IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PETROLEUM OIL, AND OTHER VOLATILE LIQUID HYDROCARBONS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hinks and Joseph Hinks, of Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
Sealed the 22nd November 1867, and dated the 31st May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hinks and Joseph
Hinks at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 31st May 1867.
We, JAMES HINKS and JOSEPH HINKS, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING PETROLEUM OIL, AND OTHER VOLATILE
LIQUID HYDROCARBONS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in lamps
for burning petroleum oil and other volatile liquid hydrocarbons, whereby the
flickering or unsteadiness of the flames produced by currents of air is prevented
and perfect combustion of the said flames at the same time obtained.
Our improvements are specially applicable to lamps used in India, or where
punkahs are used.
Our Invention consists, firstly, in constructing and arranging the holders or
galleries by which the shades of the said lamps are supported in the following
manner-We take an ordinary flat wick burner, and place the shade holder or
gallery at the bottom or at the mount of the said burner instead of placing the
said shade holder immediately below the cone or deflector of the burner. We
make the said shade holder of about four inches in diameter instead of three

page_text: inches as is usual, and we pierce in the shade holder a series of small holes
for supplying air to the flame in place of cutting away about half or two-
thirds of the metal of the said holder as is usual. In the shade holder we
make a series of indentations or depressions, in which we insert pieces of bone,
wood, or other imperfect conductor of heat, the said non-conducting pieces
projecting somewhat above the plane of the bottom of the shade holder. Upon
the projections thus formed we place a disc of wire gauze or perforated metal,
and thereby make a chamber, through which the air has to pass before it
reaches the flame. Upon this disk the shade rests instead of upon the shade
holder itself. By these means the currents of air produced by the punkahs
or other source are prevented from acting upon the flame, aud causing the
lamp to smoke, while the shade holder is isolated by the non-conducting pieces
described from the shade, and thereby prevented from being heated by the
said shade and the punkah protector at the top of the said shade. The oil in
the reservoir is thus kept cool.
Our Invention consists, secondly, of a conical chimney either circular or
elliptical in cross section in place of the ordinary bulged shouldered chimney.
Our said chimney tapers from nearly the middle towards each end. By the
use of a chimney of this kind a free egress of the heated air combined with
an equal expansion of every part of the chimney by heat are obtained, and
hence the chimney is less liable to break than the ordinary bulged chimney.
Our Invention consists, thirdly, of the following improvements in punkal
protectors for liquid hydrocarbon lamps. Punkah protectors are ordinarily
made of wire gauze or perforated metal, the said protectors having a conica
figure, and being surmounted by a plain metal disc or a metal crinkle. In
constructing the said protectors according to our Invention we make them o
wire gauze or perforated metal, the taper of the said protectors being greater
than usual, that is, we make the base of the protector about four inches i
diameter, and the summit about two inches instead of three inches as usual
We surmount the protector by a cap or cover of a dome shape, the said ca
being perforated at top and bottom, the perforations in the top being much
larger than those in the bottom. Across the middle of the cap or cover w
fix a disc or diaphragm of wire gauze or perforated metal. By making th
body of the protector of greater taper than usual a free egress of the heated
air from the globe or shade is obtained, and by making the cap or cover i
the manner described, a direct egress of the heated air from the chimney i
also obtained..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hinks and Joseph Hinks in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we JAMES
HINKS and JOSEPH HINKS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Hinks and Joseph Hinks, Her special licence that we, the said
James Hinks and Joseph Hinks, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said James Hinks and Joseph Hinks, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time 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 FOR BURNING PETROLEUM OIL AND
OTHER VOLATILE LIQUID HYDROCARBONS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said James Hinks and Joseph Hinks, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Hinks and Joseph Hinks, do-
hereby declare the nature of the 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, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in lamps
for burning petroleum oil and other volatile liquid hydrocarbons, whereby,
the flickering or unsteadiness of the flames produced by currents of air is.
prevented, and perfect combustion of the said flames at the same time
obtained.
Our improvements are specially applicable to lamps used in India or where
punkahs are used.
Our Invention consists, firstly, in constructing and arranging the holders' or

page_text: galleries by which the shades of the said lamps are supported in the following
manner-We take an ordinary flat wick burner and place the shade holder
or gallery at the bottom or at the mount of the said burner, instead of placing
the said shade holder immediately below the cone or deflector of the burner.
We make the said shade holder of. about four inches in diameter instead of
three inches as is usual, and we pierce in the said shade holder a series of
small holes for supplying air to the flame in place of cutting away about half
or two-thirds of the metal of the said holder, as is usual. In the shade
holder we make a series of indentations or depressions in which we insert
pieces of bone, wood, or other imperfect conductor of heat, the said non-
conducting pieces projecting somewhat above the plane of the bottom of the
shade holder.
Upon the projections thus formed we place a disk of wire gauze or
perforated metal, and thereby make a chamber through which the air has to
pass before it reaches the flame. Upon this disk the shade rests instead of
upon the shade holder itself. By these means the currents of air produced
by the punkahs or other source are prevented from acting upon the flame,
and causing the lamp to smoke while the shade holder is isolated by the non-
conducting pieces described from the shade, and thereby prevented from being
heated by the said shade, and the punkah protector at the top of the said
shade. The oil in the reservoir is thus kept cool.
Our Invention consists, secondly of a conical chimney, either circular or
elliptical in cross section, to be used in place of the ordinary bulged shouldered
chimney.
Our said chimney tapers from nearly the middle towards each end. By
the use of a chimney of this kind a free egress of the heated air combined
with an equal expansion of every part of the chimney by heat are obtained,
and hence the chimney is less liable to break than the ordinary bulged
chimney.
Our Invention consists, thirdly, of the following improvements in punkah
protectors for liquid hydrocarbon lamps :-Punkah protectors are ordinarily
made of wire gauze or perforated metal, the said protectors having a
conical figure, and being surmounted by a plain metal disc or a metal
crinkle.
In constructing the said protectors according to our Invention we make
them of wire gauze or perforated metal, the tapering of the said protectors
being greater than usual, that is, we make the base of the protector about
four inches in diameter, and the summit about two inches instead of three
inches as usual. We surmount the protector by a cap or cover of a dome

