Improvements in Oil Lamps.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 10th June, 1899
Improvements in Oil Lamps.
We, ALFRED WILLMER POCOCK, of 66, St. Ann's Hill, Wandsworth, London, Engineer,
ROBERT HODGES BISHOP, of 257, High Holborn, London, Manufacturer's Agent,
and GEORGE SMITH, of 17, Fairholm Road, Kensington, London, Commission Agent,
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 :-
The present invention has reference to oil lamps similar to that described in the
specification of a Patent granted to Caroline Spilsbury Pocock and Alfred Willmer
Pocock, No. 14763, June 18th 1897, wherein the oil is maintained at a proper
height in the wick receiver by means of a spring-pressed flexible portion of the oil
reservoir.
In such lamps, the power of the spring is proportioned to the height at which the
oil is to be maintained, but in this connection a difficulty has arisen, by reason of the
necessity for expanding the empty reservoir against the power of the spring, when
the reservoir is to be refilled.
A difficulty is also felt in providing a flexible material for the reservoir capable of
resisting the attack of the oil with which it is in contact.
This invention is therefore directed, first, to the provision of easy means for reducing
the power of the spring, when the reservoir is being refilled, thus facilitating the
operation, and the invention also relates to the construction of the flexible reservoir
itself, in such a way that it will retain the oil without becoming materially affected by
contact therewith.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a lamp reservoir embodying these improvements.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the mechanism beneath the reservoir.
A is the reservoir, composed of a rigid portion a and a flexible portion a¹. The
flexible portion a¹ consists of a sheet of woven or equivalent material, the edges of
which are attached to the rigid portion a in any convenient manner. The part a¹ is,
according to this invention, coated inside with a substance not acted on by the oil.
This substance may be a preparation of nitrated linolein or ricinolein, and nitro-
cellulose, according to the process patented by Reid & Earle, No. 21995%, or a pre-
paration of linseed oil according to the patent of Grist, No. 2174295.
The middle of the flexible portion a¹ is clamped between two plates b, the upper
one of which carries the piston c, which extends into the tube c¹ of the wick receiver C,
and from the lower one depends the projection c².
D is a two armed lever fulcrummed at d, one arm d¹ of which underlies the pro-
jection c², for the purpose of lifting the same. The other arm d² of the lever D is
pressed by the adjustable set screwe of the lever arm E, fulcrummed also at d, and
drawn forward by means of the spring fattached to it. The other end of the spring f
is attached to the nut g, an adjusting screw G passing freely through the collar h,
pivotally and excentrically mounted between the forked ends of the lever H. This
lever H finds an abutment against the lamp frame, and is so arranged that it is
capable of having its position reversed from the drawn position of Fig. 2 to that shown
by dotted lines in the same figure.

page_text: The drawn position is the normal one, and in that the spring f is fully extended,
according to its adjustment, by reason of the excentric position of the pivots of the
collar on the fork of the lever H. When the lever is reversed to the dotted position,
it will be seen that the spring f is relaxed, so as to permit the reservoir A to be
distended to its full extent, as limited by the adjustable screw stop I beneath the
arm d¹ of the lever D, thus facilitating the operation of filling.
The oil is filled in thro' the receiver C and tube c¹, until the level of the lower
dotted line across the receiver C (Fig. 1) is reached. The extension of the spring is
now effected by returning the lever to its normal position, and, by its tension, the
bottom of the reservoir is pressed upwards, until the oil is raised to the pre-determined
height, say the upper dotted line of Fig. 1, at which point the balance of the spring
is reached, in the manner explained with reference to the earlier patent of Pocock
above mentioned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In lamps provided with an expanding spring-pressed oil reservoir, the appli-
cation of a device for relaxing the spring tension, substantially as described, and for
the purpose set forth.
2. In the construction of flexible reservoirs for oil lamps provided with means for
compressing the same, the employment of a fabric coated internally with oil-resisting
material, substantially as above described.
1000