Improvements in Central Draught Lamps.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1889-Accepted, 7th Sept., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Central Draught Lamps.
A communication from abroad by JAMES FRANK PLACE, of 10, East Fourteenth
Street, in the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America,
Merchant.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, 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 that class of lamps commonly called contral draught lamps,
wherein the tubular wick embraces a wick tube fixed in the reservoir or lamp body,
and wherein said tube forms a passage for the air which provides the lamp with a
central draught.
The first part of the invention consists in so constructing a stand lamp of the variety
referred to, with an extensible stem, whereby the reservoir may be elevated or lowered
at will, and in providing it with a clamp to hold the reservoir, which carries the
burner, at any point on the stem at which it may be set. This is accomplished by
making the stem itself, or the stem and wick tube, telescopic..
The second part of the invention consists in so constructing the wick operating
mechanism of the lamp that the wick may be suddenly depressed in such a manner as
to draw the ignited ond far enough down into the annular passage between the outer
and inner wick tubes to deprive the flame of air and thus to extinguish it quickly.
This is accomplished by connecting the sleeve, in which the feed-screw of the wick is
collared, detachably to the lamp-body, whereby, when said sleeve is detached, the
said screw is given free longitudinal play without the necessity of rotating it
axially, as is done when adjusting the wick in order to merely regulate the illumination.
In order that the invention may be better understood, it will now be described with
reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein,
Figuro 1 is a vertical, axial section of a stand lamp embodying the invention.
Figures 2 and 3 are horizontal sections taken through the clamp. These views are
drawn to a scale double that of Figure 1, and represent the elements of the clamp in
their two positions. The plane of the section is indicated by the dotted lines 2, 3, in
Figure 1.
Figures 4 and 4ª are fragmentary sectional views of the wick controlling device
drawn to a large scale. The plane in which the section Figure 4 is taken is indicated
by the dotted line 4 in Figare 1.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate modifications that will be hereinafter described.
Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing another mode of constructing the
telescopic tubes, and also a modification of the wick controlling mechanism, and
Figures 8 and 9 are detail views, on a larger scale, of the wick controlling mechanism
seen in Figure 7.
a is the base or foot of the lamp, usually made of sheet metal; and a' are air inlets
or apertures in said foot. These apertures may be placed in any position, or the air
may be taken in under the bottom of the foot. 6 is the stem of the lamp, represented
in Figure 1 as attached fixedly to the foot a. This stem will be tubular, by
preference, and will, preferably, be mounted in the foot as seen in Figure 1.
That
is to say, the stem extends down into the foot, and the lower extremity of the
stem extends through and is clinched on a disc a², of cast metal, which forms a part
of the foot.
c is the lamp body or reservoir to contain the oil. Within this reservoir is fixed

page_text: the wick tube, d, which opens ont at the bottom of the reservoir. The stem benters
and telescopes with the wick tube d and this enables the reservoir and the burner
mounted thereon, to be raised and lowered on the stem. When adjusted to the proper
height the reservoir may be fixed to the stem by means of any suitable clamping
device. Several forms of clamping devices are herein shown, the preferred form
being that illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3. This consists of an annular casing f,
secured to the lower part of the reservoir c and embracing or surrounding the stem b.
In this casing is mounted a hoop-like clamping spring g, of somewhat oval or
elliptical form, which embraces the stem b, and clamps thereon normally, as seen in
Figure 2. At the point where the spring g stands away from the stem, it is provided
with a push button h, or like device. Normally, the spring g clamps the reservoir to
the stem, but when the pressure is applied to the button h, the spring g will be
expanded into a nearly circular forin, as represented in Figure 3, and this releases
the clamp.
The fulcrum of the spring 7 on the casing f is at c, in Figures 2
and 3 and the spring might be cut at this point without materially impairing its
efficiency.
Another form of clamp is illustrated in Figure 5. In this construction, the hoop-
like spring g* stands normally free from the stem, and is made to clamp on the stein
by a thumb nut, hx, which screws on a split conical scrow g¹ formed of the two pro-
jecting extremities of the spring.
In some cases it may be desirable to take in the whole or a part of the air to form
the central draught at some other point than the base of the stem 6, in which case the
construction illustrated in the fragmentary sectional view, Figure 6, may be employed.
In this construction, an apertured casing p, which will usually be of cast metal,
will be secured to the base of the reservoir c, and the wick tube d will bo
extended down into this casing and secured in place. This lower end of the
wick tubo will be perforated as shown, to allow air to enter this tubo through
the casing p.
The stem, in this case, does not fit so closely within the wick tube,
but has an exterior annular air passage about it, as shown. However, the upper end
of the stem b, is guided in the wick tube and the body thereof is guided in the
casing p. The conical lower part p* of the casing, which embraces the stem b
rather closely, is slitted to form spring fingers, seen in dotted lines in Figure 6; and
its conical exterior surface is screw-threaded to receive a nut 7, whereby said spring
fingers may be made to clamp on the stem b.
To prevent the lamp-body from being lifted entirely off from the telescoping stem b,
the upper end of the stem may be flared as seen in Figure 1, at y.
Or it may be
provided otherwise with an exterior projection adapted to catch on the casing fas
at
in Figure 1.
In Figure 7 the telescopic stem is arranged somewhat differently from the con-
struction shown in Figures 1 and 6. In Figure 7 the wick tube b extends downward
and telescopes with a stem section x; and this latter section telescopes, in turn, with
the foot a, or rather with a tube a*, fixed in said foot and forming a part of same.
The moving section * and the tube are clamped by nuts gx, similar to the nut q
seen in Figure 6. The tube and stem section 6x are or may be provided with
suitable stops to prevent them from being separated entirely.
The second part of the invention will now be described which relates to a device
whereby the wick of the lamp, which is ordinarily adjustable, with a screw for varying
the degree of illumination may be suddenly drawn down by means of the screw-rod
or stem to an extent sufficient to extinguish the flame.
It is well known that if the ignited end of the wick be drawn down into the wick
tube to a considerable extent by the ordinary slow operation of the screw, the
gases will remain iguited for a considerable time; but if the wick be suddenly
depressed or drawn down about half an inch, or even less, the gases will be extinguished
for lack of air.
To effect this sudden depression of the wick in cases where the wick is controlled
by a nut arranged below the lamp-body, the construction illustrated in Figures 1, 4
and 4", is employed, and this construction will now be described.

