US727206A - Electric switch. - Google Patents

Description

No. 727,206. PATBNTED MAY 5, 190'3Q v. BOYLE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4. 1902.

K0 MODEL.

110,727,206. P'ATENTED MAY 5, 1903. v. ROYLE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

HPLIOAT ON FILED MAR. 4. 1902.

no MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

UNITED STATES Patented May 5, 1903.

VERNON BOYLE, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727.206, dated May 5, 1903.

Application filed. March 4, 1902-* To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VERNON BOYLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Electric Switch, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an electric switch, the object being to provide a durable switch that shall be positive in its action and capable of ready use in connection with a variety of machines driven by electric motors or in which electricity is relied upon as the source of power.

The switch is essentially self-contained and arranged to be operated by hand and foot power, one or both, and also arranged to be applied to the under side of a support or to the side of a vertical support, as may be found most convenient. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the switchapplied to the under side of a table, showing the handle for operating it by hand and also the means for attaching foot-power thereto, if desired. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same, the table being broken away to show the switch casing or box more clearly. Fig. 3 is a section through the same, taken in the plane of the line A A of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents the switch applied to a vertical wall, the bottom of the switch box or casing being toward the observer and partially broken away to disclose the contactpiece within it and also showing a foot-treadle in connection therewith for operating it. Fig. 5 is a view of the same in edge elevation, the treadle being omitted. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view, on a smaller scale, of a modified form; and Fig. 7 is a sectional View in detail of the modified form of arm represented'in Fig. 6 for attaching either a handle or treadle thereto at pleasure.

The casing or box consists of a skeleton plate a, provided with supporting-arms extending upwardly from its periphery, in the present instance three arms (denoted by b 1) b located at equal distances apart and terminating in heads 0 0 0 respectively, for the purpose of receiving screw-bolts or screws cl for fastening the casing either to the under side of a table 6, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, or to a vertical wall 6, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Serial No. 96,670. (No model.

The skeleton plate a is further provided with an outwardly and downwardly projecting arm f, the free end of which provides apoint for attaching one end of the switch-operating springg, to be hereinafter more particularly referred to.

A hollow cover h is arranged to fasten on the plate a with its periphery within the arms I) b b for the purpose of protecting the operating parts of the switch from dust or other foreign substances and also from damage.

The housing It forms an effective closure for the side of the plate a and the parts carried thereby save only where it is cut away at h for admitting the wires to the several binding-posts carried by the plate a. The housing or cover it is fitted to be fastened to the bases of the arms b b b in the present instance by screws h?and as these intervals of fastening are at equal distances apart the said housing or cover may be secured in diffcrent rotary adjustments to bring the wireadmission opening into the most convenient position. The opposite side of the plate a and the parts carried thereby are also protected by a plate 71, which is fastened on the edge of a flange at, extending laterally from and preferably formed integral with the plate a. This plate i is, however, cut away for a distance corresponding to an arc of about fifty degrees, more or less, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1, for the purpose of permitting-the switch-operating arm j to swing to make and break circuit.

The switch-operating-arm j is mounted on and insulated from a binding-post it, set in and insulated from the hub a of the plate a. The binding-post k for this purpose is provided with a flange or collar 70, (see Fig. 3,) held from one end of the hub a by an interposed piece of insulation and drawn against the end of the hub by means of a nut 70 working on a washer 70 held from the opposite end of the hub a by an interposed piece of insulating material. Below the flange or collar 1c there is asleeve Z, insulated from the walls of an openingj' in the end of the arm j, the said sleeve being held in position on the binding-post 70 by means of a washer Z and cotter P. The contact-piecea broad fiat plate of metal, preferably copper-is denoted by m (see Figs. 3 and l) and has one end fixed to and insulated from the arm j by means of a screw m and-suitable insulating material, the said contact-piece m passing thence between the sleeve Z and flange or collar It on the binding-post k, a hole being made through the plate for the passage of the binding-post, so that as the arm j is swung it will carry with it, swinging on the binding-post as a center, the contact-piece m, thereby causing the free end of the contact-piece to pass into engagement with and out of engagement with the binding-posts n and a, (see Figs. 3 and 4B,) the former intended to receive a wire leading to the field of the motor and the latter a wire leading to the armature of the motor, while the line-wire is intended to be connected with the binding-post 7c, the latter being in electrical contact with the contact-piece m by the engagement of the flange or collar 70 on the binding-post 7a with the contact-piece m.

The binding-posts n and 'n" are fixed in and insulated from the plate a, and a third post 71 is also fixed to the plate a, corresponding with the posts 01 and at, for receiving the contactpiece m when it is swung out of engagement with the posts 71 n and holding it in position to he slid into contact with the posts at 12 to complete circuit through the motor at pleasure.

