Improvements in connection with Acetylene Lamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in connection with Acetylene Lamps.
We, JOHN BREMRIDGE MELHUISH, of 1, Grantham Road, Sparkbrook, Birming-
ham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, MALCOLM GUTHRIE, of 49, Lincoln's
Inn, Birmingham, aforesaid, Gentleman, and JOSEPH HENRY HUGHES, of 28,
Fentham Road, Birchfields, Birmingham, aforesaid, Works Manager, do hereby
declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has for its object improvements in connection with acetylene
lamps by which we are enabled to instantly start the lamp and to regulate the
supply of gas so as to suit various kinds of burners and also to separate the
residual lime from the carbide and prevent any water entering the supply pipes
or storage chamber.
In carrying our invention into practice we form the body of our lamp with an
inner cylinder which extends nearly to the bottom, and this inner cylinder. is
connected to the top of the lamp body so as to form a water space or chamber all
round the inner cylinder. Also attached to or formed out of the exterior of the
lamp body is a small tube or cylinder which communicates at its lower end with
the interior of the lamp body. We next form another cylinder which we attach
to the lid or cover of the lamp and which fits into the inner cylinder in the lamp
body. Also secured to the side of the lid or cover is a small cylinder provided
at its lower end with a hollow piston and this small cylinder, and hollow piston
fit into the small cylinder on the exterior of the lamp body. Attached to the
interior of the lid or cover is a hollow cone shaped chamber provided with a fine
hole in the centre and this conical chamber communicates with the piston
cylinder. We then provide a chamber for containing the carbide from which the
gas is generated and over this chamber we fit a circular wick, which wick is turned
over at the upper edge of the cell and extends down the interior and fitting over
this wick is another cylinder open at both ends which when pushed right over
entirely covers the wick. This open ended cylinder is provided for regulating the
supply of water to the wick which wick through its capilliary attraction supplies
water in regular quantities to the carbide. When the cell with its regulating
cylinder has been fitted into the cylinder attached to the lid or cover of the lamp
and this cylinder fitted into the inner cylinder in the lamp body water is supplied
through an opening in the lamp body and in order to start the lamp at once while
the water is gradually soaking up the wick the cylinder attached to the lid and
consequently the small cylinder attached to the exterior of the lid are worked up
and down which action causes the piston fitted to the bottom of this small cylinder
to draw the water up into the cone shaped chamber fixed to the interior of the
lid or cover and directly over the top of the carbide cell the water then drops
through the small hole or holes in the conical chamber onto the carbide thus
instantly producing the necessary gas. Instead of placing the wick around the

page_text: cell which contains the carbide we may use a smaller circular wick or other
absorbent material which we place over a perforated tube or cylinder in the interior
of the carbide cell so that the wick is entirely surrounded by the carbide and the
interior of this perforated tube may be filled with any absorbent material or we may
use the absorbent material either on the outside or inside of the perforated tube
only. Or we may line the carbide chamber with a porous material leaving a slight
space near the bottom of the chamber between the porous material and the inner
walls of the chamber for the water to freely circulate around the porous material.
As the gas is formed it passes through a tube fixed in the lid or cover to the storage
bag or tube and from thence through another tube to the burner which is fitted
in the bell of the lamp. In order to prevent a rush of gas to the burner we fit into
the connection where the supply tubes are attached to the storage bag or tube
two conical shaped plugs with their cones pointing in the opposite direction to
which the gas travels. These conical plugs.are provided with a fine hole through
their centre so that only a limited supply of gas can pass through at a time and
also to prevent water finding its way to the burner.
In some cases we may form our lamp with a cylinder passing straight through
the water chamber which water chamber is sealed at both ends and passing round
the lower end of the cylinder we form a separate chamber which communicates
with the water chamber a tap or cock being provided for regulating the supply.
