IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING LIQUID HYDROCARBONS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING LIQUID HYDROCARBONS." -A
communication from abroad by Robert Wallace Park, John Charles
Love, and William Henry Love, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
in the United States of America..
Sealed the 28th August 1868, and dated the 26th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th March 1868.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING LIQUID HYDROCARBONS,'
communication to me from abroad by Robert Wallace Park, John Charles
Love, and William Henry Love, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates more particularly to certain improvements in
and modifications of the burners or mounts of lamps intended for the
burning of paraffine and other liquid hydrocarbons, whereby increased
brilliancy of flame is obtained, a better form or shape of flame is.

page_text: produced, which enables a plain cylindrical chimney to be used in
lamps having flat wicks, and greater facility of access to the wick is
afforded.
According to the first part of this Invention it is proposed to employ
in the said burners a flat or nearly flat slotted plate situate a little above
the ordinary dome, such dome being moreover surrounded at the sides
by a pendant hollow cylinder or casing, an annular space being left
between the said hollow cylinder and the dome for the free passage
of air, which is so directed on to the flame as to increase considerably
the brilliancy thereof, and making it longer and narrower so as to admit
of the use of a cylindrical chimney.
The second part of this Invention consists in combining with the
dome of the burner two air tubes, channels, or orifices arranged one at
each end of the elongated slot in the dome so as to direct the air into
a course which will produce the same effect on the flame as that caused
by the first part of this Invention.
The third part of this Invention, consists in making the perforated
casing of the burner in two parts, an upper and a lower, and in providing
one of such parts with elastic metal lips or tongues so adapted to the
other part that when inserted therein the two parts will be held securely
together, whilst at the same time by a slight effort the two parts may
be readily separated. The upper part contains the dome with the flat
or nearly flat slotted plate and the the pendant cylindrical casing or the
air tubes or orifices at the ends of the slot, as the case may be, whilst
the lower part contains the wick tube and elevator.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, hearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-

page_text: first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,.
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, or 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 LAMPS FOR BURNING LIQUID HYDROCARBONS," a communication from abroad
by Robert Wallace Park, Jolin Charles Love, and William Henry Love,
all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and,
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say
The said Invention relates more particularly to certain improvements
in and modifications of the burners or mounts of lamps intended for the
burning of paraffin and other liquid hydrocarbons, whereby increased
brilliancy. of flame is. obtained, a better form or shape of flame is.
produced which enables a plain cylindrical chimney to be used in
lamps having flat wicks, and greater facility of access to the wick is
afforded.
According to the first part of this Invention it is proposed to employ,
in the said burners a flat or nearly flat slotted plate situate a little above
the ordinary dome, such dome being moreover surrounded at the sides
by a pendant hollow cylinder or casing, an annular space being left
between the said hollow cylinder and the dome for the free passage
of air, which is so directed on to the flame as to increase considerably

page_text: the brilliancy thereof, and make it longer and narrower so as to admit
of the use of a cylindrical chimney.
The second part of this Invention consists in combining with the
dome of the burner two air tubes, channels, or orifices arranged one at
each end of the elongated slot in the dome so as to direct the air into
a course which will produce the same effect on the flame as that caused
by the first part of this Invention.
The third part of the said Invention consists in making the perforated
casing of the burner in two parts, an upper and a lower, and in providing
one of such parts with elastic metal lips or tongues so adapted to the
other part
that when inserted therein the two parts will be held securely
together, whilst at the same time by a slight effort they may be readily
separated. The upper part contains the dome with the flat or nearly
flat slotted plate and the pendant cylindrical casing or the air tubes or
orifices at the ends of the slot, as the case may be, whilst the lower part
contains the wick tube and elevator.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
corresponding Figures.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings illustrate the
first part of the said Invention, Figure 1 being a vertical section of the
improved lamp burner; Figure 2, a plan view of the same; Figure 3, a
vertical section on the line 1-2, (Figure 1); and Figure 4, a plan view
in which the upper plate of the burner is removed.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the second part of the Invention, Figure 5
being a vertical section, and Figure 6 a plan view of the burner.
Figure 7 shews the third part of the Invention.
On reference to the first part of this Invention, illustrated in Figures
1, 2, 3, and 4, A is a cylindrical perforated casing, at the lower end
of which is the usual screw projection b adapted to the screw top of
the fountain or oil reservoir of the lamp. The upper portion a of the
casing A is larger in diameter than the lower portion a', and on the
shoulder x formed by this contraction of the casing bears the edge of a
the horizontal flange 7 of the dome B, the elongated opening y of the
latter being directly above the wick tube C, which extends through and

