IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS COOKING APPARATUS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thomas Sugg, of Vincent Street, in the City of
Westminster, Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS COOKING
APPARATUS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thomas Sugg at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th November 1881.
WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS COOKING APPARATUS."
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of gas cooking apparatus
which are known as portable stoves, the object of the Invention being to obtain
the greatest amount of heat with the least possible consumption of gas, and to
avoid the disagreeable snell usually given off in gas cooking apparatus of the
ordinary construction.
In carrying out my Invention I provide a circular framework, consisting of a
base, to which are connected vertical standards or stays to support a gallery.
From this gallery depends an inverted truncated hollow conical reflector of
porcelain, enamelled iron, or other suitable reflecting material.
The burners, which are flat flame burners, are fixed to curved pipes projecting
from a pillar placed centrally of the base, and the burners enter holes made in the
side of the cone.
Air is admitted to the burners through the truncated portion of the cone, and
this opening is of a size to admit only sufficient air as will efficiently support
combustion. By this arrangement the air after entering inside the cone will
become heated, and diffuse itself gently over the space within the cone, and the
beat will be reflected onto the bottom of the vessel containing the food or other
substance to be cooked. The containing vessel is supported in any convenient
manner a short distance above the base of the inverted cone, so as to keep in the
heat as much as possible, so that the products of combustion may be completely
consumed while allowing for sufficient ventilation.
In this manner the great rush of air which takes place in apparatus of the

page_text: ordinary construction, and which carries off the products of combustion into the
apartment and causes the disagreeable smell, is avoided.
Instead of being made circular the apparatus may be oval shaped or rectangular,
the porcelain or other reflector being formed with tapering sides. In this case I
prefer to close up the bottom with a plate forming transverse slots therein for the
introduction of the gas burner and for the passage of the air.
The burners are fitted to a tube placed horizontally under the plate. The
supporting vessel is placed above the reflector, as in the former case.
The apparatus may be provided with a gas regulator placed either in front or
behind the cock, so that the pressure of gas to the burner may be regulated.
The apparatus may be enclosed in a casing of an ornamental character or left
open, as desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Thomas Sugg in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
May 1882.
WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG, of Vincent Street, in the City of Westminster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS COOKING APPARATUS."
This Invention relates to improvements in the class of gas cooking apparatus
known as portable stoves, the object of the Invention being to apply the heat
generated in the most economical manner, and to avoid the disagreeable smell
given off in gas cooking apparatus of the ordinary construction.
To this end I provide a means for reflecting onto the bottom of the cooking
vessel oven, or it may be a hot plate, the heat generated by the gas burner or
burners employed, and I also limit the admission of air to the burner or burners
to the amount required for supporting combustion.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn my Invention as applied to
apparatus for stewing, boiling, and baking,
Figures 1 and 2, Sheet I., shew in vertical section and sectional plan view my
Invention as adapted for heating a stewpan.
Figures 3 and 4, Sheet II., shew in vertical section and plan view my Invention
as adapted for boiling, a kettle being shown in place in Fig. 3.
In Sheets III, and IV. I have shewn the apparatus as adapted for stewing by
the application of steam, and also as adapted for baking. Fig. 5, Sheet III.,
represents in vertical section the steam stewing apparatus, and Fig. 6 is a plan
view of the same, the boiler and steam bath being removed. Fig. 7, Sheet IV.,
shews in vertical section the apparatus adapted for baking, and Fig. 8 is an inverted
plan view of the oven.
Referring now to Sheet I., A, A, is a tripod stand fitted with a central gas
burner B, which projects through the truncated end of au inverted cone C made
fast to the tripod stand.

