Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 31st July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Sept., 1888
GEORGE BECK WORTH WILKES Electrical Instrument Maker 2 St. Thomas's Place
Hackney London do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is a device for the purpose of attracting attention to any place or thing desired
such as windows doors etc. & consists of
1st. A bar of cast iron or other suitable material on which is cast or attached other
pieces for the purpose of supporting and connecting the other parts of the attractor
and through which holes are made to enable the whole to be easily fixed in position.
2nd. A pair of Electro Magnets with armature and contact points on a suitable
base to be attached to one of the supports on part 1st and to be adjustable thereon.
3rd. A clock on the shaft of the second hand of which is fixed a contact breaker
or commutator and to the frame an insulated spring or brush with suitable connections
therefrom leading to the outside of clock case which is fixed to part 1st or one of the
supports thereon.
4th. A switch fixed on part 1st and connected with two terminals on same. The
whole connected together in such a manner that when the wires from a battery are
attached to the terminals the armature of the Electro Magnets will vibrate inter-
mittantly or continuously as may be desired. The movement of armature may be
used to ring a bell, tap on a window, or actuate a figure.
Dated this Thirty first day of Ontation 1987
GEORGE BECKWORTH WILKES.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Device for Attracting Attention for Advertising
Purposes.
I GEORGE BECKWORTH WILKES, Electrical Instrument Maker late of No. 2,
St. Thomas's Place, Well Street, Hackney, but now of No. 5, Aveley Road, Clapton,
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 invention relates to improved apparatus for attracting attention to advertise-
ments, goods exposed for sale, or the like; and consists in the combination of an electro-
magnet and armature, make-and-break, clock movement, and commutator.
In order that the invention, and the means by which the same can be carried into
effects may be thoroughly understood, I will proceed to describe them in detail,
referring in so doing to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as part of
this specificatian and read therewith..
Fig. 1 is a front elevation.
Fig. 2 is a part side elevation.
Fig. 3 is a part plan.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of the commutator and comb.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the commutator.
The drawings illustrate the application of my invention to a movable glass case, but
I wish it to be distinetly understood that it is not confined to the particular application
illustrated; but includes applications under any circumstances where attention is to be
attracted to any object for advertising purposes.
A. is the glass; and B, the frame of the glass case.
C is a battery of any suitable type and fixed in any convenient position; and D, a
metal plate adapted to carry the operative parts of the device, and to support them at
a convenient height. It may be either portable, or fixed to the frame B.
I wish to point out that the removability of the plate, D; (which may be made
either as a bracket or as a stand) is practically of great importance, and forms part of
my invention; inasmuch as it is complete itself as a bracket or support for the herein-
before described operative parts and can be removed from one position to another, and
fixed or placed therein.
The leads from the battery are respectively connected to the binding screws, a, b.
The lead from the binding screw b, is taken to the terminal; c. E is a switch in
permanent electrical contact with the spring-arm or comb, e, which is always pressing
upon the teeth of the commutator, F.
The comb, e, is shewn as fixed to the frame of a clock-movement, G, from which
it is insulated. The object of the movement is only to rotate the commutator.
The commutator is fast upon any of the more quickly moving arbors of the
movement, e.g., that of the seconds hand; with which its teeth, f, are in electrical
contact.

page_text: The said arbor is electrically connected with the coils of the magnet, I. K is the
armature of the magnet; and k, an arm pivoted at 1. The opposite end of the arm
carries an adjustable tapper, 1, adjusted to tap the glass, A. M is a make-and-break;
and m, a returning spring. The circuit is completed from the magnet to the binding
scrow, a.
The operation of this invention is as follows.
The clock movement having been set going and the battery excited, the circuit is
closed by the switch, E, and the current will flow as long as the comb, e, is upon a
tooth,, of the commutator F. So long as the current is on, so long will the tapper, l,
be kept tapping the glass; but as soon as the comb is on the insulite of the commutator,
the current stops and the tapper too. It follows, therefore, that the rate of rotation
of the commutator being known, the relative times during which the tapper shall be
at work and at rest can be adjusted by differentiating the lengths of the commutator
teeth and the intermediate insulites accordingly.
With a device operated as above described, I sometimes combine a half length
profile of an engaging female, through whose extended hand the tapper projects,
thereby appearing as if she were tapping.
It is evident that with the above described device the reciprocating motion of the
armature may be used to ring a bell or to work a moving figure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The combination of commutator rotated about its own axis, electric circuit,
armature, and make-and-break, as set forth.
2. The combination of commutator rotated by a clock movement, electric circuit,
armature, and make-and-break, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. A bar, plate, or stand, with or without a bracket, of metal or other suitable
material, adapted to support the above mentioned operative parts, and to be removably
fixed or placed in position as set forth.
Dated this 20th of TOOD