Improvements in Pendants and other Fittings for Electric Light.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 11th July, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pendants and other Fittings for Electric Light.
We, WILLIAM WINSTANLEY STRODE of 48, Osnaburgh Street London N.W.
Engineer and CHARLES GEORGE GILL of 95 Bartholomew Road Camden Road
London N.W. Manager to the above do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention is applied to pendants and other fittings for electric light where it is
desired to raise or lower, or to move or change the position at will of the pendant or
other fitting.
In carrying out this invention we provide a drum of slate, porcelain or other
preferred substance, such drum being fitted with a spring. This spring is attached at
one end to the drum, the other end being secured to a spindle fitted to a suitable frame
in such manner that the spring is wound up when the drum is rotated.
This drum is grooved on the outer side to allow an insulated cable or cables being
wound upon it and is also provided with metal rings or plates, to which are attached
by set screws or other preferred means the ends of cable or cables. The electric
current is conveyed from mains by leads attached to suitable spring contacts fitted to
the frame and properly insulated, to the metal rings or plates and if required an
efficient fuse is provided. The spring attached to the drum, which may be fitted inside
or outside is made the desired strength and is so fitted that upon the cable being
unwound the spring is wound up, and vice-versa. Should the spring be too sensitive
to permit the cable or cables to be unwound the desired length, we provide a
suitable break either upon the drum or cables, which is regulated by a set screw
When it is desired to apply this invention to pendants or other fittings of too great
a weight for the cable itself to maintain we provide another drum of metal or other
preferred substance also having a spring fitted to spindle and frame in similar manner
to the one previously described herein.
This drum is fitted on the outside with a band of metal of desired length wound
round the drum, one end of which is attached to the drum and the other end to the
pendant or other fitting, so that upon the pendant being lowered, or other fitting being
raised or moved or altered in position the band of metal is unwound and the spring is
wound up, thus sustaining the weight of pendant or other fitting and, or, the cable,
the spring being of the desired strength.
Should it be desired to apply this invention to pendants and other fittings which
have to be raised or lowered or moved a considerable distance, the springs before
mentioned attached to the cable drums, or the drums with metal bands, may be fitted
independantly upon spindles and geared by pinions or toothed wheels to the drums.
To prevent the spring upon the drum with metal band being too sensitive we provide
a suitable break, regulated by a set screw, to act either upon the drum or metal band.
The metal band and cable if desired may be carried through telescopic tubes, in
such a manner that should the metal band, or cable or both break, the pendant or other
fitting could not fall farther or move beyond the distance the telescope tubes would
extend.
These telescope tubes would also protect the metal band and cable from injury and
wear.
The drums either for cable or metal band herein before described may be fitted to any
part of pendant or other fitting most suitable, or may be made independantly, to act
in connection with any fitting for electric light.
Dated this 27th day of December 1860
WILLIAM WINSTANLEY STRODE.
CHARLES GEORGE GILL.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pendants and other Fittings for Electric Light.
We WILLIAM WINSTANLEY STRODE, of 48 Osnaburgh Street, Regent's Park, London,
Electrical Engineer, and CHARLES GEORGE GILL, of 95 Bartholomew Road, Camden
Road, London, Manager to above, 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 is applied to pendants and other fittings for electric light where it is
desired to raise or lower, move or change at will the position of the pendant or other
fitting.
We will now fully describe our invention in reference to the accompanying drawings
which chiefly illustrate its application to a heavy electrolier or pendant with telescopic
tubes, and we will describe its several lesser applications as we proceed.
Figure 1 is an elevation of one side partly in section and Figure 2 is the same view
of the reverse side: Figures 3 and 4 are elevations of the left and right hand ends
respectively of figure 1, both partly in section, and Figure 5 is an alternative arrange-
ment hereinafter referred to.
Similar letters indicate similar parts in all of the figures.
