IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY IGNITING GAS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY IGNITING
GAS." A communication from abroad by Charles Gustave Mueller,
of Hanover, Germany.
3
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 19th August 1872.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY
IGNITING GAS," a communication, to be as follows :—
This Invention consists in an improvement in the apparatus for
the automatic ignition of gaslights, originally invented by Professor
Klinkerfues, and for which Letters Patent havo been granted bearing

page_text: date the 8th day of December, A.D. 1870, No. 322S, its object being
the annihilation of the disturbing influence which any common variations
in the pressure of the gas are apt to exert on the same.
The main feature of the original apparatus is an arrangement for
exciting an electric current in a galvanic element by means of a
temporary elevation in the pressure of the gas, and thereby igniting the
samc.
It having been found in practice that the unavoidable variations in
the pressure of the gas caused certain disturbances in the original
apparatus an improvenient has been made in the same, of which I will
now give a general description. In a vessel containing a suitable fluid
for exciting an electric current are placed a disc of zinc and another of
carbon, in such a manner that under the ordinary pressure of tho gas.
the former of these is suspended above the surface of the fluid, but if
the pressure of the gas be raised and thereby the fluid be brought into
contact with the zinc a galvanic current will be caused, heating a spiral
of platina wire enclosed in the electric conduit above the gas burner.
The augmented pressure of the gas at the same time acts upon a small
diving bell and raises the same, thereby opening a valve which allows
the gas to pass up to the burner; as soon as the same impinges on the
heated platina wire it will be ignited.
The electric current now being no more required the pressure of the
gas is lowered again to its ordinary standard, and the surface of the
fluid is consequently brought down below the zinc, but to keep the gas
valve in connection with the diving bell from being closed again a ;
peculiar arrangement has been designed, consisting of zig-zag pro-
jections on the said diving bell or any suitable part united with it.
These zig-zag projections or "guides" extend around a cylindrical
part of the bell, and move between two pins or pivots placed one above
the other, so that in rising as well as in sinking the guides will be made
to revolve by their inclined surfaces striking either on the upper or the
lower of the two pivots. If all the pairs of branches of the guides were
alike, the upward and downward motions of the bell caused by the
increased or "igniting" pressure, and the subsequent relieving of the
same would be alike; but as these pairs are made alternately long and
short, the bell being once lifted is not allowed to return to its lowest
position by the relief of the igniting pressure, but remains suspended at

page_text: the beginning of its downward motion. The consequence of this is that
the gas valve remains open, and the gaslight continues to burn. By
a renewed increase of pressure the bell will be again lifted, slightly
turned as before, and the following pair of branches of the guides
permitting a full downward motion of the bell the latter on the relief
of pressure will assume its original position, close the gas valve
and extinguish the burner. Thus by simply increasing the pressure
of the gas at the gas works for a few seconds, all the corresponding
lights fitted with this apparatus will either be ignited or extinguished,
as the case may be.
By slightly altering the aforesaid guides one part of the lights may
be extinguished whilst another remains burning, or one may be ignited
at an earlier period than the other, and both extinguished at the same
time. This object is effected simply by placing the long and short pairs
of branches of the guides in the proper succession.
A certain maximum pressure being required to lift the bell high
enough to make it turn from one position to another, it is only required
to so arrange the apparatus that this maximum or igniting pressure sball
be somewhat above the highest pressure, which according to experience
will occur in the ordinary arrangement of the gas works. In that case
the ordinary variations of pressure will not cause any disturbances in the
apparatus.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 14th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patents Agents;
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, 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, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR AUTOMATICALLY IGNITING GAS," a communication to me from abroad by
Charles Gustave Mueller, of Hanover, Germany, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manuer 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 William Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
This Invention cousists in an improvement in the apparatus originally
invented by Professor Klinkerfucs, of Göttingen, its object being to
annihilate the disturbing influence which any common variations in the
pressure of the gas are apt to exert on the same.
The main feature of the original apparatus consists in an arrangement
for exciting an electric current in a galvanic element by means of a
temporary elevation in the pressure of the gas and thereby igniting the
same.
It having been found in practice that the unavoidable variations in
the pressure of the gas caused certain disturbances in the original
apparatus, I have made an improvement in the said apparatus, of which
I will proceed to give a precise description, and for this purpose I
have hereunto added a Sheet of Drawings representing the said im-
provement.
Referring to these Drawings, A, Figures 1 and 2, represents a glass

page_text: conduct pipe at C. On the top of the pipe B is secured a valve or valve
seat made of metal, india-rubber, leather, or other suitable material.
3
In Figures 1 and 2 this valve is represented as closing hermetically by
means of mercury contained in the small dish forming the lower part
of the valve, whilst in Figure 1 the valve is shewn as being made of
brass and suspended on a pin, the valve scat Q.being formed by the
.lower extremity of the gas pipe H, carrying at its top the gas burner T.
The cover V of the glass vessel A is made of any suitable metal, for
instance, a composition of lead and antimony. The said cover carries
a tube L, to which is secured the disc K made of gas coke. Above the
same the zinc disc Z is suspended adjustably by the brass screw G. Tho
latter is in metallic contact with the zinc on one side, and by means
of the nuts O the plate P and the brass pillar S on the other, whilst all
these pieces are isolated from the cover V by suitable parts of hard
india-rubber. The tube L has an india-rubber covering to prevent any
contact between it and the zinc, it also has the screw G. to protect it
from corrosion by the fluid contained in the vessel. The second brass
pillar Ris screwed into the cover V, and the disc of carbon K is brought
into safe contact with the tube L by means of pieces of platina soldered
to the latter.
0
.
'
. The tops of the pillars R and S are connected by a spiral of thin
platina wire W which is properly held in place by means of springs in
tho interior of the pillars. Lastly, to complete the galvanic circuit the
vessel A is filled to a certain level with a fluid adapted to excite an
5 electric current (as for example, a mixture of a solution of bichromate
of potass with dilute sulphuric acid). But the surface of this fluid is to
remain below the zinc under all ordinary circircumstances.
Connected to the gas tube H and consequently to the gas valve Q is
the vessel D made of glass or any other suitable material not exposed to
the chemical action of the fluid surrounding it. This vessel which may
be called a diving bell is guided in the tube L at the points M and N
with as little friction as possible, so as to allow it 'to move freely up and
down. And the tube H bears a peculiarly shaped piece U acted upon
by studs T, the object of which will be shewn hereafter.
5. Supposing the pressure of the gas inside the pipe B communicating
with the upper part of the diving bell D by lateral orifices to bo cqual
to the atmospheric pressure, the surfaces of the fluid inside and outside

