IMPROVEMENTS IN' APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC CURRENTS FOR LIGHTING INTERIORS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M. and W
Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN' APPARATUS
FOR GENERATING AND DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC CURRENTS FOR LIGHTING
INTERIORS Communicated to him from abroad by Gustave Trouvé of Paris,
"
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th December 1882.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A M and W Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC
CURRENTS FOR LIGHTING INTERIORS [Communicated to him from abroad. by
i m.
Gustave Trouvé of Paris, France]
"
1.
The annexed drawings represent the improvements as applied to a suite of
apartments composed of drawing, dining and bed rooms, and office which may be
lighted separately or collectively by means of the apparatus which I will proceed
to describe. It will be evident that the System will remain unchanged in its
essential features whatever may be the number of lamps or of apartments to be
lighted.
Referring to figures I and II it will be seen that the immediate illumination of
one or of several or all of the apartments of a suite is effected by the aid of a
Single commutator or Switch board a having two keys 6 and provided with two
series of contact studs c c connected to one of the leading wires of the battery
whilst the other is connected to all the lamps or chandeliers of the apartments of
the suite. This installation is represented in figure II in which it will be seen a
pilot lamp d is placed adjacent to the commutator to guide the operator and attest
the proper working of the lights
The connections being arranged as shown in figure I it will be readily under-
stood that it is only necessary to turn the left hand key in the direction of

page_text: arrow "1" and place it on the contact marked "Drawing Room" or in the opposite
direction indicated by arrow "2" and place it on the contact marked "Dining
Room," in order to close the circuit through the lamps in, and so light up, the one
or other room respectively, as the case may be. By similarly turning the other
key either the bedroom or the office may be lighted. By placing the two keys b
so that they bridge over the two middle pairs of contacts c¹ the circuit will be
closed through all the lamps in each of the apartments.
By increasing the number of contacts or of keys, or both, the lighting of any
number of apartments may be similarly controlled.
Any kind of electrical generator may be employed to furnish the current for
the lamps of this system of illumination but in order to obtain a perfectly
constant light it is preferred to employ the trough form of battery represented in
figure 3. whereby with a small number of elements any desired number of lamps
may be supplied. By combining two such batteries, in such manner that one may
be instantly made by the mere turn of a handle, to take the place of the other
when exhausted a perfectly regular illumination is obtained.
Or a Trouvé oxide of copper battery may be employed, for instance the binoxide
of copper and caustic soda battery has the advantage of not being subject to useless
wear when the circuit is open.
Fig 4 represents the form of the plates whereby the constancy of the battery is
still further ensured. It will be seen that the zinc plate is triangular in shape and
is hung point downwards so as to present to the electrolytic liquid a greater area
of surface as its energy diminishes. The battery is provided with a winch for
raising and lowering the plates in the liquid as represented in figure 3. The
solution is prepared for this battery in a stoneware reservoir provided with a cock.
The bichromate in powder or in crystals is placed therein together with sufficient
water to dissolve it. A second smaller reservoir also furnished with a cock contains
'sulphuric acid in proper proportion. The cock of this latter vessel is opened just
sufficiently to allow the acid to dribble drop by drop into the solution in the larger
vessel, it being only necessary to agitate the liquid during the whole time the acid
is running in:
The quantity of water and acid having been determined, the quantity of the
solution corresponds to the capacity of the battery or batteries in order to avoid
the use of weights and measures.
These arrangements have for their object to simplify the operations necessary for
supplying the current on the premises for household lighting by electricity.
The bichromate of potash may be placed with the water in the larger vessel
several days before it will be required so that the solution will be made without
further attention the only manipulation required being the stirring of the liquid
when the sulphuric acid is run in.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th June 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the Firm of A, M, and W; Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC
CURRENTS FOR LIGHTING INTERIORS." A communication to me from abroad by
Gustave Trouvé of Paris, France:
This Invention relates first to a system of installation for lighting interiors by
electricity. Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings represent the same as applied
to a suite of apartments composed of drawing, dining, and bed rooms, and office
which may be lighted separately or collectively by means of the apparatus which
I will proceed to describe. It will be evident that the system will remain
unchanged in its essential features whatever may be the number of lamps or of
apartments to be lighted.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the immediate illumination of
one or of several or all of the apartments of a suite is effected by the aid of a
single commutator or switch board a having two keys 6 and provided with two
series of contact studs c c'. One of the leading wires of the generator passes by
all the lamps of the different apartments of the suite to be illuminated and is
connected by the return wire of each lamp with the contacts c of the commutator,
the other leading wire being connected to the keys b. This installation is
represented in Figure 2 in which it will be seen a pilot lamp d is placed adjacent
to the commutator to guide the operator and attest the proper working of the
lights. The connections being arranged as shown in Figure 1, it will be readily
understood that it is only necessary to turn the left hand key in the direction of
arrow "1" and place it on the contact marked "Drawing Room," or in the opposite
direction indicated by arrow "2" and place it on the contact marked " Dining
Room," in order to close the circuit through the lamps in, and so light up, the one
or other room respectively, as the case may be. By similarly turning the other key
either the bed room or the office may be lighted. By placing the two keys b so
that they bridge over the two middle pairs of contacts c¹, the circuit will be closed
through all the lamps in each of the apartments. By increasing the number of
contacts or of keys, or both, the lighting of any number of apartments may be
similarly controlled.
