Improvements in Means for Lighting and Extinguishing Petroleum Lamps.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Lighting and Extinguishing Petroleum
Lamps.
I, EDUARD WEINHAGEN, of the Reform Petroleum Beleuchtung Gesellschaft.
nit beschrankter Haftung, of 36 Taubenstrasse, Berlin in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
he same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to means for lighting and extinguishing petroleum lamps
without removal of the chimney, the extinguishing device being also so contrived
that the flame may be blown out without danger of explosion.
In the annexed drawing Figs. and 2 show in elevation partly in section two
forms of the apparatus applied to a petroleum lamp.
In the foot of the lamp shown in Fig. 1 is an apparatus a of well known
construction for the production of hydrogen gas, and a pipe d leading from this
apparatus is removably attached to a pipe e leading to the burner of the lamp,
so that these pipes may be detached when the burner is removed for filling the
lamp reservoir: To confine the hydrogen gas the pipe has a cock d¹ which is
normally kept closed or returned to its closing position by a spring.
In place of having the apparatus a for the production of hydrogen in the
base of the lamp, it may be placed in any other position as in Fig. 2 and con-
nected by a suitable piped to the pipe e.
The actual igniting device consists of the gas burner e¹ and the platinum
This igniting device must be
sponge ighting pill opposite said burner.
placed close to the wick in order that when the platinum sponge has ignited the
gas from the burner e¹ the flame from the latter must be directed on the wick
so as to ignite the latter.
In previous igniting devices of this kind the gas burner and pill have been
placed vertically one above the other and subject to the flame or heat of the
lamp itself when alight, so that they have become speedily destroyed. Two
obviate this inconvenience the construction shown in Figs. 3 4 and 5 may be
used.
The igniter, comprising the burner e¹ and pill e² is carried by the vertical part of
a pipe provided with universal joints e³ e and connected by a length of rubber
pipe to the pipe d. The cock carries besides the arm f another arm f¹
moving with the arm f and bearing under the sloping part of pipe e; while
the cock remains closed, the arms f f¹ and igniter e¹ e² are in the position'
shown in Fig. 4.
To ignite the lamp wick, the cock is opened by pulling down the arm f.
This action lifts the arm f¹ and with it the igniter ele so that the latter rises
to the level of the upper edge of the lamp wick which it ignites. (Fig. 3).
When the wick has caught alight the arm f is released, the cock d¹ closes
automatically and the igniter sinks below the level of the upper end of the
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page_text: wick tube. This sinking of the igniter may occur by its own weight, or be
compelled by the arm f which is then caused to engage the pipe e.
Instead of raising and lowering the igniter by means of the arm f, it can be
raised by the pressure of the hydrogen gas, for which purpose there may be
interposed in the gas pipe a cylinder g with a piston gl having an opening for
the passage of the gas, the cylinder being in communication with part of the
gas pipe e and the remaining part of the latter with the igniter being carried
by the piston g¹. On opening the cock the gas will fill the cylinder
and
so raise the igniter to the level of the wick, and on closing the cock d and so
cutting off the gas supply, the piston g¹ could sink again under its own weight
or by help of a spring.
The lamp may be extinguished by means of a ball pump b the air pipe c of
which passes inside the wick tube so as to blow the flame outwards, thus avoiding
all danger of explosion.
i
Instead of supplying the gas for the igniter from a gas producer of the nature
herein before referred to, the gas may be supplied from a vessel in which it has
been stored under pressure; as such a vessel may have smaller dimensions than
the gas producer, the foot of the lamp may be reduced to smaller dimensions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. An igniting apparatus for petroleum lamps in which a hydrogen gas pro-
ducing apparatus or holding vessel is removably connected with a removable
igniter on a level with the upper end of the wick inside the lamp cylinder by
means of a pipe, the part of which in connection with said apparatus on said
is provided with a valve normally kept closed by a spring or the like and adapted
to be temporarily opened outside the lamp.
2. An extinguishing device for petroleum lamps comprising a ball pump for
blowing out the flame, having the air blast pipe opening into the interior space
of the wick tube.
3. An igniting apparatus for petroleum lamps comprising a gas operated
igniter adapted to be raised to the level of the upper end of the wick when the
gas is supplied thereto and to be lowered out of range of the destructive heat
of the flame when the gas supply is cut off.
4. The construction of the said igniting and extinguishing contrivances sub-
stantially as described herein and illustrated in the annexed drawings.
Dated this 28th day of September 1897
i
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agents to Applicant.