Year: 1886

page_text: I, JOHN MINTYRE SHAW of No 14 Union Street, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-.
This Invention, which relates to improvements in cooking ranges has for its
object to economise fuel and consists in constructing the grate bottom moveable,
that is to say, capable of being raised and lowered vertically.
In a cooking range constructed in accordance with the present Invention, the
grate bottom is provided with one or more vertical supports which are capable of
sliding in one or more vertical guides formed or secured in or upon the cheeks
which constitute the sides of the ash pit, that is to say, the space below the fire
grate; or, the said grate bottom may be capable of sliding in guides provided in
the sides enclosing the fire place. To the underside of the said grate bottom there
is pivoted the upper end of a connecting link the lower end of which is pivoted to
one end or arm of a lever. This lever is pivoted to the range front at which part
the said lever is provided with a ratchet and pawl or equivalent device for
retaining the grate bottom in any position into which it. has been previously
raised. The other end or arm of the said lever is formed with a socket or the
equivalent thereof, into which a poker or other similar bar or implement is
inserted to obtain leverage sufficient to raise the fire-grate and the fuel supported
thereon. The before mentioned lever may if required be formed with one (as
herein before described) or more inner arms which are each connected by a link to
the fire-grate and which construction serves to distribute the points of support of
such fire grate.
In place of employing a lever to be operated in the manner hereinbefore
explained there may be applied a treadle or lever to be operated by the foot.
It is to be understood that the essential feature of this Invention is the raising
and lowering of grate-bottoms by means of levers one end of which is constituted
by a poker or its equivalent inserted into a socket or its equivalent, it is therefore
obvious that the arrangement of the levers may be modified in many different
ways without departing from the essential feature of this Invention and, as an
example, there may be cited one modification in which the end of the inner arm of
the lever itself bears against the underside of the fire grate which may be allowed
to fall by its own weight or be drawn downwards by means of a link through
which the said inner arm is capable of sliding. The inner arm of the lever under
this modified construction may either be straight or curved or fitted with a
quadrantal, or other cam surface.

page_text: Improvements in Cooking Ranges.
I, JOHN MCINTYRE SHAW of No 14 Union Street, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Ironmonger do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN COOKING RANGES and in what manner the same is to be
* performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My Invention, which relates to improvements in cooking ranges, has for its
object to economise fuel and consists in constructing the grate bottom moveable,
that is to say, capable of being raised and lowered vertically.
In a cooking range constructed in accordance with my present Invention, the
grate bottom is provided with one or more vertical supports which are capable of
sliding in one or more vertical guides formed or secured in or upon the cheeks
which constitute the sides of the ashpit, that is to say, the space below the fire
grate; or, the said grate bottom may be capable of sliding in guides provided in
the sides enclosing the fire place. To the underside of the said grate bottom there
is pivoted the upper end of a connecting link the lower end of which is pivoted to
one end or arm of a lever. This lever is pivoted to the range front at which part
the said lever is provided with a ratchet and pawl or equivalent device for
retaining the grate bottom in any position into which it has been previously
raised. The outer end or arm of the said lever is formed with a socket or the
equivalent thereof into which a poker or other similar bar or implement is
inserted to obtain leverage sufficient to raise the fire-grate, and the fuel supported
thereon. The before mentioned lever may, if required, be formed with one (as
herein before described) or more inner arms which are each connected by a link to
the fire-grate and which construction serves to distribute the points of support of
such fire-grate.
In place of employing a lever to be operated in the manner hereinbefore
explained there may be applied a treadle or lever to be operated by the foot.
It is to be understood that the essential feature of this Invention is the raising
and lowering of grate-bottoms by means of levers, one end of which is constituted
by a poker or its equivalent inserted into a socket or its equivalent, it is therefore
obvious that the arrangement of the levers may be modified in many different
ways without departing from the essential feature of my Invention and, as an
example, there may be cited one modification in which the end of the inner arm of
the lever itself bears against the underside of the fire-grate which may be allowed
to fall by its own weight or be drawn downwards by means of a link through
which the said inner arm is capable of sliding. The inner arm of the lever under
this modified construction may either be straight or curved, or fitted with a
quadrantal, or other cam surface.
In order that my Invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed:-
Figure 1, is a front elevation of the fire-place of a cooking range constructed
according to my present Invention.
Figures 2 and 3 are respectively a longitudinal and a transverse section through
the same.

