IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETO-ELECTRIC APPARATUS, SUITABLE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MOTIVE POWER, OF HEAT, AND OF LIGHT
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Clarence Shepard, of Trafalgar Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETO-ELECTRIC APPARATUS, SUITABLE FOR THE
PRODUCTION OF MOTIVE POWER, OF HEAT, AND OF LIGHT."-A com-
munication.
Sealed the 19th December 1853, and dated the 1st July 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said. Edward Clarence
Shepard at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 1st July 1853.
I, EDWARD CLARENCE SHEPARD, of Trafalgar Square, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETO-ELECTRIC APPARATUS, SUITABLE.
FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MOTIVE POWER, OF HEAT, AND OF LIGHT," to be
as follows (that is to say):
Figure 1, is an end view of a magneto-electric apparatus, shewing
the position of the magnets and helices. N, S; are the magnets; E, E,
are the wheels supporting the helices; and A, is the frame work, which
is drawn to a scale of one sixth full. size: Figure 2, is a longitudinal
R 5225.-7. Wt P 1632.

page_text: vertical section taken through the centre of the machine. B, is the
axle or shaft; C, C, is the frame work of wood; N, S, are the mag-
nets; n, s, n, s, are the cores of the helices, which figure is also drawn
to a scale of one sixth full size. Figure 3, is a cross section of the
same, shewing the positions in which the helices are mounted, and
more particularly the connections of the helices with the friction rings,
drawn to a scale of 6. inches to a foot, or one half full size, connected
as is seen in the Drawing. Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8; are drawn full
size. In this arrangement there are only 16 hélices on each wheel,
and the friction rings, as is seen in Figure 3, are used for collecting
and carrying off the currents generated in the helices. The cores of
the helices, as shewn full size in Figures 4, and 5, should be one
and six eighths of an inch (1 inch) diameter in the bore, or more,
and nearly 4 inches in length. Figure 8, are the friction rings, made
of copper or silver, and gutta-percha or india-rubber, as described in
the Drawing. Figure 7, are the wires conducting from the friction
rings to the apparatus for decomposition.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Clarence. Shepard in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 31st December 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
EDWARD CLARENCE SHEPARD, of Trafalgar Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent; bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight, hundred and fifty-three, in the seventeenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Edward Clarence Shepard, Her special licence
that I, the said Edward Clarence Shepard, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Clarence
Shepard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,

page_text: use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETO-ELECTRIC APPARATUS, SUITABLE FOR PRO-
DUCING MOTIVE POWER, OF HEAT, AND LIGHT," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Clarence Shepard, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Clarence Shepard, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
This Invention has for its object improvements in the apparatus
described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the
Sixth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, and the
improvements consist of peculiar means and combination of apparatus
for coupling up the metallic circuits, by which induced currents of
electricity are conducted to, and caused to decompose water, and thus
to obtain, with greater advantage than heretofore, gases for the pur-
poses of producing motive power, light, and heat.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, shows a transverse section of a machine combined accord-
ing to the Invention; Figure 2, is a longitudinal section of the same;
Figure 8, is a transverse section of the machine to a scale of one half
of the real size, by which Figure the mode of connecting up the wires
of the several coils will be readily traced and understood. Figure 4,
shows a longitudinal section of one of the coils, shewing more clearly
than can be done in the other Figures the position of the coil in regard
to the permanent magnets between which the coils work. Figure 5,
shows part of a transverse section of one of the wheels of coils used in

