Improvements connected with the Lighting of Miners' and other Lamps by Means of an Electric Current.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Nov., 1898
1899
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Aug., 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct.,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements connected with the Lighting of Miners' and other
Lamps by Means of an Electric Current.
We, OSMOND YEADON RHODES, of 16, Grange Terrace, Chapeltown Road, in
the City of Leeds and County of York, Electrician, and THE MINERS' LAMP
ELECTRIC LIGHTING COMPANY LIMITED, of 7, Greek Street, Leeds, aforesaid, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to provide a new and improved means and method
of lighting miners' safety lamps and lamps of other descriptions by means of an
electric current.
con-
In carrying out our invention we employ, for conveying the current to the
lamp, an insulated, protected sliding or telescopic contact maker
sisting of an inner metal contact piece connected directly to the lead
from the battery or coil, or in contact with one pole or terminal of
said battery or coil. This metal contact piece is capable of sliding telescopically
within an outer casing of vulcanite or other suitable insulating material. The end
or point of this vulcanite or insulated casing is provided with a metal terminal,
and the inner contact piece is normally held away from this terminal by means
of an elastic or other form of spring.
If desired the above arrangement may be reversed, that is to say, the metal
terminal may be arranged to slide within the metal contact piece an insulated
cover or casing being employed as in the former case, a spring being also em-
ployed to normally hold the terminal and contact piece apart.
The above telescopic contact maker and the body of the lamp we employ
to form one pole, and for the other pole we employ an insulated pole piece
running through the body of the lamp and formed after the manner of a spring
piston or plunger preferably of the form shewn and described in the Specification
of Letters Patent No. 13159 of 1889 granted to Osmond Yeadon Rhodes, one of
the present applicants, and another."
In employing our invention for lighting a miners' safety lamp, this piston
or plunger forming one pole of the lamp is placed on one pole of a battery
preferably of the type shewn and described in the Specification of Letters Patent
No. 17966 of 1887 granted to Osmond Yeadon Rhodes, one of the present
applicants. The other pole of the battery is connected to the inner sliding
contact piece of the telescopic contact maker, or as previously described the
metal contact piece may be stationary or non-sliding and the metal terminal
may slide within same to make contact. On pressing the metal terminal on
the end or point of the insulated cover or sheath of the contact maker against any
portion of the body of the lamp (which, as previously described, forms one pole)
until the contact piece makes contact with the metal terminal, or vice versa.
the electric circuit is completed, and the platinum wire or other means employed
to light the wick inside the lamp is raised to incandescense, or a spark flowing
from one pole to another inside the lamp may be employed to effect ignition of
the wick, oil, spirit, or other material or substance employed. On releasing the

page_text: sliding contact maker the spring withdraws or forces the contact maker from
the terminal, thus avoiding any possibility of accidentally completing the
electric circuit and forming a spark outside the contact maker.
If desired the means above described can be employed in connection with
any form of induction coil instead of with a battery as just described.
The above will be found a reliable means and method of lighting miners'
safety lamps, as even if a spark is given off inside the sliding contact maker it
is hermetically sealed by means of the insulated cover from the surrounding
atmosphere, thus enabling the apparatus to be used for lighting miners' lamps
in the workings of mines where the atmosphere is so highly charged with in-
flammable vapour as to render extremely dangerous any possibility of a naked
spark being given off in the lighting process. The means and method can with
equal advantage be applied to the lighting of ordinary oil, spirit or vapour
lamps or torches, and they are specially applicable in connection with the apparatus
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Joseph Prestwich,
No. 3785 of 1893.
זה
1000
Improvements connected with the Lighting of Miners' and other
Lamps by Means of an Electric Current,
We, OSMOND YEADON RHODES, of 16, Grange Terrace, Chapeltown Road, in
the City of Leeds and County of York, Electrician, and THE MINERS' LAMP
ELECTRIC LIGHTING COMPANY LIMITED, of 7, Greek Street, Leeds, aforesaid, 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 follow-
ing statement:
-
The object of our invention is to provide a new and improved means and method
of lighting miners' safety lamps and lamps of other descriptions by means of an
electric current.
In carrying out our invention we employ for conveying the current to the
lamp, an insulated protected sliding or telescopic contact maker con-
sisting of an inner metal contact piece connected directly to the lead
from the battery or coil or in contact with one pole or terminal of
said battery or coil. This metal contact piece is capable of sliding telescopically
within an outer casing of vulcanite or other insulating material. The end
or point of this vulcanite or insulating casing is provided with a metal terminal,
and the inner contact piece is normally held away from this terminal by means
of an elastic or other form of spring. If desired the above arrangement may be
reversed, that is to say, the metal terminal may be arranged to slide within the
metal contact piece, an insulated cover or casing being employed as in the former
case, a spring being also employed to normally hold the terminal and contact
piece apart.
The above telescopic contact maker and the body of the lamp we employ
to form one pole, and for the other pole we employ an insulated pole piece
running through the body of the lamp, and formed after the manner of a spring
piston or plunger preferably of the form shewn and described in the Specification
of Letters Patent No. 13159 of 1889 granted to Osmond Yeadon Rhodes, one of
the present applicants, and another."

