Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 6th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1890
I JOSEPH EDWIN HORNBY of 19 Cannel Street Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Commission Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-.
This invention relates to funnels or tun-dishes used for filling vessels with liquids,
and is more especially designed for filling the oil receivers of lamps and stoves for
burning hydrocarbon oils, but it is also applicable for filling other opaque vessels
with liquids.
The object of the invention is to enable a person to ascertain by visible means
when such vessel is sufficiently filled, and thus to avoid the spilling and waste of
the liquid by overfilling the vessel.
I am aware that attempts have been made to apply floats to such funnels or
tundishes for the purpose of affording such an indication, but owing to the faulty
construction thereof such attempts have not hitherto proved successful.
According to my invention I use a float (of a peculiar construction) for this
purpose, and I construct the funnel itself as hereafter described in such a way that
the action of the float is not impeded in any way and the indication can always be
thoroughly depended upon.
In the first place I employ a float, somewhat like those which are used for
fishing, composed of a vertical tube of very light material (preferably a quil!)
closed with wax or otherwise at top and bottom and provided externally at a
convenient height with a cylindrical piece of cork. This construction of float
I find to be exceedingly sensitive and it never fails to give the indication
required.
The float is supported vertically and centrally in the interior of the lower part
of the funnel by two or more eyelets of such a diameter as to allow the quill to
rise and fall loosely and freely with the minimum amount of friction, serving
merely as guides to keep the quill in the vertical position.
The lower part of the funnel or tundish is slotted or cut away at that portion
where the cork part of the float works, leaving only a narrow slip on each side to
carry the lower end, which is in the form of a short tube, so that the float rises and
falls quite freely.
One of the eyelets through which the quill passes, is made in the form of an
inverted dish or cone and is fixed just below the top of the slots so as to direct the
oil or other liquid outwards through the latter and prevent it from falling upon
the top of the cork float, and thus impeding its action.
This eyelet also acts as a stop and prevents the top of the quill from rising
above the upper edge of the funnel; and the lower eyelet which is at the bottom
of the slot also acts in a similar manner and limits the fall thereof, so that when
out of use there are no projecting parts liable to be injured or broken. The long
vertical slots above described allow of the free passage of the oil or other liquid
into the vessel so that the float forms no obstruction whatever.
I prefer to provide a third eyelet in the upper part of the funnel to serve as a
shield and a starting point for the indicator.
Dated this 2-1 day of Ancil 1805

page_text: Improvements in or applicable to Funnels.
I JOSEPH EDWIN HORNBY of 19 Caunel Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Commission 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 funnels or tun-dishes used for filling vessels with liquids
and is more especially designed for filling the oil receivers of lamps and stoves
for burning hydrocarbon oils, but it is also applicable for filling other paque
· vessels with liquids.
The object of the invention is to enable a person to ascertain by visible means
when such vessel is sufficiently filled and thus to avoid the spilling and waste of
the liquid by over filling the vessel.
I am aware that attempts have been made to apply floats to such funnels or
tundishes for the purpose of affording such an indication but owing to the faulty
construction thereof such attempts have not hitherto proved successful.
According to my invention I use a float of a peculiar construction for this
purpose, and I construct the funnel itself as hereinafter described in such a way
that the action of the float is not impeded in any way and the indication can
always be thoroughly depended upon.
In the first place I employ a float somewhat like those which are used for fishing
composed of a vertical tube of very light material (preferably a quill) closed with
wax or otherwise at top and bottom and provided externally at a convenient height
with a cylindrical piece of cork. This construction of float I find to be exceedingly
'sensitive and it never fails to give the indication required.
=
T
"
".
The float is supported vertically and centrally in the interior of the lower part
of the funnel by two or more eyelets of such a diameter as to allow the quill to rise
and fall loosely and freely with the minimum amount of friction, serving merely as
guides to keep the quill in the vertical position.
The lower part of the funnel or tundish is slotted or cut away at that portion
where the cork part of the float works, leaving only a narrow slip on each side to
carry the lower end which is in the form of a short tube so that the float rises and
falls quite freely.
One of the eyelets through which the quill passes is made in the form of an
inverted dish or cone and is fixed just below the top of the slots so as to direct the
oil or other liquid outwards through the latter and prevent it from falling upon the
top of the cork float and thus impeding its action.
This eyelet also acts as a stop and prevents the top of the quill from rising
above the upper edge of the funnel, and the lower eyelet which is at the bottom of
the slots also acts in a similar manner and limits the fall thereof, so that when out
of use there are no projecting parts liable to be injured or broken. The long
vertical slots above described allow of the free passage of the oil or other liquid
into the vessel so that the float forms no obstruction whatever.
:
I prefer to provide a third eyelet in the upper part of the funnel to serve as a
shield and a starting point for the indicator.
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood I have aunexed
hereto a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof.
Fig. 1 is a side view and Fig. 2 a face view (in section) of a funnel made
according to my invention and Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof.
The dotted lines of Figs. 2 and 3 show the upper part of a bottle. a is the
funnel which may be of any suitable shape, at is the lower or tubular part thereof.
is the cork part of the float, and the light stem or quill guided by the
eyelet a', a³, a³;a is in the form of an inverted dish as herein before described.

page_text: The float bb can rise into the position shewn dotted, the inverted dish or cone
protecting the part 6 from the liquid rushing down through a+ into the vessel to be
filled.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An improved funnel constructed and operating as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination with a funnel provided with an indicating float, of a guide
or eyelet in the form of an inverted dish or cone substantially as and for the
purpose above described.
3. A funnel having an indicating float of the nature above described working in
a slotted tubular part of the funnel as hereinbefore described.
7
T
1000
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.