page_text: Above this cone the stand carries a curtain or gallery D, which is intended to
receive and support the metal stew-pan E.
When this pan is in place it will form with the screen or gallery an annular
chamber for the gases of combustion to enter and circulate in. Thus the stew pan
will be in direct contact with the heated gases at its sides as well as at its
bottom.
The inverted cone C is intended to reflect the heat of the gas flame onto the
stew pan, and for this purpose it is made of enamel sheet iron or equivalent
material.
To prevent the flame striking directly on the bottom of the stewpan a deflector F
is interposed between the burner and the stewpan. This deflector is carried by
arms, which rest upon the upper edge of the inverted cone. Upon the stewpan
rests a cover G, which prevents the escape of steam from the pan.
The burner which stands up from the horizontal pipe B* is furnished with a
regulator of the kind described in the Specification of my Patent, dated May 6th,
1880, No. 1854.
Access to the burner for lighting is obtained by lifting off the stewpan and
removing the deflector. The annular space between the reflector C and the
burner B I arrange so as to limit the supply of air as near as possible to the
amount required for sustaining the combustion of a regulated quantity of gas. I
thus provide against a rush of air, which would tend to carry off and waste much
of the heat generated.
As the air enters the cone and becomes heated it will be free to expand, the
space which it is to occupy as it rises enlarging as the temperature of the air
increases with the admixture therewith of the gases of combustion given off by
the gas flame.
When the heated air and mingled gases of combustion leave the cone C they
will circulate in the annular space formed by the curtain D and stewpan E, and
will slowly escape through a ring of holes & formed in the curtain D.
The apparatus for boiling a kettle is shewn in Sheet II. of the Drawings, and is
similar in its principle of construction to that just described.
In this example however instead of a single flat flame burner I employ three
such burners B, B, B, carried by branches from a central gas regulator fitted to
the horizontal supply pipe B*.
These burners are inclined towards a common central point, which arrangement
causes the flames of the several burners to impinge upon each other, thereby
ensuring a more perfect combustion of the gas.
C is the central coned reflector pendent from the pierced gallery D, and forming
with it a hot air chamber. Vertical slits are made through the lower end of the
coned reflector to allow of its dropping into place over the burners, but in other
respects the reflector is similar to that described above.
In this arrangement a kettle E takes the place of the stewpan, and no deflector
is used, but the coned reflector causes the heat to strike directly upon the bottom
of the kettle, which alone in this case constitutes the heat absorbing surface.
A powerful heat will however be produced sufficient to boil a filled kettle very
rapidly.
I will now describe the apparatus which is convertible at pleasure from a gas
steamer to a gas oven. Referring now to Sheet III., it will be seen that in this
example instead of a tripod stand I use a case A supported on feet for carrying the
apparatus. Attached to this case and underlying it is the gas tube B*, upon
which is mounted a cluster of flat flame burners B, which stand up through the
opening in the surrounding reflector C.
The case A is fitted on its inner side with a horizontal flange a, upon which
rests the reflector, filling the space circumscribed by the flange.
This case is pierced, as shewn, to admit air below the deflector and so to the
burners, but above the flange a there are openings in the case to permit of the
escape of the gases of combustion.

page_text: The case is shewn as taking an oval form. This is to suit the shape of the
culinary vessel employed, and will by preference generally correspond thereto.
The reflector in plan view also takes an oval form, expanding like an inverted
flattened hollow cone.
Resting upon the upper edge of the case A is a pan H, constituting a boiler, and
furnished with handles for removing it and replacing it as required. Fitting this
pan or boiler is a steamer I, which is formed with a circumscribing flange i that
rests upon the lip of the boiler.
This steamer is formed with steam pipes i¹, ¹, which extend from the closed
bottom of the vessel to near the top thereof, and serve to conduct into the steamer
the vapour generated in the boiler.
K is an earthenware dish containing the food to be cooked or heated, and closed
by a cover of the same material. This dish rests upon the bottom of the steamer,
and is of such size as to permit of the steam which passes up the pipes i circulating
around it.
The upper edge of the steamer I terminates in a flanged external ledge i for
the reception of a cover L, which closes the apparatus and shuts in the steam.
It will now be understood that when the burners are lighted and the boiler H
is charged with water, steam will be rapidly and copiously generated, and cause
to circulate around the dish containing the food to be cooked or heated, the
reflector ensuring, as in the preceding examples, an economic application of the
heat.
Fig. 7, Sheet IV., shews an oven M substituted for the boiler, steamer, and dish,
Fig. 5. This oven is jacketted to form a flue around it, or at the sides, back, and top,
-and-it-is formed with an oval flange m, as shewn in the inverted plan view, Fig. 8,
to fit the upper part of the case A above the flange a and close the openings made
therein for the escape of the gases of combustion. These gases as they pass up
from the reflector will circulate around the oven and find an escape at the
opening m', from which they may be conducted by a pipe to an adjacent flue.
In this arrangement the heat of the gas flames will be reflected by the reflector C
directly onto the bottom of the oven, and thus, as in the preceding examples, the
heat generated will be prevented from escaping unused.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Gas
Cooking Apparatus," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,―
The means described for reflecting onto the overlying surface required to be
heated for culinary purposes the heat generated by gas cooking stoves, and for
limiting the supply of air to the burners for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas Sugg, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
WILLIAM THOMAS SUGG. (L.S.)