Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 19th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
I JOSEF MÜLLER of Schacht Gustav, Essen-am-Ruhr in the Empire of Germany,
Mine Manager do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My said Invention relates to miners safety lamps and refers particularly to means
for lighting the same without opening the lamp. In the oil vessel in the bottom of
the lamp I form a circular case and within the case I place a revolvable cylinder
containing a number of compartments each compartment holding a match.
The lower end of this revolvable cylinder bears upon a plate fixed by a screwed
extension and nut to the cover of the oil vessel. Notches or teeth are formed in the
bottom of the revolvable cylinder and a spring catch extending from the fixed plate
engages with the notch or tooth brought opposite to it so as to hold the cylinder fast
when one of the match compartments is opposite to a hole in the oil vessel cover
through which the match is pushed up alongside of the wick which it is intended to
ignite. An igniting arrangement of springs is placed over the mouth of the hole
through which the match is pushed and thus the head of the match is caused in burst
into flame as to rises besides the wick. The pusher for raising the match is held in its
normal position by a spring in the centre of the case or it may be otherwise held in
position. When the pusher is drawn out and the match brought over it the pusher is
released or pushed up, propelling the match before it, lighting it by the aforesaid
arrangement and thus igniting the wick.
When the match compartiments are emptied they may be replenished. By means of
my improved arrangements a safety lamp may be lighted even in the presence of
inflammable gas.
Dated this Twants fourth of Tn.
1000
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
1 JOSEF MÜLLER of Schacht Gustav, Essen am Ruhr in the Empire of Germany
Mine Manager do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings:-
:-
My said Invention relates to miners' safety lamps and refers particularly to means
for lighting the same without opening the lamp. In the oil vessel in the bottom of
the lamp form a circular case and within the case I place a revolvable cylinder
containing a number of compartments each compartment holding a match. Means
are provided whereby the revolvable cylinder can be intermittently turned and the
matches thrust upward through lighting claws so as to ignite the matches and thus
light the lamp. To render my invention more clear I will now proceed more
particularly to describe the same with reference to the annexed three sheets of
illustrative drawings.
In sheet 1 of the drawings-Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the lower part of a miners'
safety lamp.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bottom. The revolving cylinder which carries the
matches is marked c and this cylinder is supported by a bottom plate p which has an
The revolving
extensions by which it is secured to the floor of the lamp by a nut m.
cylinder c thus extends throughout the depth of the oil chamber of the lamp being cut
off from the oil by a circular partition g. The lower portion of the cylinder extends

page_text: past the bottom plate p presenting the edge z which is divided into a number of
ratchet teeth corresponding to the number of match recesses formed in the re-
volving cylinder c. As shown by the plan Fig. 2 the number of match recesses b is
in this case six, so that there are six ratchet teeth in the edge z although of course this
number may vary. I secure a flat spring f.to the plate p by means of screws as
shown, the free end of the said flat spring pressing upon the edge z and engaging with
the ratchet teeth, so that when the cylinder c is revolved on the plate p, the spring f
snaps down in front of one of the ratchet teeth and not only indicates the exact
position when the match pusher may be worked but also maintains the cylinder in
position until it is necessary to revolve it again. It will be seen that the centre of the
extensions is hollow and contains a coiled spring n which surrounds a spindle i and is
confined between the foot of the extension and a stop nut or ruff on the top end of the
spindle i. The spindle i is rivetted to an arm t and to the outer end of this arm is
fixed an upright pusher d which enters the match recess b which happens to be opposite
to it, the spindle, arm and pusher being kept in the position shown in the drawing by
the tension of the coiled spring n. Opposite to the pusher d I form a hole in the
floor of the lamp and above the hole are two claw shaped spring pieces a a which are
also serrated on their lips or edges so that when a match is forced up between the
spring claws aa the match becomes ignited and communicates the flame to the
adjacent wick x. This forcing up of the match is effected by the pusher d which is
drawn out by means of the eye on the part t against the spring n. When the pusher d
is brought beneath a match the part t is released and the spring causes the pusher to
resile and force the match smartly up through the spring claws a a which cause the
phosphoric head of the match to become ignited the flame being then communicated
to the wick as aforesaid.
When carrying my invention into operation I remove the cylinder c from the lamp
by unscrewing the nut m whereby the plate p and cylinder can be removed. I then
place a match in each of the match spaces in the cylinder c as indicated to the right
hand side of the cylinder in Fig. 1 and replace it in the lamp taking care to adjust it
so that one of the inatches will come opposite to the hole in the floor of the lamp and
the claws a a. By turning the cylinder c each match is successively brought opposite
to the said opening and each match is successively pushed up through the claws
and ignited on the occasions when it is wished to light the lamp.
