IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE GRATES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Richard Hollands, of 37, Stoke Newington
Green, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE GRATES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Richard Hollands
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th October 1880.
EDWARD RICHARD HOLLANDS, of 37, Stoke Newington Green, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE GRATES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire grates.
In order to obtain a more perfect combustion of fuel in domestic fire grates, I
supply the fresh fuel beneath the already fully ignited fuel in the fire basket.
For this purpose I provide the fire basket with a moveable bottom, which, when
the fire is to be fed, falls away from the upper part of the fire basket, and at the
same time advances into a convenient position for the charge of fresh fuel to be put
into it. Before however the moveable botton. of the fire grate makes the movement
described above, a rake like set of bars enter from the back horizontally, or nearly
so, between the bars of which the moveable bottom of the fire basket is in part
composed. These rake like bars also, when they have thus passed in underneath
the fuel in the fire basket, rise and lift the fuel clear of the moveable bottom; they
then remaining stationary whilst the moveable bottom makes its forward movement,
they support the fuel in the fire basket during this time, and do not retire until
the moveable bottom has been returned to its place.
In order conveniently to impart the requisite movements to the parts described
above, the following arrangements are made,-The moveable bottom is supported
underneath after the fashion of a parallel ruler, by two pair of parallel but inclined
links jointed to it and passing to the rear, where at their lower ends they are also
jointed to the stationary frame. A connecting rod couples one of these links with
a lever situate at at one side of the grate and in rear of the fire basket. This lever
has its movement in a vertical plane about a fulcrum at its lower end, and when
the upper end is drawn to the front, the moveable bottom of the fire grate makes
its forward descending movement.

page_text: To the upper end of this lever there is jointed a second lever which serves to
give motion to the rake like bars, as hereinafter described. This second lever is a
hand lever, and by raising the handle the rake like bars are brought into position
to support the fuel in the fire grate. When the handle has reached its highest
position it can be drawn forward, and so motion is given to the back lever, and to
the moveable bottom of the fire basket. This forward movement cannot commence
before the handle has been fully raised, there being a stop upon the hand lever
and a shoulder upon the frame, which prevents any forward movement until the
stop can pass over the shoulder.
For the purpose of carrying the rake like bars, two arms are provided, one on
either side of the fire basket, and extending to the rear. These arms are jointed at
their fore ends to the frame, so that their hinder ends can move up and down.
From these arms the rake like bars are suspended by a pair of hangers, each jointed
at the top to the arm, and at the bottom receiving a pivot projecting from the end
of the back bar or head of the rake like instrument. This rake is also supported
by a stationary horizontal guide bar, on which (except whilst the fire is being fed),
the forward ends of the rake like bars rest.
Froin the lower end of one of the hangers a connecting rod passes to the hand
lever in a somewhat oblique direction, so that when the handle is raised the effect
is first to draw the lower ends of the hangers forward, and the rake like bars are
thus drawn in nearly in an horizontal direction beneath the fuel in the fire basket.
When the rake like bars have made the full forward motion permitted to them, the
further upward movement of the handle causes the hangers and bars to be lifted,
the side arms from which they are suspended then turning about the joints which
connect them with the frame. During this upward movement the rake like bars
are caused to retain their horizontal or nearly horizontal position by a stop in the
joint, by which the rake like apparatus is connected with the hangers. In order
to support these parts whilst the movement of the bottom of the fire basket is
taking place, and until this is returned to its place, a weighted pawl like lever is
jointed to the frame, and there is also a stud on one of the hangers. As the hanger
is lifted, the stud coming against an incline upon the pawl lever moves it out of
the way, but when the stud passes up above the top of the pawl lever, this
immediately falls back and comes beneath the stud into position to support it, and
the parts connected with the rake like bars, whilst the movements of the bottom of
the fire basket are in progress. This pawl like lever does not interfere with the
return movements of the apparatus when operated by the handle, for the thrust
upon the hanger is exerted by the connecting rod in a somewhat oblique direction,
and the pawl like lever consequently tips on its centre or pivot, and allows the
stud to slip off it.

