Battery for General Electro Medical Use or as Electrical Dumb Bells, Indian Clubs, and the like for Muscular Exercise, with Electrical Current of any Desired Strength During such Exercise.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 31st Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1889
Battery for General Electro Medical Use or as Electrical Dumb
Bells, Indian Clubs, and the like for Muscular Exercise, with
Electrical Current of any Desired Strength During such Exercise.
I WILLIAM GEORGE JOHNSON of The Medico Electric Belt, Truss and Battery
Company Limited, 58 New Bond Street Middlesex, Electrician do hereby declare
the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a special construction or arrangement of electrical
battery contained within, and forming one of, a pair of dumb bells, or said battery
may be in the handle of an Indian Club or other muscular exercising appliance
of a similar character, the other dumb bell or handle constituting the pair serving as
the conductor for completion of circuit when a wire is connected, which wire may be
of any desired length and thrown over the shoulder of the user so as not to be in
the way during his exercises.
The dumb bell is hollow and each end is provided with an affixable cap, or in
the case of Clubs, with one cap only, forming the terminal of the bandle but the
handle may be removable, in which case the shoulder of the club would form the
second cap.
In the hollow of the grip portion I arrange an induction coil from the inner coil
of which a wire is connected with a rheotome, the wire from the outer coil being in
connection with a spiral spring plate preferably at the opposite end of the bell or
handle to that of the rheotome, said spiral spring plate being within range for
compression by a globular vessel forming a cell the base of which has a wire
projection to bear against the spring plate before mentioned. This globular or
spherical vessel has one of the battery elements within it secured therein in the
process of manufacture, such as say Carbon, enclosed in ebonite. The month of
this globular vessel is closable by an insulated plug in which the other element of
the battery, say zinc, is attached, a screw pin by which the zine is connected
projecting from the outer end of the plug so that when the cap on that end of the
bell or club handle is secured in position by a bayonet joint or the like the screw pin
P871

page_text: of the plug impinges against a button and the wire at the base presses against the
spiral spring plate to complete the connection at that end. The button is pierced
for the reception of a wire terminal.
The other cap of the bell or club handle is metallically connected with the rheotome
to a button on said cap for the attachment of the other conducting wire to the
opposite ends of which wires, ordinary handles can be affixed to enable the appliance
to be used for medico electrical purposes or in lieu of said handles being affixed such
as when the current has to be applied to any particular part of the person for local
ailments I attach the free terminals of the wires to padded plates which on being
applied to the part affected completes circuit and administers the current.
The bell or handle is provided with studs to enable it to lay upon a table without
rolling, when used as a battery for Medico Electric purposes and to enable the
strength of the current to be varied at the will of the person using the instrument.
I provide a sliding plate having a stud connected and passing through a slot in the
grip portion which stud can be shifted to suit the desired length of current.
provide another stud by which the contact can be made or broken as
desired.
A third button is provided on the bulb of the bell or handle at the rheotome end
to which one of the wire terminals may be connected such as when a mild current
is required.
The cell before spoken of can be charged by inserting a small quantity of
Bisulphate of Mercury and partially filling with water before introducing the zinc
element.
When the apparatus is to be used for dumb bell or indian club or like exercise
a single wire is used, the terminals respectively, being attached to one end of each
bell or to the two handles of an Indian club or the like for connecting them, the
circuit being completed by the grip on the handle portions, said portions being
metallically covered or partially covered in conduction with the buttons before
spoken of."
Dated this 00th dow of Man 1000

