Improvements in Mineral Oil Lamps.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mineral Oil Lamps.
I, LOUIS COHN of the firm of W. Kersten Nachfolger of 86 Prinzenstrasse,
Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this 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 improvements in the construction of that class of lamps,
for which Letters Patent of the United Kingdom have been granted under
No. 14949 of 1886, the characteristic feature of which class of lamps consists of a
stationary wick, the top of which is covered by a metal flange and from a free
portion of the inner or outer surface of which issues the flame, said free side portion
being adjustable by a sliding tube.
My invention has reference, first, to the means of raising and lowering the
sliding tube, which covers the free portion of the inner or outer wick surface,
when the flame is desired to be reduced or, entirely extinguished, and which
uncovers the said side surface of the wick, when the flame is desired to be
increased.
This part of my invention is illustrated by Figures 1, 2, .2ª, 3 and 4 of the
accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the oil basin and burner of
a lamp,
Figure 2 is a cross section through the lamp burner, and
Figure 2 a sectional view of a modification of the device for raising and lowering
the sliding tube inside of the wick tube,
Figure 3 is a central vertical section through a lamp basin and burner, and
Figure 4 a cross section of the burner, illustrating an improved device for
raising and lowering the sliding tube outside of the wick tube.
a is an oil basin of any suitable shape and size, having a central tube b
extending through it in order to admit the supply of air to the flame. The wick d
is stripped over said tube b and covered outside by a tube c which is screwed into
the top of the basin a, with a suitable packing c¹ interposed to tighten the joint.
The outside tube c extends over the upper end of the inside tube leaving the
portion g of the inside wick surface free and uncovered to allow of the flame
being produced. The outer tube c has a flange f projecting inwards and covering
the top edge of the wick d. Within the tube 6 a sliding tube his arranged,
which, being raised, reduces the free or uncovered portion g of the inner wick
surface, while, being lowered, it leaves the said portion g free to its full extent.
By raising the tube h to the full height of the flange f, the flame will be
thoroughly extinguished. All this is known and has been materially described in
the Specification No. 14949 of 1886.
The improved device forming the object of my invention for raising and lowering
the sliding tube h, consiste in securing to said tube k, a wire or rod A so formed
as to have one of its ends carried upwards within the tube B communicating with
the tube b and projecting from the top of the basin a. The upper part of said
rod A is toothed and into the rack engages a pinion C arranged on a shaft which
may be turned by a wheel or sheave C. It will be easily seen that by turning
said wheel or sheave C¹ to the right or left, the rack A and the tube / connected
thereto will be lowered or raised as desired.
Instead of a rack and pinion, a lever E carried by a suitable post on the basin a
might be employed to lift and lower the rod A, said lever E being jointed to the
rod A by a connecting link. as clearly shown in Figure 2ª.

page_text: In the construction of lamp illustrated by Figure 3, the inside tube b extends
over the outside tube c and has a flange projecting outwards to cover the top of
the wick. The free or uncovered side portion g of the wick is on the outside and
a sliding tube is arranged to regulate and extinguish the flame. For raising and
lowering said sliding tube h', a rack C' is secured to or stamped into the tube /¹
and a
pinion C engages said rack, which pinion being turned by its shaft and
wheel C, Figure 4, carries the tube h¹ up or down to cover or uncover the free
portion g of the wick d.
The rack and pinion may also be employed for raising and lowering the inside
sliding tube h, as shown in Figure 8. In this modification, the rod A secured to the
sliding tube his carried down through the open air tube b and has a rack formed at
or near its lower end; a pinion Cengages said rack within the guide tube B, to
raise and lower the tube h, as desired.
The same device of raising and lowering the sliding tube is applied to the burner
shown in Figure 5, which represents a central vertical section of a modification of
the lamp, Figure 6 being a cross section drawn to line - of Figure 5, and
Figure 7 a cross section drawn to line y-y of Figure 5.
This modification consists in providing a lamp burner which may be mounted on
every oil basin a, having no central air tube extending through the basin. The
bottom plate D of said burner forms a tight diaphragm between the basin and the
burner; the said bottom plate being only provided with two slits d' through which
the lower portions of the wick d are passed, extending down into the basin and
filling the area of the said slits d'. Should the lamp tumble or fall, no oil will flow
through the said slits into the burner, nor will the flame be able to enter into the
basin, as the slits d' are tightly filled up by the wick.
Air is supplied to the inside tube 6 of the burner through a slot, in which the
shaft of the pinion C is guided. The said pinion C engages with a rack of the
rod A, which, being secured to the sliding tube h, raises or lowers the said tube as
desired.
In the construction shown in Figures 1 and 8, the flame-spreader m is secured to
the sliding tube h and becomes lifted and lowered, as the tube is raised or lowered.
But the said flame-spreader m can be equally well made stationary and independent
of the varying position of the sliding tube. As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the
supporting arms of the flame-spreader are secured to the stationary tube bof the
burner, and the sliding tube h is slotted to slide on the said arms without being
encumbered by the same.
The burner with slotted bottom D, as shown in Figures 5 and 6; may as well be
employed in combination with the outside sliding tube has shown in Figure 3,
whereby the device shown in said figure is applicable to all oil basins without the
necessity of a central air tube carried through the basin.
The wheel, disc or sheave C₁ on the pinion shaft may be constructed to be
turned by hand, or by a cord or chain passing over said sheave or wheel.
For hanging lamps, I prefer to employ a lever C' as shown in Fig. 19 secured to
the outer end of the pinion shaft and having a chain or cord C hanging from each
of its arms. By drawing the right or left hand chain or cord, the pinion C
engaging the rack of rod A will be turned and the sliding tube h raised or lowered.
The said chains or cords C may carry the initials O and Z, or the like, to
indicate which one of them must be drawn to open or to extinguish the lamp.
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. In a mineral oil lamp having a stationary wick with a lateral flame surface
inside or outside of the same, the combination, with the sliding tube covering or
uncovering said flame surface, of a rod arranged to be raised and lowered by a rack
and pinion, substantially as described.
2. In a mineral oil lamp having a stationary wick with a lateral flame surface

page_text: inside or outside of the same, the combination, with a sliding tube covering or
uncovering said flame surface, of a rod arranged to be raised or lowered by a lever
connected to said rod, substantially as described.
3. In a mineral oil lamp having a stationary wick with a lateral flame surface
inside or outside of the same, the combination, with a sliding tube covering or
uncovering said flame surface, of a rod arranged to be raised or lowered by a rack
and pinion, or by a suspended lever and chains or cords arranged to turn said pinion
or lever, substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. In a mineral oil lamp having a stationary wick with a lateral flame surface
inside or outside of the same, the combination, with the lamp burner screwed or
otherwise fitted to any oil basin, of tight bottom plate D having two narrow openings
for the passage of the wick, substantially as described.
5. In a mineral oil lamp having a stationary wick with a lateral flame surface
inside of the same, the combination, with a sliding tube covering or uncovering said
flame surface, of a stationary flame-spreader independent of the varying positions of
the slide tube, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of February 1893.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.