Improvements in Lamps for Burning Petroleum or Paraffin.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July. 1899
Complete Specification Left, 14th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 20th Jan., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
[Improvements in Lamps for Burning Petroleum or Paraffin.
I, BENJAMIN HARRIS COPELAND, of 112, Cobden Street, in the County Borough
of Derby, Sheet Metal Worker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:--
The object of my invention is to minimise the danger of explosion attending
the upsetting of paraffin or petroleum lamps and also to minimise the risk of
such lamps being blown out or of the flame being "knocked" out both being
rather common occurrences, and the latter often caused by a rush of oil up the
wick.
My invention may be applied to any of the well known forms of house or
railway lamps is also applicable to carriage lamps and consists of an oil vessel
filled or partly filled with cotton wool, wadding, sponge or other absorbent, in
the centre of this is a vertical opening or chamber separated from the main
vessel by means of wire gauze or other perforated substance this inner chamber
passes to or nearly to the bottom of the main chamber and is intended to receive
the wick which should be preferably long enough to touch the bottom of the
vessel, any well known burner and lamp top may be employed such as the single
or duplex top or the "Barton" burner as generally adopted for railway lamps may
be used.
The oil vessel is filled with sufficient oil to thoroughly impregnate the wadding
or other absorbent until the said absorbent will not hold more a small quantity of
oil being preferably left in the bottom of the wick chamber.
Upon lighting the lamp the oil or vapour therefrom is drawn up the wick and
it will continue burning until the greater part of the oil is withdrawn from the
main vessel and absorbent.
It will thus be readily seen that it is almost impossible to knock the light out
and there is not the slightest danger attending the upsetting of such a lamp.
I may adopt any suitable system of ventilation according to the particular
kind of lamp my invention is applied to, for example a railway lamp is preferably
ventilated from the bottom in such a case I should take an air tube from the top
of the oil vessel to the bottom with a short return pipe up under the wick chamber.
I may provide a screw plug or other device for access to the absorbent and oil
chamber and my invention may be applied to existing lamps if desired.
W. SWINDELL,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Lamps for burning retroleum or raramn.
I, BENJAMIN HARRIS COPELAND, of 112, Cobden Street, in the County Borough
of Derby, Sheet Metal Worker, 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:-
The object of my invention is to minimise the risk of explosion attending the
upsetting of paraffin or petroleum lamps, or of such lamps being blown out, or of
the flame being "knocked" or jerked out, all being rather common occurrences
with these lamps, and the latter is sometimes caused by a rush of oil up the wick.
My invention may be applied to any of the well known forms of house or railway
lamps and is also applicable to carriage lamps and consists of an oil vessel filled
or partly filled with cotton wool, wadding, sponge or other absorbent. In the
centre of this is a vertical tubular chamber known as the wick chamber, separated
from the main vessel by means of annular partition formed of wire gauze or
other perforated substance. This inner chamber passes to or nearly to the
bottom of the container and is intended to receive the wick which should be
preferably long enough to touch the bottom of the vessel. Any well known burner
and lamp top may be employed, such as the single or duplex top or the "Barton
burner as generally adopted for railway lamps may be used.
"
The oil vessel is filled with sufficient oil to thoroughly soak the packing until
it will not hold more, a small quantity of oil being preferably left in the bottom
of the wick chamber.
When the lamp is lit, the oil or vapour therefrom is drawn up the wick and it
will continue burning until the greater part of the oil is withdrawn from the
main vessel and its absorbent packing.
It will thus be readily seen that it is almost impossible to knock the light out,
and there is not the slightest danger attending the upsetting of such a lamp.
I may adopt any suitable system of ventilating the container according to the
particular kind of lamp my invention is applied to, for example, a railway lamp
is preferably ventilated from the bottom. In such a case I should take an air
tube from the top of the oil vessel to the bottom with a short return pipe up
under the wick chamber.
I may provide a feeder screw, plug or other device for access to the oil chamber
and packing, and my invention may be applied to existing lamps if desired, as
well as to new ones.
I will now describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which:
Fig. 1 shews a vertical section of a lamp constructed on my system.
Fig. 2 shews a horizontal section on line 1-1.
a is the oil chamber which is separated from the central wick chamber 6 by
two perforated circular partitions c, d, preferably of perforated zinc. The annular
space between the walls c, d, is filled with a suitable absorbent packing e. The
oil is poured into the oil chamber, either by feeder screw from outside or through
the wick chamber after removing the burner, and in the latter case the oil is
conducted to the oil chamber by the ducts f f. The escape of inflammable
vapour from the top of the oil chamber is provided for by the ventilating pipe g
communicating with the wick chamber.
is a different form of ventilating tube shewn in the detached section a
used when preferred in certain kinds of containers employed for railway use,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In an oil container for lamps burning paraffin, petroleum and the like, the
combination of the wick chamber b, partition c, d, packing e, ducts ff, ventilating
tubes or oil chamber a with or without feeder screw, as herein described and
set forth.
2. In a safety mineral oil lamp for railway purposes, the arrangement of wick
chamber b, partition c, d, packing e, ducts ff, oil chamber a, ventilating tubes g
or a, to prevent risk of explosion and extinction from jerking or upsetting, as
herein described and set forth.
2000
S. S. BROMHEAD,
Agent for Applicant, 33, Cannon Street, London, E.C.