Improvements in or connected with Oil Lamps.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1891-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Oil Lamps.
I, FRANCIS THOMAS VINE, M.A. of Eastington Rectory near Stonehouse,
Gloucestershire, Clerk in Holy Orders, Rector of the Parish of Eastington in the
County of Gloucester do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide means for keeping alight a single-
burner or duplex oil lamp at such times as the light is not required for lighting
purposes. The ordinary burner or burners may by the use of this invention be
turned quite out, thus avoiding the smell frequently caused by merely turning them
down, and greatly economising the oil.
To this end I introduce a small burner, which I call a "continuation" burner,-
in the case of a single-burner lamp, by the side of the ordinary burner, and in the
case of a duplex lamp either between the two burners, or at right angles to them
at one of their extremities. This "continuation" burner is to be placed sufficiently
near to the ordinary burner or burners to catch the flame from their wicks before
they are turned out, and to give back the flame to them when it is desired to relight
them. The continuation "burner when not required for the purpose of keeping
the lamp alight, may either be shut off altogether by an application of the principle
of the patent extinguisher now used in duplex lamps, or may be simply turned
out, and lowered (by means of a screw or otherwise) so as to be out of reach of the
heat and flame of the other burners.
<<
Dated this 22nd day of January 1891.
FRANCIS THOMAS VINE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Oil Lamps.
1 FRANCIS THOMAS VINE of Eastington Rectory near Stonehouse in the
County of Gloucester, Clerk in Holy Orders 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 :-
The object of this invention is to provide an oil lamp with an auxiliary wick or
burner of comparatively small size intended to enable the lamp to continue
burning with a small flame suitable for use as a night light or for keeping
the lamp alight when the principal wick or wicks are extinguished and the lamp
is not required for full illuminating purposes this auxiliary wick being so placed
that when and as it is turned up it may catch the flame from the principal wicks
before the latter are extinguished, remain burning above said main wicks and
afterwards serve to relight the principal wicks when the latter are again turned
up and the extinguisher removed from them. The auxiliary wick when not in
use is moved down out of the reach of the heat and flame of the principal burner
and turned out preferably by an extinguisher so that it does not remain alight
while the principal wicks are lighted.
The accompanying drawings show the invention as applied to a duplex oil
burner lamp in which the two flames are caused to pass through the same
opening a in the hood or fame deflector b.
.
Fig. 1 is a central vertical section of the lamp burner with wick tubes removed.
Fig. 2 is a similar view at right angles to Fig.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the wick tubes in position in the burner.

page_text: g. ± is a pian view with the cap and chimney ganery removed.
Fig. 5 is a detail view.
Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate the invention as applied to a circular burner of the
"Kosmos" type.
Figs. 8 and 9 are sections illustrating the invention as applied to a single wick
lamp.
Fig. 10 is a plan view thereof with cap and gallery removed.
Figs. 11 to 14 are sections illustrating a modified construction of lamp.
cc are the two principal wick tubes. d d the two extinguishers thereto shown in
their raised position extinguishing the principal wicks in Fig. 3. I prefer to
operate these extinguishers by a forked lever e e instead of by a simple lever
. operating between the wicks to afford room for the auxiliary wick in the wick
tube placed crosswise between the main wick tubes e c in the centre of the lamp,
or as shown at or near one end as may be desired.
In lamps with two orifices or wick openings in the hood I prefer to use one of
these openings through or by which to pass the flame of the auxiliary wick.
The wick tube is movable and is guided in the cross bar or plate g and in the
bottom plate of the burner frame i. On the main wick tubes are fastened the
lugs or bearings & having the slots on which the spindle is supported. On
this spindle is fixed the toothed wheel which is moved by the spindle through
the hand button n either to adjust the tube in the wick for else to lower the wick
tube itself. For this purpose to the side of the wick tube is fastened the rack f
and the spindle k is movable end ways so that the wheel i
may either engage with
the rack or with the wick in the tube as shown in Fig. 5. To enable the
wheel to avoid striking the side of the wick tube and to hold the spindle in the
one or other of its positions, the spindle is narrowed as shown on the drawing
at to rest against the edges of the wick tubes c against which it is held
by the spring. The wick tube may be thus moved up or down by the spindle ²
and when in its highest position the end of the wick in the tube is well above
(say an inch above) the principal wicks and may be lifted from these before the
latter are extinguished and will then continue to burn with a small flame suitable
for instance for a night light or until it is again desired to light the principal wicks
for which purpose the extinguishers are moved down from their position over
the wicks (Fig. 3) to their lower position (Fig. 4) and the small wick may be
lowered sufficiently for the flame to catch the main wicks after which the said
small wick may be further lowered into its lowest position and will be extinguished
by the extinguisher p. provided on the cross bar or plate In the lamp here
shown it is not necessary to alter the shape of the flame hole a in the hood but
to enable the hood to act equally for the small as for the large flames it is advisable
to revolve the hood a quarter turn to bring the hole parallel with the small wick
tube and also to raise the hood the same distance as the small wick tube is made
to project above the large wick tubes. This may be effected by the following
construction. The frame i of the burner is shaped as shown and in it slides the
tube m which has lugs m¹ hooked at the lower cuds as at m³ to engage in the
spiral slots m³ fixed to the frame i. There are preferably three such slots. On
the upper end of this ring m is fixed the hood with the chimney gallery or
socket '. When the ring m is moved in a circular manner the lugs m' move in
the slots m³ and raise the ring m and with it the hood and gallery which are
also revolved a quarter turn being the full movement allowed by the length of
the slots.
