Im- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF OPEN STOVES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTTERS PATENT to William Atkinson, of Northampton, in the
County of Northampton, Designer, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF OPEN STOVES."
Sealed the 31st May 1872, and dated the 9th December 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Atkinson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th December 1871.
:
WILLIAM ATKINSON, of Northampton, in the County of North-
ampton, Designer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
"IMPROVEMENTS IF THE CONSTRUCTION OF OPEN STOVES," to be as
for
follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in open stoves, whereby not
only will their beauty of appearance be enhanced, but facilities will be
afforded for adapting them to different sizes of openings, and of closing
the fire-place opening when the stove is not required to be used.

page_text: The stove is provided with moveable or adjustable side panels, say of
cast iron, which are intended to stand out at an angle to the front of
the fire-place, and may be ornamented by tiles, ormolu, marble, glass, or
otherwise. When it is desired to adapt these panels to close the fire-
place opening the fire-bars and grate bottom are made removeable, and
the panels are fitted with pivot pins which will allow of the panels being
turned so as to close upon the fire-place opening. Or if desired the
panels may be swung to any suitable angle to screen the fire from
persons sitting near it. The back plates, against which the swinging
panels lie, may be set to any desired angle to fit various widths of
openings by securing them in place by means of clamping nuts working
on pins that project from the upper edge of the plates, and pass through
the top or transverse plate of the stove.
When the front panels are not designed to close the fire-place opening,
but are required to be simply adjustable like the back plates to various
angles, they are not hung on pivot pins, but their upper ends fit into an
adjustable cap piece clamped to the top plate, and their lower ends are
provided with a pin that drops into a hole in the hearth plate. As the
cap pieces can like the back plates be clamped at any desired angle to
the top plate the panels may be adjusted to cover a wider or narrower
space as circumstances may require, and thus one size of stove can
readily be adjusted to varying circumstances, a matter of considerable
importance to the trade.

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said William Atkinson, Her special licence
that I, the said William Atkinson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Atkinson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF OPEN STOVES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Atkinson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Atkinson, do hereby declaro
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, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
This Invention relates to improvements in open stoves designed to
enhance the beauty of their appearance and to facilitate their adaptation
to different sizes of openings, and to provide for the closing of the fire-
place opening when the stove is not required to be used.
To attain these ends I fit the stove with moveable or adjustable sido
plates which will admit of being set at any desired angle to the front of
the stove, and in front of these side plates I place swinging panels,
which may be used as screens or closed upon the fire-place.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shows in front elevation a stove
fitted according to my Invention, the swinging panels being thrown
back to permit of the wide radiation of the heat from the stove. Fig. 2
represents the same stove with the swinging panels closed, and Fig. 3 is
a vertical section of the stove taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. Fig. 4
is a plan or top view of the stove. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of the stove
taken in a line a little above the grate, the swinging panels being

page_text: thrown back as in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the stove, but
with the swinging panels advanced to a suitable position for forming
fire screens. Fig. 7 is a sectional plan shewing the panels closed, or in
the position represented at Fig. 2.
A represents the fire-bars and grate bottom, which are made
removable for the purpose to be presently explained. B, B, are the
side plates which cover the space between the sides of the stove and the
jambs of the mantelpiece. These side plates are supported at foot in
shoes C, C, of cast iron, shewn detached in plan and edge views on an
enlarged scale at Figures 8, and they are provided at their upper ends
with a pin which passes through a slot in the top plate D of the stove.
The pins of these side plates are threaded to receive nuts which serve to
secure the plates in position. The shoes C, C, are cast with parallel
flanges, two of which form together a groove to receive the bottom of
the side plate; and behind the side plates, before they are fixed in
position brickwork is built up upon the shoes C, as indicated by the red
colors in Fig. 7. This brickwork serves to fix the shoes in the position
to which they are adjusted to accommodate the side plates to the width
of space they are intended to cover between the stove and the chimney
jambs. The angle at which the plates are set will be determined by
the relative widths of the stove and the opening in which it is to be
fixed. This arrangement provides for a considerable variation in the
width of fire-place openings, and thus avoids the necessity for such a
variety of sizes of stoves to be kept in stock as has hitherto been required
to suit the demands of the public. These side plates I propose to
ornament with tiles as indicated at Fig. 2. E, E, are the swinging
panels which lie against the side B, as shewn at Figures 1 and 5.
These panels are provided with pivot pins at the top and bottom near
their inner edge. The lower pivot pins rest in steps cast on the bottom of
the stove, and their upper pivot pins pass through holes made in the top
plate D, and they are threaded to receive tapped nuts (see Fig. 4),
which serve to secure them in position. These panels may be made of
cast iron and fitted on their opposite sides with ornamental tiles or
colored marbles, real or artificial or enamelled slate, or they may be
otherwise ornamented to suit the taste of the purchaser, or they may
consist simply of brass perforated screens.
The swinging panels E are shewn flat in the Drawing; and this is the
form which I propose generally to adopt, as it offers the advantage of

page_text: enabling me to shift the right panel to the left-hand side of the stove,
and the left panel to the right, and thereby to bring into view the
opposite sides of the panels. To effect this shifting the nuts are removed
from the pivot pins, and the panels are then free to be lifted off their
bearings. When these panels are intended to be closed upon the fire-
place opening it will be requisite first to remove the fire-bars and grate
bottom, as they project out somewhat beyond the inner front of the stove.
In some cases however I propose to form curved panels, which will close
upon each other while the grate bars remain in position.' The top plate
of the stove I fit with sliding doors F, F, (see Fig. 4,) which will allow
of the regulation of the draft.
Having explained my improvements in the construction of open stoves
I would observe that I do not wish to confine myself. to the manner
described of fixing the side plates of the stove, as swivel pieces for
these side plates to slide into fixed on the under side of the top plate
may be used in place of the top pins to provide for the adjustment of
their inclination. I would also remark that I am aware that stove
grates or fire-places have been provided with a means for closing or
partially closing the fire-place opening. I do not therefore intend to
claim this result irrespective of the special means by which it is attained;
but what I claim as of my Invention is,-
-
First. The means above described, whereby I am enabled to adapt
stoves of a given size to various widths of fire-place openings.
And, secondly. Fitting stoves with swinging panels in the manner'
and for the purposes above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Atkinson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of June, in the year of
WILLIAM ATKINSON. (L.S.)