An Improved Miners' Safety Lamp with Inserted Igniting Device Operated from the Exterior.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 25th Oct., 1890
COM DETE
An Improved Miners' Safety Lamp with Inserted Igniting Device
Operated from the Exterior.
I, CARL HEINRICH WOLF, of the Firm of Messrs. FRIEMANN & WOLF, of the
Town of Zwickan, in the Kingdom of Saxony, and German Empire, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention relates to an improved safety miners' lamp with inserted igniting
device operated from the exterior. The ignition of the flame of the lamp is attained
by means of a ribbon or strip of linen, cotton, paper or other appropriate material
impregnated with paraffine, wax or other suitable substance and provided with a
frictional primage, which is exploded by the igniting device, so that the protruding
ribbon or strip of impregnated material will continue burning near the wick of the
lamp until the hydro-carbon or other combustible fluid becomes ignited. By employing
such said impregnated ribbon I am able to light lamps in which the heavier
hydro-carbons or other oils are used.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the lower part of a
miners' safety lamp with the inserted igniting device in side view.
Figures 2 and 3 are vertical sections of the igniting device on the lines x-x and
in Fig. 4,
Figure 4 is a top view, and
Figure 5 an edge view of the same with the cover broken away,
Figures 6, 7 and 8 represent a modified form of igniting device in front, side and
top view.
The igniting device consists of a casing a inserted from below in a recess formed in
the reservoir or vase of the lamp, the lower plate a' being preferably flush with the
bottom of the lamp reservoir. The one small side of the igniting device is closed by.
means of a small removable plate b, which is held by the spring e, gears behind small
shoulders d of the casing, and is, at its upper end, provided with toothing b₁, along
which the primer ribbon is guided. The transport of the primer ribbon e and ignition
of the same during the transport is effected by means of a slide f with toothing flat
its upper end, which, in combination with the toothing of the plate b, will cause
one of the primers e¹ in the ribbon e to explode and ignite the said ribbon, when the
same is so forced upwards by the slide that it protrudes a distance beyond the
casing a corresponding to the stroke of the said slide.
9.
In order that the burning ribbon e may not be drawn down when the slide fis
moved downwards and to allow the same to burn down to the upper surface of the
casing a, the slide f is provided with a slot f, into which gears the pin or stud g¹ of
a slide 9 arranged in guides in the casing a, and is .caused to make friction by the
spring i in order to prevent the slides g and f from falling down. The latter can,
however, after being pushed upwards be so moved laterally through its own weight
and the slot 2 that it will be removed from contact with the burning ribbon, so that
the latter can burn freely. When the slide f is drawn down its toothing will remain
in this position and out of contact with the ribbon, so that the latter is not moved
downwards.
The primer ribbon e is provided with friction primers e arranged at suitable
distance from each other, corresponding to the stroke of the slides fand g, and which
are ignited by the friction between the toothing b¹ and the toothing f. In order to
prevent the flame from penetrating downwards through the guides for the slides f
and g, the slide f is provided with a circular extension, thus allowing the same to
lie in snug contact with the walls of the guide cavity or shaft, in order to produce a
tight closure of the same regardless of the position occupied by the slide.

page_text: The inserted igniting device is securely held in position by means of a screw /
running through the top plate of the reservoir into the threads in an extension ¹ of
the casing a of the igniting device.
When the screw is freed from its gear with or removed from the extension h¹,
the entire igniting device can be readily removed from the lamp for inserting a fresh
primer ribbon. According to the modification represented in Figures 6, 7 and 8 the
ribbon is not burnt but only the friction primers on the same exploded, which serve
to light the flame of the lamp. The ribbon e glides in a semicircular guide in such
manner that after the primer is burnt the ribbon is led back into the casing of the
igniting device. For operating the ribbon, i.e., for moving the same upwards and
exploding the primer in the orifice immediately opposite the wick of the lamp on the
one hand, and on the other to lead off the used up part of the ribbon, the slide mis
provided on both sides with toothing m¹, m², and an inclined slot n for receiving the
pin or stud of the slide f, so that when the slide m is moved upwards the toothing m¹
will gear into the ribbon e and transport the same and the primer of the same, but
when the said slide is drawn down, the teeth m¹ will move away from the ribbon and
the teeth m² will gear with the same, and thus transport the used up part of the
ribbon downwards.
In order that the teeth b' for igniting the primer may not be subjected to wear and
tear, the stationary toothing is preferably made in two rows, between which the teeth
of the slide for m can move or vice versa.
Although I have only described one modification of my invention, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confiné myself to the exact form or arrangement of the parts
herein specified, as these must be modified, as will be evident to all versed in the
trade, according to the kind of lamp to which my said igniting device is to be applied
without in any way departing from the nature of my said invention.
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. A miners' safety lamp with removable igniting device operated from the exterior
of the lamp, in which the ignition and transpori un of the ribbon or strip e is
effected by the toothing f of a slide fmoving snugly in the casing, which, in con-
requence of its inclined slot 72 being in gear with the pin or stud g₁ of the straight
guided slide 9, will be automatically moved away from the burning ribbon and will,
during its down stroke, remain out of contact with the same, substantially as specified
and shown.
2. In igniting devices for miners' safety lamps, the construction and application of
the slides and 9 and the casing a, substantially in the manner as specified and
shown.
3. The modified arrangement of the parts of my igniting device, by means of which
the primed ribbon or strip e glides in a guide k and is so operated by means of slide m
with its double toothing m, m2, and inclined slot n, that when the slot is moved
upwards the ribbon e will be transported and the primer of the same exploded, whereas
by moving the same downwards, the used part of the ribbon will be transported
downwards, substantially as specified, and illustrated in Figures 6 to 8 of the
accompanying drawings.
4. My improved igniting device for niners' safety lamps substantially as specified
in the foregoing Specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of Santambon 1000
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.