US730216A - Electric lamp. - Google Patents

Description

No. 730,216'. PATENTED JUNZ, 1903..

E. N. POTTER*l l ELECTRIC LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED APB.. Z7, 1900.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

I I l l Arm/MEV.

No. 730,216. Y EATENTED JUNE z, 190s.

' E. N. POTTER.

ELECTRIC LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1900. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2` E@ E- m Ande/ver.

No. 730,216. PATENTED JUNE 2, 1903.

H. N. POTTER.

ELECTRIC LAMP.'

APPLICATION FILED APB. 27. 1900.

' F0 MODEL. y 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' UNITED' STATES Patented J' 1v1-ne ,2, 1903.

PATENT GFFICE.

GEORGE wEsrINenoUsE, oF- PITTSBURG,

PENNSYLVANIA.

ELL-ormeli/uvm.

SPECIFIGATIN' forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,216, dated une 2, 1903.

:sanctionner April 27, 1900.

To all whom, t may concern,.- v

Be it known that I, IIENRYNOEL POTTER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Pitts burg, in the county of.Allegheny and lbtat-e of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Lamps, of which the following' is a specification.

My invention relates to electric lamps of the type in which the light-emitting body is a lzo 1ion-conductorwhencold and becomes an eiii- 3o partially in side cient conductor when its temperature is sufficiently raised by independently-generated heat. The object of my invention is -to pro(vide a llamp of the type indicated which shall be simple, compact, and inexpensive lin construction Vand durable and4 efficient in o'peration and one in which the operative relation of the several parts shall be independent of zo the position of the lamp as a whole-that is to say, one in which thevlamp will operate efficiently and satisfactorily when the axis ofthe lamp is in either a Vertical or horizontal position or disposed at any angle between the z5 two.

With these ends in viewl have devised the .means shown in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a view partially in section and Celevation of a lamp con' -structed in accordance with my invention.

la is a plan view of lthe heater and the vconnecting device between the same' and the inner glower-terminal. Fig. 2 is a viewvsimilar to Fig. 1 except that the housing and Fig. 4 is a plan view of globe for the lamp are omitted and the parts are shown at right angles to the position indicated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is afdetail side'elevation corresponding to the lower portion of o Fig. 2, but illustrating a modified form of return-conductor for the glower and h eater;

the supporting-plate f for the heater and glower.- Fig. 5 is a detailsectional view qt one of the devices for mak` ing separable Vcircuit connections between terminals upon the removable element of the lamp and terminals upon the permanent portion :of the lamp.- Fig. 6 is a diagram ofthe -lampcircuits.' Fig. 7 is a diagram of a modi Y 5o4 ed arrangement of lamp-circuits. Fig.- 8'is a View, partially 'in 'side elevation andl par- Serial No. 14.600. (No model.)

tiallyin section, of a lamp of modified con-l struction. Fig. 9 is as'ectional View of a modiiied construction of vcut-out device, the elec trical conductors .being indicated diagrammatically. Fig. 10 is an enlarged view, in front elevation, of the combined ballast and cut-out mechanism.

Referring to Figs.A 1 to 6 of the drawings, the glower 1- is connected by the terminal wire 2 at its outer end to the outer end of a supporting return-conductor 3. zThis conductor 3 is of 'gzag form' in order that the casting of dense shadows uponl the globe may be avoided.

The return-conductor may be made to assumediiferent forms from that here shown, provided` it is so constructed and located with reference to the glower that the umbra shall be located adjacent tosaid conductor instead of being cast upon the globe. vAs one modiication I havefshown in Fig. 3 a supporting and returning conductor 3 of helical form which surrounds the glower.

