Improvements in Oil Lamps.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 27th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1898
TRUVIDIONAL
Improvements in Oil Lamps.
I JOHN CHARLES CRAMPIN READ, General Manager of The Lee Lamp
(Parent) Company Limited of 35 Piccadilly in the County of London, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to lamps having round or Argand burners in which cotton
or like wicks are employed and has for its object to provide means whereby the
raising and lowering of the wick and the adjustment of fresh lengths of wick can
be readily effected the top of the wick being always retained in a level position so
that a more uniform flame is produced than is the case with lamps of this kind as
heretofore constructed.
According to my invention the wick is carried in a tube fitted to slide up and
down in a space between two fixed concentric tubes the inner one of which fixed tubes
preferably extends through the oil vase or reservoir to the bottom of which it is
connected and opens to the exterior so as to admit air to the interior of the flame.
The outer tube may be connected to the rim or collar by which the burner is
connected to the reservoir. When the burner is fixed in position in the reservoir
the upper ends of the said fixed concentric tubes are level one with the other and the
lower end of the outer tube extends some distance down into the reservoir, whilst
the wick occupies the annular space between the interior fixed tube and the sliding
tube which carries the said wick. In the sliding wick tube openings are provided
through which project the points of hinged dogs or claws secured to the sliding
tube which points of the dogs or claws engage the wick and secure it in position
relatively to the said sliding tube so that it moves up and down therewith: the
said dogs or claws being pressed, by contact with the interior surface of the outer
fixed tube, into the wick. In the outer fixed tube are openings corresponding to
those in the sliding tube and so situated that when the sliding tube is raised so that
the holes and hinged dogs in the said sliding tube are opposite the holes in the
outer fixed tube the points of the dogs or claws can be removed from the wick
which will admit of the said wick being raised or lowered and adjusted as required
to give a fresh protruding length of wick, the dogs or claws being opened outwards
through the openings in the outer tube. When the sliding tube and wick are
moved down after the wick has been adjusted the dogs or claws are again pressed
into the wick by coming into contact with the outer stationary tube and the end of
the wick will remain level as the dogs or claws prevent the wick from raising more
at one part than at another part of its circumference & consequently a uniform flame
can be ensured. The raising and lowering of the sliding tube is effected by any suitable
means but preferably by means of a pinion on what is usually the wick elevator the
said pinion gearing with a rack secured at its lower end to the lower end of the sliding
tube and extending upwards outside the outer fixed concentric tube to the necessary
height. A flame spreader is provided on the inner fixed tube the said spreader
preferably consisting of a circular plate or button, Laving perforations therein
communicating with an annular inverted trough shaped chamber on the upper side
of the plate or button the said chamber being also perforated, so that the air
entering the said chamber through the perforations in the plate or button will
become bighly heated and then pass through the perforations in the chamber
against the flame and thereby increase its illuminating power. The gallery which

page_text: supports the glass or chimney is capable of being raised for the purpose of lighting
the lamp by means of rotatable helical surfaces which act on pins or projections
connected with the said gallery means being provided to prevent the gallery from
being raised except by the partial rotation of the said helical surfaces and there
being notches or rests which retain the parts in their raised and lowered positions
respectively.
Dated this 27th day of May 1895
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.. Agents.
Improvements in Oil Lamps.
I, JOHN CHARLES CRAMPIN READ, General Manager of The Lee Lamp
(Parent) Company Limited of 35 Piccadilly in the County of London do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what mauner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to lamps having round or Argand burners in which cotton,
or like wicks, are employed, and has for its object to provide means whereby the
raising and lowering of the wick and the adjustment of fresh lengths of wick can
be readily effected, the top of the wick being always retained in a level position so
that a more uniform flame is produced than is the case with lamps of this kind as
heretofore constructed.
I will describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a lamp provided with this invention with the
hereinafter described claws disengaged from the wick.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the wick tubes.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the wick tubes with the claws engaged with
the wick.