page_text: of the bell D will be on a level E, F; but if the pressure of the gas be
raised the inside surface will be depressed, and the outside one raised
comparatively to the pressure. The difference of height of the two
surfaces will depend solely on the pressure of the gas, consequently
if this pressure is enough to depress the inside surface into the
enlarged lower part of the bell, the amount of displaced fluid for a certain
amount of increase of pressure will be larger in proportion to the extent
of surface, and consequently the upward pressure on the bell will be so
much increased that the latter will rise into the position shewn in
dotted lines, and thereby opening the gas valve Q and allowing the gas
to pass out of the burner G. The fluid displaced from the inside of the
bell rising outside will come into contact with the zinc and consequently
excite a galvanic current which will heat the platina spiral W, and by
the peculiar catalytic action of this metal cause an ignition of the gas
coming from the burner W.
The diving bell D bears as has been remarked on its upper part or
tube H certain zig-zag projections, shewn in detail in Figure 3.
These projections moving up and down with the bell are guided in such
a manner by the studs T that on any upward or downward motion of
the bell the inclined surfaces of the zig-zag projections press on the
studs and cause the bell to revolve to a certain extent. I will call
these projections "guides." Now the inward corners of these guides not
being in a vertical line with the outer ones, but the studs T being
placed in such a line, a revolving motion of the bell must ensuc in any
case where an upward or downward motion is caused by the pressure of 2
the gas.
Suppose the bell with the guide I, Figure 3, to be supported in its
lowest position at point a by the lower stud T, the bell now being
raised, the surface b, c, of the guides will slide along the upper stud and
make the bell revolve to the left (looking at the Drawing) until point d 3
has cleared the lower stud. On relief of pressure the surface d, e, will
slide along this same stud to point e, at which the bell will be supported
until a renewed upward and downward motion brings the point & upon
the lower stud.
It will be easily seen that if the bell on being supported at a closes 3
the gas valve, and being left at a higher position corresponding to
point e leaves this valve open, an admission to as well as a cutting off
from the burner of the gas will be caused by raising the pressure of the

page_text: same to the required.extent, whilst any smaller amount of pressure will
not affect the instrument.
The temporary raising of the gas pressure to an amount at which as
has been shown an ignition of the gas will ensue, and which I have
termed igniting pressure, will then in one case cause an ignition of the
gas, and in another an extinguishing of the same, and this will take
place alternately with the arrangement of guides as at I, Figure 2, but¸
if the guides be arranged as at A and N, Figure 3, this will be different.
Starting from point o the first igniting pressure will in both cases ignito
the gas and bring the point 7 of the guides upon the stud, the second
igniting pressure allowing on its relief point 2 of the guides of a,
Figure 3, to descend to the lower stud, will close the gas valve and.
extinguish the light, but at N, Figure 3, point 2 being at a height
with 1 will leave the lights burning. A third time the pressure being
raised and then relieved point 3 of the guides will come to the stud, and
in the arrangement "&" will not cause a renewed lighting, and in N will
extinguish the gas. By this means it is possible to extinguish a part
of the lights at an earlier period than another, or by a slight variation
in bringing the first igniting pressure to act simultaneously on point 2
of c, Figure 3, and of N, Figure 3, &c., one part may be ignited at a
different period from the other. On the same principle other combi-
nations may be arranged which will allow the lighting and extinguishing
of the several burners at three or more different periods.
The guides instead of forming a projection may be made in the shape of
a groove, and only one stud T need be employed; the apparatus described
has however been preferred on account of the greater facility it presents
in execution. By the combination of these arrangements the apparatus
will become independant of all common variations of gas, pressure, and
be put into or out of action only by the pressure of the gas being
increased at the gas works to a certain amount for a few seconds, whilst
the possibility of foreign influence during the time of burning, whether
intentional or not, is entirely avoided.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I wish it to be understood, that I do not confine
myself to the precise details described and represented, as the same may
be varied without departing from the said Invention, but I claim,—

page_text: First. The arrangement in the apparatus originally invented by
Professor Klinkerfucs, of a "bell" of such a shape that any common
pressure of gas will not affect the same, but that this pressure if
increased purposely to a certain extent will lift the same directly to the
required height.
Second. The combination with this bell of the herein-described parts
called "guides," for the purpose of regulating in a certain way the
upward and downward motion caused by the gas pressure.
Third. The arrangement of a gas valve in connection with the bell on
the principle herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three
Witness,
W. J. LOWE.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)