IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sydney Pitt, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS." A communication from abroad by
William Burnet Robins, of 59, East Fifth Street, in the City of Covington,
State of Kentucky, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sydney Pitt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th May 1879.
"
SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey. IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS.""
[A communication from abroad by William Burnet Robins, of 59, East Fifth Street,
in the City of Covington, State of Kentucky, United States of America.]
The improved effects produced relate to modes of constructing lamps of the
argand class, to wit, with cylindrical wick tubes for admitting central air current
to the wick, and they consist mainly of,-
First. Easier manipulation and better action of the several mountings heretofore
made to rest on a gallery or other affixed means of support placed under the level
of the flame of a lamp, such as chimney shade, wind guard, reflector, etc., with their
appurtenances.
Secondly. Greater volumes of light evolved.
Thirdly. More intense brilliancy.
Fourthly. Perfect combustion.
Fifthly. Direct, simple, and sure wick movement, free of risk of getting out of

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support sundry other parts of a lamp, such as chimney shade, wind guard, reflector,
weather protecting roof, one or more additional Liverpool buttons, discs, or air
current deflectors and their appurtenances, as may be desired.
This central rod support A, B, is employed for mounting, and by preference in
the way of sheathing on it, a structure S, S, made up of the said sundry additional
parts of the lamp, such as the chimney shade, wind guard, reflector C, C, D, D, etc.,
and their appurtenances.
Diversified combinations of chimney shades, wind guard, reflector, etc., may be
availed of in making up the canopy structure so supported on the central rod, and
it may be either fixed on the rod, or the advantage of convenient track running
manipulation and automatic return after hoisting it to ignite the wick edge, or trim,
or clean the shade, wind guard, chimney, reflector, etc., may be obtained by means
of sheathing the whole on the central supporting rod.
In the latter case it is generally preferred to adopt the following mode of con-
struction, to wit:-For giving free vertical play of such compounded canopy
structure S, S, there is firmly fixed within it a central vertical sheath tube for
sheathing the central supporting rod therein; or, if by reversed construction, the
central support is made tubular, there is fixed in the canopy fabric a central vertical
rod for sheathing into the central tubular support.
For connecting this vertical central sheath tube or rod with the canopy structure
above it a bearing tenon N is by preference employed, of cast metal, such as iron
,or brass. It is provided with a shank at its base for screwing into or otherwise
firmly fixing to the sheath tube sheathing on to the central supporting rod. This
bearing tenon fits up closely against the under surface of the upper portion of the
canopy plate or roof of the canopy structure. This canopy plate or roof C, C, made
of sheet metal, terra cotta, or other material, and by preference of a conical forın, is
provided with lateral vent holes c, c, for outlet of the heated air and products of
combustion; bracket extensions of the bearing tenon pass down between the vent
holes along the inner surface of the canopy plate or roof, and they are firmly
rivetted thereto.
A glass shade or wind guard D, D, and when desired one or more air current
deflectors rest on and within a floor plate by preference of stamped sheet tin, brass,
"or copper removeably clamped to the canopy plate or roof by means of two opposite
.clamping pins passing through perforations in the rim of the floor plate M, M,
and the rim or lower edge of the canopy plate or roof or other equivalent separable
jointing.
Thus it will be seen that the compounded canopy fabric so mounted on an
argand lamp is always concentric therewith so far as relates to the wick tubes and
burner, whilst it is easily manipulated for lighting, cleaning, &c., by merely placing
the hand under the rim of the floor and canopy edge, and raising or lowering at
will the entire structure. Other styles of canopy fabrics are readily substituted by
running it up and completely off of the central supporting rod. For automatic
return by simply letting go of the fabric after elevating it to ignite the wick edge
a buffer spring is sometimes inserted in the top of the sheath tube for the upper
end of the central supporting rod to strike against on letting go the hold of the
canopy edge or floor.
The central supporting rod is held firmly and exactly concentric of the wick
tubes its entire length, and it is preferred to provide means of thus holding it at
two points, to wit, at its lower end and at or a short distance below the level of
the top of the wick tubes. At such upper concentreing point it is preferred to fix
a bracket k, k, made of three or four oblong square sheet metal plates joined at
their vertical edges so as to leave a central vertical groove for passage of the central
supporting rod, whilst their vertical edges form three or four lines of bearing
against the inner surface of the inner wick holding tube. The three or four plates
are bent so as to radiate and form three or four duplex laminated vertical edges for
such bearing so as to hold the supporting rod very firmly and exactly concentric,
whilst causing the least possible obstruction of the air way or bulging of the wick

