IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS
Year: 1884

page_text: I EMILE LOUIS ROUSSY Miller residing at Vevey in Switzerland do hereby
declare the nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH
INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS, to be as follows:-
:
One of the principal inconveniences of incandescent electric lamps of all systems
is that the intensity of each lamp can only be regulated by cumbersome apparatus
which in consequence of their complicated construction and their high price are not
in general practice this inconvenience is the greater as the necessity of regulating
the intensity of a lamp has been-recognised by all who have made experiments of
electric lighting and who have had occasion to experience what happens when it
becomes necessary to replace one or several lamps in a circuit whilst other lamps
of the circuit have already been burning for some hours. The difference of
resistance necessarily existing between the new lamps and the old ones results in
the latter being worn out in an altogether abnormal lapse of time unless a means
of moderating the intensity of the light can be found.
The object of the present invention is to remedy the above named defect in a
sure and rational manner by means of an apparatus of elementary simplicity which.
can be adapted to the sockets or lamp-holders of all systems or to an interruptor
affixed to the wall or other place.
My apparatus enables the intensity of each lamp in the circuit to be moderated:
at will according to requirements which is very useful in the case of certain
installations (in hospitals for instance).
Generally in preparing different patterns of the same electric-conducting body.
and if these possess mathematically the same dimensions the absolute resistance.
of each varies, according to the internal texture of the body.
My invention consists in principle in the replacement of a part of the conducting
wire connecting one of the poles with one of the extremities of the carbon of other
filament of the incandescent lamp by a small quantity of conducting material:
reduced into small grains filament or otherwise separated and contained in a cavity!
or receptacle in which the said material can be more or less compressed by suitable
TD 201

page_text: means. Thus the number of points of contact between the different particles or
filaments of the conducting material can be increased or diminished by increasing
or diminishing the compression and the passage of the current is more or less
facilitated by the variation in the absolute resistance of the column of conducting
material interposed in the circuit of the lamp.
In diminishing the pressure exerted on the aforesaid particles of conducting
material their small particles will naturally spread out and form a mass rather
loose and offering great resistance to the current until compressed again.
I have employed up to this time pounded charcoal of gas retorts the effect of
which is perfect but, I may adapt any material capable of conducting electricity
and the resistance of which can be varied by modifying at will the internal texture
according to the principle of my Invention.
The annexed drawing represent two special applications of my moderator by the
aid of which the system will be easily understood.
Figs 1 and 2 represent in front view and in longitudinal section of a lamp-holder
provided with my moderator and with a lamp (Edison system). Fig 3 shows the
plan and Fig 4 a transverse section of the same lamp-holder with moderator.
Fig 5 represents in longitudinal section and fig 6 in plan a lamp-holder with the
moderator and provided with a lamp (Swan system).
Fig 7 shows the principle of my system of moderator without any details as to
the way in which it is fixed to the lamp or to the circuit.
In all these figures the same letters refer to the same pieces.
In fig 2 the binding screws a and b are connected each with one of the poles of
the machine. The screw bis in direct connection with the socket f fixed into the
body of the lampholder made of glass porcelain or any other bad conductor.
This socket is provided with the worm of a screw corresponding with that of
the Edison Lamp and communicating therefore with one of the branches of the
carbon p.
The screw a is connected electrically with the nut & fixed by three catches to
the lamp-holder x. This nut is traversed by the compressing screw h allowing the
luminous intensity of the lamp to be varied by compressing more or less the carbon
powder contained in the tubular cavity of the lamp-holder x. The electric
current arrives through the screw h crosses this pulverised carbon and reaches a
conducting nut m which can be connected with the contact n of the lamp either in
a direct manner or by means of a tap k the eccentric side 7 of which can establish or,
interrupt at will the contact between m and n viz light or extinguish the lamp.
The lamp-holder with moderator represented by fig 5 does not differ essentially
from the one which has just been described.
The wires a and b are connected with the machine. The conductor a¹ goes
through the insulated stopper c' fixed in the lamp-holder x¹ also made of an
insulating material and joins the nut fixed by catches to a small lateral ferrule
forming a part of x¹..
The screw h¹ serves to compress more or less the carbon powder i¹ contained in
this ferrule in order to establish a communication offering more or less resistance to
the current which reaches the lamp by the screw m¹ and the book f¹.
The conductor 6' is fixed to the plate e¹ which can be connected with n¹ of the
hook geither directly or by means of a tap which under the action of a
spring of bears in a conical hole part in e¹ and part in n¹ In order to intercept
the current it is necessary to press on the lever of the eccentric k².
4
The spiral spring q' is the one generally adopted for supporting the Swan lamps.
In the Fig 7 x is a piece of non conducting material in which has been formed a
cavity filled out with a carbon powder (or other powder of good conducting
material). The electric current arrives at the nut d of the screw h fixed on x and
traverses the powder contained in i by means of the screw h. The carbon powder
being in contact with the screw m the current is conducted from there to the
lamp.

