IMPROVEMENTS IN DRY GAS REGULATORS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Sykes Bromhead, of Victoria Road, &
32, South Grove, Peckham, in the County of Surrey, and Joseph
Whitmee, of St. John St., Clerkenwell, in the County of Middle-
sex, Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRY GAS
REGULATORS."
Sealed the 19th January 1869, and dated the 23rd July 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Sykes Bromhead
and Joseph Whitmee at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 23rd July 1868.
We, JOSEPH SYKES BROMHEAD, of Victoria Road, & 32, South Grove,
Peckham, in the County of Surrey, and JOSEPH WHITMEE, of St. John
St., Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRY GAS
REGULATORS," to be as follows:-
Our large regulator consists of a cast-iron case and cover with flexible
diaphragm, brass ring, and cap, the ring is for the purpose of fixing the

page_text: diaphragm with screws in its place. We then put the cast-iron cover
in its proper position and screw it on to the flange of the case, the
screws passing through the flange of the cover, diaphragm, and brass
ring, thus affording additional security to and preventing any injury of
the diaphragm.
We construct our case and cover with flanges outside the body of the
regulator (instead of inside) for the purpose of fixing the diaphragm,
and thus we are able to reduce the case both in weight and bulk, at the
same time exposing a larger surface of the diaphragm to the action of
the gas, and consequently making the implement more efficacious than
those of ordinary construction.
We further improve the action of the regulator by inserting a
boxwood or ebony guide for the valve rod, the wood being saturated
with oil, the guide being fixed by a nut to the cast-iron cover,
the valve rod passing through a hole in the centre of the guide,
thus reducing the friction and preventing the corrosion of the valve
rod.
Our improvements in small regulators for one or two lights consists
in constructing in such manner that the tube for holding the jet or
nipple passes through the diaphragm and is fixed thereto by nuts, the
tube being screwed for that purpose. At the bottom of the tube a loop
is placed for suspending the valve, the opening at the bottom of the
tube being free, so that the regulated gas passes direct to the burner or
nipple.
We construct the body of the regulator of brass, copper, or other
suitable material, the diaphragm being fixed by a flange and screws or
other convenient contrivance to the body, the whole being covered in
by an oblate spheroid or other suitable shape of silvered glass, corrugated
or plain, or other reflecting material. An arch is constructed over the
diaphragm through which the burner tube passes, and also through
a straight socket screwed on to the arch and fixing the glass cover,
at the same time allowing the burner tube to pass freely up the socket.
We also construct a regulator for one or more lights consisting of a
series of perforated discs arranged on a screwed connecting rod, the
whole being enclosed in a brass tube through which the gas passes to
the burners, the regulation being effected by arranging the discs more

page_text: or less approximating to each other according to the quantity of gas
required to be passed through the tube to the burners.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Sykes Bromhead and Joseph Whitmee in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
SYKES BROMHEAD, of Victoria Road, and 32, South Grove, Peckham, in
the County of Surrey, and JOSEPH WHITMEE, of St. John's Street,
Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Joseph Sykes Bromhead and Joseph
Whitmee, Her special licence that we, the said Joseph Sykes Bromhead
and Joseph Whitmee, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Joseph Sykes Bromhead and Joseph Whitmee, our
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 DRY GAS REGULATORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Joseph Sykes Bromhead and Joseph Whitmee, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said Joseph Sykes Bromhead and
Joseph Whitmee, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly

page_text: described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is
to say :-
Our large regulator consists of a cast-iron case and cover with flexible
diaphragm, brass ring, and cap, the ring is for the purpose of fixing the
diaphragm with screws in its place. We then put the cast-iron cover
in its proper position and screw it on to the flange of the case, the screws
passing through the flange of the cover, diaphragm, and brass ring,
thus affording additional security to and preventing any injury of the
diaphragm.
We construct our case and covers with flanges outside the body of the
regulator (instead of inside) for the purpose of fixing the diaphragm, and
thus we are able to reduce the case both in weight and bulk, at the same
time exposing a larger surface of the diaphragm to the action of the gas,
and consequently making the implement more efficacious than those of
ordinary construction.
We further improve the action of the regulator by inserting a boxwood
or ebony guide for the valve rod, the wood being saturated with oil, the
guide being fixed by a nut to the cast-iron cover, the valve rod passing
through a hole in the centre of the guide, thus reducing the friction and
preventing corrosion of the valve rod.
Our improvements in small regulators for one or two lights consist
in constructing them in such manner that the tube for holding the jet or
nipple passes through the diaphragm and is fixed thereto by nuts, the
tube being screwed for that purpose. At the bottom of the tube a loop
is placed for suspending the valve, the opening at the bottom of the
tube being free, so that the regulated gas passes direct to the burner or
nipple.
We construct the body of the regulator of brass, copper, or other
suitable material, the diaphragm being fixed by a flange and screws or
other convenient contrivance to the body, the whole being covered in
by an oblate spheroid or other suitable shape of silvered glass (corrugated
or plain) or other reflecting material. An arch is constructed over
the diaphragm through which the burner tube passes, and also
through a straight socket screwed on to the arch and fixing the
glass cover, at the same time allowing the burner tube to pass freely
up to the socket.

