Improved Apparatus for Controlling and Registering the Time of Working of Electric Lamps.
Year: 1897

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by SOCIÉTÉ ANONYME DES HORLOGES ELECTRIQUES
CAUDERAY, of Lausanne, in the Republic of Switzerland.]
Improved Apparatus for Controlling and Registering the Time of
Working of Electric Lamps.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
The controlling-apparatus heretofore used for the purpose of registering the time
of lighting of electric lamps, are adapted for one lamp only or for a series of
lamps burning simultaneously.
The object of the present invention is to register, by means of a very simple
device, the lighting-time of several lamps, the latter being either lighted and put
out at the same time or one after another.
The apparatus may be adapted for any number of lamps so as to have all the
commutators of the said lamps arranged in the controlling apparatus, or
arranged that each lamp has its commutator somewhere else.
80
I shall
The device constituting the present invention is the same in both cases;
therefore describe the simplest construction that is to say, that in which the com-
mutators of the lamps are combined with the controlling-apparatus itself.
The controlling apparatus is formed, on the one hand of a clock indicating the
time and of a commutator which conveys the indication of the time, for each lamp,
to corresponding hands only when the said lamp is burning, that is to say when
it is electrically connected.
In carrying my invention into practice I provide behind the main plate of the
apparatus a second plate, fixed by means of pillars, and which bears the wheel-
work.
The said wheel-work is formed of a balance-wheel the axis of which bears the
anchor of an electro-magnet interpolated in the circuit. The axis of the balance
wheel carries a tooth which is caused, by every oscillation of the said balance-wheel,
to jump a tooth of the wheel intended to record the hour-indications. To that
purpose the axis of the said record wheel is provided with, between the main plate
and back plate, a bevil wheel meshing with another bevil-wheel secured on the
axis of a barrel or drum. The number of oscillations of the balance-wheel acted
upon by a spiral-spring, and the number of teeth of the bevil wheels, is such that
the barrel or drum will always perform one revolution in a minute.
There are provided on the said barrel as many projections or notches as there
are lamps to be controlled, in the present case, four. The projections are disposed
so that there will always be only one of them upon the same generating line of
the barrel.
A number of spring-levers corresponding to the number of lamps to be .con-

page_text: trolled are secured to the back plate. Each lever is pivoted on a shaft and bears
at its free end a block intended to be acted upon by the projections or notches of
the barrel. The shaft of each lever is provided with a fixed arm placed within
reach of a suitable projection of one of the commutators. When at rest, that is
to say when the lamp is not burning each lever bears, under the action of a
spring against a stud; and while the lever lies in that position its block above-
mentioned is out of reach of the corresponding projection or notch of the barrel
or drum. But when the corresponding commutator is turned so as to have its pro-
jection acting upon the fixed arm of the lever, the latter is thus moved and its
block comes within reach of its corresponding projection of the barrel, so that
it will be pushed outward, with every revolution of the barrel (that is to say
once in a minute).
A rocking-frame is pivoted between the front and back plates the said frame
being forced in one direction by means of a spring. The frame bears a click or
pawl gearing in a ratchet wheel. The cross-bar of the said rocking frame is so
arranged that when one of the blocks is acted upon by one of the projections of
the barrel, the corresponding lever is at same time pressed against the rocking
frame and the latter will then rotate the ratchet wheel one tooth, by means of its
click. It follows therefrom that as soon as the commutator of a lamp connects the
latter it brings at the same time the corresponding lever, and consequently its
block, within reach of a projection, and that, as soon as this has been performed
the said lever will be pushed once every minute in, that is to say backwards, causing
the ratchet wheel at the same time to be rotated, one tooth.
The projections of the barrel which correspond to the separate lamps, being
moved with regard to one another so as never to come within reach of the blocks
together but one after the other, the ratchet wheel will be rotated every minute
a number of teeth equal to the number of lamps burning.
The axis of the ratchet wheel is provided with an endless screw, gearing in a
helical wheel the axis of which bears the hand indicating the unities (hours) on
a corresponding dial. The said axis is further provided with a pinion gearing in
a wheel the axis of which has a hand intended to give the tens. A similar device
conveys the motion of the above mentioned wheel to the hands of the wheels for the
indications of the hundreds and thousands.
The device just described is interpolated in the circuit of the source of
electricity and of the lamps.
The commutators are each formed of an axis with contact-rod. The latter is
intended to connect electrically the contact pieces.
The axis of the commutator is in contact with the metal front or main plate with
which a screw is also in electrical contact, the latter being connected by means of
a wire with the notched bearing against which the contact spring engages in the
well known manner used in several electric clocks under the influence of the
balance-wheel, when the arc of oscillation of the latter lessens, that is to say when
the current must be conveyed into the electro-magnets in order to impart the
required impulse to the balance-wheel. The said spring is similarly connected
by means of a wire 6 with the electro-magnets and with one of the poles of the
supply of electricity.
A wire leads from the other pole to the contact pieces by means of suitable
branchings. The contact-pieces are connected, by means of wires with one of
the poles of the lamps, the other pole of which is connected by means of wires
with the conductor leading back to the supply of electricity.
It will be understood that as long as none of the commutators connect, by
means of its rod, the contact-pieces with one another, no current reaches the screw
above mentioned, so that the electrical wheel-work remains motionless; but that
if even one alone of the commutators touches with its rod the contact-pieces, the
current will arrive, on the one hand, from said pieces and to the back plate and
from there on to the screw and on the other hand from the said contact pieces
and to the lamp. At same time the corresponding lever is moved so as to have

