IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Ridsdale, of Montpelier House, Tufnell
Park West, in the County of Middlesex, and of the Minories, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Ridsdale at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th August 1872.
I, JOSEPH RIDSDALE, of Montpelier House, Tufnell Park West, in the
County of Middlesex, and of the Minories, in the City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LAMPS," to be as follows :-
―
This Invention relates to improvements in lamps in which circular
wicks are employed, and consists in forming the wick socket or carrier
with a grooved or slotted base, the groove or slot being vertical therein
for taking over or into a vertical feather upon the harrel, and also
with a pin or stud for taking into a helical groove upon or in a central

page_text: tube, the tube.being capable of rotation by the hand from below, for
instance from the oil overflow receiver.
By this Invention the wick can be raised and lowered in a perfectly
steady and vertical manner, and without being twisted, advantages of
great importance for maintaining a steady flame and preventing the
formation of smoke while the raising or lowering is taking place.
The central tube is cone shaped at the bottom to bear upon or
against a correspondingly shaped seat in the barrel, and is also packed
to prevent escape of oil, a spring and cap keeping the cone in contact
with its seating at all times.
In the case of ships' cabin and other swung or suspended lamps the
necessity of removing the frame, the shade, the globe, the chimney, or
any other of the upper part is dispensed with when lighting a new
wick or when a retrimming is required, as the barrel (which is screw-
threaded on the outside to engage into a threaded ring or band) can be
removed by simply unscrewing it. This screw-threaded adjunct to the
barrel is solely for the purpose of removing it, and has no relation to
the vertical movement of the cotton.
This Invention is applicable to moderator and other lamps in which
circular wicks are employed, the arrangement being varied slightly to
suit the shape or construction of the body or support of the said lamps.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Ridsdale in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
RIDSDALE, of Montpelier House, Tufnell Park West, in the County of
Middlesex, and of the Minories, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Joseph Ridsdale, Her special licence that I,
the said Joseph Ridsdale, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Joseph Ridsdale, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time 3

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Ridsdale, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 Scal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Ridsdale, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in lamps in which circular
wicks are employed, and consists in forming the wick socket or carrier
with a grooved or slotted base, the groove or slot being vertical therein
for taking over or into a vertical feather upon the barrel, and also with
a pin or stud for taking into a helical groove upon or in a central tube,
the tube being capable of rotation by the hand from below, such as from
the oil overflow receiver.
.
By this Invention the wick can be raised and lowered in a perfectly
steady and vertical manner and without being twisted, advantages of
great importance for maintaining a steady flame and preventing the
formation of smoke while the raising or lowering is taking place.
The central tube is cone shaped at the bottom to bear upon or against
a correspondingly shaped seat in the barrel, and is also packed to
prevent escape of oil, a spring and cap keeping the cone in contact with
its seating at all times.
7.
In the case of ships' cabin and other swung or suspended lamps the
necessity of removing the frame, the shade, the globe, the chimney or
any other of the upper part, is dispensed with when lighting a new
wick or when retrimming is required, as the barrel (which is screw
threaded on the outside to engage into a threaded--ring-or-band) can be
removed by simply unscrewing it. The screw thread adjacent to the
barrel is solely for the purpose of removing it, and has no relation to
the vertical movement of the cotton.

page_text: This Invention is applicable to moderator and other lamps in which
circular wicks are employed, the arrangement being varied slightly to
suit the shape or construction of the body or support of the said lamp.
The Invention will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figure 1 shows what is known as 5
a reading lamp.
A is the stand upon the stem B of which the lamp is adjustable by
sliding it up or down and clamping it in the required position by the
thumbscrew or button C; D is the oil reservoir, and E is the chimucy
or glass for protecting the flame, the glass being supported in a gallery F 1
which screws upon the wick or socket frame G. The socket frame is
of tubular form with the lower portion H. cone shaped, against which
a correspondingly shaped cone I on a central tube R works when turned
by hand for the purpose of raising or lowering the wick J and its
socket K, as will be gathered by examining the detached views 1
Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, these being details of the portion of the lamp
in which my improvements are shown. Below the cone seatings of the
central tube and the outer tube I arrange an elastic or slightly yielding
packing L, against which a cap or cover M is caused to bear by screw
pins or keys to keep the cones in contact and to prevent the escape of
oil, the space between the two tubes being supplied with it through the
pipe N from the reservoir.
2
The central or inner tube has a helical screw thread P formed upon
or in its outer side for a pin or stud Q upon the wick socket K to ride
in; and to insure the vertical action of the wick socket I form or attach 2
one or more vertical ribs or feathers S upon the inner face of the outer
tube, the feather riding in a notch T in the flange U of the wick socket.
I attach a weighted cup or receiver V to the bottom end of the central
tube which not only serves to balance or steady the upper part but to
catch any drops of oil that may escape over the top edge of the inner 3
tube, and also to permit of a supply of air to the centre of the circular
flame, the exterior of the flame being supplied with air through aper-
tures in the foot of the gallery.
My Invention is applicable to all kinds of circular wick lamps, and
is not intended only for reading and moderator lamps, but also for
3
railway stations, carriages, roofs, and hand lamps, and ships' cabin and
other suspended lamps, one of which is shewn in Figure 6, where the
oil reservoir is of ring shape with branch pipes W leading down to
the cuter tube G, which in this case screws up into the gallery, so that

page_text: when the wick has to be retrimmed or renewed the gallery with the
two arms or pendents X and the chimney E are left suspended after
unscrewing the tubes therefrom, the weighted cap has then only to be
turned to cause the wick socket to travel upwards to the top when
it becomes released and can be removed, or it may only be turned up a
sufficient height for the retrimming of the old wick or to raise or lower
the wick to produce the desired intensity of flame. The wick can
be lighted by inserting a taper up the central tube from below and
also raised and lowered by means of a key inserted into the weighted
end, which is square for the purpose. This plan will be of importance.
in railway stations and other places where the lamps are at an elevation
from the ground. By this Invention the vertical non-turning action of
the wick is insured without the hitherto objectionable rack and pinion
with its projecting button.
I do not restrict myself to the exact details herein set forth, as they
may be varied to suit the particular form of stand or body of lamp for
which the wick holder and parts in connection therewith are intended.
For instance, the helical thread may be in the form of a rib upon the
central tube, or the helical groove or the rib may be within the outer
tube, and the vertical rib or feather upon the inner tube, the top of the
helical groove may also be stopped off to prevent the wick socket being
entirely removed, the cone seatings may also be dispensed with, and
other modes adopted for centralizing and retaining the inner tube in
position and yet give it freedom to be turned.
•
The main feature of my Invention to which I lay claim is, the con-
struction and method of producing the vertical action of the wick holder
and parts adjacent, substantially in the manner and for the purposes
described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Ridsdale, have hereunto
set my hand and-seal, this-Eleventh day of February. One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street,
London..
JOSEPH RIDSDALE. (L.S.)