A SELF EXTINGUISHING HOUSEHOLD SAFETY LAMP
Year: 1885

page_text: WILLIAM KING, Commission Agent, 114 Vestry Road, Camberwell, Surrey,
GEORGE SAMUEL VENN GODFREY, Prospect House, Sudbury, Suffolk, no occupation,
do hereby declare the nature of our invention for A SELF EXTINGUISHING
HOUSEHOLD SAFETY LAMP to be as follows:-
1st The lamp is fitted with an extinguisher made of metal and centred on two
pinions one on each side of the burner and balanced by means of a weight or
weights.
2nd The extinguisher being suspended about a quarter of an inch above the
burner it has a slot in the centre to allow the flame to pass through but being hung
on centres tilting the lamp either way brings one side or other of the extinguisher
over the top of the burner and extinguishes the flame so that if knocked over it
will cause no damage.
3rd The lamp can be extinguished by pressing balance weight either way
without turning wick down which if done too quickly is liable to ignite the oil in
reservoir.
4th The base of the lamp is made longer one way than the other with the ends
rounded or pointed so that if knocked over from any point it must roll on to its
side so that the balance weight brings the extinguisher into operation.
Dated this Second day of February One thousand eight hundred and eighty five

page_text: We, WILLIAM KING, and GEORGE SAMUEL VENN GODFREY, both of 114 Vestry
Road, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of our
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
drawing (that is to say):-
--
Our invention relates to ordinary lamps burning hydrocarbon oils or other
inflammable fluids, and it has for its object improved methods of construction
of such lamps by which they are automatically extinguished if they should
accidentally fall, whilst they can also be extinguished when desired without
removing the chimney or globe.
Supposing the invention to be applied to an ordinary paraffin lamp having a flat
wick and a glass chimney, we arrange and fit upon each side of the wick tube an
extinguisher consisting of a concave or hollow plate of metal or other suitable
material, the lower ends of the two extinguishers being pivotted to the ends of the
wick tube in such manner that if they are separated they leave the flame free to
burn in the usual way, but if closed by being brought together they surround the
wick and extinguish the flame.
Each extinguisher has fixed upon it at one end near its pivot an arm projecting
downward, in such a position that when the extinguishers are open, the two arms
hang parallel but at a short distance apart, and into the space between fits freely a
vertical cam or plate fixed at, or preferably slightly above its centre to a horizontal
axis or spindle which after passing through a guide or bearing in the side of the
lamp is bent down, or has a descending arm fixed upon it to the lower end of
which outside the lamp is attached a sufficiently heavy weight.
If the weight is moved to either side the vertical cam or plate at its inner end
separates and forces apart the arms upon the two extinguishers and brings the
latter together, extinguishing the flame in the way first described. The same effect
is produced if, whilst the weight is hanging freely, the lamp is inclined to one side
or the other.
In the accompanying drawing, which is in illustration of our invention, figure 1
represents an ordinary lamp fitted with the apparatus described.
Figure 2 shows separately in side view and figure 3 in plan, the extinguishers
and hanging weight, when the former are open.
Figure 4 shews in side view, and figure 5 in plan the extinguishers closed when
the lamp is inclined to the left, and figure 6 shews a similar view with the lamp
inclined to the right. Figure 8 shews upon a larger scale the apparatus, with
extinguishers open, and figure 7 shews in plan the shape which we prefer for the
base of the lamp.
a, figure 1, is the body and oil reservoir of the lamp. b is the wick and c the
wick tube to which are pivotted the two hollow extinguishers d, d', to one end
of which are fixed the arms e, e¹, between which fits the vertical cam or plate f
carried by the horizontal spindle g, the end of which outside the lamp has a
descending arm h and weight i.

page_text: It will be noticed that the weight i always hangs perpendicularly, and when the
lamp is vertical the extinguishers d, d', are open in their normal position as shewn
in figures 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8, whilst if the lamp be inclined into either of the positions
shewn in figures 4 and 5, or 6, the extinguishers d d' are closed as shewn, and the
flame is extinguished. Or the flame can be extinguished when desired by moving
the weight i to the right or left without inclining the lamp.
In order to equalize the action of the cam or plate f upon the arms e, e¹, we
prefer to attach the spindle g nearer to the upper end of the plate or cam f.
In order to ensure the lamp falling, if accidentally upset, into the proper position
for the weight i to act upon the extinguishers d, d, we prefer to make the base of
the lamp elliptical, as shewn in figure 7, or of such shape as to cause the lamp to
roll over and settle in a position in which the spindle g is horizontal.
Or, for the same purpose, another set of extinguishers and weights may be
arranged at right angles to and.outside the first.
Our invention may be applied to lamps of all kinds and having one or more
wicks of any desired shape.
We do not confine ourselves to the precise form and arrangement of the several
parts of the improved apparatus, which may be varied more or less according to the
size, shape, and character of the lamp to which it is to be applied; for instance the
extinguishers may preferably fit inside the cone of the lamp when open, so as not
to interfere with the current of air to the flame, but having now particularly
described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is
1. The method of extinguishing lamps by means of the pivotted extinguishers
actuated by a weight hanging outside the lamp, substantially in the manner and
for the purpose described and shewn in the drawing.
2. In combination with the pivotted extinguishers and hanging weight, the base
of the lamp elliptical or of such shape as to ensure the proper action of the hanging
weight upon the extinguishers, when the lamp is upset.