Improvements in Heaters for Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Dec., 1892-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Heaters for Vehicles.
A communication from CHARLES ORLANDO RANO, of 145, Dearborn Street, in
the City of Buffalo, in the State of New York, United States of America.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.Í. Mech. E., and Chartered Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to heaters for vehicles, especially that class which are
designed to travel overland and which are readily accessible beneath the floor from
the outside, such as street cars, omnibuses, and other vehicles of a similar nature.
The casing or shell which receives and supports the removable fire-pot is pendent
from the floor of the vehicle and forms a hot-air chamber and receives the cold air,
which is heated in its passage therethrough by the heat radiating from the fire-pot
and the sinoke-flues, the heated air escaping into the vehicle through a suitable
register. The fire-pot is removably inserted through a door in the front end of the
casing and is adapted to automatically form a close joint with the smoke-flues, by
means of which the products of combustion are carried off to a suitable conductor,
which conveys them to a suitable point of discharge into the open air. By having
the fire-pot removable, the fire can be started therein in a barn, at a convenient
point along the road and after the heavy smoke has passed off and the coals
thoroughly ignited the pot can be placed in the case, thereby obviating the
annoyance and the destruction which would follow if the fire was started in the
heater on the vehicle. Moreover, the danger from fire is lessened, because when
a vehicle is turned in the fire can be removed therefrom.
The improvement consists of the novel features and the peculiar construction and
combination of the parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described, and
which are shown in the annexed drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the heater detached, the door of the casing being
open.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fire-pot detached and the front end of the
smoke-flues, the latter being separated from and arranged in a relative position to
the said pot
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the heater, showing its relative position to the
vehicle to which it is applied.
Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the heater, the top of the casing and the top of the
fire pot being removed.
The heater comprises essentially, a casing or shell A and a removable fire-pot B,
the latter being provided with a bail C, for convenience of handling. The front
or receiving end of the casing is deeper than the rear portion to accommodate a
fire-pot of suitable proportions, in which the coal will have a proper depth and
body. The rear portion D, of the casing or shell is comparatively wide and
shallow, being designed to form in effect a supplemental hot-air chamber, and is
provided in its top side with opening d, through which the heated air escapes and,
enters the vehicle through the register E.
The register frame E' overlaps an opening in the vehicle floor in coincident relation
with the opening d and has a depending portion e which connects with the top of
the shell or casing and surrounds the opening d and forms a conductor to convey
the hot air from the said shell or casing to the vehicle. The bolts F which pass
through the horizontal portion of the register frame E' through the casing hold
the said parts in place and support the rear portion of the said shell or casing,
the front portion of the latter being suspended from the vehicle by means of the

page_text: bolts f. To prevent overheating the vehicle-floor directly over the heater the
latter is suspended at a distance from the floor leaving an air space between the top
of the heater and the underside of the vehicle-floor the distance being fixed by the
vertical portion of the register-frame and by spacing-blocks or short tubes f¹
mounted on the bolts f.
The fire-pot B is removably inserted through the front end of the casing or
shell and supported by means of lateral projections extended from the sides
of pot B resting upon ribs a projecting inward from the inner sides of the said
shell or casing. The front end of the casing or shell is closed by door G which
is held shut by any suitable fastening means as the latch g. The stop h carried
by the door G is adapted to press against the door H of the fire-pot and hold the
latter closed and at the same time hold the fire-pot within the shell.
To allow of variation in the mechanical construction of the parts of the heater,
the stop is adjustable, so that it can be set to effect the desired result-i.e., hold
the door H closed and prevent movement of the fire-pot within the casing. The
projections serve to maintain a fixed relative distance between the sides of the
fire-pot and the sides of the casing and prevent lateral shifting of the said
fire-pot.
The opening in the front side of the fire-pot opposite the ash-pit admits air to
the fire to support combustion and also serves as a convenient means to permit the
removal of the ashes and cinders.
The grate I is movable and adapted to be actuated by means of the shaker-bar.
which is pivotted at one end to one side of the fire-pot and has its other end
extended through an opening in the other side of the said fire-pot to be engaged
by a poker or other suitable instrument for purposes of shaking the fire. This
bar J has engagement with the grate between its ends so as to move the said
grate when actuated.
The conductor K for carrying off the products of combustion is located in the
rear portion of the shell or casing and is preferably composed of a series of smoke
flues, which are united at their ends by the smoke-boxes L and M. The smoke-
pipe N for carrying off the products of combustion to a convenient point connects
with the smoke-box L.
The smoke-box M is adapted to connect with the fire-pot by a slip-joint. The
flanged opening in the rear side of the fire-pot matches with a corresponding flanged
opening in the smoke-box M the former slipping into the latter as the fire-pot is
thrust into place within the casing or shell.
It will be observed that the fire-pot and the smoke conductor are surrounded by
an air-space, in which the cold air is heated the air entering through the open end
of the enlarged portion of the said shell or casing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is,-
1. A heater comprising a casing having the front portion comparatively deeper
than the rear portion and having said rear portion wide and shallow and constructed
to have a register connected therewith a smoke-conductor located in the shallow
rear portion of the casing and composed of a series of pipes connected at their
ends by smoke-boxes, and a fire-pot removably inserted in the front portion of the
casing and adapted to automatically connect with the inner smoke-box of the said
smoke-conductor substantially as described.
2. The herein described heater composed of a casing having a wide and shallow
supplemental hot-air chamber projected from its rear, a smoke conductor located
in the said hot-air chamber and composed of a series of pipes which are connected
at their ends by smoke-boxes a fire-pot removably inserted through the front end
of the casing and suspended therein by lateral projections on the fire-pot engaging
with ribs on the sides of the casing and adapted to connect automatically with a
smoke-box of the said smoke-conductor and a door to close the open end of the

page_text: casing and provided with a stop to hold the door of the fire-pot closed and prevent
the latter from shaking about substantially as described.
open
3. In a car-heater the combination with the casing having ribs a on its opposite
sides and having its front end open of a fire-pot adapted to be thrust through the
end of the casing and having lateral projections which engage with the ribs a
and support the pot and prevent lateral movement of the same and having a bail
and provided with a door in its front side and a door to close the open end of the
casing and having an adjustable stop to engage with the fire-pot door and hold it
shut and prevent longitudinal movement of the said fire-pot within the casing sub-
stantially as described.
4. The hereinbefore shown and described car-heater consisting of a casing having
its front portion deeper than the rear portion and having the said rear portion
wide and shallow and constructed to have a register connected therewith a smoke
conductor located in the shallow rear portion of the casing composed of a series of
pipes which are connected at their ends by smoke-boxes a fire-pot having a bail
and provided with lateral projections and adapted to be thrust through the open
end of the casing and be supported therein by the lateral projections engaging
with ribs on the sides of the casing and a door to close the open end of
the casing and provided with an adjustable stop to hold the fire-pot door closed
and prevent the said fire-pot from longitudinal movement in the case substantially
as described.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Nottingham.