page_text: Figure 4 (sheet 2) is a transverse section through the fire-place of a cooking
range constructed according to a modification of my present Invention.
Figures 5 and 6 are respectively a front elevation and a transverse section of a
further modified arrangement constructed according to my present Invention.
In constructing a cooking range in accordance with my present Invention,
I arrange the grate-bottom a, (Figures 1, 2 and 3) in or upon any suitable vertical
guides so that it is capable of being raised and lowered. The guide which, as an
example, I have represented at Figures 2 and 3, of the annexed drawings, consists
of the long socket or sleeve b, which is rigidly secured, in any convenient manner,
to the back of the ashpit; or the said sleeve b, may be supported by the sides of
the ashpit. To the underside of the grate a, there is secured the bar c, which
passes through, and is free to slide vertically in the sleeve b, and the projections d,
are also provided at the underside of the grate. To these projections d, there are
pivoted the upper ends of the links e, the lower ends of which are pivoted to the
two inner extremities of the bifurcated lever f. This lever f, as shewn more
particularly at Figure 3, is pivoted in the lugs or projections g, which are cast or
otherwise provided on the plate h, and the said lever, at its forward end, is con-
structed with the socket i, which admits of the end of a poker ;, being inserted
thereinto in the manner shewn at Figure 3, for the purpose of raising and lowering
the grate bottom as hereinafter explained. The lever f, is formed with the ratchet
teeth kc, with which the pawl l, engages, the said pawl t, being pivoted to the lugs.
or projections m, secured on the plate h, and the said pawl is provided with the
levers n, (Figures 1 and 3) or their equivalents to admit of it being readily
disengaged from the ratchet teeth k.
When it is desired to raise the grate a, a poker j, or equivalent bar or implement
is inserted into the socket i, and the said poker j, is pressed downwards into or
towards that position in which it is represented in dotted lines at Figure 3, of the
annexed drawings, and the grate a, is thereby raised into or towards the position
which is also shewn in dotted lines. The poker may then be withdrawn from the
socket i, the pawl l, retaining the grate-bottom a, in any position into which it
has been previously raised. For lowering the grate-bottom a, the poker j, is
inserted in the socket i, and the pawl Z, is disengaged from the ratchet teeth k, to
be re-engaged there with after the grate bottom has arrived at the desired lower
level.
I desire it to be understood that in place of pivoting the bifurcated lever f,
and the pawl l, in lugs or projections provided upon the outer surface of the plate h,
I may pivot these parts in lugs or projections provided at the back of the said
plate h, under this construction, the socket i, projects at the front of the plate h,
and the pawl 1, is pivoted below the lever f, the forward or inoperative end of the
said pawl passing through the plate h, to the front side thereof where it is pro-
vided with a handle or the equivalent thereof, to enable the pawl to be readily
disengaged from the ratchet teeth k.
At Figure 4, of the annexed drawings, I have shewn an arrangement wherein
the grate bottom a¹, is raised and lowered by the inner end of the lever o, which,
at this part, is formed with the cam or rounded surface p, the outer end of the
lever o, is formed with the socket i, in a manner similar to that hereinbefore
described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3. To the underside of the grate
bottom a¹, there are secured the two brackets or slides q, the vertical members of
which are guided between the projections r, or their equivalents formed upon the
plates s, which constitute the sides of the ashpit. As is obvious, the lowering of
the outer end of the lever o, effects the raising of the cam surface p, and con-
sequently that of the grate bottom.
By the arrangement represented at Figures 5 and 6 of the annexed drawings,
the grate bottom t, which is supported similarly to the grate bottom a¹, hereinlast
described, is raised and lowered by the cam u, which is represented in dotted lines
at Figure 5. This cam u, is mounted eccentrically upon the shaft v, which is
supported, at its rear end, in the back plate x, and at its forward end in the plate h,

page_text: the collar y, or its equivalent being provided to secure the shaft v, against longi-
tudinal motion. Upon the forward extremity of the shaft v, is secured the boss w,
which is formed with the radial recesses 2, of such size as will admit of the
end of a poker being inserted thereinto. When it is desired to raise or lower
the grate bottom t, the end of a poker or its equivalent is inserted into one of the
recesses z, and the boss w, and cam u, are thereby rotated in the required direction.
If desired, a ratchet and pawl or equivalent device may be provided to retain the
grate bottom t, in any position intermediately between those positions in which it
is respectively shewn in dotted and full lines at Figures 5 and 6.
In place of constructing the cam u, with flattened sides as hereinlast described
and shewn at Figures 5 and 6 of the annexed drawings, the said cam may be made
circular and mounted eccentrically upon the shaft v, or, it may be of elliptic or
other regularly or irregularly curved form, a ratchet and pawl or equivalent device
being provided for retaining the grate bottom in any position into which it may
have been previously raised.
I desire it to be understood that, in place of constructing the lever f, (Figures 1, 2
and 3) with its inner end bifurcated, I may construct the said lever with a single inner
arm which is connected by a link or links to the underside of the grate bottom a.
Under this construction the vertical guides are secured at the sides of the said
grate bottom in a manner corresponding to that shewn at Figures 4, 5 and 6, of
the annexed drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
First. The improvements in that class of cooking ranges, the bottom grates of
which are capable of being raised and lowered, consisting of the combined arrange-
ment of the sleeve b, guide bar c, links e, pivoted lever f, formed with the socket i,
the ratchet teeth k, and pawl l, and their directly connected parts all substantially
as and operating in the manner and for the purposes herein before set forth with
reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the annexed drawings or the mechanical
equivalents of all or any of the said parts.
Second. The improvements in cooking ranges consisting of the combined arrange-
ment of the lever o, formed with the cam surface p, brackets or slides q, projec-
tions r, and their directly connected parts all substantially as and operating in the
manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth with reference to Figure 4, of
the annexed drawings or the mechanical equivalents of all or any of the said parts.
Third. The improvements in cooking ranges consisting of the combined arrange-
ment of the cam u, which may be formed with flattened and curved sides as shewn,
or which cam may be of continuously curved form, such as an ellipse or eccentric,
the shaft v, boss w, with its radial recesses 2, and their directly connected parts
and with or without a ratchet and pawl device all substantially as and operating
in the manner and for the purposes herein before set forth with reference to
Figures 5 and 6 of the annexed drawings or the mechanical equivalents of all
or any of the parts thereof.
בז
1000
ST JOHN V. DAY,
Applicant's Agent.