Figure 4 is an external view of the lamp partly in section.
According to my invention the wick a is carried in a tube b fitted to slide up and
down in a space between two fixed concentric tubes c and d the inner one c of which
fixed tubes preferably extends through the oil vase or reservoir to the bottom of
which it is connected and opens to the exterior so as to admit air to the interior of
the flame. The outer tube d may be connected to the rim or collar e by which the
burner is connected to the reservoir. When the burner is fixed in position in the
reservoir the upper ends of the said fixed concentric tubes c and d are level one
with the other as shewn in Figure 1 and the lower end of the outer tube d extends
some distance down into the reservoir, whilst the wick a occupies the annular space
between the interior fixed tube c and the sliding tube which carries the said wick.
In the sliding wick tube openings 62 are provided through which project the points
of dogs or claws f hinged to the sliding tube which points of the dogs or claws
engage the wick and secure it in position relatively to the said sliding tube bas
shewn in Figure 3 so that it moves up and down therewith; the said dogs or
claws being pressed, by contact with the interior surface of the outer fixed
tube à into the wick. In the outer fixed tube are openings d' corresponding to
those in the sliding tube b and so situated that when the sliding tube b is raised so
that the holes and hinged dogs or claws f in, and carried by, the said sliding
tube are opposite the holes d³ in the outer fixed tube d the points of the dogs or
claws can be removed from the wick as shewn in Figures 1, 2 and which will
admit of the said wick being raised or lowered and adjusted as required to give a
fresh protruding length of wick, the dogs or claws being opened outwards
through the said openings in the outer tube d. When the sliding tube b and

page_text: wick a are moved down after the wick has been adjusted the dogs or claws ƒ are
again pressed into the wick by coming into contact with the outer stationary
tube d and the end of the wick will remain level as the dogs or claws prevent the
wick from raising more at one part than at another part of its circumference and
consequently a uniform flame can be ensured. The raising and lowering of
the sliding tube 6 (and consequently of the wick) is effected by any suitable
means but preferably by means of a pinion on what is usually the wick elevator
the said pinion g gearing with a rack h secured at its lower end to the lower end of
the sliding tube b and extending upwards outside the outer fixed concentric tube
to the necessary height. The rack is secured to the tube 6 by the pin h the
slot d in the tube d allowing of the movement of the said pin. It will be evident,
that the arrangement can be reversed if desired so that the dogs or claws are
engaged by the inner tube and wick being raised so that the dogs or claws are
pressed in and engaged with the wick by contact with the upper edges of the
slots instead of with their lower edges. A flame spreader I is provided on the
inner fixed tube c, the said spreader preferably consisting of a circular plate or
button having perforations therein communicating with an annular trough
shaped chamber formed between the plate or button i and the plate it so that the
air entering the said chamber through the perforations in the plate or button i
will become highly heated it passing through the annular space around the
chamber against the edge and thence against the flame thereby increasing its
illuminating power. The gallery which supports the glass or chimney is shewn as
being capable of being raised for the purpose of lighting the lamp by means of
rotatable helical surfaces which act on pins or projections connected with the said
gallery means being provided to prevent the gallery from being raised except by
the partial rotation of the said helical surfaces and there being notches or rests
which retain the parts in their raised and lowered positions respectively, but this
arrangement of the gallery raiser is claimed under the prior Patent No. 6906 of
1894 belonging to my said company and therefore it is not claimed in the present
application.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In oil lamps, two fixed tubes between which the wick and a wick tube are
capable of moving up and down and dogs or claws hinged to the said wick tube and
openings in the outer fixed tube through which the dogs or claws can be disengaged
the edges of these openings in the fixed outer tube causing the dogs or claws to
engage with the wick in combination with means for moving the wick tube up and
down substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A flame spreader for oil lamps consisting of a perforated plate or button and
an air chamber such as with an exit for air therefrom substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated.
3. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the oil lamp
hereinbefore described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 27th day of February 1896.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.