The globe gallery m is made to revolve in the holder i and carries a pin or
pins m engaging into vertical slot or slots me in the lugs m' so that by revolving
the gallery m the latter is not raised but acts to rotate and raise the wick tube m
as shown in Fig. 2.
The impulsion may be given to turn the ring m by any other suitable revolving
ring instead of the gallery m or by a projecting tongue moving in an appropriate
slot.

page_text: To bring the small wick tube into the same relative position to the edge of
the flame slot a as either of the main wick tubes occupies when lighted, or into
proper position for burning under one of said slots when two slots are used, the
small wick tube is placed at the same distance from the axial centre of the lamp
as each of the main wick tubes or approximately so placed as the construction of
the particular lamp to which this invention may be applied will allow.
Where the hood has but one slot a for the two main flames the revolving of the
hood may be avoided by revolving the small wick tube. If any movement of the
hood is necessary it will be simply one of raising without revolving. The small
wick tube may be guided by a pin or projecting web engaging in a slot of suitable
form to give the proper rotary motion to said wick tube during its upward and
downward movement so that where the end of the small wick passes the ends of
the large wicks it may light or be lighted by the latter and when it is in its
highest position it may be parallel to the main wicks.
The position of the small wick below or intermediate of these points is not of
consequence so the form of the guiding groove may vary, a portion of a helix is
however a practically convenient form and as such is illustrated in the modification
shown in Figs. 11 to 14.
The small wick tube is introduced between the large tubes having its lower
portion clamped on each side by brass or other metal so as to form with it a
cylinder 2. Two helical threads surround this cylinder for the lower part of its
length and work in corresponding spiral grooves in an outer cylinder 10 which is
permanently fixed to the lower wick tubes. For the purpose of raising or lowering
the small wick tube I attach a lever f³ the two prongs of which act (see Fig. 14)
upon the ends of a bar f which bar has in its central part a ring f passing round
the upper portion of the cylinder between collars or flanges thereon. When the
lever is raised or lowered the cylinder 2 will revolve in this ring and be raised
or lowered according as the end of the lever is raised or lowered. The outer part
of the lever at is a knob of such weight as exactly to balance the small wick
tube so that the latter owing to its being pressed slightly by the surrounding
cylinder will remain in any position in which it is placed.
A small extinguisher (if necessary acted upon by two small springs at its sides)
falls upon the wick and extinguishes it when the tube is in this lowest position.
The two portions ff of this extinguisher are attached by means of small
hinges to the upper perforated cover f of the lamp (which may be made solid that
is unperforated between and round the wick tubes). These hinges enable the two
portions of the extinguisher to open or shut with the raising or lowering of the
small wick tube. Fig. 11 shows the small wick tube in its lowest position.
Fig. 12 shows the position of the small wick tube when on a level with the other
wicks so that it may catch from them or give back the flame to them. It will be
noticed that the wick tube has now revolved a quarter of a circle so as to present
its broader side at right angles to the large wick tubes in order that it may catch
the flame from them more easily.
Fig. 13 shows the small wick tube in its highest position. The cylinder has
now revolved a half circle and has consequently raised the small wick tube to the
same height above the larger tubes as it was originally below them (see Fig. 11).
Fig. 14 shows the broadside of the larger wick tube and the relative position of
the small wick tube between them when it is at the same height as in Fig. 2.