The terminal wire 4 at the inner end of thc glower passes loosely through the tubular portion of a guide-bushing 5 and is fastened to one end ofl a terminal plug or pin 6, this pin being seated ina tubular screw 7, that is centrally'located in a skeleton or open-work plate 8. This plate 8 is also provided with three tubular screws 9, 10, and 11, adjacent to its edges and suitably disposed to accommodate the terminal rods, which will be hereinafter described. The heater 12 for the lglower isof spiral or h'elical form, symmetrically disposed around the glower, and preferably consists of a helix of insulating material, around which I is coiled a ine platinum wire which constitutes the heating-conductor. The outer terminal 13 of the heater-wire yis .either joined directly to ther outer end of the conductor or to the glower terminal wire 2. A small rod 14 is fastened to the outer end of the heater -to serve as an additional support for maintaining Nthe fouter endsof the glower'and' heater in proper relative position.

v, The inner end ofthe supporting-body of the heater is attached t0 a projection 15 on the insulating and supporting/piece 5so as to maintain the'v tubular' portion substantially in alinem ent with the heater-axis. The glower is thus retained in proper ward against 7 and l0 in the manner already Aplate S not actually relation to the heater, and at the same time the connection is such as to permit of afree longitudinal ex-v pansion and contraction ot' the heater and glower independently of each other. The inner terminal wire 13 of the heater is fastened to the outer end of awire 1G,the inner end ofwhich projects through the ysupporting-plate 8 and is fastened to the terminal vscrew 9, preferably by ceiling it about said screw and beneath the nut 9. This nut being of hexagonal form, 1G may be bent upward against the side of the nut, and thus serve to lock it in the position as is i-ndicated in Figs. 1 to Lt. The inner end of the return-conduetor 3 projects through the plate S and is similarly bent around the tubular screw 11 and clamped in position by the nut 11', the free end,of the conductor being bent upward against the side of the nut to lock it in position in the manner already described with reference to the wire 16 and nut 9. The tubular screw# is electrically connected to the screw 10 by means of a wire 17, that is embedded in the plate 8 and the ends of which are coiled around the respective screws 7 and 10 and bent upthe sidesof the clamping-nuts A described with reference to the 'other conducting-wires and nuts that are supported by the plate 8. It will be observed that all portions of the needed for supporting the terminal devices are eut away, soas to form an open-work structure, and thus permit of the free passage of air to assist in consame material integral part of it, if desired; but I find itv l fer, therefore, to make the screws 7, 9,10,

are shown as made ducting away the heat, and thus maintain a comparatively low temperature in the lamp.

The globe 18, that surrounds the glower and heater, is supported by a housing 19, having Ventilating-openings 19 and to the lower edge of which it is attached by means of one ormore locking-screws 20. Projecting upward from each of the tubular screws 9, 10, and be formed of thel which may as the screw and constitute an 11 is a pin 21,

convenient and desirable to form the screws of brass and the pins ofa metal, such as aluminium, that is soft and the surface of which does not oxidize objectionably. I preand 11 of the same form and material and "prov-ide each-of them, except t screw 7,v

with a pin21, that is permanently a rigidly seated in thev screw and projects upwardly therefrom,- as indicated. t

The'external circuit connections of the lamp by means of the head of a screw 22 at`the end of the lamp structure opposite the globe I8 sind by a band 23, (shown as of screw-thread ed forca) adapted to lit the well-known. form of Edison incandescentlamp socket. These parts'22`and .23 'are Supported by atubularbody'24, of suitable nonconducting material, such as porcelain, which is seated in the upper end of the housing 19.

the end of the wire close t therewith.

Inthe upper end of the tubular body 2t, is seated a small magnet-coil 25, the core 2G of which is' engaged by the screw 22, so as to fasten the coil and core in position in'the lamp. he inner end of the core 2li is seated in a pocket or depression 27 in the end ol an air-tight chamber 28 and may be cemented thereto. The chamber 2S is preferably a glass tube from which the air is exhausted and which contains abody of inert gas, such as hydrogen. The connection between the core 26 and the 'tube 2S is such that the latter will be supported by the former when the parts are assembled in the proper relative position. l/Vithin the tube 2Slare contained the ballast resistance-wire 29, the supporting wire frame 30 therefor, and the circuit mak ing and break-A ing devices forthe heater-circuit, all of the said parts being supported by the inwardlyprojecting portion 27 of the tube 28, in which the core 26 is seated. The movable member of the circuit making and breaking devices is shown in the form of a rod or tube 3l, formed in whole or in part of magnetizable material and pivoted at approximately its middle point upon a portion 32 of a wire 33,

one end of which is rigidly connected to the inwardly-projecting'portion 27 of the tube 2S.

