CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS."-A com-
munication.
Sealed the 10th December 1858, and dated the 2nd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd July 1858.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS,"
to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obtain a lamp by which the flame may be
supplied with a large or the requisite amount of oxygen without the employ-
ment of a glass chimney. The Invention, although applicable to the burning
of any of the materials or substances now used for illuminating purposes; is
more especially designed for burning coal oil and similar substances rich in
carbon. The reservoir containing the fluid to be burned is fitted with a
stopper, constructed of wood or other non-conducting material, and above it is
placed the wick tube which receives the upper end of the wick that is passed
up to it from the reservoir. The wick is raised and lowered by means of a

page_text: small serrated wheel fitted in a slot in the wick tube and turned by a small
thumb wheel. The reservoir is surmounted by a conical case which is
attached thereto, and extends some distance above the reservoir. In the case
an opening is made opposite the wick tube to gain access thereto, and in the
upper end of the case is fitted a rim which is provided with radial arms that
carry a small concentric rim. This smaller rim carries a tube which has its
lower part perforated and extends down nearly to the top of the wick tube.
The conical case is encompassed by another case of similar form which turns
freely upon it to permit of its closing the apertures in the inner case.
This
outer case is provided with a handle, and it also has an aperture made in it
corresponding to that in the inner case, and for the like purpose. Near the
bottom of the reservoir a sliding ring or collar is provided for contracting the
air space between the reservoir and the conical cover. On the upper end of
the central pierced tube a burner is fitted, which may be formed of a flattened
tube, or constructed in any way so that an oblong narrow orifice is obtained
therein; over this, and attached to the conical case a cap is fitted which has an
oblong slot made in its upper end. The operation of this lamp will be some-
what peculiar. A slow combustion of the vapor will take place in the lower
end of the central tube, which is supplied with but a small quantity of oxygen,
and hydrocarbon gas will be eliminated by this flame, the wick, of course,
supplying the flame with the burning material faster than the flame can con-
sume it. The flame, therefore, is a gas generator, and is used only as such.
The hydrocarbon gas passes up the tube, and issuing from the burner is
ignited and gives off a brilliant light, the flame being supplied with oxygen by
the draught formed by the rarefied air within the conical case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred Vincent

page_text: Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 bad to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
:-
The object of this Invention as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondent, is to obtain a lamp by which the flame may be supplied with a large
or the requisite amount of oxygen without the employment of the glass
chimney which has been hitherto used for such purpose. The lamp herein-
after described, although applicable to the burning of any of the fluid hydro-
carbons now used for illuminating purposes, is more especially designed for
burning coal oil and similar substances rich in carbon, and consequently
requiring a large amount of oxygen to secure proper or perfect combustion.
Materials of this nature, when supplied with the necessary amount of oxygen,
emit a beautiful and pure light, but as their use has hitherto been restricted to
chimney lamps, which cannot be readily moved or carried from place to place,
such materials are not very generally employed for illuminating purposes.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a lamp constructed
according to this Invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the same.
A represents the body of a lamp or fountain which contains the fluid hydro-
carbon; B is a wick tube which is inserted in a stopper C, constructed of
wood or other non-conducting material and fitted in the apex of the fountain A,
(see Fig. 1). The stopper C is surmounted by a metal cap D, which is
hollow and provided with slots or perforations a to allow the air to pass:
through and keep it in a cool state. The cap D is not in contact with the
fountain at any point, the design being to insulate as far as possible the wick

