Improved Means of Holding and Supporting Electric Conductors or other Wires, Ropes, or Bars.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 28th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Holding and Supporting Electric Conductors or
other Wires, Ropes, or Bars.
We, MICHAEL HOLROYD SMITH, of 161 Trinity Road, Upper Tooting in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, and THOMAS PERCEVAL WILSON of 3 Whitehall
Place, London S.W. Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates more particularly to the holding and supporting of overhead
electric conductors as used for tramway purposes but the invention is in part
applicable for other purposes such as the support of telegraph and telephone wires
etc. The nature of the invention being described when employed for electric
tramway systems its application for other uses will be more or less evident.
According to this invention the conducting wire or wire to be supported is
gripped in a suitable recess between two plates with internal and external projecting
Tugs the latter when in position bearing against end lugs or fingers on a second or
top or bridge plate. Resting in a suitable groove between the top of the lower
plates and the bottom of the top or bridge plate is the cross supporting wire which
may be suitably insulated. The bottom and top plates are secured together by
bolts and nuts the heads of the former finding a bearing beneath the internal lugs
on the lower plates where they are held from turning by the sides of the gripping
plates. When the nuts are screwed up not only are the plates firmly held but the
wires are also tightly and effectively gripped. The action of the bolts and nuts
may be simply to hold the parts together but it is preferred to so form the parts
that the action will be more analogous to that of a toggle joint bearing upon the
conducting wire or wire to be gripped.
The device just described is eminently adapted for supporting straight lengths of
wire but where the conducting wire has to be bent as in rounding a street corner or
making a curve in the line it is preferable to have an adjustable gripper or one
which while being supported may turn on its axis to a greater or lesser extent so as
to accomodate itself to the natural bend which the wire takes in rounding the curve.
To attain this result instead of the supporting wire passing between the top and
lower plates said wire is attached to one or both ends of a top or bridge plate or
piece through which a central or pivot bolt passes, the head of said bolt resting
between the lower or wire supporting plates which in this case may be caused to
clamp the conducting wire by the action of screws or bolts. With this construction
the nut on the pivot bolt being slackened the gripping plates are free to revolve
thereon and the conducting wire being gripped between the plates cause the latter
to take the position best suited to the curve or bend of the wire. The said plates
may then be secured in the position so arrived at by simply tightening the pivot
bolt.
D
0.1
P
1
1008

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Holding and Supporting Electric Conductors or
other. Wires, Ropes, or Bars..
2
3.
We, MICHAEL HOLROYD SMITH of, 161 Trinity, Road, Upper Tooting in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, and THOMAS PERCEVAL WILSON of 3 Whitehall
Place, London, S.W. Engineer, 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 more particularly to the holding and supporting of overhead
eléctric conductors as used for tramway purposes, but the invention is in part
applicable for other purposes such as the support of telegraph and telephone wires
etc. The nature of the invention being described when employed for electric
tramway systems its application for other uses will be more or less evident.
In the accompanying drawings which form part of this Specification
Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the holding and supporting device.
Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of same.
Fig. 3 a side elevation...
' !
Fig. 4 a diagrammatic view with the angles somewhat exaggerated so as to more
clearly show the action of the parts.
Fig. 5 is an end elevation. showing the holding and supporting device as
applied for carrying the conducting wire around a curve such as in rounding a
street corner.
Fig. 6 is a plan or top view of same, and
Fig. 7 is a side elevation.
5
2
2
According to this invention the conducting: wire A, or wire to be supported is
gripped in a suitable recess between two plates B B, with internal and external
projecting lugs C C, DD, the latter when in position bearing against end lugs or
fingers EE, on a second or top or bridge plate F. Resting in a suitable groove
between the top of the lower plates DD, and the bottom of the top or bridge
plate F is the cross supporting wire G which may be suitably insulated. The
bottom and top plates are secured together by bolts and nuts H H, the heads of
the former finding a bearing beneath the internal lugs C C, on the lower plates
where they are held from turning by the sides of the gripping plates B B. When 3
the nuts are screwed up not only are the plates firmly held but the wires A and G
are also tightly and effectively gripped. The action of the bolts and nuts may be
simply to hold the parts together, but it is preferred to so form the parts that the
action will be more analogous to that of a toggle joint bearing upon the conducting
wire or wire to be gripped, as clearly indicated in Fig. 4.
3
The device just described is eminently adapted for supporting straight lengths of
wire, but where the conducting wire has to be bent as in rounding a street corner or
making a curve in the line it is preferable to have an adjustable gripper or one
which while being supported may turn on its axis to a greater or lesser extent so as
to accomodate itself to the natural bend which the wire takes in rounding the curve. 4
To attain this result instead of the supporting wire passing between the top and
lower plates said wire is attached to one or both ends of a top or bridge plate or
piece I through which a central or pivot bolt H passes, the head of said bolt resting
beneath lugs C on the lower or wire supporting plates B, B, as in the previous case,
while in addition to the gripping action so obtained screws or bolts J may also be 4
employed. With this construction the nut on the pivot bolt H being slackened the
gripping plates B B are free to revolve thereon and the conducting wire A being
gripped between the plates B B, cause the latter to take the position best suited to
the curve or bend. The said plates may then be secured in the position so arrived
at by simply tightening the pivot bolt H.
The arm or piece I is preferably so curved that the wire A will be in the same

page_text: horizontal plane as the outer end of I to which wire straining G would be affixed
although said arm might be pivoted or rigidly secured to posts or other fixed points
where convenient. Where desirable arm I may be extended as indicated by dotted
lines in Fig. 5, so as to carry a second wire A, and two or more arms I, attached at
different points on wire A may be secured to the same support G.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The improved means of holding and supporting electric conductors or other
wires or bands consisting of gripping plates provided with internal and external
projecting lugs, a top plate adapted to engage with the external lugs and a bolt or
fastening adapted to engage with the internal lugs and with the top plate, substan-
tially as set forth.
2. The improved means of holding and supporting electric conductors or other
wires or bands, consisting of gripping plates provided with internal and external
projecting lugs, a top plate adapted to engage with the external projecting lugs,
and a bolt or fastening adapted to engage with the internal lugs and with the top
plate, the whole being so arranged as to grip at one time the conducting and
supporting wires, substantially as set forth.
3. The improved means of holding and supporting electric conductors or other
wires or bands consisting of gripping plates adjustably pivoted on a supporting arm
or piece, and means for causing the gripping plates to grip the wire or band,
substantially as set forth.
4. The general arrangement and combination of parts forming the improved
means for holding and supporting electric conductors or other wires or bands,
substantially as described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. The improved means of holding electric conductors or other wires, ropes or
bars, consisting in employing gripping and top plates so placed with relation to each
other that when they are drawn together the gripping plates acting as levers grip
and hold the material between them as described.
Dated this 28th day of Janne
1802