Improvements relating to Automatic Breaking of Current Circuit for Electric Lamps or other Devices.
Year: 1893

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Date of Application, 10th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 12th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Automatic Breaking of Current Circuit
for Electric Lamps or other Devices.
I, REGINALD HADDAN of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co. of 18 Buckingham
Street Strand W.C. London in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad by
A. Reisinger of 1 Chausséestrasse Berlin, N. in the Empire of Germany
Manufacturer, to be as follows:-
The purpose of this invention is to provide an apparatus to be inserted in con-
nection with an electric circuit for the purpose of automatically interrupting the
said circuit after a certain interval of time and maintaining the same interrupted
or broken until such time as an appropriate movement is given to a part of the
apparatus for reconstituting the circuit and again suffering the current to flow for
the aforesaid interval or space of time.
By applying such apparatus in connection with a circuit for the supply of
current to an electric lamp, for instance in a room, it will be sufficient to give a
movement to a lever, at any time to cause current to flow through the lamp, and
the latter will continue to emit light during the space of time, say 10 minutes, until
the current is automatically cut off by the apparatus without any further
operation.
The apparatus may comprise a suitable clockwork with a lever which serves for
winding the same and may be itself moved gradually by the clockwork to its
position of rest. The lever may be of non conductive material and may, on nearly
approaching its resting position, lift a metallic contact in the electric circuit so as
to cut off the current. When the lever is moved by hand, say a quarter turn, the
clockwork is thereby wound up and the lever when released will gradually recede
to its resting position. In the meantime however the electric contacts will remain
free to connect and the current will flow until the lever has nearly completed its
gradual return movement.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Automatic Breaking of Current Circuit
for Electric Lamps or other Devices.
I REGINALD HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co. of 18 Buckingham
Street, Strand, W.C. London in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad by
A. Reisinger of 14 Chausséestrasse, Berlin, N. in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The purpose of this invention is to provide an apparatus to be inserted in con-
nection with an electric circuit for the purpose of automatically interrupting the
said circuit after a certain interval of time and maintaining the same interrupted
or broken until such time as an appropriate movement is given to a part of the
apparatus for reconstituting the circuit and again suffering the current to flow for
the aforesaid interval or space of time.

page_text: By applying such apparatus in connection with a circuit for the supply of
current to an electric lamp, for instance in a room, it will be sufficient to give a
movement to a lever, at any time to cause current to flow through the lamp, and
the latter will continue to emit light during the space of time, say 10 minutes,
until the current is automatically cut off by the apparatus without any further
operation.
The apparatus may comprise a suitable clockwork with a lever which serves for
winding the same and may be itself moved gradually by the clockwork to its
position of rest. The lever may be of non-conductive material and may, on nearly
approaching its resting position, lift a metallic contact in the electric circuit so as
to cut off the current. When the lever is moved by hand, say a quarter turn, the
clockwork is thereby wound up and the lever when released will gradually recede
to its resting position. In the meantime however the electric contacts will remain
free to connect and the current will flow until the lever has nearly completed its
gradual return movement.
This improved apparatus is illustrated in the annexed drawing in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a plan view of the contact breaker.
Fig. 3 illustrates diagramatically the improved contact breaker inserted into the
electric circuit of a lamp.
A base plate A is provided with binding screws for attachment of the wires of
an electric circuit. This circuit passes to the spring a and as this latter touches
the pin b, the circuit forms an uninterrupted continuation up to the point c where it
leaves the apparatus (see Figs. 1, 2 and 3).
On the base plate A a casing B is fixed, which contains in its compartment C any
clockwork mechanism, not shown in the drawing.
Said clockwork is set in action by pulling down the lever D, the duration of
action of the clockwork being dependent upon the larger or smaller angle through
which the lever D is moved. The lever D carries a non-conducting piece d (of
horn, ivory, etc.).
When the clockwork enters into action the lever D will be slowly lifted until the
piece d arrives in contact with the spring a resting on the contact pin b and lifts
the said spring so that the circuit is broken and the light extinguished.
This interruption of the contact lasts until light is again wanted when the lever
is to be drawn down again by hand and the clockwork thus again brought into
action. By the aid of the ratchet wheel E the duration of lighting can be
adjusted, since every tooth of said ratchet wheel corresponds to a certain definite
space of time.
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 I
claim is.
An improved contact breaker adapted to be used in an electric lamp circuit for
limiting the duration of contact consisting of a clockwork mechanism wound by a
lever D and adapted to effect the return of said lever to its resting position; in
combination with a contact spring a and a resting contact b, the said contact spring
being in the path of said lever to be lifted from its resting contact thereby, or by
an insulating piece d on said lever, as the latter approaches its position of rest.
Dated this 10th day of February 1894.