IMPROVEMENTS IN LANTERNS FOR STREET AND OTHER EXPOSED LAMPS.
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Bray, of Blackman Lane, Leeds, in the County of
York, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LANTERNS FOR STREET AND
OTHER EXPOSED LAMPS.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Bray at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th February 1882.
GEORGE BRAY of Blackman Lane Leeds in the County of York.
MENTS IN LANTERNS FOR STREET AND OTHER EXPOSED LAMPS."
"IMPROVE-
In lanterns for street lamps and for lamps used in railway stations and other
exposed situations it is of grent advantage to provide a holo of considerable size at
the bottom of the lantern so as to give access to the burners for lighting and other
purposes. The existence of such a hole is however very prejudicial to the action
of the lamp in consequence of the currents of air admitted through it. My
invention relates to means of providing an automatic closure or partial closure of
such a hole in a lantern which I effect in the following manner. I provide a ball
of diameter larger than the hole and place it within the lantern so that it covers
the hole as a valve. When access is required for lighting or other purposes the
ball is simply pushed aside by the torch or other object used, and when this is
withdrawn the ball running down the slope of the bottom resumes its place closing
the hole. When the lantern is so arranged that the air for supplying the flame
enters at the top or sides, the ball may be simply a solid ball or a shell of thin
metal. When however the air supply has to enter in whole or in part through
the bottom of the lantern, the ball is made as a shell of perforated metal or wiro
gauze so that air can pass through it in subdivided and diffused streams.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Bray in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th August
1882.
GEORGE BRAY of Blackman Lane Leeds in the County of York.
MENTS IN LANTERNS FOR STREET AND OTHER EXPOSED LAMPS."
" IMPROVE-
In lanterns for street lamps and for lamps used in railway stations and other
exposed situations, it is of great advantage to provide a hole of considerable size at
the bottom of the lantern so as to give access to the burners for lighting and other
purposes. The existence of such a hole is however very prejudicial to the action of
the lamp in consequence of the currents of air admitted through it. My Invention
relates to means of providing an automatic closure or partial closure of such a
hole in a lantern, which I effect in the following manner. I provide a ball of
diameter larger than the hole and place it within the lantern so that it covers the
hole as a valve. When access is required for lighting or other purposes the ball
is simply pushed aside by the torch or other lighting instrument employed and
when this is withdrawn the ball running down the slope of the bottom resumes
its place closing the hole. When the lantern is so arranged that the air for
supplying the flame enters at the top or sides, the ball may be simply a solid ball
or a shell of thin metal. When however the air supply has to enter in whole or
in part through the bottom of the lantern, the ball made as a shell of perforated
metal or wire gauze so that air can pass through it in subdivided and diffused
streams.
Fig 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a suspended lamp with the igniting
hole at the bottom of the glass closed by a ball of perforated sheet metal such as
zinc or copper or tinned copper, the perforations admitting air and diffusing it.
Such perforated balls may be made by stamping or pressing two hemispherical
shells of the sheet metal and uniting them by solder or brazing. When the air
for combustion enters at the upper part of the lantern, a ball without perforations
may be used as shewn in Fig 2 representing a suspended lamp or in Fig 3
representing a lamp supported on a post or column.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed I claim :-
For closing automatically the hole at the bottom of a lantern the use of a ball
of larger diameter than the hole, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof I the said George Bray have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Tenth day of August in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
aight two