This chamber which communicates with the water chamber also communicates
with the cylinder. We then fit a circular wick into the interior of the cylinder
preferably extending nearly to the top and into this circular wick we fit the carbide
cell which cell is provided with a perforated diaphragm on which the carbide
rests. This cell is also provided with means for-lifting it out of the wick. When
the cell is placed in position in the wick and sufficient carbide placed into the cell
and wick a screw cup or cover is fitted onto or into the top end of the cylinder thus
securely preventing any escape of gas. Water is now supplied to the water
chamber through an opening in the top provided with a screw. plug and the tap
opened which communicates with the chamber around the lower end of the cylinder
thus allowing the water to flow into this chamber and from thence it passes into
the cylinder thus coming in contact with the-circular wick the capilliary attraction
of which causes it to travel up the wick until it comes in contact with the carbide
and generates the gas thus always surrounding the carbide cell with a water jacket
but in order to start the lamp immediately while the water is travelling up the
wick we attach a small cylinder to the exterior or interior of the water chamber
which communicates with the water chamber and into this small cylinder we fit
another small cylinder communicating with the top of the lamp cylinder so that
by working the small inner cylinder up and down the water is forced upwards
and sprayed onto the upper edge of this circular wick thus instantly generating
the gas.
A spring may be fitted into the interior of the two small cylinders so
that when the inner cylinder is compressed the spring forces it back to its. normal
position. We also provide a safety valve on the screwed plug in the water
chamber so that if there is any excess of gas it passes down the sides of the
wick through the chamber at the lower end of the cylinder up through the
water chamber and out at this valve. The residual lime which is formed on
the carbide passes through the perforated diaphragm into the bottom of the
cell thus allowing the water to act on a fresh surface of the carbide.
1
Dated this 26th dor of Annil 1000'
JOHN BREMRIDGE MELHUISH,
MALCOLM GUTHRIE,
JOSEPH HENRY HUGHES,
By George Barker,
Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
Agents for Applicants, 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham.

page_text: .1
Improvements in connection with Acetylene Lamps.
We, JOHN BREMRIDGE MELHUISH, of 1, Grantham Road, Sparkbrook, Birming-
ham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, MALCOLM GUTHRIE, of 49, Lincoln's
Inn, Birmingham, aforesaid, Gentleman, and JOSEPH HENRY HUGHES, of 28,
Fentham Road, Birchfields, Birmingham, aforesaid, Works Manager, do hereby
declare the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
Our invention has for its object improvements in connection with acetylene
lamps by which we are enabled to instantly start the lamp and to regulate the
supply of gas so as to suit various kinds of burners and also to separate the
residual lime from the carbide and prevent any water entering the supply pipes
or storage chamber.
In carrying our invention into practice we form the body of our lamp with an
inner cylinder which extends nearly to the bottom and this inner cylinder is
connected to the top of the lamp body so as to form a water space or chamber all
round the inner cylinder. Also attached to or formed out of the exterior of the
lamp body is a small tube or cylinder which communicates at its lower end with
the interior of the lamp body. We next form another cylinder which we attach
to the lid or cover of the lamp and which fits into the inner cylinder in the lamp
body. Also secured to the side of the lid or cover is a small cylinder provided
at its lower end with a hollow piston rod and this small cylinder and hollow piston
fit into the small cylinder on the exterior of the lamp body. Attached to the
interior of the lid or cover is a hollow cone shaped chamber provided with a fine
hole in the centre and this conical chamber communicates with the piston
cylinder. We then provide a chamber for containing the carbide from which the
gas is generated and over this chamber we fit a circular wick which wick is turned
over at the upper edge of the cell and extends down the interior, and fitting over
this wick is another cylinder open at both ends which when pushed right over
entirely covers the wick. This opened ended cylinder is provided for regulating the
supply of water to the wick which wick through its capilliary attraction supplies
water in regular quantities to the carbide. When the cell with its regulating
cylinder has been fitted into the cylinder attached to the lid or cover of the lamp
and this cylinder fitted into the inner cylinder in the lamp body water is supplied
through an opening in the lamp body and in order to start the lamp at once while
the wick is gradually soaking up the water the cylinder attached to the lid and
consequently the small cylinder attached to the exterior of the lid are worked up
and down which action causes the piston fitted to the bottom of this small cylinder
to draw the water up into the cone shaped chamber fixed to the interior of the
lid or cover and directly over the top of the carbide cell the water then drops
through the small hole or holes in the conical chamber onto the carbide thus
instantly producing the necessary gas. Instead of placing the wick around the
cell which contains the carbide we may use a smaller circular wick or other
absorbent material which we place over a perforated tube or cylinder in the interior
of the carbide cell so that the wick is entirely surrounded by the carbide and the
interior of this perforated tube may be filled with any absorbent material or we may
use the absorbent material either on the outside or inside of the perforated tube
only. Or we may line the carbide chamber with the porous material leaving a slight
space near the bottom of the chamber between the porous materials and the inner

page_text: walls of the chamber for the water to freely circulate around the porous material.