'lhe part 32 of the wire is preferably disposed at right'angles to the axis of the lamp, and

from the free end of this portionl the wire projects downwardly nearly to the `lower end of the support 30 for the ballast-wire 29 and from that point is bent backward upon itself to the lower end of the pivoted rod 31. From this point the wire projects across the lower end of the rod 31 at 33, then parallel thereto at 33", and then at right angles thereto at 33C. The/parts 33 and 33C have curved seats to receive the nrod 31, and the spring-action of the wire 33 is such that the pressure of the part 33 just below the part 32 will serve to hold the outer end of the rod 31 away from the core 26. When. in 'this position, the outer end of the device 31 rests against a terminal piece 34, one end of which is rigidly supported by the inwardly-projecting portion 27 of the tube 28. AWhen the magnet -25 is energized, the part 31 will be rocked on its pivot so as to move its outer end away from the contact-piece 34 and its outer end into engagement with the lseat formed in the part 33, this spring-buffer being provided in order .of rod 31 against part 27 when alternating current is employed inthe operation of the lamp.

In order to make suitable circuit connections between the controlling devices eon` tainediin the tube 28 -and the glower and heater and between the magnetcoil 25 and the glow'er and heater, I provide three termi# nal rods 35, and since these are preferably made of aluminium, dered, I form eacnrodof two strips of metal 36 and 37, theistrip 36 'being bent at its lower end to/form atube 36 receive the corresponding pin 21 and make a to prevent any rattling which is not readily sol- Y of the proper size to The strip 36 is also prov aided with a slit 36b at a suitable pointy above theV tubular portion 36, and the other Strip, 37, is provided with a tongue 3S, that projects through the slit 37 and is bent down against the strip 3G on the opposite side, this connection serving to hold the parts inI proper positionv with their contiguous vfaces in close contact. At a suitable point above the slit and tongue connection I bend the strips 3G and 37 apart suihciently to form 'a tubular socket 39, adapted to receive a terminal pin flO. The two strips 3G and 37 may be separate pieces clamped together and to the inner portion `able soft metal, and this plug is removably I Acontact-terminal piece 34, and the correspond-- seated in the socket 39 of the terminal rod 35, with which the pin 21, projecting from the screw 10, engages. The other terminal wire, 42, of the magnet 25 leads into the tube28, and its inner end is fastened to one end of the ballast-wire 29.' The terminal wire 43, the youter end of which is soldered to the shell 23, has its inner end fastened to a terminal'plug 4.0, like that already described, and this plug .is removably seated in the socket39 of the terminal rod 35, that is connected to the returnconductor 3; Instead of employing the plug 40 the end of the wire 43 may be solderedl to ing connecting wires, plu gs,and terminal rods tothe heater, and through theJ heater, the return-conductor '3, and connections to the shell 23 and out. As soon as the heat transmitted to the' glower from the heater raises the glower to a conducting temperature 4the current will pass from the magnet-core 26 turned to the positions indicated in the drawings.

It will be seen scription that the relation of the heater and glower is such that substantially the same amount of' heat will be imparted to the 7glower and the same amount of light transmitted from the latter for all positions of the lamp, and 4consequently that the lamp is adapted for use in connection with existing incandescent-lamp sockets, no matter whatI the position of such sockets maybe. The electromagnetic cut-outis also so arranged'vthat its. action is independent of gravity, and its movable member is so held that it will not vibrate, and thus produce objectionable/noise when the lamp is operated on alternating-current circuits. F' In Fig. 7 of the drawings I have indicated an arrangement of circuits which differs somewhat from that heretofore described. The several parts ofthe lamp, except as'regards the circuit connections, are or may be the same as those already described, and

from the illustration and desince the same reference-numerals are emcuits shownin Figs. 1 to 6 the current pass-4 ing through the lamp does not traverse the cut-out `coil 25 until the heater-circuit is broken. As shown in Fig. 7 the current passing through thelamptraverses the cutout coil 25 at all times. Since the current passing through the heater is le'ss than tha-t takenbythe glower, it is feasible ,to so proportion and adjust the parts of Athe circuit; breaker that the current iiowing through the lamp when the glower is not-in circuit will.

