IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR PETROLEUM AND MINERAL SPIRITS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sydney Pitt, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR PETROLEUM AND MINERAL
SPIRITS." A communication from abroad by Henry Peignict, of Paris, in the
Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sydney Pitt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th February 1882.
SYDNEY PITT of Sutton in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
FOR PETROLEUM AND MINERAL SPIRITS." [A communication from abroad by
Henry Peigniet, of Paris, in the Republic of France.]
This Invention has for its object a modification in the mode of storing in the
lamp the spirit with which the lamp is fed.
Up to the present time it has been usual to let the wick dip directly into the
spirit, and as capillary attraction is effective only for a short distance it has been
necessary to place the reservoir of spirit in proximity to the burner; this has the
two fold inconvenience of increasing the chance of conflagration and explosion
arising from the nearness of the flame, and of placing the reservoir, the principal
weight of the lamp at the top; an objectionable arrangement both in respect to the
form of the lamp and the projection of the light, and dangerous from the high
position of the centre of gravity and the accidents to which this may give rise.
My design is to assimilate these petroleum or spirit lamps as nearly as possible
to other lamps by placing the principal spirit reservoir at the bottom and raising
the spirit within reach of the burner by a suitable mechanical arrangement. In
order to satisfy the requisites of capillary action, and keep the wick always
moistened without danger of communication from the burner to the interior of the
lamp, I arrange in the neck of the lamp a chamber containing the upper supply
into which the wick dips and this is isolated from the burner in the usual way.
To supply this upper reservoir I place in it a clock movement which actuates the
piston of a pump and a pipe passes down from the cylinder of the pump into the

page_text: lower reservoir. The top of this pipe is furnished with a clack or valve opening
upwards and closing by its own weight upon a seat.
The piston of the pump works freely in the cylinder but it carries on its upper
surface a leather or india rubber disc capable of forming a tight joint with the
cylinder. So when the piston rises it drives into the upper reservoir the liquid
above it, whilst the clack on the pipe opening allows the quantity of liquid
necessary to supply the void left by the rise of the piston to enter at the bottom
of the cylinder. When the piston descends the flexible disc yields to permit the
liquid to pass from the bottom of the cylinder into the upper part above the
piston.
All the gearing being immersed in the liquid the movement takes place without
noise. An overflow provided to the upper reservoir returns the excess of feed to
the lower reservoir.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Sydney Pitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th August
1882.
SYDNEY PITT of Sutton in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
FOR PETROLEUM AND MINERAL SPIRITS." A communication from abroad by
Henry Peigniet of Paris in the Republic of France.
This Invention has for its object a modification in the mode of storing in the
lamp the spirit with which the lamp is fed.
Up to the present time it has been usual to let the wick dip directly into the
spirit, and as capillary attraction is effective only for a short distance it has been
necessary to place the reservoir of spirit in proximity to the burner; this has the
two fold inconvenience of increasing the chance of conflagration and explosion
arising from the nearness of the flame, and of placing the reservoir; the principal
weight of the lamp at the top; an objectionable arrangement both in respect to
the form of the lamp and the projection of the light, and dangerous from the high
position of the centre of gravity and the accidents to which this may give rise.
My design is to assimilate these petroleum or spirit lamps as nearly as possible
to other lamps by placing the principal spirit reservoir at the bottom and raising
the spirit within reach of the burner by a suitable mechanical arrangement.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a lamp constructed in accordance with the
Invention.
Figures 2 and 3 are also vertical sections shewing parts of the mechanism. These
sections are taken at right angles to that shown by Figure 1.
Figure 4 is an horizontal section.
Figure 5, is a vertical section of a portion of another lamp also constructed
according to the Invention but differing somewhat in its details.
In order to satisfy the requisites of capillary action, and keep the wick always
moistened without danger of communication from the burner to the interior of
the lamp, I arrange in the neck of the lamp a chamber containing the upper
supply into which the wick dips and this is isolated from the burner in the
usual way.
To supply this upper reservoir I place in it a clock movement which actuates the
piston or equivalent part of a pump and a pipe passes down from the cylinder or
working chainber of the pump into the lower reservoir. The top of this pipe is
furnished with a clack or valve opening upwards and closing by its own weight
upon a seat.
If a piston be employed as in Figure 5 the piston of the pump works freely in
the cylinder but it carries on its upper surface a leather or india rubber disc
capable of forming a tight joint with the cylinder. So when the piston rises it
drives into the upper reservoir the liquid above it, whilst the clack on the pipe
opening allows the quantity of liquid necessary to supply the void left by the rise
of the piston to enter at the bottom of the cylinder. When the piston descends the
flexible disc yields to permit the liquid to pass from the bottom of the cylinder into
the upper part above the piston.
All the gearing being immersed in the liquid the movement takes place without
noise. An overflow provided to the upper reservoir returns the excess of feed to
the lower reservoir.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, A, is a barrel containing a spring which may be wound
by the key B, in the usual way. The teeth upon the spring barrel gear with a
pinion upon the axis of a wheel C, and this wheel gears with another pinion

page_text: mounted upon the axis of a screw wheel D. The screw wheel is controlled by a
screw E, which is mounted on pivots and carries at its lower end a flier F; the
screw and flier turn freely, being propelled by the gearing already described, except
when stopped by a point G. The point G attached to a lever H pivotted at I.
The other end of the lever is governed by a rod K, attached to a float L. There is
a weight upon the shorter arm of the lever.
When the float rises the point G, stops the mechanism.
The float may be of cork. The axis of the wheel C, also carries a crank arı M,
and a pin on the arm enters a slot in a lever N. The lever N, actuates the pump
rod O, which is jointed to it. The lever has its fulcrum at Q, and the rotary
motion of the wheel C, works it to and fro and so an upward and downward move-
ment is imparted to the pump rod. The pump rod O, is fixed to the tube R, which
at its lower end carries two discs and between these discs the diaphragm S, is
nipped and held. The outer margin of the diaphragm is similarly held between the
under surface of the box or upper reservoir and the upper surface of the piece T.
In the piece T, is the chamber of the pump, it contains attached to the tube R, the
valve box in which is the delivery valve U, V, is a pipe screwed into the bottom of
the piece T, and dipping down into the liquid in the lower reservoir. The pipe
reaches nearly to the bottom of the lower reservoir and within it at any convenient
point the suction valve U, is placed.
By these means the spirit is pumped from the lower reservoir into the upper
small reservoir from which the wick draws its supply. The float maintains the
spirit at an uniform level in the upper reservoir by stopping the pumping apparatus
when this reservoir is sufficiently full.
In Figure 5 as will be seen, an ordinary piston is employed in place of a diaphragm.
The suction valve is as before; a cupped leather which permits the spirit to pass it
as the piston descends, serves the purpose of a delivery valve.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of
performing the same 1 would have it understood that I claim:==
First, The improvements in lamps for petroleum and mineral spirits consisting
in providing such lamps with an upper and a lower spirit, reservoir and in raising
the spirit from the lower into the upper reservoir by automatic pumping apparatus
substantially as herein described.
Second. The improved lamps for petroleum and mineral spirits, substantially as
described and illustrated by the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Sydney Pitt have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Third day of August in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
SYDNEY PITT. (L.S.)