page_text: the corresponding projection of the barrel causing, at each revolution of the
latter, the ratchet wheel to rotate one tooth.
If the commutators, intended to place the lamps in and out of circuit, are not
to be arranged in the controlling-apparatus, the device above described can
5 however be used, as instead of each commutator there will simply be provided in
the controlling-apparatus an electric magnet, so that, when the corresponding lamp
is placed in circuit, it will act upon the fixed arm of the lever as is done in the
manner above described by means of the projection of the commutator.
Dated this 26th day of March 1897.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improved Apparatus for Controlling and Registering the Time of
Working of Electric Lamps.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:―
The controlling apparatus heretofore used for the purpose of registering the time
of lighting of electric lamps, are adapted for one lamp only or for a series of
lamps burning simultaneously.
The object of the present invention is to register, by means of a very simple
device, the lighting-time of several lamps, the latter being either lighted and put
out at the same time or one after another.
The apparatus may be adapted for any number of lamps so as to have all the
commutators of the said lamps arranged in the controlling apparatus, or so
arranged that each lamp has its commutator at some other place.
The device constituting the present invention is the same in both cases; I shall
therefore describe the simplest construction that is to say that in which the com-
mutators of the lamps are combined with the controlling apparatus itself.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown by way of example a controlling
apparatus adapted for four lamps, the apparatus being enclosed in a box of suitable
shape, which is not shown in the drawing.
Fig. 1 is a front view of the apparatus showing a portion of the same in section.
Fig. 2 is a back view of the said apparatus.
Fig. 3 is a side-view from right to left of Fig. 2 also showing some parts in
section and
Fig. 4 is a diagram of the electrical connections of the apparatus showing the
source of supply of electricity and the lamps intended to be controlled by the said
apparatus.
The controlling apparatus is formed, on the one hand of a clock indicating the
time and of a commutator which conveys the indication of the time, for each lamp,
to corresponding hands only when the said lamp is burning, that is to say when
it is electrically connected.
A is the main plate of the apparatus behind which a second plate B is fixed by
means of pillars a, and which carries the wheel-work.
The said wheel-work is formed of a balance-wheel C the axis c of which bears
the anchor c¹ of an electro-magnet 1) interpolated in the circuit. The axis c carries
a tooth which is caused, at every oscillation of the said balance-wheel, to move
the wheel E one tooth which wheel is intended to record the hour-indications. For