The arm j is provided with a lugj for the attachment of the one end of the spring g, the opposite end of which is, as heretofore stated, attached to the end of the arm f. The attachment of the spring 9 to the armfis intended to be substantially on the line passing through the axis of the binding-post 70 and the middle point of the swinging movement of the arm j, so that the spring g when the arm is swung to the limit of its movement in each of two opposite directions will be permitted to collapse to a sufficient degree so that the strain exerted upon the spring g when the arm j is swung from the middle of its movement in one direction toward the middle of its movement in the opposite direction will be sufficient to cause the spring to quickly throw the arm through the second half of its movement afterit has passed center in whichever way the armj be swung.

The armj is provided with means for attaching a handle 0 thereto, so that the operator may convenientlyswing the arm by hand, and it is also provided with an extension 0 for the attachment of a foot-treadle thereto.

Inthe form shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the extension 0 is formed integral with the hub of the armj and extends from the hub at an angle to the arm j, while in Figs. 6 and 7 the armj itself is provided with a perforation 0 at the point near where the handle 0 is attached for the purpose of attaching the foot-lever directly to the body of the arm 0 instead of to an extension of said arm. In either case the handle 0 is made removable from the arm j, conveniently by a screwthreaded shank 0 (see Fig. 7,) by means of which it is screwed into or out of the end of the arm 7, Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, or into and out of the arm 7' Figs. 6 and 7, the armj corresponding in all respects to the arm j, save only that it has the additional feature of the hole 0 for attaching the foot-treadlethereto.

The foot-treadle is denoted by p, is fulcrumed on a suitable support q, and adapted to receive the pressure of the foot of the operator at each of its opposite ends, as at 2119 It is connected by a rod r either with the extension 0 from the hub of the arm j or with the arm 7' direct in the event the form represented in Figs. 6 and '7 is employed.

In operation the current is thrown off by swinging the armj or 7' in adirection to slide the contact-piece at out of engagement with the binding-posts a n and into engagement with the dead post 91 and the current is thrown on by swinging the said contact-piece from the dead post a into engagement with the binding-posts n a. In whichever Way the arm j or 7' be swung and whether it be swung by pressure on the handle 0 or the one or the other end of the treadle 19 the moment the arm swings past center with respect to its actuating-spring 9 it will be promptly thrown to the full limit of its movement in that direction, thereby either insuring a complete making of the circuit or an efiectual breaking of the circuit, as the case may be. The switch is thus complete in itself, maybe sold as an article of manufacture to be applied to machines of various kinds, requiring but little or no skill to set it up in working order, as itis complete even beforeitis attached to the machine, and requiring only the turning of the screws in its supporting-arms to fasten it for use. It is capable of being shifted around and attached to such part of the machine as will bring it within convenient reach of the hand or foot of the operator and may either be set in a horizontal or vertical position, while its parts are so strong and firmly connected and mounted that it will not be liable to get out of order, but will do its work efiiciently and will be subject to very inconsiderable wear.

What I claim is 1. An electric switch comprising a skeleton plate provided with fastening-arms projecting from one side and a spring-supporting arm projecting from the opposite side, a binding-post at the hub of the plate, a swinging operating-arm mounted on and insulated from the binding-post,an operating-spring connecting the swinging operating-arm and the said spring-supporting arm, a contact-piece carried by the swinging arm, and contact-pieces on the said skeleton plate in position to engage and disengage the contact-piece, on the swinging arm.

2. The combination with the main plate provided with a flange extending laterally from its rim, the said flange being omitted along a portion of the rim of the plate, of a swinging operating-arm fulcrumed at the hub of the plate and having a swinging movement between the ends of the said flange, a spring connected with the swinging arm in position to be under tension when the arm is at the middle of its swinging movement and to collapse to throw the arm to the limit of its move ment in opposite directions from the center contact-pieces fixed on the plate and a contact-piece carried by the swinging arm in position to engage and disengage the contactpieces on the plate.

3. An electric switch comprising a box or casing consisting of a central plate with supporting-arms extending from one side thereof and a spring-support extending from the opposite side thereof, covers removably secured to the opposite sides of the plate, a bindingpost extending through the hub of the plate, an operating-lever fulcrumed on andinsulated from the said binding-post, a spring for throwing the operating-lever toward the limit of its movement in each of two opposite directions, a contact-piece carried by the opcrating-arm and binding-posts fixed tothe plate in position to engage and disengage the contact-piece carried by the arm.

4:. A self-contained electric switch comprising a main plate, a cover fitted thereto provided with an opening for the admission of electric wires, means for attaching the cover to the main plate in difierent rotary adjustments to bring the wire-admission opening into convenient position, an operating-arm and contact-pieces in position to make and break circuit as the arm is swung.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 13th day of February, 1902.

VERNON ROYLE.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, 0. S. SUNDGREN.

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