Year: 1898

page_text: I, JUSTUS ECK, Electrical Engineer, of 5, Priory Road, Bedford Park, London,
W., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The two ends of each of the circuits to be controlled by the switch terminate in
metal cock pieces.
The circuit is completed by forcing between these cock pieces a laminated con-
ductor and is interrupted by rapidly withdrawing this conductor.
The laminated conductors are fastened to rods which move axially in guides,
each laminated conductor being set to correspond with its proper pair of cock
pieces.
The motion of the rods is governed by a lever which is connected to each rod
by springs. In forcing the laminated conductors between the cock pieces the
lever comes into solid contact with the rods but in with-drawing the laminated
conductors the lever tends to draw the rods by means of the tension of the
springs, which however are so arranged that before their limit of elasticity is
reached the lever comes into solid contact with the rods and forces them until the
friction of the laminated contacts added to that of the rods in their guides is
less than the tension of the springs. When this point is reached the springs
draw the rods rapidly along their axis and thus effectually break the circuit.
Each rod having its own springs acts individually when its spring tension
exceeds the friction.
The lever may be connected to one or more rods.
The rods may be either side of the lever or on opposite sides of its fulcrum and
are usually electrically insulated from it and carry as many laminated contacts
as there are circuits to be controlled.
The laminated contacts may also be insulated from the rods.
I, JUSTUS ECK, Electrical Engineer, of 5, Priory Road, Bedford Park, London,
W., 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: -
The accompanying drawings represent a suitable form of this switch. Fig. 1,
is a plan view partly in section. Fig. 2 is an end elevation.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line A-B in Fig. 1.
In the drawing one end of each electric circuit to be controlled is to be brought
to the end of the metal cock piece c, the other ends are brought to the cock
pieces d and e.
The circuit is completed by forcing between these cock pieces a laminated
conductor f, and it is interrupted by rapidly withdrawing this conductor. The
laminated conductors are fastened to rods g which move axially in guides », each
laminated conductor being fixed upon the rod to correspond with its pair of
cock pieces.
The motion of the rods g is governed by a lever h, connected to each rod by
springs . In forcing the laminated conductors between the cock pieces the
lever comes into solid contact at with attachment to the rods, but in with-
drawing the laminated conductors the lever tends to draw the rods by means
of the tension of the springs which however are so arranged that before their
limit of elasticity is reached the lever comes into solid contact at k, on the
remote side of it, with the attachments to the rods and forces them along until
the friction of the laminated contact with the cock pieces added to that of the
rods in their guides is less than the tension of the springs.
When this point is reached the springs draw the rods rapidly along their
axes and thus effectually interrupt the circuit.
Each rod having its own spring acts individually when its spring tension
exceeds the friction.
It will be seen that the lever can as in the drawings be attached to more than
one rod, these rods may be on either side of the lever or on opposite sides of its
fulcrum and are usually electrically insulated from it as shewn at m.
There can be one or more laminated contacts f on each rod g and the laminated
contacts may be insulated from the rods.
The switch shewn in the drawing is adapted to control four circuits in such
a manner that whilst one pair of circuits is completed the other pair is
interrupted. I can also interrupt all the 4 circuits when the lever is in the
middle position.
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 switch for controlling simultaneously one or more electric circuits; by a
single lever substantially as described.
(2) A switch which will complete a certain number of circuits while interrupt-
ing a similar or different number of circuits substantially as described.
(3) A switch in which the extension of the springs is limited.
(4) A switch in which the electric circuit is doubly insulated from the lever.
Dated this 30th day of Armend 1000