page_text: tube. On the top of this compounded bracket there rests a short tube d, d, slung
on the central supporting rod, and serving in turn to support the burner. disc
cap E, E, or otherwise shaped central air current deflector placed slightly above the
level of the wick edge. The lower centreing hold of the supporting rod is fixed by pre-
ference in a bracket set in the lower end of the inner wick holding tube in the case of
lamps made with an eccentric oil-font, but when the font is concentric with the
rest of the lamps it is preferred to firmly centre the lower end of the supporting
rod by means of socketing it into a central hole z drilled in the top of the lamp
shaft or an upper connecting member thereof.
The second, third, and fourth improved effects above stated, to wit, greater
volume of light evolved, more intense brilliancy, and perfect combustion are pro-
duced by the foregoing modes of construction, including an annular deflector or
deflectors of the external air current which sometimes may be placed around the
wick tube, and within and resting on the inner surface of the glass shade or wind
guard above described, such external air current deflector or deflectors serve to
force the air to impinge more perfectly into the burning vapour at or near the
outer edge of the wick.
These
The improved effect of direct, simple, and sure wick movement free of risk of
getting out of order is produced by means of constructing the outer wick holding
tube with either one or two slots, according to the diameter of the wick.
slots, by preference spiral, are cut through the outer wick tube for passage, and play
therein of either one or two wick penetrating pins, and the outer wick tube F, F,
so cut is closely encased with a slot closing cylinder, by preference of sheet metal,
and perforated with one or more holes for passage of the pin or pins through its
side. This encasing cylinder is cut away in spiral form at its base, and a corre-
sponding spiral track T of wire is soldered on to the side of the outer wick tube
near to its junction with the oil font top serving as a base track for the cylinder to
ride up and down on when rotated orally. This rotary movement of the
cylinder is effected by means of the ro anixed opposite knobs or handles R, R,
and one or both of these knobs or handles is armed with a wick penetrating sharp
pointed pin passing through a tubular shank affixed to the cylinder sides. The
pin or pins can thus be either made to penetrato and carry the wick, or may
be partly withdrawn or unscrewed so as not to carry it; and by rotating the
cylinder up or down this act of laying hold of the wick may be effected at either
a higher or lower point, as desired.
DIATHLY.
The improved effect of avoiding accidental overflow of oil whilst filling an
opaque font is produced by means of constructing the font with a hole in its
top other than the mouth hole, and inserting in this hole an elongated piece of
clear glass Q, by preference hollow, and with its lower end closed and its upper
end opened, similar to a chemist's test tube. This glass inserted down in the
opaque oil font, reaching near to the floor of the font, and the flanche of its
upper edge countersunk and cemented in the top of the font enables to see therein
or through it the rising level of oil in the font whilst in the act of filling it.

page_text: form is provided with lateral vent holes c, c, shewn by dotted lines for outlet of the
heated air and products of combustion. Bracket extensions of the bearing tenon
pass down between the vent-holes, along the inner surface of the canopy plate or
roof, and they are firmly rivetted thereto.
A glass shade or wind-guard D, D, and when desired one or more air current
deflectors, not shown in the section, rest on and within a floor plate M, M, by pre-
ference of stamped sheet tin, brass, or copper, removeably clamped to the canopy
plate or roof by means of two opposite clamping pins passing through perforations
in the rim of the floor plate and the rim or lower edge of the canopy plate or roof,
or other equivalent separable jointing.
Thus it will be seen that the compounded canopy fabric so mounted on an
argand lamp is always concentric therewith so far as relates to the wick tubes and
burner whilst it is easily manipulated for lighting, cleaning, &c., by merely placing
the hand under the rim of the floor and canopy edge and raising or lowering at
will the entire structure. Other styles of canopy fabrics are readily substituted by
running it up and completely off of the central supporting rod. For automatic
return by simply letting go of the fabric after elevating it to ignite the wick edge
a buffer spring is sometimes inserted in the top of the sheath tube for the upper
end of the central supporting rod to strike against on letting go the hold of the
canopy edge or floor rim.
The central supporting rod is held firmly and exactly concentric of the wick
tubes its entire length, and it is preferred to provide means of thus holding it at
two points, to wit, at its lower end and at or a short distance below the level of
the top of the wick tubes. At such upper concentreing point it is preferred to fix
a bracket k, k, made of three or four oblong, square sheet metal plates jointed at
their vertical edges so as to leave a central vertical groove for passage of the
central supporting rod, whilst their vertical edges form three or four lines of
bearing against the inner surface of the inner wick holding tube. The three or
four plates are bent so as to radiate and form three or four duplex, laminated
vertical edges for such bearing so as to hold the supporting rod very firmly and
exactly concentric whilst causing the least possible obstruction of the air way or
bulging of the wick tube. On the top of this compounded bracket there rests a
short tube d, d, slung on the central supporting rod, and serving in turn to support
the burner disc, cap, or otherwise shaped central air current deflector E, E, placed
slightly above the level of the wick edge. The lower centring hold of the sup-
porting rod is fixed by preference in a bracket set in the lower end of the inner
wick holding tube in the case of lamps made with an eccentric oil-font, but when
the font is concentric with the rest of the lamp it is preferred to firmly centre the
lower end of the supporting rod by means of socketting it into a central hole drilled
in the top of the lamp shaft or an upper connecting member thereof.
The second, third, and fourth improved effects above stated, to wit, greater
volume of light evolved, more intense brilliancy, and perfect combustion are pro-
duced by the foregoing modes of construction, including an annular deflector or
deflectors of the external air current, which sometimes may be placed around the
wick tube, and within and resting on the inner surface of the glass shade or wind-
guard above described. Such external air current deflector or deflectors serve to
force the air to impinge more perfectly into the burning vapour at or near the outer
edge of the wick.
Fifthly. The improved effect of direct, simple, and sure wick movement, free of
risk of getting out of order, is produced by means of constructing the outer wick
holding tube with either one or two slots, according to the diameter of the wick
These slots, by preference spiral, are cut through the outer wick tube for passage
and play therein of either one or two wick penetrating pins, and the outer wick
tube so cut is closely encased with a slot-closing cylinder F, F, by preference of
sheet metal and perforated with one or more holes for passage of the pin or pins
through its side. This encasing cylinder is cut away in spiral form at its base,
and a corresponding spiral track of wire T is soldered on to the side of the outer