page_text: cap
tube from the fountain, the object of which insulation will be herein-after
stated. E is a wick placed in the tube B and extending into the fountain A
as usual. This wick is raised and lowered by means of a small serrated
wheel b, which is fitted in a slot in the wick tube B, the axis c of the wheel
passing through the D and carrying a small thumb wheel d at its outer
end. The wick tube is made of slightly conical form to admit of the easy
movement of the wick. F is a case, which, as well as the case of the
fountain A, may be constructed of sheet metal; this case is of a conical or
approximate form, and it extends some distance above the fountain A. The
lower end of the case F is connected by a hinge or joint to the case of the
fountain A, and it is secured to the fountain in a vertical position by proper
catches f. The case F does not extend down to the bottom of the fountain,
nor does it touch its side, a space 9 being allowed all around, as shewn clearly
in Fig. 2. In the case F an opening is made opposite the wick tube of the
fountain A, and in the upper end of the case Fa rim i is fitted, the said rim
being provided with radial arms j, which carry a small concentric rim . To
his smaller rim k, the upper end of a tube G is secured. This tube has
its lower part perforated, and it extends down nearly to the top of the wick
tube B. The tube G, however, may be fitted in the rim k or arranged in any
proper way, whereby it may be adjusted or extended, so that its lower end
may be placed nearer to or farther from the top of the wick tube B, as
circumstances may require. The case F is encompassed by another case H,
which is similar in form and is capable of turning freely upon it. This outer
case His provided with a handle I, and also has an aperture 7 made in it.
To the lower end of the fountain A, a vertical flanch m is attached; the upper
edge of this flanch may have recesses formed in it, or it may be perfectly
horizontal, but made so as not to extend up as high as the lower end of the
case F. The flanch m is encompassed by an annular metal strip n, which has
oblique or inclined slots o made in it, in which slots fit pins p attached to the
flanch m. These pins and slots cause the strip n to rise and fall as it is
turned, and thereby enlarge or contract the space g between the lower end of
the case F and the fountain A, the strip n being a register, the use of which
will be herein-after explained. On the upper end of the tube G is fitted a
burner J, which may be formed of a flattened tube, or constructed in any way
that will afford an oblong narrow orifice q; at the upper end thereof a cap K,
which fits over the upper end of the case F and has an oblong slot made in
its upper end, encloses the burner J. In order to charge the fountain A with
the material to be burned, the cases F and H are to be turned over so as to
expose the fountain A, and the stopper C being then removed, the fountain

page_text: is to be filled at the opening; the cases F, H, are then moved back to their
original position, and the wick E is lighted. The register n is now to be
adjusted, so as to supply the requisite quantity of air to the flame A¹, and the
size of the flame is to be regulated by adjusting the wick E, so as to produce,
as far as possible, perfect combustion. When the air within the case F
becomes somewhat rarified, the supply of oxygen to the flame A¹ may be
restricted by any proper means, either by adjusting the tube G to a greater or
less extent over the flame A¹, or by using a deflecting device. The flame A¹,
being supplied with a small quantity of oxygen, an imperfect combustion only
will be obtained, and hydrocarbon gas will be eliminated by the flame A¹, the
wick E of course supplying the flame A¹ with the burning material faster than
the said flame can consume it; the flame A¹ therefore is a gas generator, and
is used only as such. The hydrocarbon gas passing up the tube G and issuing
from the orifice q of the burner J is ignited and burned; the flame A¹¹ being
the illuminating flame, and supplied with oxygen by the draught formed by
the case F, the air within which is rarified by the two flames A¹, A", the
register n being open, and the cap K on top of the case F deflecting the air
into the flame A".
When the wick E requires to be trimmed, the external case H is turned,
so that the two apertures h, l, will coincide, and thereby render the wick
accessible. When the lamp is in use, the external case is turned, so that the
said apertures will be out of coincidence, and consequently closed.
It would be preferable to have the case F made of copper or other good
conductor of heat, and the external case H made of, or covered with, some
non-conducting material; by this means, the heat will be retained in the
case F, and a good draught obtained. The rims i, k, and arms j, at the upper
part of the case F, serve to conduct the heat to the case, and the cap K also
serves as a conductor, thereby aiding in keeping the air in the upper part of
the case F in a rarified state. By insulating the wick tube B from the
fountain A, the heat is also retained within the case F. Any approved form
of burner may be used, the object of the burner being to have the flame A¹¹ of
such form that the greatest possible area or surface of a given volume may be
presented to the air.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Certain Improvements
in Lamps," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not claim the cap K, burner J, and fountain A, when separately
considered, but what I claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent
is,

page_text: First, the employment of a tube G, and burner J, arranged with a lamp or
fountain A, as shewn, or in any way so that the flame which is fed direct from
the burning material within the fountain may serve as a gas generator to
supply the illuminating flame A" that issues from the burner J, and this I.
claim irrespective of any particular means which may be employed for sup-
plying the illuminating flame with oxygen.
And secondly, the case F attached to the lamp or fountain A, and provided
with a cap K, and arranged relatively with the parts above named, sub-
stantially as shewn, so that the illuminating flame A" may be supplied with
the necessary amount of oxygen to produce a proper or perfect combustion.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the First day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)