page_text: Battery for General Electro Medical Use or as Electrical Dumb
Bells, Indian Clubs, and the like for Muscular Exercise, with
Electrical Current of any Desired Strength During such Exercise.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE JOHNSON, of The Medico Electric Bolt, Truss and Battery
Company, Limited, 58 New Bond Street, Middlesex, Electrician, 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:
This invention relates to a special construction or arrangement of electrical battery
contained within and forming one of a pair of dumb bells, or said battery may be
in the handle of an Indian club, or other muscular exercising appliance of a similar
character, the other dumb bell, or handle constituting the pair serving as the
conductor for completion of circuit when a wire is connected, which wire may be of
any desired length and thrown over the shoulder of the user, so as not to be in the
way during the exercises.
One of the dumb bells A, such as I show in the annexed drawings, Figure 1, is
hollow and each end is provided with an affixable cap B, C, or in the case of clubs
with one cap only forming the terminal of the handle, but the handle may be
removable, in which case the shoulder of the club would form the second cap.
In the hollow of the grip portion, I arrange an induction coil D, from the Primary
coil of which, a wire c is connected with a rheotome E shown in Figure 2, the wire F
from the primary coil being in connection with a spiral spring plate G, preferably
at the opposite end of the bell or handle to that of the rheotome E, said spiral
spring plate G being within range for compression by a globular vessel H forming a
cell, the base of which has a wire projection d to bear against the spring plate before
mentioned. This globular, or spherical vessel H has one of the battery elements I
within it secured therein in the process of manufacture; such as, say, carbon, enclosed
in ebonite. The mouth of this globular vessel His closable by an insulated plug J
in which the other element K of the battery, say, zinc, is attached, a screw pin I
by which the zinc K is connected, projecting from the outer end of the plug J, so
that when the cap B on that end of the bell or club handle is secured in position by
a bayonet joint, or the like, the screw pin L of the plug J impinges against a
button M and the wire at the base presses against the spiral plate to complete the
connection at that end. The button M is pierced for the reception of a wire terminal.
The battery being filled with the necessary exciting liquid and put in its place as
shown in Figure 1 the respective elements of said battery are kept in electrical
contact with the button M and spring G as described, the current flowing from
the zinc element through the button M and outside metal band e and pin which
fits into a bayonet joint on the metal ring 9 and is in electrical contact with same,
from the ring g it flows through the wire h grip plate V to the bridge i of the
rheotome E by the sliding switch a and wire ; from ; it passes through the
rheotome to the inner wire c of the primary coil D after traversing the several turns
of wire comprised in coil D it by the wire F reaches the carbon element I of the
battery H thus completing the primary circuit.
The course of the secondary circuit if two dumb bells are used is as follows.
Upon a person holding a bell in each hand and supposing the primary circuit in

page_text: full action an induced current of high tension is generated in the secondary coil ✗
and flows by way of the wire c¹ through the base of the rheotome E to the metal
ring k which it touches at 1, see Figure 2, thence through the pin N which fits
into a bayonet joint similar to the cap B by the metal band m and button P to the
dumb bell U by the wire R from the bell U it passes through the body of the "
person grasping the metal plates T, T, to the plates V V on the dumb bell A, said
plates VV being connected to the secondary coil by the wire n.
On reference to the drawing it will be seen that the wire R may be connected to
either end of the dumb bell U inasmuch that the plates T, T, of same are connected
by wires s, s, to either of the terminals M' or P'.
The form of the grip plates V, V, on the dumb bell A, as at Figure 1, will be
understood by the arrangement shown at Figure 4, where the dumb bell A is shown
adapted for application for medico electrical purposes where I show two conducting
wires R, R', affixed to the current producing bell A, the opposite terminals Q¹, Q', of
the wires R, R¹, being affixed to hand holds W, or instead of the terminals Q1, Q',
leing attached to the hand holds W, W, they may be attached to padded plates X, X,
see Figures 5 and 6, which plates are to be applied to any particular part of
the person for local ailments.
The bell A is provided with studs p to enable it to lay upon a table without rolling,
when used as a battery for medico electric purposes; and to enable the strength of
the current to be varied at the will of the person using the instrument, I provide a
sliding tube Y, having a stud Z connected and passing through a slot in the grip
portion of the plate V, which stud Z and sliding tube can be shifted to suit the
desired strength of current by uncovering the induction coil more or less.
I provide another stud a, by which the contact can be made, or broken as
desired.
⚫ A third button b is provided on the bulb of the bell, or handle at the rheotome
end, to which one of the wire terminals Q or Q¹ may be connected, such as when a
mild current is required.
The cell, before spoken of can be charged by inserting a small quantity of
Bisulphate of Mercury and partially filling with water before introducing the zinc
element..
When the apparatus is to be used for dumb bell or Indian club, or like exercise, a
single wire is used, as at Figures 1 and 3, the terminals respectively being attached
to one end of each bell, or to the two handles of two Indian clubs, or the like, for
connecting them, the circuit being completed by the grip on the handle portions,
said portions being metallically covered, or partially covered in conduction with the
buttons M, P, before spoken of.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :=
1. The arrangement of appliances constituting a battery in a Dumb bell, a club
or other handle for administering currents, during exercises, as described and as
shown by the annexed drawings.
2. The particular arrangement of globular vessel H forming the element and the
method of closing the mouth of said vessel, at the same time forming a springy
connection with the button N and plate G, as and for the purpose described.
The 29th day of December 1888.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said William George Johnson.