page_text: In employing our invention for lighting a miner's safety lamp, this piston
or plunger forming one pole of the lamp is placed on one pole of a battery
preferably of the type shewn and described in the Specification of Letters Patent
No. 17966 of 1887 granted to Osmond Yeadon Rhodes, one of the present
applicants. The other pole of the battery is connected to the inner sliding
contact piece of the telescopic contact maker or as previously described, the
metal contact piece may be stationary or non-sliding and the metal terminal
may slide within same to make contact. On pressing the metal terminal on
the end or point of the insulated cover of the contact maker against any
portion of the body of the lamp (which as previously described, forms one pole)
until the metal contact piece makes contact with the metal terminal, or it may be
by pressing the metal contact piece against the body of the lamp until same
makes contact with the metal terminal, the electric circuit is completed and the
platinum wire or other means employed to light the wick inside the lamp is
raised to incandescence, or a spark flowing from one pole to another inside the
lamp may be employed to effect ignition of the wick, oil, spirit, or other material
employed. On removing the pressure from the sliding contact maker, the spring
withdraws or forces the contact maker from the terminal, thus avoiding any
possibility of accidentally completing the electric circuit and forming a spark
outside the contact maker.
In the accompanying drawings illustrating our improvements, Fig. 1 is a
sectional elevation of a telescopic contact maker constructed according to our
invention, and Fig. 2 is similar view of a modification.
Referring to the drawings, letter a represents a sliding contact piece, capable
of sliding within a casing b which may be formed of any suitable substance or
material, such as glass, brass, or the like. At the inner end of the casing is
attached by means of a screw thread or otherwise, a block or cup c of vulcanite
or other insulating material, through which passes a terminal d communicating
with the lead or wire e from the battery or coil, not shewn, the communication
being established by means of a thumb screw f as shewn in Fig. 1. Instead of
the terminal d passing through the insulating block c as shewn in Fig. 1 the
said terminal may be screwed into the said insulating block as shewn at Fig. 2
the wire or lead e passing down through the insulating block and the bare end
of same being wrapped around the shank of the terminal to establish communica-
tion. This latter method we prefer to employ as it practically hermetically
scals the contacts and prevents a spark (if one be given off) from reaching the
external atmosphere.
In using the apparatus for lighting a miner's safety lamp, the lead e is secured
to one pole or terminal of a battery preferably of the type previously referred
to, and the lamp, also of the type referred to, is placed on the other pole or
terminal of said battery. On pressing the sliding contact piece a against any
portion of the body of the lamp which forms one pole, the said contact piece
slides within the casing b and makes contact with the terminal d, and as com-
munication with the other pole of the battery is set up by means of the spring
piston or plunger in the lamp, the electric circuit is completed, and the current
flows through the lamp to raise the platinum wire or other means employed to
incandescence, which ignites the wick. On removing the pressure from the
casing the contact piece a is forced out of contact with the terminal d by means
of spring g. The carrier h ensures true or central movement of the contact piece a
in the casing b.
If desired the above arrangement may be reversed, that is to sav. the contact
piece a may be attached to the casing and the terminal may slide within same to
make contact, a spring being employed, as in the former case, to hold the terminal
and contact piece normally apart.
Our improvements may. if desired, be emploved in connection with any form of
induction coil, instead of with a battery as described.
The above will be found a reliable means and method of lighting miners'

page_text: safety lamps, as even if a spark be given off within the casing of the contact maker
it is hermetically sealed within the casing from the surrounding atmosphere,
thus enabling the apparatus to be used for lighting miners' lamps in the workings
of mines where the atmosphere is so highly charged with inflammable vapour as
to render extremely dangerous any possibility of a naked spark being given off
during the lighting process.
The means and method can with equal advantage be applied to the lighting
of ordinary oil, spirit, or vapour lamps or torches, and they are specially applicable
in connection with the apparatus described in the Specification of Letters Patent
No. 3785 of 1893, granted to Joseph Prestwich.
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) A telescopic contact maker for use in lighting miners safety or other
lamps by means of an electric current, comprising a sliding contact piece adapted
to slide within a casing and make contact with a terminal carried by a block
of insulating material, forming part of or attached to said casing and a spring
to normally hold the said contact piece and terminal apart, all arranged and
employed substantially as shewn and in manner described.
(2) A telescopic contact maker for use in lighting miners safety or other
lamps by means of an electric current, comprising a terminal adapted to slide
within a casing and make contact with a contact piece carried by a block of
insulating material forming part of or attached to said casing, and a spring to
normally hold the said terminal and contact piece apart, substantially as described
and for purposes described.
Dated this 21st day of August 1899
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Patent Agents, Halifax, Agents for Applicants.