HAND SIGNAL LAMPS."
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jeremiah Cowdy at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st December 1878.
JEREMIAH COWDY, of Queen Street, in the City of London.
HAND SIGNAL LAMPS."
86 IMPROVEMENTS IN
The object of this Invention is so to construct a hand signal lamp as to be con-
veniently actuated by the hand alone in which it is held, and without the
employment of spiral or other springs in connection with the coloured",
'spec-
tacles "for pulling them out of the way of the line of light, and also generally to
simplify and improve their construction, all as herein-after described.
If made with two spectacles as is usual I mount each of the two spectacles on a
weigh shaft fitted in eyes or bearings at the inner sides of the lamp case, and by
preference, so that the spectacles are in the bottom of the lamp case when out of
the line of light; by turning either of the weigh shafts the spectacle in question is
raised in position so as to come opposite the light aperture, and is retained in
position, by preference, by means of a notch, detent, or by other suitable retaining
appliance, or I may use one detent for both spectacles, and so that the shifting of
one of the spectacles down shall release the other. To turn the weigh shafts as
required I prefer to actuate them by means of rods connected to levers on the
weigh shafts and to pass them out at the top of the lamp case, and I may then use
notch detent appliances in connection with such rods, or if I pass the rods or
actuating parts out through the back of the case I may arrange them in close
proximity to the back or top of the lamp handle so as to be convenient for the
thumb or fingers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Jeremiah Cowdy in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st June
1879.
JEREMIAH COWDY, of Queen Street, in the City of London.
HAND SIGNAL LAMPS."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
The object of this Invention is so to construct a hand signal lamp as to be con-
veniently actuated by the hand alone in which it is held, and without the employ-
ment of spiral or other springs in connection with the coloured spectacles for pulling
them out of the way of the line of light, and also generally to simplify and improve
their construction, all as hereinafter described.
If made with two spectacles as is usual I mount each of the two spectacles on a
weigh shaft fitted in eyes or bearings at the inner sides of the lamp case, and by
preference, so that the spectacles are in the bottom of the lamp case when out of
the line of light; by turning either of the weigh shafts the spectacle in question is
raised in position so as to come opposite the light aperture, and is retained in
position, by preference, by means of a notch, detent, or by other suitable retaining
appliance, or I may use one detent for both spectacles, and so that the shifting of
one of the spectacles shall release the other. To turn the weigh shafts as
required I prefer to actuate them by means of rods connected to levers on the weigh
shafts, and to pass them out at the top of the lamp case, and I may then use notch
-detent appliances-in-connection with such rods, or if I pass the rods or actuating
parts out through the back of the case I may arrange them in close proximity to
the back or top of the lamp handle so as to be convenient for the thumb or finger.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a vertical cross section through a
hand signal lamp constructed according to this Invention, and with the spectacles
in the bottom part of the lamp or lantern case when as here shewn out of the line
of light; Figure 2 is a similar view, but with one of the spectacles raised in
position opposite the line of light, and the other spectacle in the bottom part of the
lamp case; Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section; and Figure 4, a plan section
on line A, A, Figure 3.
The case or body E of the lamp is here as an example shewn as of a mainly
rectangular form, the corners being cut off or sloped. A, A1, are the spectacles fitted
with glass of different colours and arranged to move past each other, and to be
held in position in or out of position between the light from the lamp B and the
bulls eye C. The spectacles A, A¹, are each mounted on a weigh shaft D, D¹, which
work in bearings at the front and back of the body or casing which is formed with
side extensions e. F, F¹, are levers fitted respectively on the weigh shafts D, D',
and to these levers are jointed the rods G, G, which serve to raise one or other of
the spectacles; when in the raised position opposite the bulls eye a catch serves to
retain the same in such position; when released from the catch the spectacles drops
of itself into its lower position; I thus do away with the use of springs, the rods
G and G have a projection g, g¹, each; h is the catch or stopper between the two
rods G, G¹, the rods pass at their upper ends below the catch h through a slide
or bolt j which is shewn separately in plan at Figure 4A, and is formed with a
middle projection j' and end projections ², ; it works in a guide formed on the
top of the casing E. The action is as follows:-Supposing the spectacle A to be
the red one, then Figure 2 represents that spectacle opposite the bulls eye C; if it
be desired to change the light to green, the pressure of the thumb of the hand
holding the lamp by the handle H is exerted so as to raise the spectacle A' in
position opposite the bulls eye, viz., by depressing the rod G', giving it at the same
time a push in the direction of the arrow; the projection g¹ will then on coming in
contact with the projection g on the other rod G, push this latter away from and free
it from the stop h, the weight of the spectacle A will then cause it to drop down in
the bottom of the case, its rod G rising into its upper position, and the projection g¹

page_text: on the rod G being held under the catch h. If it be then desired to shew a white
light the rod G¹ is by the thumb withdrawn from the catch h and made to rise,
its spectacle dropping down into the bottom of the casing. The middle projection
on the slide or bolt j has the action that it causes one rod in the raised position
to be moved away from the catch h while the other rod is depressed, which latter
then in such depressed position can be held therein by the catch h.
Figure 5 is a vertical cross section through a hand signal lamp constructed
according to another modification, and in which the spectacles are in the top part of
the lamp or lantern case when as here shewn out of the line of light; Figure 6 is a
similar view but with one of the spectacles lowered in position opposite the line of
light, and the other spectacle in the top of the lantern case; Figure 7 is a vertical
longitudinal section, and Figure 8 a plan section on line B, B, Figure 7.
The body or case E of the lamp is here as an example shewn of a mainly cylin-
drical form. A, A1, are the spectacles arranged to move past each other and quite
independent of each other; they are mounted on weigh shafts D, D¹, working in
bearings at the front and back of the casing E which is formed with side exten-
sions e; F, , F¹, are the levers thereon, and G, G¹, rods jointed thereto serving to
lower one or other of the spectacles in position when in the lowered position
opposite the bulls eye C; a catch h shewn separately in plan at Figure 8A serves to
retain it in such position, the rods G, G', have each a projection g, g¹.
In Figure 5 both spectacles are in the raised position, that is, out of the line of
light. To lower one of them, say A, into position as shown in Figure 6, the thumb
was placed against the top of the rod G, and a lateral pressure in the direction of
the arrow, at the same time exerted, whereby the projection g became free of the
catch h, and the weight of the descending spectacle A raised the rod G into the
position shewn; to take the spectacle A out of the line of light, again, the thumb
is made to depress the rod G, giving it at the same time a lateral pressure in the
direction opposite to that of the arrow until the projection g comes under the
catch h, the same as the projection g¹ is shewn under the said catch h.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of this my Invention I
declare that I am aware that hand signal lamps have heretofore been made in
which one or other depressed spectacle rod is released from a catch lever and a
spring then raises the spectacle out of the line of light, but I claim,―
The combination of spectacles and levers so that one spectacle or the other is
brought into the line of light by depressing a rod or releasing a rod connected to
its lever, the rod being kept in the depressed positions by catch or stop detent, and
the weight of the spectacle overbalancing the lever and rod, so that no spring is
necessary, all substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jeremiah Cowdy, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
J. COWDY. (L.S.)