As the gas is formed it passes through a tube fixed in the lid or cover to the storage
bag or tube and from thence through another tube to the burner which is fitted
in the bell of the lamp. In order to prevent a rush of gas to the burner we fit into
the connections where the supply tubes are attached to the storage bag or tube
two conical shaped plugs with their cones pointing in the opposite direction to
which the gas travels. These conical plugs are provided with a fine hole through
their centre so that only a limited supply of gas can pass through at a time and
also to prevent water finding its way to the burner.
In some cases we may form our lamp with a cylinder passing straight through
the water chamber which water chamber is sealed at both ends and passing round
the lower end of the cylinder we form a separate chamber which communicates
with the water chamber, a tap or cock being provided for regulating the supply.
This chamber which communicates with the water chamber also communicates
with the cylinder. We then fit a circular wick into the interior of the cylinder
preferably extending nearly to the top and into this circular wick we fit the carbide
cell which cell is provided with a perforated diaphragm on which the carbide
rests. This cell is also provided with means for lifting it out of the wick. When
the cell is placed in position in the wick and sufficient carbide placed into the cell
and wick a screw cup or cover is fitted onto or into the top end of the cylinder
thus securely preventing any escape of gas. Water is now supplied to the water
chamber through an opening in the top provided with a screw plug and the tap
opened which communicates with the chamber around the lower end of the cylinder
thus allowing the water to flow into this chamber and from thence it passes into
the cylinder thus coming in contact with the circular wick the capillary attraction
of which causes it to travel up the wick until it comes in contact with the carbide
and generates the gas thus always surrounding the carbide cell with a water jacket.
We also provide a safety valve on the screwed plug in the water chamber so that
if there is any excess of gas it passes down the sides of the wick through the
chamber at the lower end of the cylinder up through the water chamber and out
at this valve. The residual lime which is formed on the carbide passes through
the perforated diaphragm into the bottom of the cell thus allowing the water to
act on a fresh surface of the carbide.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried
into practical effect we have appended hereunto two double sized sheets of drawings
upon which we have illustrated examples of our acetylene lamps.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of our acetylene lamp complete.
Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of our lamp taken on the line - Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a view of the inner cylinder which is attached to the lid or cover.
Figure is a view of the carbide chamber or cell and wick.
Figure 6 is a part sectional side elevation of another form of our lamp.
Figure 7 is a part sectional side elevation of another modification of our Famp.
Figure 8 is a cross sectional plan view taken on the line z-2 of Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a part sectional side elevation of a further modified form of our lamp.
Figure 10 is a sectional elevation of one form of our carbide céll.
In carrying our invention into practice we form the body of our lamp with the
inner cylinder a¹ extending nearly to the bottom and connected to the top of the
lamp body so as to form the water space or chamber a² all round this inner cylinder.
Attached to or formed out of the lamp body A is the small tube or cylinder B
communicating at its lower end with the interior of the lamp body through the
opening bl.