page_text: the machine. Figure 6, shows a transverse section of the shaft or axis
of the machine, together with the arms of metal by which the wires of
the coils are coupled up, as will be hereafter fully described. Figure 7,
shows a plan of the parts by which the electric currents are conducted
to vessels containing water to be decomposed. In each of these Figures
the same letters indicate the same parts. The machine is arranged to
work with five wheels of coils; but other numbers may be used. Each
wheel has sixteen coils, which, by their movement near to permanent
magnets, receive induced currents of electricity, and from which such
currents of electricity are conducted to decompose water, as hereafter
explained. And it may be stated that in the arrangement shown each
coil of insulated wire is composed of about five hundred feet of No. 18,
copper wire, wound on iron tubes; but this, as well as the size of the
coils, may be varied. The coils are arranged and coupled up in four
sets of four, a, b, c, d, in each case representing a set of four coils.
A, A, are the two end framings of metal, and C, C, are horizontal bars
of wood by which the two end framings A, are combined, as is clearly
shown in the Drawings. Each wheel of coils is placed between the
ends of eight magnets in such manner that the wheel may revolve in
close proximity with the magnets. It is preferred that horse-shoe
magnets should be used, fixed with their respective poles in the positions
shewn by the Drawing; N, and S, respectively representing the north
and south poles not only of the magnets but also of the coils; all which
will readily be understood by reference to the Drawings. B, is the
main axis or shaft of the machine, which is to receive rotatory motion
by manual or other power. The wheels of coils are fixed on this shaft
or axis by the metal arms H, and it should be understood that each
wheel of coils, with its magnets, acts as one machine; a description,
therefore, of the construction and mode of action of one of the wheels
of coils will apply to all. H, H, are arms fixed to or formed with the
boss or nave H¹; the nave H¹, is fixed on the axis B. The arms H
have a circular frame H2, fixed thereto, in which are as many semi-
circular recesses as there are coils, as is clearly shown in the Drawings,
and the coils are secured in these recesses by means of bent plates H
and screws. On the axis or shaft B, is fixed a boss P, with eight

page_text: metal arms, the construction of which boss will be readily understood
by reference to Figure 6. It is constructed of several parts; that part
which surrounds and comes in contact with the axis B, is of wood, or
of other non-conducting or insulating substance, with a view to keep
the arms P, insulated from the axis B, and from each other. On the
wood are eight rings of copper F, and between them are seven rings or
washers of gutta-percha or other insulating matter. G, G, are eight
copper wires, the one ends of which are constantly in contact with the
metal rings F; consequently the electric currents which are conducted
by the arms P, into the rings F, pass to the wires G, and thence by a
pair of wires G, are conducted to bottles or vessels I, containing the
water which is to be decomposed. Each of the wires G, of a pair
has
a blade of platina fixed to it to enter the water. J, is a tube of
gutta-percha or other suitable material which is connected to the tube:
K, by which the gases are conducted to actuate a suitable engine to
produce power, or to produce light or heat. I will now describe the
manner of coupling up the two ends of the wire composing each of the
coils a, b, c, d, of each of the series of four coils. This coupling up will
be readily understood by reference to Figure 3. Each arm P, has four
wires in metallic connection with it, and the arms P, are each bent at
right angles where they enter the wood or insulating material which
surrounds the axis B. Each such bent end of the armis P, is put in
metallic connection with one of the rings F, and is kept insulated
from the other rings F, and from the axis B. One end (say the
inner end) of the wire (1,) of each of the coils b, is connected with
the arm P¹;. the other (say the outer end) of the wire (2,) of each
of the same coils 6, is connected with the arm P; and in like
manner are the ends of the other wires composing the other coils a, c, d,
connected to the other arms P, as shown by this Figure. By this
arrangement or mode of combination it will be seen that the metallic
circuit in the pairs of wires G, will be uninterrupted, and there will
be no making and breaking of contact as in my former machine;
this, therefore, is an important improvement in the machinery. In
like manner, as above stated, is one of the wires of each of the
coils c, coupled up to the arm 1, the other end of cach of those wires

page_text: being coupled up with the arm P, and the arms P, and P, are put
in metallic connection with the next two neighbouring metal rings
F, and with a pair of wires G. The wires of the coils d, are in like
manner connected with the arms P, and P, and the wires of the
coils a, are in like manner connected with the arms P7, and P. It
will be understood that there are four vessels containing water, and that
the water in each vessel is in direct and constant metallic connection
with the two ends of the four wires forming four of the coils, and the
révolution of the wheel of coils near to the eight magnets (four on each
side) between which each wheel revolves will receive induced currents
of electricity, and such currents will be conducted to and decompose the
water in the vessels.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do
not claim the use of a number of coils, nor the mounting them on a
wheel on an axis, nor the causing of a number of coils so mounted to
revolve between and nearly in contact with the ends of magnets,
neither do I claim any of the parts separately of which the machine
is composed. But what I claim is, the mode herein described of
coupling up or combining the metallic circuits of the several series
of coils.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Clarence Shepard, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of Decem-
ber, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-three.
Witness,
EDWARD CLARENCE SHEPARD. (L.S.)
JNO. ALCOCK.