Year: 1899

page_text: I, BENNARD HENRY POMEROY, of 662, Quincy Street, Borough of Brooklyn,
City of New York, State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
One part of this invention relates to the construction of the choking coil which
is employed in alternating current lamps. In accordance with this part of the
invention the coil is made up of a series of laminated cores, each of which cores
is roughly speaking of a horse-shoe shape, that is to say its two poles are extended
in the same direction and substantially parallel from the middle part, and these
cores are fastened together in substantially parallel velation with spacing blocks
between adjacent cores so that the poles of the series are presented in the same
direction. The insulated wire is wound upon these poles in the usual manner
and between adjacent cores the wire is parted and its ends brought out to be con-
nected together by an ordinary connector or to permit of the connection at that
point of the wire which leads to the solenoid or other part of the lamp. The
object of this construction and arrangement, just referred to, is to permit more
or less of the coil to be included in the lamp circuit and thereby to vary corre-
spondingly the potential of the current at the arc.
The second part of the invention is concerned with the mechanism for feeding
or controlling the feed of the upper or movable carbon. This carbon is connected
by a suitable clamp to one end of a chain or other suitable connector which
runs to or over a sprocket or other wheel and may have a counter-balance con-
nected. The sprocket wheel is mounted to rotate with a ratchet wheel and the
latter is engaged by a pawl or dog which is operated by the armature of the
solenoid in such a manner as to partially rotate the sprocket wheel and effect
the separation of the carbons for the formation of the are when the current is
first turned on and then to rotate partially in the opposite direction as the carbon
is consumed thereby permitting the carbon to move down again and preserve the
Jength of the arc substantially uniform, and finally to release the ratchet wheel
for the space of one tooth or thereabouts. permitting the carbon to descend a
little further to compensate for its consumption. The shortening of the are in
this manner strengthens the magnetic pull of the solenoid instantly. which act
through the core to cause the dog to take a fresh hold on the ratchet wheel and
lift the carbon slightly. This action is continually repeated and the extent of
movement is so slight that the variation of the arc is imperceptible. It is pro-
posed to provide an arm or frame which shall swing concentrically with the
ratchet wheel and on this to mount an elbow-lever one end of which is con-
nected to the core or armature of the solenoid. while the other end or arm
carries the dog to engage the ratchet wheel. This arrangement permits the
positive engagement of the dog with the ratchet wheel whenever the core of
the solenoid moves upward and by providing a ston to limit the downward
movement of the swinging arm it also permits the release of the

page_text: ratchet wheel and the descent of the carbon as the core of the solenoid continues
a little further its downward movement.
A dashpot is connected to the core of the solenoid as usual to prevent its too
sudden movement upward and as another part of the invention it is proposed to
perforate the plunger of the dashpot and provide a valve for the perforation
through which the air shall be permitted to enter freely when the core of the
solenoid moves downward, thus permitting such motion to be free and rapid as
is desirable.
As another part of the invention the socket of the arc-enclosing globe has a
ground tapered fit upon its seat, making an air tight joint but permitting the
globe to be raised easily.
D
1000
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London, For the Applicant.
Improvements in Electric Arc Lamps.
I, BENNARD HENRY POMEROY, of- 662, Quincy Street, Borough of Brooklyn,
City of New York, State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer.
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 has for its object to improve the construction and operation of
electric are lamps in various particulars, as more fully explained hereinafter.
It is specially concerned with the construction of the choking coil, it being the
purpose in the present case to improve the construction of such coils and especially
to provide through such coils for the easy regulation of the potential of the arc.
The invention also has to do with the construction and arrangement of the
feeding mechanism for the upper carbon, the purpose being to make such feeding
very regular and steady under all circumstances and at all times, so that the
light shall be steady. Another feature of improvement resides in the relation of
the arc-enclosing globe to its support. It will be observed that with the exception
of the choking coil which is used with alternating current lamps, the other
features of invention are applicable also to series and direct current lamps,
wherefore, although the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, as
applied to an alternating current lamp, the other features referred to are not to
be limited in their application to a lamp of this character. In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a view in elevation, of a lamp which embodies the invention, with
the are enclosing globe and the hood in section.
Figure 2 is a detail view. partly in elevation and partly in section, of the
carbon feeding or feed controlling mechanism with the dashpot and carbon clamp
connected.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the choking coil, the wiring of the same
being indicated conventionally.
Figure is a detail plan view of part of the feed controlling mechanism.
The frame of the lamp may be constructed in any usual or suitable manner
and as represented in the drawings may comprise a hood A, a plate A connected
to the hood by suitable posts or rods A, and a yoke A³ to support the lower carbon
and the arc-enclosing globe B. The usual solenoid or other electro-magnetie
device is supported by the frame as usual, its coils being included in the
circuit with the carbon. Also included in the circuit is the choking coil which