page_text: The wick e is embraced by a wick-operating band e¹ to which is connected an off-set
arme connected to a bent rod i, one branch of which passes down through a
partition tube j, fixed in the reservoir c, and the other branch of which passes upward out
of the top of the reservoir. On the screw-threaded end of this downwardly-extending
branch of the rod i is the wick-adjusting nut k. Ordinarily, in this well known wick-
operating device, the nut is collared on the lower end of the tube j, and is capable of
rotation only while the rod i is moved endwise slowly by said nut. In order to enable
the nut to be detached readily from the tube j, and thereby to enable the user to
draw down the rod i suddenly, the nut is collared in a short sleeve m, which slips over
the protruding end of the tube j. This sleeve has a stud n, seen in Figure 4, which
engages a slot or recess in the projecting part of the tube (seen best in Figure 4)
the said slot and stud forming the elements of an ordinary bayonet fastening or lock.
On the sleeve m is a milled flange m', whereby said sleeve may be readily rotated and
detached from and attached to the tube j, in a well known way. The respective
elements of the bayonet fastening may be reversed in position if desired, in which
case, the stud would be on the tube j.
It will be understood that the sole purpose of this device is to free the nut and
screw-rod, so that the latter may be moved end wise quickly and without resort to the
screw and any means of readily detaching these parts when the lamp is to be
extinguished will serve the purpose.
Where the adjustment of the wick is effected above the lamp-body, it is preferable
to employ the device illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9. In this case, the rod i has its
screw-thread on its lower end, and for ordinary adjustment this rod screws through a
nut x, in the arm e². On the upper end of the rod i is fixed a milled head k¹,
whereby the rod is rotated. So far as described, the elements are old in lamps. In
order to enable the rod i to be moved downward longitudinally, carrying with it the
wick, so as to extinguish the flame, there is a longitudinally ribbed sleeve m*, collared
on and rotative on the rod . The lower onds of the ribs m², of which there may be
one or more, form shoulders which rest on the cap of a tube 12, fixed in the
reservoir c.
This sleeve m* projects down through the aperture in the cap j', and
has a bead or stop m³, on its lower end, or below said cap, to prevent the sleeve from
lifting out.
When the wick of the lamp is to be suddenly depressed in order to extinguish the
flame, the sleeve m* is turned by the fingers until the rib or ribs thereon register with
a corresponding aperture or apertures r, in the cap ', when the sleeve may be pushed
down through the cap in conjunction with the rod j. The sleeve may be again lifted
or withdrawn until the stop strikes the cap, and then turned until the ribs are out of
coincidence with the apertures ". The cap is provided on its upper side with
suitable stops, s, to limit the rotary movement of the sleeve and to facilitate
the putting of the ribs thereon into and out of register with the apertures in
the cap.
The stop-bead or flange m³, on the sleeve m*,-seen best in Figure 9-might be
placed lower down, and a coil spring be arranged between it and the cap, said
spring embracing that part of the sleeve that is below the said cap. This spring
would keep the shoulder down elastically to and on said cap. A light spring has
been used in this manner to form a cushion, but it is not deemed essential.
The ribs m² are not essential; shoulders to rest on the cap ¹ may be provided
on the sleeve m* in other ways; but the ribs, whero three or more are used,
serve to enable the thumb and fingers to obtain a hold on the sleeve in rotating it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A central-draught lamp wherein the wick-tube is constructed to telescope with
the stem of the lamp in such a manner that the reservoir of the lamp may be set
at different heights above the foot or base thereof, said lamp being provided with a

page_text: suitable clamp to hold the reservoir in place when set or adjusted, substantially as
herein set forth.
2. A lamp having a wick-raising nut and screw, and having the screw-rod made
detachable so that it may be moved quickly endwise for the purpose of suddenly
depressing the wick to extinguish the flame, substantially as heroin set forth.
3. A lamp having a wick-tube d in its reservoir, and a stem on its foot, which
stem and wick-tube telescope with one another, and a clamp, consisting of a hoop-
like spring g, mounted in a casing on the reservoir, said spring embracing and
normally clamping on the stem and provided with an expanding button, substantially
as set forth.
4. The construction of the telescopic stem of the lamp, substantially as described
with reference to, and as illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings, annexed.
5. The construction of the lamp body and of the telescopic stem and wick-tube,
substantially as described with reference to, and as illustrated in Figure 6 of the
drawings annexed.
6. The construction of wick-operating mechanism for lamps, substantially as
described with reference to Figures 1, 4 and 42, of the annexed drawings, and as
illustrated therein.
7. The construction of wick-operating mechanism for lamps, substantially as
described with reference to Figures 7, 8 and 9, of the annexed drawings, and as
illustrated therein.
11
101 1
CTI
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.