Improvements in Ceiling Roses for Electric Light Installations.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 13th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 27th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ceiling Roses for Electric Light Installations.
FREDERICK KING and WILLIAM PHILLIPS MENDHAM both of the Western
Electrical Works in the Parish of St. Peter in the City and County of Bristol
Electrical Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In one form our ceiling rose consists of two parts a plug and its cover, the plug
which is dropped in loose from the back of the cover may be of any shape in
section but we prefer a cruciform shape and on the plug we provide pins with
washers and nuts at each end and we also provide holes, another hole being pro-
The
vided through the base of the plug leading to each of the pins and nuts.
cover is of such a shape as to admit the plug, the base of the cover is provided
with screw holes through which pass the screws or nails for fixing the cover up to
the ceiling and a hole or holes are made in the cover through which passes the
flexible cord carrying the holder and lamp. In those ceiling roses taking a fuse
wire we provide additional terminals between which the wire can be placed.
In another form of ceiling rose we permit the plug to hang loosely through a
collar which we fix up to the ceiling and screw on a cover to this collar by means
of a thread, in this case the ceiling rose consists of three parts.
The advantages of our
ceiling rose over those in ordinary use are:-Instead of
the terminals being above one's head for wiring to lamp cord and branch wire
they are in front and therefore easier to deal with and hence more quickly wired
and fixed and instead of the terminals being mounted against a flat base and so near
the ceiling they are mounted upon the side of a plug and any risk from a heated
contact reduced to a minimum.
Dated this Fourteenth day of December 1892
FREDERICK KING.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS MENDHAM.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ceiling Roses for Electric Light Installations.
We FREDERICK KING, and WILLIAM PHILLIPS MENDHAM, both of the
Western Electrical Works, Bristol, Electrical Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to new or improved ceiling roses for use in electric light
installations, and consists in providing a combination plug and cover for the con-
nections and terminals, which will support the lamp and its appendages indepen-
dently of the branch ceiling wires, the plug and cover being made of porcelain or
other non-conducting material; webs are formed on the plug to divide it into
chambers, and holes are made in the webs to receive the studs and fittings, to or
through which the wires are fastened and conveyed.
In carrying our invention into effect, we make the base of the plug of a circular
shape, and on this, webs are formed at right angles to each other and holes are
made in the webs to receive studs, on the ends of which the wires are fastened by
screwed nuts, the braided wires which carry the lamp are passed through holes in
the webs, a knot being made at the end of the wire between the terminal and the
hole, so that any weight attached to the wire may depend on the web and not on
the terminal: a cap or cover is made to fit almost close to the webs of the plug,
Prior 71

page_text: and
having a hole at the bottom through which the wires are passed out to the lamp,
circular recess at the top in which the base of the plug rests, with a flange
by which it is screwed to the ceiling.
The accompanying sheet of drawings will fully illustrate the construction of
our ceiling roses, and the means by which the lamps and fittings are connected
thereto :-
Fig. 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan, of a porcelain plug, showing the webs,
the insertion of the studs and terminals thereon, and the means used for conveying
and attaching the wires:
Fig. 3 is an elevation, Fig. 4 a section, and Fig. 5 a plan of the cover which is
put over the plug and fastened to the ceiling block by screws through holes in the
Hange the plug is shown in the cover by dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4 from which
it will be seen that the base of the plug is resting in the recess in the cover, and as
the cover fits closely to the webs of the plug, four chambers are formed, which
prevent any stray wires from reaching round to another wire or terminal, and
making a short circuit thereby.
A. is the base of the plug, on which the webs B and C are constructed: in the
web B holes d are made to receive the pins D, on which are screwed nuts E and F
to fasten the wires G, G, and H, H, to their respective positions on the studs, below
the pins D one or more holes h are made in each of the webs B, and the braided
wires passed through these holes, and to remove all tension of the wires from the
terminals, a knot is tied in the wire just beyond the hole has shown, or two holes
may be made in the web B and the wire passed through both holes as shown by
dotted lines in Fig. 4 or the additional hole may be made in the web C and the
wires passed from one web to the other: I is the cover made of porcelain or other
suitable material, with a flange J by which it is screwed to the ceiling block or
joist, a recess a receives the base of the plug, and the twisted flexible wires are
passed through a hole in the bottom of the cover.
In case it is considered desirable to introduce safety fusible wires, a hole is made
in the web c, by which an additional terminal may be inserted, to form a connection
for the lead wire which is placed in the circuit.
The plug, cover, and fittings being provided as described, they are attached to
the ceiling or branch wires in the following manner: the braided wires are cut of
the required length, and an end of each passed through the hole h and a knot tied
near the end, the fine wires, which have been left about half an inch beyond the
knot, are fastened to the studs by the screwed nuts F, F, and the plug is ready for
attaching to the ceiling wires, and the workman has only to fasten the wires to the
studs by the nuts E, E, and the plug will be suspended: the cover is then put over
the plug, (the braided wires being passed through the aperture i) and fastened by
screws through the flange to the ceiling block or joist, the whole process of fixing
being done within easy reach of the workman.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is: :-
1. The construction of plugs for the ceiling roses of electric lights in which the
several wires are connected to studs inserted in holes in the webs and carried
through other holes for the better support of lamps and their appendages, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and described in the accompanying
drawings.
2. The construction of covers and bases combined to receive the plugs and con-
nections for electric lamps, whereby the whole weight of the plug and the lamp
suspended thereto will be sustained by the cover, substantially as herein set forth
and described.
3. The construction of improved combination ceiling roses for electric lights, in
which the plug is divided by cruciform webs and the cover into four separate
chambers, one for each wire, thereby reducing the risk of short-circuiting, and also

page_text: bringing the terminals and connections within easy reach of the workman, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and described, and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings."
Dated 12 Ma
J. G. WESTLAKE,
2, John Street, Bristol, Applicants' Agent.
J. G. WESTLAKE,
2, John Street, Bristol, Applicants' Agent.