Fixed or formed out of the lid or cover D of the lamp is the
cylinder d¹ and this cylinder fits into the cylinder a¹. Also fixed to the side of the
lid or cover D is the small cylinder d³ provided at its lower end with the hollow
piston rod d³ extending up the small cylinder and communicating with the conical
shaped chamber d formed under the lid or cover D. The cylinder d² and hollow
piston rod fit into the small cylinder B. The hollow conical chamber d is

page_text: provided with one or more fine holes d³ as clearly shewn at Figure 3. Around the
chamber or cell E for containing the carbide from which the gas is generated is
itted the circular wick e¹ which is turned over at the upper edge of the cell and
extends down the interior as clearly shewn at Figure 3. Fitting over the wick e¹
is the open ended cylinder e which when pushed right over entirely covers the
wick. This open ended cylinder is provided for regulating the supply of water
to the wick, which wick through its capilliary attraction supplies water in regular
quantities to the carbide. That is to say-if the cell E with its wick el is pushed
down into the lower portion a¹ of the water chamber, a greater surface of the
wick e¹ is exposed to or surrounded by the water so that the water has less of the
wick to travel by capilliary attraction thus reaching the carbide sooner, but if the
cell and wick are lifted up so as to be entirely surrounded by the cylinder e as
shewn at Figure 3 the water merely touches or comes in contact with the lower
edges of the wick thereby regulating or preventing the water from reaching the
carbide so quickly. When the carbide cell E with its regulating cylinder has
been fitted into the cylinder d' and this cylinder d' fitted into the cylinder a¹ in
the lamp body water is supplied through any suitable opening in the lamp body.
and when the water comes in contact with the wick e¹ it gradually absorbs the water
until it reaches the carbide and thus generates the gas, but in order to start the
lamp at once while the wick is gradually soaking up the water the cylinder d
attached to the lid D and consequently the small cylinder d are worked up and
down which action causes the water to be drawn up the hollow piston rod d³ into
the conical chamber d from whence it drops directly onto the carbide thus instantly
generating the gas. As the gas is generated it passes through the tube to the
storage bag and from thence through the tube 8 to the burner fitted in the
bell d of the lamp and in order to prevent a rush of gas to the burner we fit the
conical shaped plugs do into the connections where the pipes and ds are fixed
to the storage bag d with their cones pointing in the opposite direction to which
the gas travels and these cones are provided with a fine hole through their centre
so that only a limited supply of gas can pass through at a time.
At Figure 6 we have shewn another form of our lamp. In this case instead of
placing the wick e¹ around the cell for containing the carbide we fit it around the
perforated tube or cylinder f¹ fixed in the centre of the interior of the carbide
cell and this carbide cell is fitted into the body H of the lamp. The perforated
tube f¹ is also filled with some absorbent material. The water chamber I which
surrounds the lamp body is closed at both ends and communicates with the per-
forated cylinder fi by means of the pipe the cock or tap being provided for
regulating or controlling the supply of water to this perforated cylinder.
lidh screws onto the top of the lamp body and is provided with the rubber or
other washer h² for forming an air tight junction between the lid and lamp body.
As the gas is generated it passes from the generating chamber F through the
pipe finto the storage bag f³ fitting in the chamber f preferably at the back
of the amp and from thence it passes through the pipe f to the burner.
The
In the method as shewn at Figure 7 we fix the perforated tube f¹ to the side of
the lamp body H which serves as the generating chamber. The water chamber I
which is closed at both ends communicates with the perforated tube f¹ by means
of the pipe 3 which is provided with the tap or its equivalent 4 for controlling or
regulating the supply of water. The gas as it is generated from the carbide
passes down the pipe h³ fixed inside the lamp body and passes from thence to the
burner. The lid or cover h¹ screws onto the top of the lamp body which is pro-
vided with the flange h for the rubber or other washer h² to rest upon and against
which the lid or cover screws for forming an air tight joint. Fitted in the interior
of the carbide cell is the perforated diaphragm h5 which allows the residual lime
to fall through into the chamber he leaving a fresh surface of the carbide for the
water to act upon. The partition 7 is also fitted down one side of the carbide cell
and communicates with the chamber h6 by which means the residual lime is dis
charged.
