and improvedIgniting Device for Bicycle Lamps
Year: 1897

page_text: We, WILL RAFEL, General Contractor, of 106 W. 87th Street, and CHARLES
GUIDO KNOERZER, Mechanic, of No. 2074 7th Avenue, both of New York City,
County and State of New York, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
new and improved "Igniting Device for Bicycle Lamps," and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved igniting device
for bicycle lamps, arranged in such a manner that upon introducing a match the
latter is readily ignited to light the wick of the lamp, and at the same time the
convenient removal of the burned match from the igniting device is permitted
without clogging the same or scraping the burned head of the match into the lamp
and upon the wick, and thereby causing a bad burning of the same, as is so
frequently the case with lamps and igniters heretofore constructed.
The invention consists principally of a fixed and a yielding jaw arranged one
above the other and formed with sidewise-extending supporting-arms for attach-
ment to the lamp-casing to permit of pushing a match laterally between the jaws,
igniting the match-head, and lighting the wick to allow of pushing the match side-
wise and in an opposite direction to the said arms to move the burned match out of
engagement with the jaws and out of possible contact with the supporting arms.
after ignition has taken place.
The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the
same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement as applied. Fig. 2 is a sectional
plan view of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section
of the improvement as applied, and Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the improve-
ment on an enlarged scale.
The bicycle lamp on which the device is applied is provided with the usual'
casing A and a lamp B, removably connected with the casing and formed with
:

page_text: a wick-tube C, containing a wick D. In front of the latter and in alinement there-
with is arranged the igniting device, access to which is had through an opening A
in the side of the casing A, and which opening is normally closed by a slide E,
containing a colored lens E¹. When the slide E is open, a match may be readily
passed into the igniting device to cause ignition of the match, the burning end of
which is guided by the igniting device upon the wick D, so as to light the same.
The igniting device is provided with two jaws G H, located one above the other
and extending transversely from the opening A toward the wick D. The jaws G H
are provided with sidewise-extending arms. GH', respectively, and the jaw G is
formed with a downwardly-extending lug G2, fastened by a screw I to the side of
the casing A.
On the arm G¹ is secured the end of the arm H₁ by means of a screw J, so that
the side of the jaws opposite the said arms is free to permit of removing the match
from the jaws and drawing it out of the opening. A after ignition has taken place
to prevent the burned head' of the match from being scraped off into the lamp-
casing and upon the wick.
As shown in the drawings, the jaw G'is provided on its top with a roughened
surface G³, either formed directly on the jaw or on a separate plate secured, thereto,
as indicated in Fig. 4. The jaw G is preferably rigid, while the arm H' is arranged
to yield, so that when the head of the match is introduced between the two jaws
and the match is pushed laterally sufficient friction is created on the match-head
to ignite the same while passing between the jaws. When ignition has thus been
secured, the match-head has passed the inner ends of the jaws and now extends
over the wick D, so as to light the same.
The front end of the jaw H is formed with an upwardly-extending curved
flange H2, formed in its front with a recess H³ for guiding the match-head between
the jaws, especially in the dark, so as to insure proper action of the jaws on the
match-head and at the same time prevent the operator from pushing the match in
the wrong direction when desiring to light the lamp.
It is evident that by the arrangement described the operator can readily push
the match with its head forward into the jaws to cause ignition of the, match and
lighting of the wick, and when this has been accomplished a slight movement of
the match to the right-that is, in an opposite direction to that.in. which the
arms G H are extended-causes a freeing of the match from the jaws and con-
venient withdrawal from the opening A' without scraping the burned head of the
match into the lamp. (See dotted lines in Fig. 2.)
1
The device is simple and durable in construction and can be readily applied to
any of the well-known types of bicycle lamps.
:
1
As shown in the drawings, the arms G and H extend to the left from the jaws,
but it is evident that the said arms may be made to extend to the right, and the
burned match after ignition is then pushed to the left to disengage it from the
jaws.
For some lamps it may be desirable to extend the arms upward and push the
burned match downward out of the jaws after ignition, or this may be reversed-
that is, the arms extended, downward and the burned match. pushed upward for
removal.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our 'said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A match-igniting device for a lamp comprising a fixed jaw and a movable
jaw, and supporting arms for the jaws extended transversely of an opening through
the lamp-casing, the said opening being extended beyond the end of the jaws, the
opening or outlet between said jaws being in. an opposite direction to: the line of
the, supporting-arms whereby a match, after. ignition, may be moved to one side,
out of the jaws, before removal from the casing, substantially as specified.
2. An igniting device for bicycle lamps, comprising a fixed and a yielding jaw

page_text: arranged one above the other, and formed with sidewise-extending supporting-
arms for attachment to the lamp-casing, to permit of pushing a match laterally
between the jaws, igniting the match-head and lighting the wick of the lamp,
and to allow of pushing the match sidewise in an opposite direction to the said
arms, to move the burned match out of engagement with the jaws and out of
possible contact with the supporting-arms after ignition has taken place, the yield-
ing jaw being formed at its front end with an upwardly-extending curved flange,
formed with a recess for guiding the match-head between the jaws, substantially as
shown and described.
Dated this 11th day of November 1897
FELL & JAMES,
Agents for the Applicants.