As the lamp is locked it is impossible for the miner either to get at the light or to
remove the cylinder or to procure a match as the top of the pusher d can only be
drawn down level with the top of the plate p owing to the stop on the upper end of
the spindle i. Figs. 3 and 4 on sheet 2 are vertical and plan views respectively
showing a modification of my invention parts similar to those in Figs. 1 and 2 being
similarly lettered. The revolving cylinder is supported as before by a plate p which
is formed with the aforesaid extensions for bolting it to the floor of the lamp.
The revolving cylinder is kept down on the plate p by a coiled spring which
surrounds the extension and instead of the flat spring and ratchet teeth described with
relation to Figs. 1 and 2 1 form a projection or tooth e on the plate p which just enters
the bottom of the match recess which happens to be opposite to it. In revolving the
cylinder c the projection or tooth e snaps successively into the said match recesses of
which twelve appear in the drawing. The pusher d is formed and acts in the same
manner as is described with reference to sheet 1. For the purpose of adjusting the
cylinder so that the matches will come exactly opposite to the hole in the floor of
the lamp, I fix a finger w to the plate p and form a groove u in the inner side of the
bottom of the lamp so that when replacing the cylinder in the lamp if care is taken
to place the finger w in the groove u the cylinder will be in its correct relative
position.
In Figs. 5 and 6 sheet 3 which are respectively vertical and horizontal sections of
the foot of the lamp, parts already described are lettered as in the foregoing views.
The modifications shown in Figs. 5 and 6 relate to the automatic revolving of the
cylinder c by means of a coiled spring; the means for automatically stopping the
revolution when each match comes opposite to the claws a a; and to the absence

page_text: of a resilient spring for operating the pusher d. The cylinder c is boxed in by the
partition g and revolves easily upon a ruff on the extensions of the plate p the said
extension being attached by means of the nut m in the manner already set forth.
The spindle i moves in the extensions but the coiled spring between the stop and the
foot plate p is dispensed with, the pusher d being operated by hand. A spirally coiled
spring
provided one end being secured to the fixed extensions and the other end
to the revolving cylinder c. It is evident that if the cylinder c is turned in the
direction of the arrow Fig. 6 until the stop e¹ on the cylinder c is brought against the
fixed stop k on the plate p; if the cylinder were then released it would fly round again
to the position shown in Fig. 6.
This winding up of the cylinder is effected when the cylinder is removed from the
lamp to be filled with matches. A guard o projects downward from the hole leading
to the spring claws a a, this guard o coming sufficiently far down to intercept the
heads of the several matches in the several recesses b. A ruff s¹ on the extension
carries two steady pins which enter holes in the floor of the lamp and act as
guides to adjust the plate p to its proper position. When the cylinder c has been
turned one revolution so as to coil up the spring and the match recesses of which
sixteen appear in the drawing have been filled with matches, the cylinder is replaced
in the lamp. The match head opposite to the claws a a is then in contact with the
guard o preventing the cylinder from revolving. When the match is pushed up
clear of the cylinder and ignited, then on the withdrawal of the pusher from the hole
from which it has expelled the match, the spring 7 turns the cylinder until the next
match head comes against the guard o stopping pro tempore the further revolution of
the cylinder. When this match in turn pushed out, another match advances and so
on until the whole supply has been used up. In this arrangement all the manual
operation that is necessary is to push in and withdraw the pusher d. When the last
match has been used the projection comes against the stop k and the further
revolution of the cylinder c is prevented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1) A revolving lighting arrangement for application to Miners' safety lamps
consisting of a revolvable cylinder arranged to contain a certain number of matches
and capable of being revolved so as to bring the matches successively under spring
claws or other suitable arrangements for igniting the said matches when they are
pushed out of the cylinder by a pusher, and so lighting the lamp, substantially as
described and shown.
(2) In a lighting arrangement of the indicated nature the pusher d placed in con-
nection with a spindle i and governed by a spring which operates the pusher as set
forth and indicated.
(3) In safety lamp lighting arrangements of the indicated description the spring
and ratchet arrangement for governing the rotation of the cylinder as illustrated in
sheet 1 or the snap tooth and spring as shown in sheet 2 or the guard o in com-
bination with the spring actuated cylinder as shown in Sheet 3 and all substantially
as described.
(4) In means of the indicated description for lighting a miners safety lamp,
revolving the match carrying cylinder automatically by means of a coiled spring
substantially as described and as illustrated on Sheet 3 of the drawings.
(5) The general construction arrangements and combination of parts comprising
the several improvements in revolving lighting apparatus in Miners safety lamps
substantially as described in the specification and as severally illustrated in the three
sheets of drawings.
Dated this 18th day of October 1000
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.