft E, journaled in the top of
the chimney, having a knob on the outside of the chimney by means of which the
shaft may be turned, for the purpose of adjusting the armature to position. The
rod F is divided at its middle part and a spring S is interposed between said parts
for the purpose of giving elasticity to the rod.
G is au electro-magnet supported on the floor of the casing A, having its poles in
close proximity to the sides of the tube B, and on a level approximately opposite to the
poles of the armature D, and is employed for attracting the armature against the
inside of the tube, for gripping the tube and raising it for opening the voltaic arc.
HH are binding posts attached to the top of the casing at one side of the tube.
I is a copper strip attached to the posts, having its lower end bearing against the
side of the tube B, for conveying a current of electricity to said tube. The cut-
out consists of a solenoid J attached to top of casing, and a lever K, pivotally
attached to hanger C' having an armature k under the solenoid. L L' are two
short bars depending from the casing A by the side of the solenoid, having their
lower inside corners beveled, so as to form jaws. On the end of lever K is made a
cone-shaped projection k² which comes in contact with the bevel of said jaws when
it is lifted by the solenoid.
A coarse and fine wire are used in this lamp and wound in the manner as follows:
The coarse wire p leading to the binding posts H H, the current goes thence
through the copper strip I and carbon holder B, thence down through the carbons,
thence by wire up the suspension rod A* thence to the helices of the electro

page_text: magnet G and thence to binding post ml. A fine wire is also provided running
from binding post H to the helices on electro magnet G, and is wound in the
opposite direction to the coarse wire, and runs thence to the solenoid and terminates
at the binding post m¹.
A short circuit wire N leads direct from binding post H
to the solenoid.
The working of this lamp is as follows: The current travels the coarse wire
around the core of the magnet G, and the magnet attracts the armature D to the
inside of the tube B, and as the lines of magnetism will always try to straighten or
shorten themselves, this shortening tendency will draw the armature upward to
complete the magnetic circuit, this same force which attracts the armature causes
it to spread in the tube with sufficient power to grip, raise and hold the tube to open
the arc.
The fine wire being in shunt with the arc, will result in decreasing the strength
of the magnet and release the grip of the armature, so as to allow the tube to
fall and feed the arc. The cut-out consisting of the solenoid with both the fine
and coarse wire in the same direction, the fine wire being in series with the fine
wire on the magnet G and the whole being in shunt with the arc, is so proportioned
and adjusted that when the arc increases in voltage beyond a predetermined limit
the solenoid will attract and pull up the armature kon lever K until the projection k³
makes contact with the jaws L, L' thus cutting out or short circuiting the current
away from the carbon.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare what I claim is :-
1st. In an electric arc-lamp, the combination with the tubular carbon-holding
rod B of the electro-magnet G on the outside of said tube and connected in the
electric circuit, and the armature D suspended inside of said tube, adapted to
operate substantially as described.
2nd. In an arc lamp, the combination of a tubular rod B suspended in the chimney
by cords attached to the top end and passed over pulleys bin the top of the chimney;
a counterbalance weight E' attached to the opposite ends of said cords; guide-
wheels C, C secured in the casing A; an armature D suspended inside of said
tube B and the electro-magnet G outside of said tube and connected in the electric
circuit and adapted to operate substantially as described.
3rd. In an electric arc-lamp the combination of a tubular carbon rod B suspended
in the chimney by cords attached to its top end and passing over pulleys b, b, in the
top of the chimney; a counterbalance weight E' attached to opposite ends of said
cords; guide-wheels C, C secured in casing A; an armature D suspended inside
of said tube B; the electro-magnet G outside of said tube B, and connected in the
electric circuit, a solenoid J connected in the series by fine wire and by shunt
circuit to coarse wire, a lever K pivoted under the solenoid having armature k,
bars L, L' having binding posts m, m' all constructed to operate substantially as
described.
Doted this lot dov of Mar 1904
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.