page_text: is embodied in the same structure with the other parts of the lamp and enclosed
within the casing or shield, not shown, which encloses and protects the other
parts of the lamp between the hood A. and the plate A. The choking coil may
be made in various ways, but the form shown in the drawings is particularly
adapted for the purpose inasmuch as it takes up little room and facilitates the
regulation of the potential at the are through the ease with which more or less
of the core can be cut out or included in circuit as may be desired.
As repre-
sented in the drawings it is made up of a series of laminated horse-shoe mag-
nets D which are separated by blocks 1) of brass or other suitable material, all
the parts being superimposed one upon another and conveniently bound into
one structure by bolts, indicated at, which pass through the magnets and the
spacing blocks. The wire ', which is coiled about the poles of the magnets
in the usual manner. as represented in Figure 3, is provided, between successive
magnets, with connectors 2. The end of the wire at the first magnet is con-
nected to the usual binding post on the hood A, and the wire e from the
solenoid C is attached, by means of the connectors 2, to any one of the ends of
the wire which are brought out from the coils of such wire around the poles
or cores of the horse-shoe magnets D, so that by making the connection at one
place or another more or less of the core of the choking coil which is made up
of the horse-shoe magnets, can be cut in or out of the circuit to vary the
resistance and thereby to vary the potential at the are. The other end of the
solenoid coil C is connected as usual to the upper carbon by the wire c¹, while
the circuit is completed from the lower carbon by wire to the other binding
post on the hood A.
The feeding mechanism or feed-controlling mechanism for the upper carbon
is operated, as usual in lamps of this class. from the armature or core (" of the
solenoid or other electro-magnetic device C, but the mechanism itself has been
improved so as to ensure a uniform, steady feeding of the upper carbon as it is
consumed at the arc. The upper carbon is secured in a clamp E which has in
its end a socket of sufficient diameter to receive freely the end of the carbon
The block from which the clamp is formed is also slotted longitudinally, as at e¹,
to receive a clamping bar (3 which is pivoted within said slot and is adapted to
bear at one end upon the carbon and at the other end is provided with a clamping
screw which is arranged to bear against the wall of the socket piece, forcing
the other end firmly against the carbon and thereby holding the carbon positively
in the clamp. A spring is arranged in the slot el to throw the lower end of the
clamping bar outward when the screw is turned back. The clamp is con-
nected directly to the coil of the solenoid by the wire d and is guided in its
vertical movement in a fixed tube E', which is slotted to permit of the vertical
movement of the clamp. the clamping screw projecting outward from said slot
so as to be accessible at all times. The tube E¹ is insulated from the frame of
the lamp, as indicated at 5 and 6, and as the wire is insulated and the clamp E
is also insulated from its connection, the frame of the lamp is not in circuit and
can be handled freely at all times.
The upper carbon and carbon clamp are supported by a flexible connector F,
preferably in the form of a sprocket chain which is connected to but insulated
from the carbon clamp E, as indicated at f, and passes over a sprocket wheel F,
mounted on a spindle secured in a supplementary frame work A. The
sprocket chain may be attached at its free end to a counter-balance weight F2
which is guided in a suitable tube secured to the frame work. A ratchet
wheel G is secured to the sprocket wheel F¹ to rotate therewith and its move-
ment is controlled by devices now to be described. Upon the spindle is mounted
a double arm or frame G₁ on which is pivoted an elbow lever (2, the latter being
connected directly with the armature or core C¹ of the solenoid C', and being
preferably double. The upper arm of the elbow lever is slotted longitudinally
as at g, or in a nearly vertical plane, to engage a spindle g, and the arm or
drame G is slotted longitudinally as at g', or in a nearly horizontal plane, to

