AN IMPROVEMENT IN LAMPS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Frederick Albert Hinrichs, of Brooklyn, in the
State of New York, United States of America, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVEMENT IN LAMPS."
Sealed the 8th July 1879, and dated the 11th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Frederick Albert
Hinrichs at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th February
1879.
CHARLES FREDERICK ALBERT HINRICHS, of Brooklyn, in the State of New
York, United States of America. "AN IMPROVEMENT IN LAMPS."
This improvement relates to that class of lamps known as student lamps, in
which there is an inverted fountain or oil holder, and the liquid passes gradually
from the lower end as the air enters into the fountain, in consequence of the oil in
the lamp sinking below the end of the neck of the fountain.
In place of the rounding valve that is usually employed with such fountains I
employ a disc or flat valve and a float that closes the valve when the fountain is
filled. This float lifts the valves and indicates when the fountain is full, it being
understood that the fountain is inverted as usual in filling. The float is upon a
tubular stem, so that it slides upon the valve stein and does not act to open the
valve when the fountain is turned over for insertion into the reservoir or case
holding the fountain.
This reservoir is made entirely of glass or other vitrified material, or of metal
with a glass surface so as to be ornamental, and the top of the fountain is also of
vitrified material. There is a rim around the lower end of the fountain to catch
any overflow there may be in filling the same, and the neck of the fountain is
tubular with a tubular thimble or valve covering the same; openings are made
through both the neck and thimble, so that oil can be introduced into the fountain
when the thimble has been turned to make the holes coincide. There is a projeċ-
tion on the thimble passing into a groove in a socket piece that is attached to the
inside at the bottom of the reservoir, so that when the fountain has been entered
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page_text: into the reservoir this tubular thimble will be held by the socket while the fountain
and neck are being turned to open the thimble valve, and upon the neck there is a
pin entering a slot in the socket so that the fountain is held in the reservoir until
the parts are turned back to close the tubular thimble or valve before the fountain
-is-removed-from-the-reservoir..
In some instances a bayonet lock is applied to the fountain to hold it into the
reservoir, and the thimble is turned by pins that pass downwardly into the slot of a
cross piece-within-the-reservoir. Upon the side of the thimble there is sometimes
a lip that is adjacent to the-hole-that-passes-through-said-thimble-so-as-to-direct
the liquid into the fountain when it is being filled.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Frederick Albert Hinrichs in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th August 1879.
CHARLES FREDERICK ALBERT HINRICHS, of Brooklyn, in the State of New
York, United States of America. "AN IMPROVEMENT IN LAMPS."
.
This improvement relates to that class of lamps known as student lamps, in
which there is an inverted fountain or oil holder, and the liquid passes gradually
from the lower end as the air enters into the fountain in consequence of the oil in
the lamp sinking below the end of the neck of the fountain. In place of the
rounding valve that is usually employed with such fountains I employ a disk or
flat valve and a float that closes the valve when the fountain is filled. This float
lifts the valve and indicates when the fountain is full, it being understood thattho.
fountain is inverted as usual in filling. The float is upon a tubular stem so that it
slides upon the valve stem and does not act to open the valve when the fountain is
turned over for insertion into the reservoir or case holding the fountain. This
reservoir is made of glass or other vitrified material, or of metal with a glass
-surface.so.as_to_be_ornamental, and the top of the fountain may be also of vitrified
material. There is a rim around the lower end of the fountain to catch any over-
flow there may be in filling the same, and the neck of the fountain is tubular with
a tubular thimble or valve covering the same; openings are made through both the
neck and thimble, so that oil can be introduced into the fountain when the thimble
has been turned to make the holes coincide. There is a projection on the thimble
passing into a groove in a socket piece that is attached to the inside at the bottom
of the reservoir, so that when the fountain has been entered into the reservoir this
tubular thimble will be held by the socket while the fountain and neck are being
turned to open the thimble valve, and upon the neck there is a pin entering a slot in
the socket so that the fountain is held in the reservoir until the parts are turned back
to.close the tubular thimble or valve before the fountain is removed from the reservoir.
In some instances a bayonet lock is applied to the fountain to hold it into the reservoir,
and the thimble is turned by pins that pass downwardly into the slot of a cross

page_text: piece within the reservoir. Upon the side of the thimble there is sometimes a lip
that is adjacent to the hole that passes through said thimble so as to direct the
liquid into the fountain when it is being filled.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the lamp fountain and elevation
of a portion of the lamp standard and of the pipe that passes to the burner; Fig. 2
is an elevation of the lower part of the fountain and section of the bottom of the
reservoir; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan at the line x, x; Fig. 4 is a vertical section of
a portion of the reservoir and fountain showing a modification of the tubular cut
off; Fig. 5 is a section at the line x¹, x'; and Fig. 6 is an inverted plan of the
fountain and cut off. The fountain a is made of any usual or convenient size, and
preferably cylindrical and of sheet metal. There is an opening in the bottom of the
fountain, and the valve 6 closes this opening when the fountain has been filled and
is being introduced into the reservoir. I apply a float c of proper size and displace-
ment upon the spindle d, said float being of cork or other suitable material, and it
acts to raise the valve while the reservoir is being filled, and finally closes the
opening by the valve and indicates that the fountain is full. I prefer to use the
tube e that passes through and is secured to the cork and slides freely on the valve
stem, hence the float and its tubular stem will rest against the bridge 2, except
when it floats and lifts the valve, and the valve is free to fall when the fountain is
lifted out of or inserted into the reservoir or case.
