Improvements in or Applicable to Lamps and Lamp Wicks.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 9th July, 1889-Accepted, 24th Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Applicable to Lamps and Lamp Wicks.
I, ALFRED ELLIS HARRIS, of €4, Finsbury Pavement, in the County of London,
Dentist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to lamps for burning hydrocarbon and other oils, and to wicks
for use in such lamps, the object of the invention being to provide means whereby
oil lamps shall burn with greater brilliancy than heretofore, and whereby the wicks
shall not require trimming.
My said invention consists essentially in the use, in combination with the wick, of
a cap of platinum or other suitable wire gauze or of finely perforated sheet metal, the
said cap being adapted to fit over the wick in such a manner that the interstices or
perforations of the cap will be kept constantly full of oil which, when lighted, will
give a brilliant flame. Owing to the use of the cap, however, the flame does not come
into contact with the wick, so that the latter is not charred, and therefore requires no
trimming.
My improved cap may be so constructed as to fit upon the wick tube or wick, or
it may form a continuation of the wick tube or be permanently attached thereto.
In some cases I find it advantageous to incorporate with the upper end of a cotton.
or other wick, during the course of its manufacture, wires or plates designed to form
a cap or its equivalent, or the wick may be composed of metal, gauze or the like,
strips of cotton, sponge, or other absorbent material being placed thereon if desired.
Dated the 30th day of May 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Applicable to Lamps and Lamp Wicks.
I, ALFRED ELLIS HARRIS, of 64 Finsbury Pavement, in the County of Middlesex,
Dentist, 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 lamps for burning hydro-carbon and other oils, and to wicks
for use in such lamps the object of the invention being to provide means whereby
oil lamps shall burn with greater brilliancy than heretofore, and whereby the wicks
shall not require trimming.
My said invention consists essentially in the use, in combination with the wick, of
a cap of platinum or other suitable wire gauze, or of finely perforated sheet metal,
the said cap being adapted to fit over the wick in such a manner that the interstices
or perforations of the cap will be kept constantly full of oil which, when lighted,
will give a brilliant flame. Owing to the use of the cap, however, the flame does not
come into contact with the wick, so that the latter is not charred, and therefore requires
no_trimming.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a lamp burner provided with my improved wick.
Figure 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of my improved wick; and,
Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line x, x of Figure 2.
a is a wick of any ordinary material, and b is my cap of wire gauze, perforated
plate or the like, which is fitted onto the said wick. In practice the said cap may
ho formed by tobing a strip of cauze of a width slightly greater than that of the wick

page_text: and of twice the length of the cap when finished. The said strip is then bent at the
centre to fit over the top of the wick and embrace the two sides thereof, and the
adjacent edges of the gauze are bent together or otherwise connected.
The gauze is advantageously pressed into the wick, as shown in Figure 3, so as to
ensure its being in contact therewith.
Instead of fitting my improved cap upon the wick as hereinbefore described, it
may be so constructed as to fit upon the wick-tube, or it may form a continuation
of the wick-tube or be permanently attached thereto.
In some cases I find it advantageous to incorporate with the upper end of a cotton
or other wick, during the course of its manufacture, wires or strips designed to form
a cap, tip or its equivalent, or the wick may be composed of metal gauze or the
like, strips of cotton, sponge or other absorbent material being placed thereon, if
desired.
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. A lamp the wick or wick-tube of which has a cap or tip of wire, wire-gauze
or perforated metal, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
2. A cap or tip adapted to be applied to the wick or wick-tube of a lamp, the
said cap or tip being made of wire, wire-gauze or perforated metal, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
3. A lamp wick, one end of which has a cap or tip of wire, wire-gauze or perforated
metal, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
4. A lamp wick composed of wire, wire-gauze or perforated metal and pieces or
strips of cotton, sponge or other absorbent material for maintaining the interstices
or perforations of the gauze or metal full of oil, substantially as described.
Dated the 9th day of July 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.