For the purpose of raising or lowering the wick in the small tube, a small
aperture is made in the cylinder 2 (see Figs. 12 & 14) in which, when the cylinder
is at the height that it is in these figures a pin p² can be inserted. This pin is
supported by the lamp frame at s and by a solid loop at t attached to the upper
cover of the lamp. When not required for use the pin is drawn out as in Fig. 14
so as to leave the space clear for the working of the lever which elevates the
small wick tube. When it is required to raise or lower the wick in the small
tube the pin is pushed forward till the stop hitherto at s is at t.
The end 7
of the pin will then have passed through the aperture ǹ and have pierced the

page_text: small wick to about two thirds of its thickness. The stop at t will then
prevent its going further. Thus when the point of the pin has pierced sufficiently
the small wick, the pin will serve as a lever having a fulcrum at t to move the
wick either up or down.
In applying this revolving auxiliary wick tube to a duplex burner in which
the hood is provided with separate slots for the two main flames the hood requires.
to be raised and moved forward. so that the flame of the small wick passes
through one of the slots. This may be done by the construction shown in Fig. 9
or by lifting the hood with, chimney gallery on links similar to those of parallel
connected rulers.
For circular burners of the Kosmos type as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the small
wick tube is placed within the interior of the principal wick tube being carried
by small brackets the upper one of which carries the extinguisher p.
It is
necessary to make the joint in the casing at instead of as formerly in this
class of lamp with circular flame. For single wick lamps the small wick may be
placed in a tube movable vertically close to the side of the main wick and lifted
and lowered and the wick adjusted by a spindle substantially as before described
and if necessary indented or narrowed as in Fig. 4. It is necessary here to be
enabled to lift the hood and to bring the same forward so that the hole a may
be properly centred for the small wick as in Fig. 9. To this end the casing i may
be shaped as shown with the cylindrical part the axis of which is inclined. The
hood and gallery are placed upon a similar cylindrical part sliding in or over the
former as indicated it being preferable to limit these parts in their sliding move-
ment and to prevent rotation by means of pins and slots or like known
constructions as indicated in Fig. 9.
is
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In an oil burning lamp the combination with the main wick or wicks of an
auxiliary wick adapted to be raised and lowered with regard to the main wick or
wicks and to be lighted from or by the main wick or wicks and kept lighted when
the latter are extinguished and to relight the main wicks and be extinguished
when the latter are lighted substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In an oil burning lamp the combination with the main wick or wicks of au
auxiliary wick adapted to be raised and lowered with regard to the main wick or
wicks for the purpose set forth and a movable flame spreading hood adapted to
be moved into operative position for the main wick or wicks or for the auxiliary
wick.
3. In a duplex oil the combination with the main wick tubes e c of the
auxiliary wick tube movable up and down between said main wick tubes, the
central vertical line of said wick tube f being at the same distance from the central
vertical axis of the lamp as the central vertical line of either of the main wick
tubes and a movable hood adapted to be raised and revolved through a
quarter turn for the purpose set forth.
4. In a duplex oil lamp having the three wick tubes e cf relatively located as
described the combination with the hood of the ring m carrying the said hood,
lugs m² on said ring, slots m therein the spiral ways m³ and rotary gallery m*,
having screws or equivalents m³ engaging in said slots me for the purpose set
forth.
5. In an oil burning lamp a movable wick tube having a rack connected
therewith in combination with an endwise movable spindle having a wheel
and adapted to be moved by bringing said wheel into engagement with the
rack for raising or lowering the wick tubo for into engagement with the
wick in said tube for the raising or lowering of the said wick.
6. In a duplex oil burning lamp having the fixed main wick tubes c c and
the movable auxiliary wick tube relatively located as set forth the combination

page_text: of the wick tube having the rack thereon with a spindle movable in
slots k in bearings k, having the wheel / for engagement with said rack or with
said wick tube and recessed portions for engagement with the edges
of the wick tubes e and the spring substantially as and for the purpose
described.
7. In a single burner oil lamp the combination with the main wick tube of an
auxiliary wick tube movable vertically in close proximity with said main wick
tube, a burner casing having an inclined cylindrical sleeve, and a hood >>
having an inclined cylindrical part whereby said hood is rendered movable as
and for the purpose set forth.
8. In an oil burning lamp the combination with the main wick tube or wick
tubes of an auxiliary small wick tube movable vertically with regard to the main
wick tube or tubes and rotated to catch the flame from or impart the same to the
main wick or wicks and when in its highest position above the main wick or wicks
to lie parallel thereto for the purpose set forth.
9. In an oil burning lamp a vertically movable and rotary auxiliary wick
tube a provided with screw or helical guides and lifted by a lever as and for the
purpose herein described.
ntn th:. 30.11
1001
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.