page_text: shape, the said cap being perforated at top and bottom, the perforations in
the top being much larger than those in the bottom. Across the middle
of the cap or cover we fix a disc or diaphragm of wire gauze or perforated
metal.
Having explained the nature of our Invention we will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a complete lamp without its pillar
containing our several improvements; Figure 2 is a plan of the shade holder or
gallery; Figure 3 is a vertical section, and Figure 4 a plan of the shade
holder or gallery and burner on a larger scale; Figure 5 is a vertical section
and Figure 6 a plan of upper side of the punkah or wind protector; Figure 7
represents the chimney of the lamp separately on a larger scale. The
same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each Figure of the
Drawing.
a, is the burner; b, is the reservoir screwed to the top of the pillar of the
lamp in the ordinary way; c, is the shade holder or gallery supporting the
shade d; and e is the chimney of the lamp, shown separately in Figure 7.
The said shade holder is about four inches in diameter instead of three inches
as is usual, and the said shade holder is perforated with a series of small
holes (see the plan Figure 4) for supplying air to the flame of the lamp.
In the said shade holder is a series of indentations or depressions, in which
are inserted and fixed discs or pieces of bone, wood, or other imperfect
conductor of heat marked r, the said discs or pieces r projecting a little above
the plane of the bottom of the shade holder c (see the section Figure 3).
Upon the projecting discs or pieces ra rings of wire gauze or perforated
metal is placed. A chamber perforated at top and bottom is thus formed
through which the air has to pass before it reaches the flame of the burner,
the said air entering the burner by the perforations in its sides. The ring s
is represented broken off in Figure 4, for the purpose of exhibiting the per-
forations in the shade holder c; the rings is fastened in its place by the same
pins which fasten the non-conducting discs r to the shade holder; the shade
holder c rests upon the perforated ring s.
By constructing the shade holder in the manner described and illustrated,
the air for combustion is admitted to the flame only through the perforations
in the bottom of the shade holder and perforated ring above it, and the
currents of air from the punkah or other source are prevented from acting
upon the flame and causing the lamp to smoke. The shade is also isolated
from the shade holder by the non-conducing discs or pieces, and the said shade

page_text: holder is thus prevented from being heated by the shade and punkah protector
at the top of the shade, and the reservoir thereby kept cool. The body f of the
punkah protector at the top of the shade d is made of a taper tube of wire
gauze or perforated metal, the tapering of the said body being greater than
usual. The body fis surmounted by a cap or cover g of a dome shape, the
bottom of the said cap being perforated at 92, and the top being also perforated
at g. The summit of the cap g has also a hollow or tubular termination g':
Across the interior of the cap 9 a disc or diaphragm of wire gauze or perforated
metal h is fixed. The cold air enters the cap at the bottom perforations g
and in combination with the beated air from the lamp escapes by the top per-
forations g³ and hollow terminations g', as indicated by the arrows in Figure 5.
By making the body of the punkah or wind protector of the taper figure repre-
sented a free egress of the heated air from the shade or glass d is obtained, and
by making the cap or cover surmounting the said body in the manner described
and represented a direct egress of the heated air from the chimney e is also
obtained. The chimney e of the lamp represented is made conical, either
circular or elliptical in cross section instead of making the chimney with a
bulged shoulder as usual. The said chimney e tapers from about the middle
towards each end, as best seen in the separate view Figure 7. The said
chimney e expands equally in every part by heat, and hence is less liable to
break than the ordinary bulged chimney.
Our improved chimney is applicable to all kinds of lamps burning liquid
volatile hydrocarbons.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of our Invention;
but we claim as our Invention of improvements in lamps for burning petroleum
oil and other volatile liquid hydrocarbons,―
Firstly, constructing and arranging the shade holders or galleries of the
said lamps for the purpose of admitting air to the flames, substantially in
the manner herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
Secondly, constructing the shade holders or galleries of the said lamps for
the purpose of isolating the shades from the said shade holders or galleries,
substantially in the manner herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly, the conical chimney herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing.

page_text: Lastly, the arrangement or combination of the parts of punkah protectors or
wind protectors, substantially in the manner herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Hinks and Joseph Hinks, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JAMES HINKS.
(L.S.)
JOSEPH HINKS. (L.S.)