page_text: We also construct a regulator for one or more lights consisting of a
series of perforated discs arranged on a screwed connecting rod, the
whole being enclosed in a brass tube through which the gas passes to the
burners, the regulation being effected by arranging the discs more or less
approximating to each other according to the quantity of gas required to
be passed through the tube to the burners.
And in order to explain our said Invention as completely as possible
we now proceed to describe the best means we are acquainted with
for carrying the same into practical effect, reference being had to the
illustrative Sheet of Drawings accompanying these Presents, and to the
numeral figures and letters of reference marked thereon respectively as
follows:-
gas regulator constructed according to our said Invention and designed
to be placed between the gas meter and the gas burners or jets.
Figures 2 and 3 represent transverse and vertical sections of two other
forms of circular gas regulators constructed on the same principle as that
represented at Figure 1, but intended to be applied direct to the gas
burners, nibs, or jets for regulating or controlling the pressure of the gas
as it passes to the said burners, nibs, or jets.
Figure 4 is a transverse and vertical section of another form of circular
gas regulator intended to be applied either direct to the burner, nib, or
jet, or to any part of the main leading from the gas meter to the several
burners. At each of the foregoing Figures we employ similar letters
of reference to denote corresponding parts in so far as such parts appear
or can be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
At Figure 1, A marks the inlet passage connected to the main pipe
leading from the meter; B, the outlet to which the pipe leading to the
several burners is connected; C, conical-shaped valve of metal fixed on
to the lower end of the rod D. The passages A and B are formed in a
casting C¹, the upper edge whereof is formed with a flange D to which
is fixed by screws and nuts a, b, a cast cap or cover E also formed with
a flange, the flanges of the castings C and E serve also to hold the
diaphragm G air-tight in the position shewn; this diaphragm we form
any flexible material or substance capable of withstanding the pressure
of

page_text: and chemical action of gas; we have found leather answer well. H is a
brass cap screwed on to E; this cap forms an air chamber. The rod D
is connected to the diaphragm at c air-tight, and the upper part of this
rod passes through a hole formed in a piece of boxwood, ebony, or other
suitable material at d saturated with oil to reduce friction, and is fixed
in a hole in the cover E; I is a piece of lead, the weight of which should
be in accordance with the pressure of the gas. The space between the
under side of the diaphragm G and the valve seat e forms a chamber
for gas, and the action of this regulator is as follows:-As each light
or burner is lighted the diaphragm G falls gradually by the action of
the weight I balancing or nearly so the pressure of the gas, and as
each light or one or more of them is put out the pressure of the gas
on the valve C forces the valve up and contracts the opening by which
the gas passes into the chamber C¹, and thus regulates the quantity of
gas supplied to the remaining burners that are alight, the weight I being
so adjusted or the valve so formed as not to allow it to be hermetically
sealed at any time."
We would also remark that the capacity of the gas chamber must
in all cases be in proportion to the size of the pipe of the gas main
and the number of gas lights which the regulator has to supply.
We now proceed to describe the construction of the regulators
represented at Figures 2 and 3 as follows, the same letters of reference
representing corresponding parts to those lastly above described with
reference to Figure 1. At Figures 2 and 3, K marks a thin disc of
metal of a dished form soldered or otherwise fixed to a piece of metal L
which is intended to be screwed on to the pipe that supplies the gas
to the burners M, a small pipe leading from the gas chamber C¹ to the
nib N which is screwed thereto. The pipe M at Figure 2 leads direct
from the centre of the diaphragm to which it is screwed gas-tight, the
gas entering at the opening X, and the pipe M at Figure 3 is bent as
there shown and passes outside of the diaphragm through an air-tight
hole or opening made in the side of the rim of metal to which the
diaphragm is affixed, the said rim being soldered on to the disc K.
O is a conical shaped reflector, the outer surface whereof is highly
polished, the metal employed being such as will not oxidize.
We now proceed to describe the regulator represented at Figure 4, the
construction of which is as follows:-P marks a tube of metal screwed
at its ends for connecting it by one end to the main gas pipe in an

page_text: upright position, and screwing a nib or burner into the upper end as
shewn. Within the tube P we arrange a series of perforated discs of
metal fitting easily within the said tube; these discs are each screwed
on to a screwed rod Q, and are intended to be adjusted either nearer to
or farther from each other according to the pressure of the gas, for
example, the nearer the discs are to each other the slower will be the
passage of the gas through them, and the farther the discs are apart
the quicker will be the passage of the gas through them. This form of
regulator may be applied to any existing gas main instead of having the
burner affixed thereto as first stated, and be used independently of the
diaphragm regulators above described and represented at Figures 1, 2,
and 3.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of our
said Invention for "Improvements in Dry Gas Regulators," together
with the best means we are acquainted with for carrying the same into
practical effect, we would remark in conclusion that we hereby declare
our Invention to consist in and we claim, constructing dry gas regulators
in the manner above described with reference to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Sykes Bromhead, one of the
parties hereto, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
second day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.