page_text: that purpose the axis of the wheel E is provided between the plates A and B
with a bevel wheel F gearing into a bevel-wheel G secured on the axis of a
barrel or drum J. The number of oscillations of the balance-wheel C acted upon
by a spiral-spring H, and the number of teeth of the bevel-wheels F and G, is
such that the barrel or drum J will always perform one revolution in a minute.
There are provided on the said barrel J as many projections or notches ; as there
are lamps to be controlled, in this the present case four. The projections j are dis-
posed so that there will always be only one of them upon the same generating
line of the barrel J.
A number of spring-levers K corresponding to the number of lamps to be con-
trolled are provided as shown. Each lever K is pivoted on a shaft k and bears
at its free end. a block intended to be acted upon by the projections ; of the
barrel J. The shaft 'k of each lever K is provided with a fixed arm k+ placed
within reach of a suitable projection of one of the commutators L. When at rest,
that is to say when the lamp is not burning each lever K bears, under the action
of a spirng against a stud ; and while the lever K lies in that position its
block is out of reach. of, the corresponding projection j of the barrel J. But
when the corresponding commutator L is turned so that its projection / acts upon
the fixed arm k+ of the lever K, the latter is thus moved and its block k¹ comes
within reach of the projection of the barrel J, so that it will be pushed in the
sense of the arrow 1 of Fig. 3, with every revolution of the barrel J that is to say,
once in a minute.
A rocking-frame M is pivoted between the plates A and B in bearings m the
said. frame being acted upon by means of a spring m+ which tends to keep it in
the position shown in Fig. 3. The frame M carries a click or pawl M+ engaging
a ratchet wheel N. The crossbar M of the said rocking frame M is so arranged
that when one of the blocks is acted upon by one of the projections ; of the
barrel J, the corresponding lever K is at same time pressed against the rocking
frame M and the latter will then rotate the ratchet wheel N one tooth, by means
of its click or pawl M+. It follows therefrom that as soon as the commutator L
of a lamp connects the latter it brings at same time the corresponding lever K, and
consequently its block k', within reach of a projection j, and that, as soon as this
has been performed the said lever K will be pushed once every minute in the
direction of the arrow 1 (that is to say backwards), causing the ratchet wheel N
at same time to be rotated one tooth.
The projections of the barrel J which correspond to the separate lamps, being
moved with regard to one another so as never to come within reach of the
blocks together but one after the other, the ratchet wheel N will be rotated
every minute a number of teeth equal to the number of lamps burning at the time.
The axis of the ratchet wheel N is provided with an endless screw 0, gearing
in a helical wheel P the axis of which bears the hand or pointer p indicating the
units (hours) on a corresponding dial. The said axis is further provided with a
pinion gearing with a wheel Q the axis of which has a hand or pointer intended
to indicate the tens. A similar device conveys the motion of the above mentioned
wheel to the hands or pointers r and s of the wheels R and S for indicating
hundreds and thousands.
The device just described is arranged in the circuit of the source of electricity
and of the lamps in the manner shown in Fig. 4.
T is the source of electricity. The commutators L are each formed of an
axis + with contact rod . The latter is intended to connect electrically the
contact pieces 12 and 13.
The axis of the commutator is in contact with the metal plate A with which
a screw is also in electrical contact, the latter being connected by means of a
wire 5 with the notched bearing y against which the contact spring z engages in
the well known manner used in electric clocks under the influence of the balance-
wheel C, when the arc of oscillation of the latter lessens, that is to say, when the
current is conveyed into the electro-magnets D D in order to impart the required

page_text: impulse to the balance-wheel. The said spring z is similarly connected by means
of a wire
with the electro-magnets 1) D and with one of the poles of the supply T
of electricity.
A wire
leads from the other pole to the contact pieces 12 by means of suitable
branchings 2. The contact-pieces 13 are connected, by means of wires 3, with
one of the poles of the lamps the other pole of which is connected by means of
wires 4 with the conductor leading back to the supply of electricity.
It will be seen by referring to Fig. 4 that as long as none of the commutators L
connect, by means of its rod 1, the contact-pieces 12 13 with one another, no
current reaches the screw r, so that the electrical wheel-work remains motionless;
but that if only one of the commutators L, for instance L2 touches with its rod
the contact-pieces 12 and 13, the current will flow, on the one hand, from 12 to 1+
and to the plate B and from there on to the screw and on the other hand from /2
to and to the lamp U2. At same time the corresponding lever K is moved
so that the corresponding projection ; of the barrel J causes, at each revolution of
the latter, the ratchet wheel N to rotate one tooth.
If the commutators, intended to place the lamps in and out of circuit, are not
to be arranged in the controlling apparatus, the device above described can
however be used, as instead of each commutator L I may simply provide in the
controlling apparatus an electro-magnet, so that, when the corresponding lamp
is placed in circuit, it will act upon the fixed arm + of the lever K as is done
in the manner above described by means of the projection of the commutator L.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:
:-
An improved apparatus for controlling and registering the time during which
current is supplied to electric lamps, characterized by the combination of a
suitable time-piece with a barrel J having as many projections or notches ; as
there are lamps to be controlled, and with levers, acted upon by the commutators
of the separate lamps, and conveying or not, the action of the said projections or
notches to a registering device, according as the separate lamps corresponding to
the said projections or notches are put in or out of circuit.
Dated this 17th day of December 1807
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.