Improved Automatic Gas-lighter.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improved Automatic Gas-lighter.
A communication by FRITZ TRENDEL, of No. 22, Michaelkirchplatz, Berlin, in
the Empire of Germany.
I, GEORGE CECIL DYMOND, M.Inst. M.E., of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the
County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to that class of automatic gas lighting apparatus in
which platinum mohr or "black" of iridium, cadmium and similar metals, or
compounds of such metals is employed, the catalytic quality of such "black"
being a well known means for obtaining the automatic ignition of gas. In gas-
lighters of the class referred to, the platinum mohr and the thin wires of platina
connected thereto, as also the supporting parts of the platinum-mohr, are liable to
become worn and inactive in a comparatively short time of use, and the apparatus
becomes inoperative, principally owing to the fact that the working parts are
too much exposed to the objectionable heat of the flame which has been lighted.
The object of this invention is to automatically remove the operative platinum-
mohr and its supporting parts, as also the thin wires of platinum connected to
the blacks from the heat of the flame, as soon as the same has been ignited, and
to cause the said blacks and working parts to return into the normal position when
the flame has been extinguished, whereby the apparatus will always be ready
for repeated use.
To obtain the purpose in view, the platinum-mohr or black of similar kind
are carried by a lever so pivoted to a suitable supporting frame to normally keep
the position directly above the flame to be lighted, and immediately after lighting
the flame, the hrat thereby generated causes the said lever to turn and to be
removed out of reach of the direct heat of the flame. To impart motion to the
said pivoted lever, a spring composed of two different metals is connected to said
lever, the free end of said spring forming a lever-arm, which, on finding a fulcrum
and acting against said fulcrum, throws the pivoted lever around to a sufficient
extent to remove the spring and the platinum mohr out of the reach of the direct
heat of the flame.
My correspondent is aware that a spring composed of two different metals of
different expansibility has been employed before for removing the lighting sub-
stance from the-flame, but in apparatus of such kind, the spring itself remained

page_text: exposed to the heat and within a comparatively short time lost its operativeness.
The novel feature of this invention does not consist in employing a spring of the
kind described, but in combining the same to a lever which supports the platinum-
mohr or similar lighting substance in the peculiar manner hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side view of the automatic gas-lighting apparatus mounted on the
top of a gas lamp chimney;
Figure 2 is a plan of the same, shown in its normal position, before lighting
the flame; and
Figure 3 is a plan showing the position of the apparatus after ignition of the
flame.
With reference to the said drawings, a is a suitable automatic gas-lighting
substance, such for instance as platinum-mohr, or its equivalent, but the invention
is not limited to a distinct substance of the kind described. a are thin wires of
platinum, connected, as usual, to the catalytic substance, which wires, being
heated to a white heat effect the lighting of the gas. b is a suitable support
which may be of such a form as to be conveniently fixed to the upper end of a
lamp chimney, but which may be varied as desired, and secured to any other
part of the lamp or burner or adjacent parts. Between lugs of the said support b,
a lever c is pivoted to freely swing, as indicated by arrows in Figures 2 and 3.
The lighting substance a is carried by the free end of said lever c. Adjacent to
the outer end of said lever c, a stud is secured, and within the said stud d, one
end of the spring e is secured, the said spring e being composed of two different
metals having a different expansibility whereby the said spring is extremely
sensitive under the influence even of very moderate heat.
The free end of said spring e extends parallel or nearly parallel to the lever
and almost to the inner end of said lever, but as soon as the said spring e becomes
heated even to a very moderate degree, that is immediately after the flame has
been lighted, the said spring will expand and its free end move in the direction
of the arrow 1 in Figure 2, thus assuming the position indicated by Figure 3.
The said spring resting against the edge f of the support b, the latter will be
resisted by said edge in moving, as described, and the said edge f will constitute
a fulcrum to the spring, thereby acting as a lever, which on being turned in the
direction of arrow 2, Figure 2, carries the other lever c along with it and throws
the same into the position shown in Figure 3 where the lighting substance a, and
also the spring e, are out of reach of the heat of the flame. When the flame has
been extinguished, the spring e will cool down and resume its former position, as
shown in Figure 2, thereby receding from its bearing edge or fulcrum f, and as
the lever c is so pivoted as to normally swing by its own gravity towards the centre
of the lamp chimney, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 3, the combined lever e
and spring e will return into said position to be ready for lighting the flame
again as soon as the gas has been turned on anew.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. An automatic gas-lighting apparatus consisting of a catalytic substance in
combination with a spring so arranged as to simultaneously move, under the
influence of the lighted flame, out of the reach of said flame, and to automatically
return into the former position after cooling down.
2. An automatic gas-lighting apparatus consisting of a pivoted lever carrying
a catalytic lighting substance, in combination with a spring and a fulcrum to be
engaged by the free end of said spring, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
3. An automatic gas-lighting apparatus, comprising a pivoted lever carrying
a catalytic lighting substance, a supporting frame to which the said lever is

page_text: pivoted a spring secured to said lever at or near its free end, and a ful-
crum provided for the free end of said spring, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.