With this improved system of lighting interiors, composite fittings may be used
either in the form of a standard or pedestal as in Figures 3, 4, and 5, or of a
composite candelabrum as in Figures 6 and 7. d is the support or standard which
may be of any form and of any suitable material and which contains the battery
and leading wires, or the latter only if an independent battery be employed. g. are
the electric lights, and c are ordinary candle holders which may however be replaced
by oil lamps or gas burners for illuminating otherwise than by the electric light.
Any kind of electrical generator may be employed to furnish the current for the
lamps of this system of illumination, but in order to obtain a perfectly constant
light it is preferred to employ the trough form of battery represented in Figure 8
whereby with a small number of elements any desired number of lamps may be
supplied. Two batteries of this kind so combined as to be capable of being
immediately substituted the one for the other alternately by the mere turn of a
handle, gives a perfectly regular illumination. This substitution has the result of
attenuating the effects of polarisation so as to obtain from these batteries their
maximum of work by entirely exhausting the electrolyte. Or a Trouvé oxide of

page_text: copper battery may be employed, for instance the binoxide of copper and caustic
soda battery has the advantage of not being subject to useless wear when the
circuit is open.
Figure 9 represents the form of the plates whereby the constancy of the battery
is still further ensured. It will be seen that the zinc plate is triangular in shape
and is hung point downwards so as to present to the electrolytic liquid a greater
area of surface as its energy diminishes. The battery is provided with a winch for
raising and lowering the plates in the liquid as represented in Figure 8. The
solution is prepared for this battery in a stoneware reservoir provided with a cock.
The bichromate in powder or in crystals is placed therein together with sufficient
water to dissolve it. A second smaller reservoir also furnished with a cock contains
sulphuric acid in proper proportion. The cock of this latter vessel is opened just
sufficiently to allow the acid to dribble drop by drop into the solution in the larger
vessel, it being only necessary to agitate the liquid during the whole time the acid
is running in. The quantity of water and acid, having been determined, the
quantity of the solution corresponds to the capacity of the battery or batteries in
order to avoid the use of weights and measures.
s
These arrangements have for their object to simplify the operations necessary
for supplying the current on the premises for household lighting by electricity or
by electric and other lighting combined.
The bichromate of potash may be placed with the water in the larger vessel
several days before it will be required, so that the solution will be made without
further attention, the only manipulation required being the stirring of the liquid
when the sulphuric acid is run in.
In another form of constant battery in which the solution is the same as before,
all'the parts are made movable and arranged as shown in Figure 10, the winch
being removed and a porous cell added. CC are two carbon plates united by the
positive terminal and placed in the external vessel A of ebonite containing
acidulated bichromate. B is an inner porous vessel containing an amalgamated
zinc plate Z immersed in a solution of aqua regia composed of parts water,
1 part nitric acid, and 1 part hydrochloric acid, or in water acidulated with 10 per
cent of sulphuric acid.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is.
1st. In a system of electric lighting for interiors, the combination and arrange-
ment of a single commutator or switch board a having two or more keys b and as
many series of contacts c arranged as described, and of the leads from the generator
arranged as described, the one passing by all the lamps of the different apartments
and connected by the return wire of each lamp' with the contact studs c c while
the other is connected with the keys b, all substantially as described and shown in
Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings:
2nd. The arrangement of trough battery with winch in which the zinc electrode
is made of pointed form, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.
3rd. The employment in combination with the battery of the reservoirs for
preparing the electrolytic solution as described.
10 % 7
In Witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set
my hand and seal this fifteenth day of June, A.D. 1883.