page_text: is secured to the lower end of the burner. Above the dome is a hori-
zontal plate d, the central elevated portion of which has a flat top wc,
and in the latter there is an elongated opening directly above and coin-
ciding with that in the top of the dome B; the edge of the said plate d
rests ou a ledge f formed on the inside and near the upper edge of the
perforated casing A. On the under side of the plate d there is a hollow
cylindrical projection i which extends to within a short distance from
the flange or base q of the dome and partly covers but is not in contact
with the said dome. The wick tube C is surrounded near its upper end
with a flat tube k, and between the latter and the wick tube a space is
left through which the air admitted to the perforated casing A can pass
upwards freely. In the flange q, as well as in the sides of the dome,
there are small holes, but they are not absolutely essential, and holes n
are also made in the plate d. A rim m is formed on the upper edge
of the casing A for retaining the cylindrical glass chimney X, and
through the lower end of the casing passes a spindlet provided with
toothed wheels which project through slots in the wick tube, so that by
operating the spindle the wick can be raised or lowered at pleasure.
Repeated trials have proved that a slotted plate d, flat or nearly flat at
the top, and arranged in the burner in the manner described, has not
only the effect of increasing the brilliancy of the flame, but causes it to
assume such shape and dimensions that a plain cylindrical chimney can
be used in place of the ordinary chimneys, which are swelled near the
base in order to accommodate the expanded flames of common lamps,
and which are of so fragile a character as to be easily broken. It has
also been found by repeated tests that the pendant casing i suspended
over and surrounding the dome B increases the brilliancy of the flame
as it serves to direct a plentiful supply of air to the point where its'
action on the flame will produce the best results.
Another mode of contracting the flame so that a cylindrical chimney
can be used and the illuminating quality of the flame increased is
shown in Figures 5 and 6, which illustrate the second part of the
Invention.
In these views A is the perforated casing, to the lower end of which is
secured the wick tube C, the casing having the usual screw projection
for attaching the burner to the fountain or reservoir of the lamp;
the perforating casing A terminates at the top in a projecting flange f
through which pass and to which are secured the two air tubes A, A.

page_text: The dome B and plate E for supporting the chimney are in the present
instance made in one piece, a recess being formed beneath the plate for
the reception of a portion of the flange of the perforated casing A.
Different modes may, however, be employed of so fitting the plate E
to the said casing that the former may be readily detached from the
latter and access thereby be had to the wick when it requires trimming.
The two air tubes a, a, pass through openings in the plate E, and are
so arranged that one tube is adjacent to one end and the other to
the opposite end of the usual elongated slot y in the dome, as seen in
Figure 2. These air tubes, instead of being secured to the flange fof
the perforated casing, may be secured to the dome plate E, care being
taken, however, that there shall be a free admission of air to the tubes
from below. The effect of the two currents of air is to contract the
flame and increase its height and brilliancy, the flame having parallel
or nearly parallel edges, as shown by the dotted lines x, x, instead of the
usual wide flame of limited height, shown by the dotted lines z, z. This
permits the substitution for the cumbrous chambered glass chimney,
shown in red lines t, a cylindrical chimney F which is cheaper than and
not so liable to become broken as the swelled chimney. The currents
of air from the tubes a, a, intervening between the edges of the flame
and interior of the chimney maintain the latter in a comparatively cool
state. In place of the air tubes simple openings may be made in the
plate E, and corresponding openings in the flange f of the perforated
casing A, for admitting air from below at such points that it will pass
upwards in two currents, one near one end, and the other near the
opposite end of the clongated slot in the dome. The use of the air tubes,
however, is preferred, as they insure more certain and defined currents
of air directed to the proper points.
The third part of the Invention is illustrated in Figure 7. The
perforated casing A instead of being made in one piece, as shown in
Figure 3, consists of the upper and lower portions a and a', to the former
of which is fitted the cylindrical chimney, the slotted dome, and above
the latter the flat slotted plate, or the air tubes described above for
contracting and increasing the brilliancy of the flame. To the lower
portion a¹ of the perforated casing is secured the tube C containing the
wick, which on detaching the upper portion of the casing and its
adjuncts is exposed and can be easily trimmed. Any desired number
of pendant clastic lips e, e, form a part of and project from the under
side of the upper portion, and are bent slightly outwards. The lower

page_text: portion a' of the casing is slightly contracted towards the upper edge,
where it is of such a diameter that the elastic lips e cannot be inserted
into it without a slight effort and without the yielding of the lips e,
which, however, recoil when inserted into the lower portion of the casing,
and retain such a hold of the inclined interior of the same that an
effort is necessary to withdraw the upper from the lower portion of the
casing.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The application and use of a flat or nearly flat slotted plate
fitted to a perforated casing, and arranged above the slotted dome of a
hydrocarbon lamp burner, substantially as and for the purpose described
and illustrated by the Drawings.
Second. The combination of the said flat or nearly flat slotted plate
and its pendant casing i with the dome B, the whole being arranged
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Third. The combination with the dome of a hydrocarbon lamp burner
of two air tubes, channels, or orifices, arranged in respect to the
elongated slot of the dome substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described.
Fourth. The combination of the perforated casing A, plate E, dome B,
and air tubes a, a, substantially as herein-before described.
Fifth. The construction and use of a perforated casing A made in two
parts, one of which is provided with elastic lips adapted to the inclined
interior of the other portion, substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of September
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)