In applying our invention to a fitting of light weight we provide a drum A of slate
porcelain wood or other preferred substance which is grooved or flanged to allow of
an insulated cable C being wound upon it. The drum is provided upon one of its faces
with metallic rings a³ a forming rotating pole plates with which are connected the
two ends of the cable or cables U by set screws or other preferred means. The drumm
is carried by the spindle a¹ which is mounted in bearings a² a which may be fixed to
the top plate B, or the stirrup y or otherwise; to the drum A is applied a return
spring a either internally after the manner of an ordinary spring barrel, or externally
and enclosed in a casing as illustrated figure 4, when the spring is attached at one end
to the casing and at the other end to drum spindle a'. The spring is made of desired
strength and wound in the opposite direction to the cable upon the drum, and the
casing is prevented from rotating by a stop c. Thus the spring a is wound up when
the drum A is unwound and vice versa. The cables aforesaid carry the pendant or
other fitting and the electric current is conveyed to it by the mains L L' which are
connected to suitable spring arms S S₁ making constant frictional contacts with the
aforesaid rotary metallic rings a³ a respectively. The arms S S are fitted at the
terminals to an insulating block which may be fixed below the plate Bas
illustrated in figures 1 and 4, or it may be fixed above B as in figure 5, in which case
the arms pass through a slot in the plate B. The latter arrangement is preferred since
the arms S S¹ are better protected from tampering, and in both cases if required an
efficient fuse is provided. Should the spring a be too sensitive we provide a suitable
friction break upon the drum A, or it may be upon the outer side of the casing of the
spring a, after the manner hereinafter described in reference to the brake indicated by
the letter d and supplementary drum D of figures 1 and 3.
When it is desired to apply this invention to pendants or other fittings of too great
weight to be safely supported by the cable itself as above described we provide a
supplementary spring drum with a brake and carrying a metallic band or ribbon
connected direct to the fitting. The mechanism already described remains the same
and D'figures 1, 2 and 3 is the supplementary drum of metal or other preferred substance
also having a spring preferably internally fitted and acting on the drum spindle d'
which is mounted in the same manner as set forth in reference to drum A.
This drum D has wound on it in the opposite direction to its spring a strip or
band of metals one end of which is attached to the drum and the other end may be
attached to the pendant itself or other fitting or as hereinafter set forth, so that upon
the said fitting, being lowered or moved the strip or band s is unwound and the drum
spring is wound up, thus sustaining the weight of the pendant or other fitting, the
said spring being of a strength proportionate to the duty to be performed.

page_text: To prevent this spring being too sensitive we provide a suitable brake such as d
consisting of a piece of leather or equivalent material placed against one external
face of the drum and pressed there against by a plate and spring such as d regulated
hy a set screw such as illustrated so that it will act frictionally upon the drum D, a
stop d³ being provided to prevent its rotation.
Should it be desired to apply this invention to pendants or other fittings such as
wall plugs and the like which have to be raised or lowered or moved considerable
distance, the springs before mentioned in either or both of the drums A and D may
be fixed independently upon spindles and geared by pinions or toothed wheels (in
suitable proportion) to the drums carrying the strips or cable C in the usual
manner.
In some cases where desired the strip or band of metals and the cables C may be
carried through any number of telescopic tubes such as illustrated at T T', the upper-
most one being suspended from the plate B by the stirrup y or in convenient manner.
In such a case the drum or drums is or are suitably spaced apart and disposed, and
the bands passes through the tubes its outer end being fixed to the upper end of the
lowest tube T at V, and the cables Calso pass freely through the tubes to the pendant
or other fitting. Stops such as t are placed on the inner side of the lower ends of
these tubes and corresponding stops on the outer side of the upper ends so that
should the band s or cable Cor both break, the stops will engage and the pendant
could not fall further than the telescopic tubes could extend. By this arrangement
the bands and the cable are entirely enclosed and thus protected from injury by
dust etc.
The whole of the head gear or moving mechanism may be covered by an ornamental
flower or cap, and the top plate B affixed to or suspended from the ceiling in the
desired situation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a pendant or other fitting for electric light the improvement hereinbefore
described whereby it may be raised or lowered, moved or changed in position, con-
sisting in the use of a spring return drum such as A carrying the cables to the fitting
and arranged and electrically connected substantially as described, and with or without
a friction brake as specified, for the purpose set forth.
2. In a sliding or movable pendant or other fitting for electric light the combination
with one spring return drum such as A carrying the cables to the fitting and arranged
and electrically connected substantially as set forth and claimed of a second spring
return drum such as D carrying a supplementary supporting band attached to the
fitting or a part thereof and having a brake applied, all being arranged substantially
as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In a sliding or movable pendant or other fitting for electric light the means set
forth for conveying the current from the main leads to the cables upon the rotary
drum A, consisting in the rotary pole plates a³ at in conjunction with the spring
contact arms S S₁ and connections arranged substantially as set forth in reference to
the drawings.
4. In a pendant or other fitting for electric light the combination with one cable
drum and its connections such as is set forth in reference to A, or with two drums and
their connections such as are set forth in reference to A and D, of telescopic tubes
enclosing the cables and supporting band and fitted with stops all as and for the purposes
set forth.
Dated this Eleventh day of Jul 1800
th day of July 1800
J. C. CHAPMAN, Fel. Inst. Patent Agents,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for Applicants.