Improvements in Electrical Toys.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 16th July, 1894-Accepted, 16th Oct., 1894
Improvements in Electrical Toys.
I, RICHARD MYERS, of Ferndale Terrace, High Road, Leytonstone, in the
County of Essex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to a combined electro motor and battery which may be
used as a toy or for light driving purposes, and also if desired as a shocking coil.
It is intended that this shall be a very cheap article and simplicity and compactness
of construction are therefore desirable.
The invention may be carried out as follows;-
We prefer to form the battery of a vessel of zinc adapted to contain the
electrolyte preferably a bi-carbonate solution into which the other element of the
battery, preferably carbon, dips. If desired a sliding arrangement may be provided
so as to take the carbon out of the solution, but as cheapness is an important
feature in this toy we may prefer not to provide any means beyond the bodily
removal of the top portion or cover, which carries the working parts of the
apparatus. The cover may be preferably made of wood or other non-conducting
material rendered impervious by treatment with a suitable varnish or the like. To
the under side of this cover the carbon element is secured and at the upper side the
cover carries two small standards in which is journalled a cross shaft or axle
carrying a rotary armature, the necessary pulleys, and also a star wheel or
equivalent for the purpose of making and breaking contact.
A copper brush is
adapted to engage with the star wheel and when the cover is in place the end of
this brush engages with the zinc vessel or element conveniently the screw which
secures the copper brush to the cover engaging with a suitable spring or contact
piece formed in or upon the zinc element. Between the standards is a bobbin or
electro magnet and the armature is preferably made in the form of a crown wheel
or disc secured upon the horizontal axle and having teeth or arms lying in a plane
perpendicular to the face of the disc so that the axes of the arms are parallel with
the spindle. One end of the wire with which the bobbin is wound is connected to
one of the standards and the other is carried through the cover and joined up to
the carbon element.
The operation will be well understood. The current passes from one of the
elements through the wire around the bobbin and by the other end of the wire to
the standard, thence to the spindle and the star wheel and back by the brush to
the other element. While the circuit is complete and the brush is engaged with
one of the teeth of the star wheel the magnet is energized and the appropriate arm
of the armature is attracted to the magnet; at the proper point contact is broken
by the tooth ceasing to engage with the brush and the arm of the armature is
allowed to pass sufficiently far from the magnet when the next tooth comes into
engagement with the brush, the next arm of the armature is attracted and so on.
To make this into a shocking coil two handles conveniently of tin tube provided
with wire or equivalent contacts may be held by the person desiring the shocks and
their contact ends connected with any convenient parts of the apparatus so that
the current may pass through the person holding the handles, the interruption of
If desired the
the current being effected by the brush and star wheel as before.

page_text: bandles may be provided with a permanent or other suitable connection with the
rest of the instrument.
Dated this 16th day of October 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Nottingham, Liverpool, and Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrical Toys.
I, RICHARD MYERS, of Ferndale Terrace, High Road, Leytonstone, in the
County of Essex, Engineer, 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 relates to a combined electro-motor and battery which may be
used as a toy or for light driving purposes, and also if desired as a shocking coil.
It is intended that this shall be a very cheap article and simplicity and compactness
of construction are therefore desirable.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete apparatus
Figure 2 being a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is an elevation of a slightly modified form.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the battery of any suitable construction but preferably consisting of a
vessel of zinc adapted to contain the electrolyte preferably a bi-chromate solution
into which the other element of the battery, preferably carbon, dips. If desired a
sliding arrangement may be provided so as to take the carbon out of the solution,
but as cheapness is an important feature in this toy we may prefer not to provide
any means beyond the bodily removal of the top portion or cover B, which carries
the working parts of the apparatus. The cover B may be preferably made of
wood or other non-conducting material rendered impervious by treatment with a
suitable varnish or the like. To the underside of this cover B the carbon element
is secured and at the upper side the cover carries one or more standards C in which
is journalled a cross shaft or axle D carrying a rotary armature J J¹ the necessary
pulley or fly-wheel F and also a star-wheel or equivalent G for the purpose of
making and breaking contact. A copper or other suitable brush H is adapted to
engage with the star-wheel G and when the cover is in place the end of this brush
engages with the zinc vessel or element. Between the standards if more than one
be employed or beside it if only one be employed is a bobbin or electro-magnet I
the armature being preferably made in the form of a crown wheel or disc J,
Figure 1ª, secured upon the axle D and having teeth or arms J¹ lying in a plane
perpendicular to the face of the disc so that the axes of the arms are parallel with
the spindle. One end of the wire with which the bobbin is wound is connected to
one of the standards and the other is carried through the cover and joined up to
the carbon element; the brush H may be conveniently carried in a vulcanite or
other non-conducting arm H' fixed to the standard C or the tube C¹ secured in it
and through which the spindle D passes.
The operation will be well understood. A current passes from one of the
elements through the wire around the bobbin I and by the other end of the wire
to the metal base-plate K which carries both bobbin I and standard C, thence
to the standard and to the spindle D and star-wheel G carried by it and so by
the brush and wire L to the other element of the battery. a and b represent
the terminals of the battery the connecting wires being shown diagrammatically
as the arrangement of these connections can be varied at pleasure. M Figure 2

page_text: is a switch for making or breaking the circuit. While the circuit is complete
and the brush H is engaged with one of the teeth of the star-wheel G the
magnet is energised and the appropriate arm of the armature is attracted to the
magnet; at the proper point contact is broken by the tooth ceasing to engage
with the brush which then lies in the space between two of the teeth but
touching neither, and the arm of the armature is allowed to pass by the con-
tinued turning of the axle D sufficiently far from the magnet, when the next
tooth of the star-wheel G comes into engagement with the brush and the next
arm of the armature is attracted to the magnet and so on.
The arrangement shown in Figure is similar to that just described but the
axle D is placed vertically instead of horizontally, the electro-magnet I being
placed horizontally underneath the lower end of the axle D and the armature J
being carried on the lower end of the axle just above the magnet so that the
arms J rotate around the magnet, both ends of which can in this case be
utilized. In Figure 3 the device is shown with an open cylinder N having
slots N' through which may be viewed, as the cylinder which is carried by the
axle D rotates, a strip of paper bearing various designs of the well-known
description showing animals or mechanisms in motion. This portion of the device
however is well-known and does not form part of the present invention.
To make this into a shocking coil two handles O and P conveniently made of tin
tube provided with wire or equivalent connections O' P₁, may be held by the
person desiring the shocks, the other ends of the wires being connected with any
convenient parts of the apparatus, so that the current may pass through the person
holding the handles, the interruption of the current being effected by the brush and
star-wheel as before. If desired the handles may be provided with permanent or
other suitable connections with the rest of the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is ;-
1. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the electrical toy
substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the electrical toy
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. In an electrical toy the combination with a battery or its case of one or more
standards such as C electro magnet 1 axle D star-wheel G brush H and
armature JJ substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination with an electrical toy such as described in the 3rd preceding
claim of conductors or handles O P whereby the toy may be employed for giving
electric shocks substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
DL: 121 1 T.) 004
RICHARD MYERS.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.