IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNAL LAMPS
Year: 1884

page_text: I HENRY DEFRIES, of the firm of J. Defries and Sons, of No 147 Houndsditch,
in the City of London and County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNAL LAMPS to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in hand Signal Lamps in which the
colored glasses are pivoted on a bearing or cock at the side of the lamp, the end of
each of the said levers being held outside the body of the lamp beneath a spring
catch when the colored glass which it carries is raised from between the light and
the plain fixed lens, and being released by pressing back this spring catch when the
colored glass is to be used.
With these lamps as hitherto made it is possible that one signal being down the
person signalling may lower the other without having first raised the signal which be
desires to alter and thus present a light having no significance, or so slightly alter
the appearance of the one already down that it may still be acted upon and an
accident ensue.
The object of my improvements is to render such an occurrence impossible, and
my invention consists in making the colored glass or signal which is shown block
automatically the descent of the other glass or signal, this latter being left free to
be lowered only when the block has been automatically removed by the raising of
the colored glass or signal which was down.
I may use an arrangement consisting of a curved locking piece, or segment of a
circle, cast at the end of cach lever holding a colored glass, each locking piece
having a notch with which the spring catch will engage when the glass is raised;
at the back of the spring catches I fit a jointed piece or rocking link in such a
manner that when one of the levers is down this jointed or rocking piece will be
pressed by that lever against the spring catch of the other and render it impossible
to disengage this spring catch from its corresponding lever until the lever that is
down is raised, and by this means no two colors can be down at the same time.
Another device which I may use consists of a jointed piece or rocking link
attached to the inside of the lamp case; this link forms a frame through which the
levers carrying the colored glasses are passed and its lower end is provided with a
slot only wide enough to receive one lever at a time. The levers when raised and
held by their spring catches are both in the upper part of this rocking link, but
when one of them is released from its catch it will in descending pass into the slot
of the link and thus block the descent of the other lever should it be inadvertently
released from its catch.

page_text: I, HENRY DEFRIES, of the firm of J. Defries and Sons, of 147 Houndsditch in
the City of London, and County of Middlesex, Manufacturer do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNAL LAMPS" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
My Invention relates to improvements in hand Signal Lamps in which the levers
carrying the colored glasses are pivoted on a bearing or cock at the side of the
lamp, the end of each of the said levers being held outside the body of the lamp
beneath a spring-catch when the colored glass which it carries is raised from
between the light and the plain fixed lens, and being released by pressing back this
spring-catch when the colored glass is to be used.
With these lamps as hitherto made it is possible, that one colored glass being
down the person signalling may lower the other without having first raised the
signal which he desires to alter, and thus present a light having no significance, or
so slightly alter the appearance of the one already down that it may still be acted
upon and an accident ensue.
The object of my Improvements is to render such an occurrence impossible, and
my Invention consists in making the colored glass or signal which is shown to
block automatically the descent of the other glass or signal, this latter being left
free to be lowered only when the block has been automatically removed by the
raising of the colored glass or signal which was down.
Upon the accompanying Sheet of Drawing I show devices or mechanical
arrangements whereby my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1, representing a side view of a Signal Lamp fitted with one of these
devices.
Figure 2, being a front view of same.
Figure 3, illustrating the same device drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 4, being a plan of same showing the position of the locking device when
both glasses are raised, and
Figure 5, a plan of same one of the glasses being down.
Figure 6, represents another locking device as seen from the front of the Lamp.
Figure 7, a view of same as seen from the interior of the Lamp both glasses
being raised, and
Figure 8, shows the position of the locking device when one glass is down.
Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in each of the Figures
respectively.
A A¹, indicating two levers each holding a colored glass.
B B', (Figures 1 to 5) curved locking piece cast on same.
CC, (Figures 1 to 5) notches cut in lower face of B B¹.
DD, spring-catches.
E, jointed piece or rocking link.
F, (Figures 7 & 8) opening or slot in same for passage of lever.
The device shown Figures 1 to 5 consists of the curved locking piece or segment
of a circle (B B¹) cast at the end of each lever holding a colored glass (A A¹) each
locking piece having a notch (C C¹) with which the spring-catch (D D¹) will
engage, when the glass is raised, at the back of the spring-catches D D¹.
I fit the jointed piece or rocking-link E, in such a manner that when one of the
levers, say A', is down, (as in Figures 1 2 3 & 5) this piece pressed by the lever

page_text: against the spring-catch D, renders it impossible to disengage this spring-catch
from the lever A, until A¹, is again raised and caught by the spring-catch D¹, when
the rocking-link E takes the position shown Fig 4 and either A or A', may be
lowered at pleasure; but it will be evident that thus both levers cannot be lowered
together and no two colors can be down at the same time.
In this device the entire locking mechanism is on the exterior of the Lamp and
the disc or colored glass which is down cannot be even partially displaced by any
amount of oscillation given to the Lamp when shaken up and down in signalizing.
The locking device shown Figures 6, 7 and 8, consists of the jointed piece or
rocking link E, attached to the inside of the lamp case; this link forms a frame
through which the levers A A¹, carrying the colored glasses are passed, and its
lower end is provided with the slot F, which is only wide enough to receive one
lever at a time. The levers A A¹ when raised and held by their spring-catches D D¹,
are both in the upper part of this rocking-link E, (as shown Fig 7) but when one
of them is released from its catch (see A Fig 6 & S) it in descending passes into
the slot F, of the link and thus blocks the descent of the other (A' in Fig 6 and 8)
should it accidentally be released from its catch.
I would here observe that in each of the devices or mechanical arrangements
above described the descent of one lever operates the locking of the other, and that
I do not limit myself to any precise mechanical arrangements for effecting this
operation.
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
Firstly. In hand Signal Lamps such as herein described, making the lever of the
signal which is down automatically block the descent of the lever of the other.
Secondly. In hand Signal Lamps, the jointed piece or rocking-link E, arranged
to press against one or other of the spring-catches D D', by the descent of one or
other of the levers A A', and thereby cause the signal that is lowered to block the
descent of another, substantially as described and shown on the drawing Figures 1
to 5 inclusive.
Thirdly. In hand Signal Lamps, the jointed piece or rocking-link E, having the
slot F, and arranged to operate the blocking of one or other of the levers A A',
substantially as described and shown on the drawing Figures 6 to 8 inclusive.
Dated this Fourth day of October 1884.