page_text: Figure 1 is a front elevation, Figures 2 and 3 are elevations of opposite side,
and Figure 4 is a transverse section of a fire grate made and operating in accordance
with my Invention Figures 5, 6, and 7 are also transverse sections, the parts of
the grate being shown in different positions which they assume.
:
Figures 8-10 are side views, shewing different positions of the actuating
mechanism. The fire basket is composed of the front bars a, the side cheeks b,
the back lump c, and the bottom bars d, all of which parts are stationary. Also
there are the moveable rake like bars e and the moveable front bars f, which latter
turn down to admit the fresh fuel. The positions which these parts successively
assume are indicated by the four transverse sections. Before the movement of the
feeding handle the parts occupy the positions in which they are seen in Figure 4;
the first movement of the handle draws in the rake like bars e beneath the bottom
bars d; a further movement of the handle causes the bars e to pass up between
the bars d, and to rise until they reach the position in which they appear in
Figure 5. The ignited fuel is thus lifted off the bottom bars d and remains sup-
ported on the bars e. The last movement outwards of the handle brings the
moveable front bars f to an horizontal position, as they appear in Figure 6. The
parts are now in the position to receive the fresh fuel, and this is introduced with
a shovel into the space between the bars d and c. On returning the handle the
moveable front bars fin the first place rise up again, and the parts again assume
the relative positions in which they are seen in Figure 5. When the hand lever is
pushed further back the rake like bars e do not at once descend, but first withdraw
in a nearly horizontal direction, bringing them to the position in which they are
seen in Figure 7. From this position during the remainder of the back movement
of the lever handle they fall until they again reach the first position or that of
Figure 4.
The mechanism by which these movements are imparted is seen in the side
views. The rake like bars e are formed with a back bar or head which in turn is
fixed to the side arms e¹, e¹; g is a suspending and swinging frame jointed both to
the side arms e¹ and to the fixed brackets h. The side arms el have horns e¹x,
carrying pins connected by links with lever arms on the axis k'. The arın k on

page_text: the left side of the fire grate is prolonged and jointed at its upper end with the
draw bar l, which passes through the front of the grate and is jointed to the lever
handle m. The horn ex on the left also carries a stud which bears upon the fixed
cam piece n, and these parts aid in controlling the movement of the rake like
bars e.
The first forward movement of the lever handle acting through the draw
bar upon the arms k and axis k¹ causes the side bars o' to swing forward carrying
the rake like bars beneath the bottom bars d. Until the forward swing is complete
the bars e cannot rise in consequence of the position occupied by the stud on the
horn ex beneath the cam piece n. The head of the rake e at the end of the
forward movement rests against the guiding surfaces o, o, which stop any further
forward movement and control the upward movement which now commences, and
which the cam piece n is so formed as to permit. The side view, Figure 2, shows
the position before the lever handle m commences its forward movement, and the
side view, Figure 8, shows the position when this movement has so far progressed
as to have raisod the rake like bars as far as they go.
It will be seen that a latch p now gets hold of a pin of one of the horns e¹×; so
far the movement of the draw bar has been through a hole which it fits in the
front of the grate. The form of the hole and the section of the draw bar are
shown at Figure 9. But a part of the draw bar has now come up to the hole
which is without the side supporting ridges, and the draw bar consequently drops
into the slotted continuation of the hole and descends to the position indicated by
the dotted lines. The lever handle m goes down with it, depressing the arm 9' to
which it is jointed, and turning the axis f' upon which the moveable front bars f
are fixed. This is the position indicated by Figure 10, and now, as previously
explained, the space for the reception of the fresh fuel is provided and is open.
The return movements differ from those already described in that the rake like
bars draw back before descending. The latch p brings this about, for the rake like
bars and parts connected with them remain hung up by it until the stud upon
the horn ex has swung back over the top of the fixed cam piece n, and the latch
not being able to go further back the stud escapes from it, and immediately
afterwards descends down the back of the cam piece.
r is a counterpoise which aids the upward movement of the rake like bars e;
8 is a hinged flap serving only to confine the draft; t is a link limiting the swing
of the side armis e¹.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The construction of fire grates with a rake like instrument entering at
the bottom of the fire basket, rising with the ignited fuel, and preparing a space
underneath to receive fresh fuel and then retiring, substantially as described.
Second. My improved fire grate, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Richard Hollands, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty seventh day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.