IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH CLOSE AND OPEN COOKING OR KITCHEN RANGES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Harvey Jack at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th February 1881.
JAMES HARVEY JACK, of the City and County of Edinburgh, North Britain,
Smith and Ironmonger. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH CLOSE AND
OPEN COOKING OR KITCHEN RANGES."
This said Invention has reference to a new or improved construction of a flue
door-way and arrangement of its parts or fittings in, and mounted on the back
plate over the top of the range, and immediately behind the fire place or grate, all
for the purpose of opening or closing when the range is to be used with an open or
close fire respectively, and for giving a good draught therefrom in either case by
this flue for carrying off all gases or smoke, besides being more simple, cheap, and
easily applied to all constructions of close and open fire ranges, or to close ranges
for enabling them to be used as open ranges without smoke or the escape of
noxious gases, than such flue door-ways have been as heretofore constructed.
The nature and novelty of this Invention or improvements consist in forming
a flue opening or door-way in the vertical back or "cove plate," leading right into
the central back flue of the brickwork and fire, over the hot plate forming the top
of the range above the oven, fire, and boiler, and which faces or closes in the
vertical flues therefrom; or it might be in a special front flue plate or box in the
back flue brick-work when there is no cove-plate. This vertical opening is
preferably made rectangular, about the width of the fire-grate and its closing top
plate, which is removed when this flue door is to be used; and in height it would
extend, for the smallest to the largest ordinary sized ranges in use, from about six
to ten inches up from the, top plate, or from a few inches above this when a bar is
desired at the lower edge to strengthen the plate. And a further improvement
consists in hinging to and across the upper outer edge of this flue opening a
hinging plate or flat door, fitting up the opening on the outside, and two side doors
of the same flat plate character hinged to the vertical side edges of this flue door-
way right down to the upper surface of the top-plate at the back of the fire-place,
and each of a width to extend out to the front edge of this plate at the back of
the fire when turned out at right angles on their hinges, with their front edges a
few inches in height, and cut away or formed at an angle up to the top of their
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hinges at their back or inner edges, and along their upper edge to the opening in
the back plate, all so that when the outer hanging closing door plate is opened
up to the same angle as the upper edges of the inner hinged side plates, that these
can then be opened out at right angles as stated to support this top plate, and thus
form the close sides and top of a flue duct or channel leading from the fire-place,
with an opening of a few inches in height for the admission of the smoke or waste
gases in front, and widening and leading them up through the said opening in the
cove-plate" into the back vertical flue in the back brick-work when the range is
used with an open fire for cooking or other use, these new hinged plates, being
all easily turned in and down again in a moment, to close up the flue door-way in
the back "cove-plate" when used as a close range, and the fire is covered up with
its top hot plate. Small recesses (or other equivalent) would be formed on the
front of these new hinged flue door and side plates for opening and closing them,
with the handle that lifts the lids of the flame or cooking recesses in the hot-plate
of the fire and range. The form and arrangement of the other parts, as the fire-
grate, ovens, and boiler, and their flues, damper, and fittings, are or might be made
the same as any of the ordinary close and open fire or cooking ranges heretofore in
use.