page_text: By turning the screw in either direction the carbon powder is more or less,
compressed and the resistance of the moderator diminished or increased.
The two arrangements described and represented are only examples for demon-
strating the practical application of my system of a moderator which I may vary
and apply to any part of the circuit of any system of incandescent electrical
lighting.
"
I EMILE LOUIS ROUSSY Miller residing at Vevey in Switzerland do hereby
declare the nature of IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH INCANDESCENT
ELECTRIC LAMPS aud in what manner the same is to be performed to be.
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:→
>>
One of the principal inconveniences of incandescent electric lamps of all systems,
is that the intensity of each lamp can only be regulated by cumbersome apparatus
which in consequence of their complicated construction and their high price are not
in general practice this inconvenience is the greater as the necessity of regulating
the intensity of a lamp has been recognised by all who have made experiments of
electric lighting and who have had occasion to experience what happens. when, it
becomes necessary to replace one or several lamps in a circuit whilst other lanips of
the circuit have already been burning for some hours. The difference of resistance
necessarily existing between the new lamp and the old ones results in the latter
being worn out in an altogether abnormal lapse of time unless a means of moderating
the intensity of the light can be found.
1
The object of the present invention is to remedy the above named defect in a
sure and rational manner by means of an apparatus of elementary simplicity, which
can be adapted to the sockets or lamp holders of all systems or to an interruptor
fixed to the wall or other place. My apparatus enables the intensity of each lamp
in the circuit to be moderated at will according to requirements which is very,
useful in the case of certain installations (in, hospitals for instance).
Generally in preparing different patterns of the same electric-conducting body and
if these possess mathematically the same dimensions the absolute resistance of each
varies according to the internal texture of the body.
My invention consists in principle in the replacement of a part of the conducting
wire connecting.one of the poles with one of the extremities of the carbon or other
filament of the incandescent lamp by a small quantity of a conducting material
reduced into small grains filaments or otherwise separated and contained in a cavity
or receptacle in which the said material can be more or less compressed by suitable
means. Thus the number of points of contact between the different, particles or
filaments of the conducting material can be increased or diminished by increasing

page_text: or diminishing the compression and the passage of the current is more or less
facilitated by the variation in the absolute resistance of the column of conducting
material interposed in the circuit of the lamp. In diminishing the pressure exerted
on the aforesaid particles of conducting material their small particles will naturally
spread out and form a mass rather loose and offering great resistance to the current
until compressed again. I have employed up to this time pounded charcoal of gas.
retorts the effect of which is perfect but I may adopt any material capable of
conducting electricity and the resistance of which can be varied by modifying at
will the internal texture according to the principle of my invention.
'
The annexed drawings represent two special applications of my moderator by
the aid of which the system will be easily understood.
Figs 1 and 2 represent in front view and in longitudinal section a lamp holder
provided with my moderator and with a lamp (Edison system). Fig 3 shews the
plan and fig 4 a transverse section of the same lamp-holder with moderator. Fig 5
represents in longitudinal section and fig 6 in plan a lampholder with the moderator
and provided with a lamp (Swan system.) Fig 7 shows the principle of my system
of moderator without any details as to the way in which it is fixed to the lamp or
to the circuit. In all these figures the same letters refer to the same pieces. In
fig 2 the binding screws a and b are connected each with one of the poles of the
machine.
The screw bis in direct connection with the socket f fixed into the body x of the
lamp-holder made of glass porcelain or any other bad conductor. This socket fis
provided with the worm of a screw g corresponding with that of the Edison lamp
and communicating with one of the branches of the carbon P.
The screw a is connected electrically with the nut & fixed by three catches to
the lampholder x. This nut is traversed by the compressing screw h allowing the
luminous intensity of the lamp to be varied by compressing more or less the carbon
powder contained in the tubular cavity i of the lampholder . The electric current
arrives through the screw h crosses the pulverized carbon and reaches a conducting
nut m which can be connected with the contact n of the lamp either in a direct
manner or by means of a tap % the eccentric side of which can establish or
interrupt at will the contact between m and n viz light or extinguish the lamp.
The lamp-holder with moderator represented by fig 5 does not differ essentially
from-the-one-which-has-just-been-described.
The wires a and b are connected with the machine The conductor al goes
through the insulated stopper c¹ fixed in the lamp holder x also made of an
insulating material and joins the nut d¹ fixed by catches to a small lateral ferrule
forming part of The screw h¹ serves to compress more or less the carbon
powder contained in this ferrule in order to establish a communication offering
more or less resistance to the current which reaches the lamp by the screw m¹ and
the hook f¹.
The conductor 6¹ is fixed to the plate e¹ which can be connected with the nut n¹
of the hook geither directly or by means of a tap which under the action of a
spring o¹ bears in a conical hole part in e¹ and part in n' In order to intercept the
current it is necessary to press on the lever of the eccentric k¹.
The spiral spring q¹ is the one generally adopted for supporting the Swan lamps.
In the figure 7 x is a piece of nonconducting material in which has been formed
a cavity i filled with a carbon or other powder of good conducting material.
The electric circuit arrives at the nut d of the screw h fixed on x and traverses
the powder contained in i by means of the screw h. The carbon powder being in
contact with the screw m the current is conducted from there to the lamp.
By turning the screw h in either direction the carbon powder is more or less
compressed and the resistance of the moderator diminished or increased. The two
arrangements described and represented are only examples for demonstrating the
practical application of my system of a moderator which may vary and apply to
any part of the circuit of any system of incandescent electric lighting.

page_text: 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 A moderator of intensity for incandescent electric lighting consisting in
a varying resistance inserted in the circuit and composed of a small quantity of
conducting material reduced into small trains, filaments or otherwise suitably
separated aud contained in a cavity or receptacle in which this matter can be more
or less compressed in order to increase or diminish the resistance offered to the
current passing through it by the conductor thus formed substantially as described
and shewn.
Secondly The lamp-holder with moderator represented at figures 1, 2, 3 and 4
substantially as described and shewn.
Thirdly The lamp-holder with moderator represented at figures 5 and 6 sub-
stantially as described and shewn,
100M
BROWNE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.