14:6
:

page_text: In the modification as shewn at Figure 9 the body H passes through the water
chamber I in the same manner as shewn at Figures 6 and 7 the water chamber
being closed at both ends. Around the lower end of the chamber H we form' the
separate chamber J.communicating with the water chamber I by the pipe ¹ pro-
vided with the tap or cock for regulating or controlling the supply of water.
This chamber J also communicates with the chamber H by means of the perfora-
tions Fitted into the interior of the chamber His the circular wick. K pre-
ferably extending nearly to the top and-into this circular wick we fit the carbide
cell L provided with the perforated diaphragm l' on which the carbide rests. This
cell L is also provided with the handle or its equivalent for lifting it out-of
the wick.
When the cell is placed in position in the wick as shewn at Figure 9 and
sufficient carbide placed into the cell and wick the screwed cap or cover h¹ is fitted
into or onto the top end of the chamber H thus securely preventing any escape of
gas. Water is now supplied to the water chamber through the opening k pro-
vided with the screwed plug and the tap 2 opened thus allowing the water to
flow into the chamber J and from thence it passes into the cylinder or chamber H
and comes in contact with the wick K the capilliary attraction of which causes
the water to travel up the wick until it comes in contact with the carbide and
generates the gas. By this means the carbide cell is always surrounded with a
water jacket. We may also provide a safety valve on the screwed plug so that
if there is any excess of gas it passes down the sides of the wick through the
chamber J up through the water chamber and out at this valve. The residual
lime which is formed on the carbide passes through the perforated diaphragm l¹
into the lower portion 13 of the cell thus allowing the water to act on a fresh surface
of the carbide. At Figure 10 we have shewn the porous material N with which
the carbide chamber may be lined. The space n¹ being left near the bottom for
the water to freely circular around.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
CLAIMS.
First: The improvements in connection with acetylene lamps consisting
essentially in surrounding the generating chamber with a water jacket or chamber
the said water passing from such chamber to the carbide by the capilliary attraction
of an absorbent material surrounding the exterior and interior of the generating
chamber in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth and
as shewn upon the accompanying drawings at Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5.
Second-In acetylene lamps a tube or cylinder such as B connected to the
body of the lamp the tube or cylinder d³ working in the tube B provided with a
hollow piston rod such as ³ communicating with a chamber such as d in the
manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth and as shewn by
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Third: In acetylene lamps a perforated tube or cylinder such as f¹ surrounded
externally and internally or externally or internally only with an absorbent
material the said perforated tube or cylinder communicating with the water
chamber at its lower end in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein
described and shewn by Figures 6, 7 & 8.
Fourth In acetylene lamps providing the generating chamber with a per-
forated diaphragm for the carbide to rest upon so that the residual lime falls
through into a separate chamber in the manner and for the purpose substantially
as herein set forth and as shewn. by Figures 7 8 & 9.
Fifth In acetylene lamps surrounding the generating chamber such as L
with a circular or other absorbent wick or material which by its capilliary attrac-
tion supplies the carbide with water in the manner substantially as herein set
forth and as shewn by Figure 9.

page_text: Sixth-In acetylene lamps interposing one or more hollow conical plugs in
the tube or tubes through which the gas passes to the burner in the manner and
for the purpose substantially as herein set forth and as shewn at Figure 1.
Dated this 26th day of January 1899.
JOHN BREMRIDGE MELHUISH,
MALCOLM GUTHRIE,
JOSEPH HENRY HUGHES,
By George Barker,
Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
Agent for Applicants, 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham.