Improvements in Electric Switches.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 14th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 20th Apr, 1889
[Communicated from abroad by SIGMUND BERGMANN, of No. 36, East 64th Street,
in the City and State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Electric Switches.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co. Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My improvement consists in a novel switch for electrical purposes in which is
employed a rotary part, or wheel made of incombustible material, such, for instance,
as porcelain. This rotary part or wheel is provided with alternate metallic and non-
metallic surfaces. The improvement also consists in the combination with a switch
wheel of a base-piece of insulating material, an upright shell secured to the base-piece,
a rotary part or wheel of incombustible material mounted upon said shell, a shaft
supported by the shell and a connection between the shaft and the switch wheel.
This connection may be a spring. Such spring may be fastened to the rotary shaft
and may extend outwardly therefrom between projections extending from the rotary
part or wheel. With this shaft may also be combined a pin extending radially there-
from between said projections.
Combined with the rotary part or wheel is an axle or support upon which the
rotary part or wheel may turn. The shaft may turn relatively to the said axle or
support.
The rotary part or wheel is provided with spiral segment surfaces, certain of
which are faced with conducting material and certain of which are of insulating
material.
The rotary shaft around which the rotary part or wheel can turn is provided
with a hand-piece for imparting motion to the rotary shaft. This hand-piece is so
combined with the shaft that when turned in one direction it will operate to rotate the
shaft and the said rotary part or wheel, but when turned in the other direction will
not cause the rotation of those parts.

page_text: The switch comprises metallic brushes which bear against the periphery of the
rotary part or wheel, these rushes are in electrical circuit and operate to close circuit
when the rotary part or wheel is so rotated as to bring the brushes into contact with a
metallic surface on the rotary part or wheel. The spring to which I have referred as
being combined with the shaft and the rotary part or wheel operates when the shaft is
so rotated as to rotate the rotary part or wheel, to cause it to be thrown quite a
considerable distance which action ensures the carrying of the metallic surfaces upon
the rotary part or wheel considerably beyond the ends of the brushes, thereby ensuring
a complete breaking of the circuit.
Dated this 15th day of June 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Electric Switches.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
My improvement consists in a novel switch for electrical purposes in which is
employed a rotary part or wheel made of incombustible material, such, for instance,
as porcelain. This rotary part or wheel is provided with alternate metallic and non-
metallic surfaces. The improvement also consists in the combination with a switch
wheel of a base piece of insulating material an upright shell secured to the base-piece,
a rotary part or wheel of incombustible material mounted upon said shell, a shaft,
supported by the shell and a connection between the shaft and the switch wheel.
This connection may be a spring. Such spring may be fastened to the rotary shaft
and may extend upwardly therefrom between projections extending from the rotary
part or wheel. With this shaft may also be combined a pin extending radially there-
from between said projections.
Combined with the rotary part or wheel is an axle or support upon which the
rotary part or wheel may turn. The shaft may turn relatively to the said axle
or support.
The rotary part or wheel is provided with spiral segment surfaces, certain of
which are faced with conducting material and certain of which are of insulating
material.
The rotary shaft around which the rotary part or wheel can turn is provided with a
hand-piece for imparting motion to the rotary shaft. This hand-piece is so combined
with the shaft that when turned in one direction it will operate to rotate the shaft and
the said rotary part or wheel, but when turned in the other direction will not cause
the rotation of those parts.
The switch comprises metallic brushes which bear against the periphery of the
rotary part or wheel, these brushes being in electrical circuit and operating to close
circuit when the rotary part or wheel is so rotated as to bring the brushes into contact
with a metallic surface on the rotary part or wheel. The spring to which I have
referred as being combined with the shaft and the rotary part or wheel operates when the.
shaft is so rotated as to rotate the rotary part or wheel to cause it to be thrown quite a
considerable distance which action insures the carrying of the metallic surfaces upon
the rotary part or wheel considerably beyond the ends of the brushes, thereby insuring
a complete breaking of the circuit.
I will describe a switch embodying my improvement in detail and then point out
the novel features in claims.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan or top view of a switch embodying
my improvement, the handle and also a cover which is preferably used being removed.
:

page_text: Figure 2 is a side view of this switch with the cover removed. Figure 3 is a certain
vertical section of the switch taken at the plane of the dotted line xx
Figure 1, the
cover being in place. Figure 4 is a horizontal section of a wheel forming part of the
switch. Figure 5 is a top view of the switch wheel and of the appurtenances which
impinge upon the same." Figure 6 is a detailed view partly in section and partly
broken away to save space showing other means for transmitting motion from a hand-
piece comprised in the switch to a shaft which the hand-piece operates. Similar letters
of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A designates a base-piece, here shown as of circular form. It is preferably made
of porcelain, glass or analagous incombustible material. It is shown as provided near
the top with a circumferential rabbet a adapted to receive a cover B. This cover may
be made of sheet metal. As here shown it is provided at a certain portion with a
lining of insulating material b.
The base-piece is shown as provided in the under side with a central cavity a' which
may be of circular form. C designates an upright cylindric shell. Its lower end fits
in a central in the base-piece A. Near the lower end it is provided with a flange which
rests upon the top of the base-piece A. At the lower extremity this shell is externally
screw-threaded and has applied to it below the central portion of the base-piece a
nut C. This nut, together with the flange, secure the shell in an upright position
firmly to the base-piece. This shell may be made of metal. It is not intended to
turn or rotate. D designates a switch wheel. It is made of porcelain, glass or like
incombustible material. Through its centre extends a hole of suitable size to fit the
exterior of the shell C. This wheel rests upon the flange of the shell C and is free to
turn about the shell.
The exterior or periphery of the wheel D is composed of a number of spiral segment
surfaces c¹ c² 3 c¹ and intermediate radial portions. I have shown four of said spiral
segment surfaces. They are approximately of the same shape as ordinary ratchet
teeth. The segment surfaces c² e which are opposite each other and intermediate of
the segment surface c¹ c³ are faced with strips of metal d² d' which may advantageously
be copper.
These strips of metal are secured in place as here shown by being bent at
one end so as to form tongues e which extend into slots formed radially in the
wheel D. It will be seen by reference to Figure 3 that the tongues e are flared
towards their extremities. Babbit metal is poured into the slots in the wheel around
the tongues e while in a liquid state and on setting secures the tongues firmly in the
slots. The strips of metal d2 d are co-extensive with the segment surfaces e² c¹.
E designates a shaft fitted into the upright shell C and capable of rotating therein.
It extends below the shell C and has nuts E¹ E2 applied to it below the shell to secure
it in place within the shell. Above the shell it is provided with a shoulder that
extends over the upper end of the shell. The upper end of this shaft is provided with
an externally screw-threaded boss to which a hand-piece F is secured by means of a
screw-threaded cavity. This hand-piece serves as a means for turning the shaft.
G designates a pin extending radially from the shaft E above the switch wheel D.
This pin is shown as secured to the shaft by being screwed into the latter. It also
serves the purpose of securing to the shaft one end of a spring H which is coiled
loosely around the shaft and has its free end extended towards the direction of the
periphery of the switch wheel. The switch wheel has upon its upper surface two
projections d d³. The pin G extends between these projections. So does the free
end of the spring H. The opposite faces of the projections d' d³ are at a considerable
distance apart. Normally the pin G bears against the projection d³ and the free end
of the spring H bears against the projection d'.
It will be remembered that the switch wheel is free to turn loosely around the
upright shell C. It derives its motion from the shaft E but this shaft is capable of
transmitting motion to the switch wheel only through the agency of the pin G and
the spring H.
11 12 13 14 designate brushes consisting of strips of metal secured to plates or
posts J1 J2 J3 J4 secured to the base-piece A by screws or otherwise and adapted to
have circuit wires secured in electrical communication with them. These brushes at

page_text: their free ends bear upon the periphery of the switch wheel. They may hear at the
same time upon the segment surfaces ces which are not faced with metal or upon the
intermediate segment surfaces c2 c which are faced with the metal strips d² d*.
The plate or post J¹ is not in electrical communication with the plate or post J*.
The brush I is therefore electrically unconnected with the brush 12. The plates or
posts J3 J4 and brushes I¹ 13 are likewise unconnected. Therefore when the two pairs
of brushes bear upon the metal strips d² d electrical communication is established
between the brushes 11 12 and also between the brushes I³ I. When the two pairs of
brushes touch the segment surfaces c¹³ of the switch wheel there will be no electrical
communication between the brushes I' I' or between the brushes 1³ I<.
When the hand piece F is turned so as to rotate the switch wheel the spring H will
yield until the pin G comes in contact with it as shown in full lines in Figure 5. The
further turning of the hand piece will impart a corresponding rotary movement to
the switch wheel. When the opposite segment surfaces are about to pass beyond
the tips of the brushes the spring H expands and throws the switch wheel quite a
considerable distance as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 5. This action
insures the carrying of the strips d d entirely beyond the brushes.
It will be seen that the hand-piece F can only be operated to rotate the shaft E
in one direction, for when turned in the opposite direction it will be unscrewed from
the shaft. The wheel D cannot therefore be rotated in such a direction as to injure
the brushes I' I³.
In Figure 6'I have shown another means for causing the same operation consisting
in providing the axle or support C with an internal socket j near its upper end.
Secured in the socket jas here shown by means of a screw j is a wheel provided
upon its inner end with ratchet teeth. The hand-piece F. is mounted upon a shaft
Extending radially from the shaft inwards of the wheel 2 is a pin or projection .
Surrounding the shaft is a spring it. This spring bears at one end against the -
hand piece and at the other against the shell B. The tendency of this spring is to
force the shaft outwardly, whereby the pin is caused to engage the ratchet teeth
on the wheel 2, the direction of extension of the teeth on said wheel being such that
when the hand-piece F is rotated in a direction to cause the proper rotation of the
switch wheel, the pin on the shaft will engage the teeth. When, however, the hand-
piece is rotated in the wrong direction, the pin will ride up upon the surfaces of
the teeth on the wheel and will slide past them, whereby no rotary motion will be
imparted to the switch wheel. The pin * rides up on the teeth of the wheel,³ against
the resistance of the spring ; and when the pin has passed the point of any one of
the teeth said spring will operate to again throw the shaft outwardly to cause the
engagement of the pin with the teeth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is:
1. In a switch a rotary part or wheel made of porcelain, glass or like incombustible
material, substantially as specified.
2. In a switch a rotary part or wheel made of porcelain, glass or like incombustible
material, and provided with alternate metallic and non-metallic surfaces on its periphery,
substantially as specified.
3. In a switch the combination of a base-piece of insulating material, an upright
shell secured to the base-piece, a rotary part or wheel of porcelain, glass or like
incombustible material mounted upon the upright shell, a shaft supported by said
upright shell and a connection between this shaft and the switch wheel, substantially
as specified.
4. In a switch the combination of a rotary part or wheel, a shaft around which the
rotary part or wheel turns and a spring establishing communication between the shaft
and the rotary part or wheel, substantially as specified.
5. In a switch the combination of a rotary part or wheel, an axle or support upon
which the rotary part or wheel may turn, a shaft capable of turning relatively to

page_text: the axle or support of the rotary part or wheel and a spring establishing a con-
nection between the rotary shaft and the rotary part or wheel, substantially as
specified.
6. In a switch the combination with a rotary part or wheel provided with spiral
segment surfaces, certain of which are of insulating material and the others of
which are faced with conducting material, of a rotary shaft around which the
rotary part or wheel turns, a spring fastened to the rotary shaft and extending
outwardly therefrom between projections extending from the rotary part or wheel,
substantially as specified.
7. In a switch the combination of a rotary part or wheel, a rotary shaft around
which the rotary part or wheel can turn and provided with upwardly extending
projections, a pin extending radially from this shaft between the said projections of
the rotary part or wheel and a spring also connected with the shaft and extending
between the said projections, substantially as specified.
8. In a switch the combination with a rotary part or wheel, of a rotary shaft
around which the rotary part or wheel can turn, a hand-piece for imparting motion
to the shaft and the rotary part and having a screw-threaded connection with said
shaft, and brushes contacting with the rotary part or wheel, substantially as specified.
9. In an electric switch a base therefor composed of porcelain, or other non-
combustible material, substantially as specified.
10. In an electric switch the combination with a base composed of porcelain, or
other non-combustible material on which the same is mounted, of a cover therefor
composed of porcelain or other non-combustible material, substantially as specified.
Dated this 13th day of March 1889
.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.