be insuiiicient to move the armature of the cut out, and thus break the heater-circuit. This arrangement of circuits is more sensitive than that previously described, 'since the cut-out coil is energized at all times and the instant that the glower becomes conductive the eXtra current flowing will serve 'to break the heater-circuit.'l

' In the lampshown in Fig. 8th-e parts ncluded within the housing 19 may be the same as those shown inthe preceding gures; but in this form of lamp I have shown a double globe 18, the 'space 18 between the inner and outer walls of which is exhausted of air 'inorder that better lighting effects may be secured, such improved lighting ei'ects being due to the substantial elimination of convection. In this form of rlamp I have also shown a curved vglower l and aheater 12n of zigzag form that embraces but does not entirely surround the glower, the ,general axis of the heater being coincident with that of the glower. This form of heater I have shown in an otherapplication and v4have there desig- IOO IIO

nated it as a wave-spiral.z VIt will be understood that there is no special cooperation is included within it.

between this form'of heater and glower and the vacuum-globe, and hence the formsl of heater and glower shown in other figures mayu be hereemployed, or the forms may otherwise be varied as desired.

In Fig. 9 I Ahave shown the circuits and some of the essential features of a lamp, the structure of which is the same as that shown p in Figs. l to 6, except that the-core 26 of the cut-out device is located inside the tube or chamber 28, ythe coil 25 being the only member fA the cut-out structure that is located outsidethe chamber. It is not deemed advisable in any case to include the coil Within the chamber, for the reason that the air clings tenaciously' to the coil surfaces and cavities, so that it is extremely dincult if not impossible to exhaust the chamber of air if the coil Such air as would be secreted by the coilif the latter were included in the chamber would subsequently be freed,

' so as to mix with the hydrogen and make 'moisture that would have a deleterious effect last device, an automatic heater cut-out hav-' 'mg apivoted circuit making and breaking member` and a spring that bears-againstsaid member in each of its positions and thus 'comprising a glower, a heater surrounding prevents vibrations.Y

2. An electric lamp ofthe type described,

comprising a glower, a heater therefor, a/ballast device, a cut-out for the heater, the movable member of which is pivotalcly mounted and a spring-arm, one end of which constitutes the pivot for said member'and the other end of which bears against one end of said member in all positions of the latter.

3. An electric lamp of the'type described,

comprising a glower, a heater therefor, a ballast device, an electrolnagnetically-actuated cut-out device forthe heater and a springarm upon one end of which said device is pivoted and vagainst the other end of -which the device rests in each of its positions.

4.- An electric lamp of the type described,

the same, a conducting support for said glower and heater that isA angularly disposed Y with reference to the glower, a ballast device,

a cut-out for the heater and circuit connections. '1 i 5..' In an electric lamp of the type described, a controlling device for the heatercircuit comprising. a switch-arm formed in whole or in part of magnetizable material i and ypivotallyl supported at substantially its center of gravity, arspring against which said switcharm rests in each of itspositions for preventnet in inductive relation to saidsWitch-arm.

' 6. An electric lamp of the type described, A

comprising a glov'ver, a heater, a controlling device for'the heater-circuit, a ballast for the gloWer-circuit, all of said parts' being Opera'- tively independent of lthe position of .the lamp, and the movable member of the circuitcontrolling vdevice being Arestrained againstl vibration in every position that it assumes.

