IMPROVED MEANS OF PREVENTING THE OVERTURNING OF OIL LAMPS AND OTHER VESSELS CONTAINING LIQUIDS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MEANS OF PREVENTING THE OVERTURNING OF OIL LAMPS AND OTHER VESSELS
CONTAINING LIQUIDS" (a communication to me from abroad by Gustave Trouvé
of Paris, France, Electrician) and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:_
This Invention has for its object to prevent accidents through the upsetting of
vessels containing inflammable liquids and more especially paraffin and benzolinė
lamps, the breaking of which is frequently the cause of conflagrations which are
due not so much to carelessness as to the instability of the vessel itself. With a
view to compensate for this want of stability in paraffin benzoline and other
lamps as well as other vessels containing inflammable or other liquids it is proposed
to render it impossible for them to be overturned by the application thereto of the
arrangements hereinafter described forming the subject of the present Invention.
The Invention consists essentially in the employment of legs or struts hinged at
their upper ends to a ring or band which encircles the upper part of the body of
the lamp or other vessel so as to be capable of swinging outwards therefrom to any
desired extent but it is preferable to limit the amplitude of the arc described by the
legs in order that they may assume and remain in such position as will best enable
thein to afford a firm support to the lamp or vessel. Thus when the lamp or
vessel is upset there will always be one or two of the legs or struts which will
touch the surface upon which it stands and form a base through which passes a
plane containing the line of greatest-inclination of the lamp or vessel whereby it
will be prevented from being entirely overturned. It will be understood that the
Invention may be carried out in various ways as for example the supporting legs
or struts may either be in the form of broad strips or be made of iron or other
wires or rods in the form of a trapezium whose larger base would be formed by
the bent ends of the divergent sides which may be inserted in a tube of round or
polygonal section having either a smooth or roughened surface or pointed for the

page_text: .
purpose of preventing the hinged legs or struts from slipping and thus ensure the
lamp being unfailingly arrested in its fall. The hinged legs or struts may also be
combined with means for retaining them extended when the lamp is set down and
closing them when the lamp is carried in the hand and be provided with springs
to assist in expanding the legs or struts when the lamp is upset.
The same arrangements are also applicable to the safety electric lighting
apparatus forming the subject of a former application for Letters Patent No 7439
of 1884. In this case the legs or struts are applied to the vessel containing the
battery and lamp to prevent its being overturned from any cause.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is an elevation of a combined battery and
lamp provided with means for preventing the overturning of the same. Figure 2
is an elevation of the apparatus supported in a tilted position by the hinged legs or
supports falling outwards so as to prevent its toppling over upon the ground or
other surface upon which it is placed. a a are the legs or struts which may either
be in pairs inclining towards each other like trestle legs or simple legs hinged
jointed to knuckles b upon the band e which encircles the top of the vessel A.
When the vessel A is in the upright position figure 1, the hinged legs or supports
rest against the sides but when from any cause it falls over to the inclined position
shown in figure 2, one or more of the legs retain their vertical position and swing
outwards from the vessel until they touch the ground or other surface and thus arrest
its fall. In figure 3 springs & are shown inserted between the jointed legs and the
vessel, which are compressed by the said legs when in their folded position. In
this example immediately the vessel inclines the legs are thrown outwards with
increased force by the expansion of the springs owing to their being no longer com-
pressed by the legs. To ensure still greater certainty of action the arrangement
represented in face view and section in figures 4 and 5 may be adopted. In this
case, the legs open out like the ribs of an umbrella when the vessel A is set down
and fall back against the sides when it is lifted off the ground. The device
consists simply of a ring or band g fixed to two guides fupon which the vessel A
slides for the purpose of immersing or withdrawing them from the liquid contained in
said vessel. The ring is provided with inclined projections h upon which the
upper ends of the legs a rest when the vessel is set down so as to throw them
outwards to the full line position Figure 5. When on the other hand the vessel is
lifted off the ground the blocks h recede from their position next the jointed ends
of the legs a and no longer support the same, the legs falling against the sides
of the vessel as shown in dotted lines.
The parts may also be otherwise arranged for instance, there may be a series of
legs jointed to short arms, opening in an exactly similar manner to an umbrella
frame. The form of the legs as well as the means of holding them expanded
whether permanently or only when the apparatus is set down may be otherwise
varied.
Figure 6 is an elevation of a mineral oil lamp in the upright position with the
supporting legs or struts resting against the sides. Figure 7 shows the same lamp
tilted and supported by one of the hinged legs so as to prevent its being com-
pletely overturned.
Figures 8, 9 and 10 show exactly similar arrangements to those described with
reference to figures 3, 4, and 5 but applied to a lamp body. As in the arrangement
shown in figures 1 and 2, the apparatus consists of a ring a fixed to the upper part
of the oilholder A, upon which ring is formed a series of knuckles b to which the
legs c are binged, said legs being made in pairs having a base d of sufficient breadth 5
to afford a firmi support for the lamp should it become upset from any cause., The
based may be formed by a tube or socket placed upon the lower bent ends
of the legs of round or other section and either smooth, roughened or spiked to
prevent slipping when it rests upon the ground or other support for the lamp, or
the bent ends of the legs may be simply soldered or otherwise united together, or 5
instead of being joined together, the legs may be pointed at their ends so that on
swinging outwards upon their hinges they may fix themselves more or less firmly (

page_text: in the table and thus arrest the lamp in falling. In this case it would be necessary
to brace the legs c together so as to hold them rigidly apart. In figure 8 a
spring e is shown applied to the ring a beneath each leg or support c for more
quickly throwing the same outwards and thus instantly arresting the lamp in its
fall. In figures 9 and 10 the legs can be put in and out of action as desired by
means of a ring f sliding up and down upon the oilholder and provided with a
series of inclined blocks g equal in number to that of the legs c and of such width
that on sliding the ring f upwards they come in contact with the said legs and push
them outwards to a greater or less angle with the lamp as shown in dotted lines
while on sliding the ring downwards the blocks enter between the limbs c c and
being no longer in contact therewith allow them to fall against the sides of the
lamp. Or instead of the above arrangement a sliding ring without any blocks
might be employed and the legs may be made to lie close against the sides of the
lamp when the ring is slid downwards.
Figure 11 shows the improvement applied to an electric safety lamp care
are hinged legs to which are jointed links h hinged to the ring i, the arrangement
being similar to that of an umbrella frame. It will be seen that when the lamp is
stood down on its bottom the ring will rise and expand the legs c by means of
the links has shown in dotted lines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st The application to lamps and other vessels of jointed legs or struts which are
caused to fall outwards when the lamp or vessel is inclined so as to form a support
therefor and prevent its overturning as herein described.
2nd The legs or struts a loosely hinged at b to a band e encircling the top of the
vessel as described with reference to figures 1, 2 and 6, 7, of the drawings and for
the purpose specified.
3rd The combination with the legs or struts a freely suspended at b upon the
band e encircling the top of the vessel, of the springs d for aiding the extension of
said legs when the vessel is tilted as described with reference to figures 3 and 8
and for the purpose specified.
4th The combination with the legs or struts a hinged so as to swing freely at b
upon the band e encircling the upper part of the vessel, of a ring sliding on said
vessel provided with tappets or their equivalents for extending the legs or struts
when the vessel is overbalanced as described with reference to figures 4, 5, 9 and 10
for the purpose specified.
5th The legs or struts c hinged at their upper ends to a ring encircling the top of
the vessel or container and also to links h which are in turn jointed at their lower
ends to a ring i encircling the vessel at its base as described with reference to
figure 11, for the purpose specified.