page_text: permit of the movement of said spindle g³ toward and from the ratchet wheel G,
but to a limited extent, with the upper arm of the elbow lever. A double dog G³
is secured to the spindle, its teeth being adapted to engage the teeth of the
ratchet wheel G above and below the axis of the spindle g³. A weight G is also
secured to the spindle g³, the tendency of such weight being to throw the lower
tooth of the dog away from the ratchet wheel when the arm G¹ is in its lowest
position. A spring yt, secured to the arm G and to the upper end of the elbow
lever G2, tends to throw such end forward toward the ratchet wheel. An adjust-
able stop G5 is secured to the supplementary frame A+ to limit the downward
movement of the arm G¹. Assuming now that the carbons are in contact, as
shown in Figure 1, no current being on the lamp, it will be understood that as
soon as the current is turned on the core C¹ of the solenoid C will be drawn
upward. The first result of this action will be to throw the upper end of the
elbow lévér G² toward the ratchet wheel, bringing both teeth of the dog G³ into
engagement therewith. In the continued upward movement of the core the
arm G¹ will be swung upward and the ratchet wheel G and sprocket FI will be
turned backward, thereby lifting the upper carbon and separating the points of
the two carbons sufficiently to form the arc. As the carbons are consumed and
the resistance of the are increases while the strength of the solenoid, decreases,
the core of the solenoid will gradually descend, bringing with it the arm G¹
and thereby permitting a corresponding downward feed of the carbon. This will
continue until the arm G¹ rests upon the stop G5, when a slight further downward
movement of the core will cause the upper arm of the elbow lever G2 to move
backward, carrying with it the dog G³, which will release the ratchet wheel G
and permit an independent downward movement of the carbon. Such downward
movement, however, will be very slight and almost imperceptible, since the slight
shortening of the arc so diminishes the resistance as to cause the solenoid to
lift its core instantly to a slight extent, thereby causing the dog to again engage
the ratchet wheel, checking the downward movement of the carbon and lifting
it slightly, at the same time taking the arm G¹ from contact with the stop G+
This action will continue until the carbon is consumed.
T
To prevent a too rapid movement of the core C" a dashpot H is employed, as is
customary in lamps of this class, the stem of the plunger H¹ being connected to
such core. It is desirable, however, to permit the plunger to move freely as the
core of the solenoid descends. Accordingly, an air-duct is formed through the
plunger. preferably through the stem of the plunger, and o the inner end rests
valve h¹, preferably a ball valve. As the plunger moves upward the valve h
closes, compelling the air within the cylinder to find it way out between the
cylinder and the plunger, but as the plunger descends the alve lifts and the
air enters freely through the duct h, permitting the plunge to descend freely.
The are enclosing globe B which is provided at its top with the usual snugly
fitting washer 6 through which the upper carbon moves, is so supported upon the
frame or hanger A³ as to be easily removable to give access to the lower carbon
and yet to be closed air tight at its lower end. For this purpose the globe is
secured in a socket B which rests upon a seat provided therefor on the frame
or hanger A. The contact surfaces of the socket and seat have a ground and
straight tapered fit as at 61, so that the joint formed is air tight while the globe
and socket can be lifted easily and yet will stand always in proper position.
The mode of operation of the several features of the invention has been
sufficiently explained in connection with the description of the construction
of such features and requires no further explanation herein.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
1. A choking coil for an electric are lamp comprising a series of independent,
laminated horse-shoe cores, spacing blocks, the spacing blocks and cores being

page_text: superimposed, one upon another, means to secure said blocks and cores together,
and wire wound about said cores and connected from one to another, substantially
as shown and described.
2. In an electric are lamp, the combination of a wheel, a connector passed over
said wheel, a ratchet wheel mounted to rotate with the first named wheel, an
arm or frame mounted to swing concentrically with said ratchet wheel, a dog
carried by said arm or frame to engage said ratchet wheel, and an electro-
magnetic device included in the lamp circuit and in operative relation with
said swinging arm, substantially as shown and described.
3. In an electric arc lamp, the combination of the ratchet wheel in operative
relation with the upper carbon, an arm or frame mounted to swing concentrically
with said ratchet wheel, an elbow lever mounted on said arm or frame, a spindle
resting in slots in said elbow lever and in said arm or frame, a dog carried by
said spindle to engage said ratchet wheel, and an electro magnetic device included
in the lamp circuit and in operative relation with said elbow lever, substantially
as shown and described.
4. In an electric are lamp, the combination of a ratchet wheel in operative
relation with the upper carbon, an arm or frame mounted to swing concentrically
with said ratchet wheel, an elbow lever mounted on said arm or frame, a spindle
carried by said elbow lever, a dog fixed to said spindle to engage said ratchet
wheel, a weighted arm fixed to said spindle, and an electro-magnetic device
included in the lamp circuit and in operative relation with said elbow lever,
substantially as shown and described.
5. In an electric are lamp, the combination of the arc-enclosing globe, a socket
therefor, and a seat on the frame for said socket, the contact surfaces of said seat
and socket having a ground. straight tapered fit, whereby an air tight joint is
formed and the globe and socket are easily removable from the seat, substantially
as shown and described.
Dated this 28th day of February 1900.