7. An electric lamp of the type described, v A

having glower and heater terminal rods, each' of which is formed of a strip of metal douA bled upon itself and has an edge and an end end socket for the reception of plug-terminals. 8. -The combinationwith a glower of the type described, .of a heating-conductor located adjacent to the gloWer and having different portions of its length disposed at different located adjacent to the heater and having diierent portions of its length also disposed atvdifferent angles to the gloWer-axis and an# gularly disposedwith reference to the corresponding portions vof the heating-conductor, andmeans for supporting the said parts. 9. The combination with a glower, a heating-conductor therefor and a return-conduc- 'tor each of which has different portions of its and the gloWer and having diiferent portions of lits length disposed at different angles to the glower and to the corresponding portions of the heating-conductor, all united' in a single terminal at one end, of insulated terminals for the other ends of said devices and a supporting device having three terminals for the free terminals of the gloWer, the heatingconductor 'and the return-conductor.

l1. The combination with a glower of the type described, of a heater having different portions of its length disposed at diierent angles tothegloWer-axis, a Wire or rod adjacent to the heater having different portions of vits length also disposed at different angles to theA gloWer-axis and to the corresponding portioiis. ofthe heater and affording a return path for 4the currents transmitted through the heater, and a plate of insulating material carrying the glower, the heater and said Wire or rod. y

12.' The-combination with a glowcr of the type described, of a heater therefor, a-zigzag l ing vibratory movement, and an electromagf angles tothe gloWer-axis,ra return-conductor i loo ICS

IIO

' protecting thesame and aiiording a return path for the" currents transmitted therethrough,aninsulating-plate,terminalscarried thereby for alfording electrical connection with the terminals of the glower, the heater and the conductor upon one side, a terminal upon the opposite side, and a ballast-conductor making electrical connection with the lastnamed terminal.y

13. The combination with a glower of the type described, of aheaterrigidly connected to the glowerat one end and loosely connected thereto at the other end whereby independent, longitudinal expansion and con traction are permitted. f Y

14. In an electric lamp, the combination with a glower and heating-conductor, of a support therefor, a ballast-conductor, and an electric cnt-out, an air-tight inclosing chamber for said ballast-conductor and cut-out,

and detachable terminals for making electrical connections betweenthe glower and ballast-conductor and the heater and cut-ont, substantially as described.

15. In anelectric-lamp structure, having a glower and heater, the combination with an electromagnetic cut-out or circuit-breaker, a ballast conductor, an air tight inclosing chamber for the ballast-conductor and the contact members of the circuit-breaker', of

' separable electric connections upon the outside of said chamber for aifording electrical connections between the ballast-conductor and circuit-breaker and the glower andheater.

16. In an yelectric-lampstructure, aremovable air-tight chamber having a ballast device and a circuit-interrupter contained therein.'

' 17. In an electric-lamp structure, aremovable air-tight chamber having a ballast device and a circuit-interrupter contained therein,

said circuit-interinpter being connected at -one end with oneend of the ballast device. Y, 18. The combination with a glower of the z type described, lof a heater therefor and a ballast and circuit-breaker containing case located in alinement with .the general axis of the glower and the heater.

19. .The combination with a gloWer of the type described, of a heater therefor, a ballast and circuit-breaker containing case located in alinement with the general axis of the glower and the heater, and an inclosing globe surrounding said glower' and heater.'l

' 20. In an. electric lamp, a non-conducting plate having terminal screws seated therein, glower and heater termin al wires and bindingnuts for connecting said wires with said screws, the ends of the wires 'being bent up ward 'against the sides of the nuts to lock 'them in position.

21. In an electric lamp of the type described, a spiral heater and a glower coinciding with the heater-axis and having one end rigidly connected to the. corresponding end of the heater and having a loose connection between its other end and the corresponding end of the heater. y

22. In an electric lamp ofthe type described, the combination with a glo'wer and a heater rigidly connected together atone end, of a supporting-piece carried by the other end of the heater and having a guide-bushin g for the glower terminal wire.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this '25th day of April, A. D. E

HENRY NOEL POTTER.

Witnesses:

HUGH ANDREW, CRooKs,

DAVID W. CRooKs.

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