AN IN- PROVEMENT IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Augustus Palmer, of the City of New
York, but at present of No. 5, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IN-
PROVEMENT IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES."-A communication from
abroad by Charles Gaumé, of the Oity of New York, in the United
States of America.
Sealed the 80th January 1874, and dated the 2nd August 1878.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Frederick Augustus
Palmer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition and Declaration, on the 2nd August 1873, pursuant to the
9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
AUGUSTUS PALMER, of the City of New York, in the United States of
America, but at present of No. 5, Southampton Buildings, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for “AN IMPROVEMENT
FJELECTRO-MAGNETIC ENGINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant

page_text: unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that the same
has been communicated to me from abroad by Charles Gaume, of the
City of New York, in the United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Augustus Palmer, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my
hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
This Invention relates to an improvement in the construction and
arrangement of the parts of electro-magnetic engines, whereby the "pull
back" or retardation which has been a great objection in such engines as
usually constructed is obviated and avoided, and the said engine is
rendered much more effective as a motive power.
In the Drawings Figure 1 is an end view of the improved engine, and
Figure 2 is a side view of the same, partly in section, through the contact
wheel. The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
both Figures.
A and B are the side frames of the machine, the lower parts of which
are connected and held in their relative positions by the cross bars C to
each of which is attached a horse-shoe magnet D, the arms of which arc
Each of the coils E is
provided with a coil E in the ordinary manner.
connected by a wire R with the cup or clamp F, which receives the wire
leading to the negative pole of the battery, and which is insulated from
the frame A by a rubber tube or other suitable non-conducting means.
The wire leading to the positive pole of the battery is connected with the
frame A by the cup or clamp G, the said frame A thus forming part of
the circuit. .H is a wheel attached to the shaft I which revolves in
bearings in the upper part of the frames A, B, and which thus forms
part of the circuit. The wheel H is made of such a size that the
armatures J attached to the face of the said wheel may come so close to
the poles of the magnets D as to be attracted by said magnets when the
circuit is closed.
The armatures J are formed as shown in Figures 1 and 2, that is to
say they consist of a central bar attached at its centre to the face of the

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66
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wheel H,sand having cross heads formed upon them 'about-midway>
between its centres and ends, said cross-heads having short arms or bars!
formed upon their ends parallel with: the central bar, and the ends of'
which project to equal distances upon the outer and inner sides of said:
cross heads. Armatures thus constructed are found to be free from the
retardation or pull back," which was the great difficulty to be over-
come in making electro-magnetic engines practical as a motive,power.
To the end of the shaft I is attached to a wheel K of wood or other
suitable non-conducting material. The face of the wheel K is covered
with plates IAL of copper, alternately short and long, which plates are
separated and insulated by ivory or other suitable non-conducting
keys M. The short plates L' are attached to the ends of the arms or
rods N which pass in radially through the wheel K, and the inner ends
of which are in contact with the shaft I, as shown in Figure 1. O are
small wheels which roll along the face of the wheel K and revolve upon
the journals of the arms P which are attached to the upper parts of the
frame A. The arms P are insulated from the frame A, and have wires
Q connected with them, and leading to the coils E completing the
circuit. With this construction when the machine is connected with the
battery, the current of electricity passes through the frame A, shaft I,
and arms N to the plates It. As the wheels O come upon the small
plates I, the circuit is closed and the current passes on through the.
wheels O, arms P, and wires Q to the coils E, and through the wires R
back to the battery. When the circuit is closed the magnets D attract
the armatures J and when the circuit is broken the said magnets cease
to attract said armatures.
The plates I of the wheel K and the armatures J of the wheel H are
so arranged that the wheels O will come upon the plates I³ to close the
circuit successively as an armature approaches the successive magnets
D, and will come upon the plates L successively to break the circuit as
the armature is upon the point of leaving the said magnets, the con-
struction of the armatures J preventing any "draw back" or retardation
as the armatures are leaving the magnets.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention intended
to be secured to me by these Presents is, the armatures J formed of a

page_text: central bar attached to a wheel H at its centre, and having cross heads
between centre and ends that are provided with short bars upon their
ends parallel to said central bar, and whose ends project equally upon
the outer and inner sides of said cross heads, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Augustus Palmer, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.