The case or reservoir fis made of glass or other vitrified material, and is generally
cylindrical and of a size and shape adapted to the fountain. I have shown the
same as outside of the metal case h from which the tube passes to the burner as
usual. The metallic base m receives and incloses the lower edge of the vitrified
cylinder or case f, and a ring flange n at the top of the reservoir f secures the
upper end of the vitrified cylinder the metal parts being soldered or otherwise
attached together. It will be apparent that if the vitrified case is so cemented
into the base that it will not leak the inside metal reservoir will not be needed.
The vitrified reservoir or case may be more or less ornamental. I sometimes make
the same of glass with figures or ornaments painted or burned upon the surface.
Sometimes I make the top or exposed end of the sheet metal fountain with a
vitrified cap or cover.
p is a tube closed at the outer end and surrounding the opening in the bottom
of the fountain, and around this tube is a tubular thimble or valve q that is made
with a flange setting within an annular lip a¹ upon the bottom of the fountain,
so that the cut off and fountain are loosely connected, and the tubular thimble can
be partially revolved a distance limited by the stop w, and there are holes in p
and q that allow the oil to be poured into the fountain when the tubular thimble
has been turned to make the holes coincide. This tubular thimble serves to close
the oil inlet tightly when the lamp is to be inverted, and in cases where an effort
is made to invert the lamp without turning the tubular thimble the valve b closes
by the action of the oil and prevents the same spilling. In order to facilitate the
pouring of the oil into the fountain I make use of the pouring lip t, Figs. 1 and 2,
that is fastened to the side of the tubular thimble below the opening and flaring
outwardly and around such opening, so that when the fountain is in the position
for receiving the oil the pouring lip will conduct the oil properly to the openings.
This pouring lip is also convenient for returning to the oil can any surplus oil that
may remain within such pouring lip. u is a rim upon the bottom of the reservoir
that acts as a cup to catch any overflow of the oil in filling the fountain; this over-
flow can be returned to the can. In order to operate the tubular thimble after the
fountain is in place I make use of a pin or pins s upon the tubular thimble that
enter an opening either in a bridge-piece r, as in Figs. 1, 2, & 3, or into an L
shaped slot in a tube v secured to the bottom of the reservoir, as in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.
In Figs. 1, 2, & 3, the pins 8 enter the slot in the bridge r and prevent the cut-off
or tubular thimble q turning while the fountain and tube pis being turned to make
the holes in p and q coincide. In Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the pin 8 first enters the
vertical part of the slot in v and then enters the horizontal portion as the fountain

page_text: is turned until the pin comes to the end of the slot; this locks the fountain to the
reservoir. During this movement the tubular thimble and tube p have turned
together, but so soon as the pin 8 strikes the end of the slot the tubular thimble is
held stationary while the tube p turns within the tubular thimble until arrested by
the-pin-w-reaching-the-end-of-the-space provided for it in the annular lip a¹.
The reverse movement of the fountain first unlocks the fountain from the
reservoir and then closes the openings in p and q. In Fig. 1 the L shaped
slot is shown by dotted-lines as being in the metal h of the reservoir f, and the pin s²
is upon the fountain for guiding the fountain to place when-inserting-it-within-the-
and for looking it to coid reservoir
together, but so soon as the pin 8 strikes the end of the slot the tubular thimble is
held stationary while the tube p turns within the tubular thimble until arrested by
the-pin-w-reaching-the-end-of_the_space provided for it in the annular lip a
The reverse movement of the fountain first unlocks the fountain from the
reservoir and then closes the openings in p and q. In Fig. 1 the L shaped
slot is shown-by dotted-lines-as being in the metal h of the reservoir f, and the pin s²
is upon the fountain for guiding the fountain to place when-inserting-it-within-the
reservoir and for looking it to said reservoir
I claim as my Invention,-
First. The combination with the inverted fountain in a student lamp and the
valve-thereof of a float of cork or similar material around the valve stem for the
purposes set forth.
Second. The float é provided with a tubular stem in combination with the valve.
and stein of the lamp fountain substantially as set forth.
Third. In combination with the sheet metal of the reservoir the vitrified case or
surface surrounding the same substantially as set forth.
.
Fourth. The combination with the inverted lamp fountain of the tubular thimble
and the self closing valve substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The combination with the tubular thimble on the lamp fountain of the
pouring spout t substantially as set forth.
Sixth. In combination with the inverted fountain and self closing valve the
tubular thimble q, pin s, and locking device substantially as specified.
Seventh. The combination with the inverted fountain of the rim u forming an
overflow vessel for the purposes and substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederick Albert Hinrichs, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this 18 day of July, A. D. 1879.
Witnesses,
CHAS. H. SMITH, 140, Nassau St., N. Y.
GEO. T. PINCKNEY,
"
"
"
C. F. A. HINRICHS. (L.S.)