A PNEUMATIC ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING APPARATUS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin E. Bean, of Boston, in the County of
Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, in the U. S. of America,
Engineer, for the Invention of "A PNEUMATIC ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING
APPARATUS."
Sealed the 15th December 1874, and dated the 7th July 1874. .
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Edwin E. Bean at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition ´ and
Declaration, on the 7th July 1874, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
E. BEAN, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State of Massa-
chusetts, in the U. S. of America, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "A PNEUMATIC
ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING APPARATUS," and have petitioned Her Majesty
to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her
Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declara-

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thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edwin E. Bean, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification under my hand and scal fully
describes the nature of my said Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to an apparatus for lighting gas at the lamp
burners, and it is operated by means of two elements, viz., compressed
and rarefied air acting upon flexible diaphragms for the purpose of
opening and closing the gas cocks, and electricity for the purpose of
igniting the gas at the burner.
The manner in which I operate my Invention is simply this:-First, I
open all the gas cocks on the lamps that are to be lighted, and this I do
by admitting compressed air from a suitable resevior through under-
ground connecting pipes to the flexible diaphragms that are coupled to
the levers on the gas cocks. When all the gas cocks on the burners
that are to lighted are opened I light the gas at the burners by means
of an electric spark conveyed through wires from a galvanic battery to
a point close to the openings in the burners.
When I wish to extinguish the lights I shut the cocks by means of
rarefied air or vacuum acting on the rear of the flexible diaphragms
aforesaid, whereby I am able to extinguish a great number of lights in a
very short time.
Reference is made to the annexed Drawings, on which Fig. 1
represents a front elevation of my Invention; Fig. 2 represents a side
elevation; Fig. 3 represents a ground plan; and Fig. 4 represents a
cross section on the line A, B, shown in Fig. 2.
On the Drawings a represents the base and the frame of the
apparatus that is attached to each lamp. c represents the gas supply
pipe provided with an ordinary two-way cock d, to which is attached a
lever e, the lower end of which is jointed to the rod f. The rear end of
the rod is secured to a flexible diaphragm g, the circumference of
which is attached to the hollow case h. The rod fis moved in a hori-
zontal direction by the compressed or rarefied air acting upon the
aforesaid flexible diaphragm g, which air is conveyed to the hollow case h
through the pipe i leading from a reservoir, in which the air can be

page_text: compressed and rarefied. The pipe i also serves as a protector for the
electric wires k, l, as shown in Fig. 1.
The gas supply pipe c extends above the cock d as a pipe c¹ and
terminates at the top as an insulated burner m, on the side of which is
located a metallic rod n, the top of which extends to the slit in the
burner m. The metallic pole n is in connection with the wire k¹¹¹, that
leads to an electro-magnet o, from which the wire is connected to
another similar electro-magnet p, from which the wire ¹¹ is connected to
an insulated post q that terminates on the inside of the frame as a bent
metallic spring ". A second post s also insulated from the frame b is
made in a similar manner to the post q and terminates as a bent metallic
spring t, as shown in Fig. 4. From the posts leads a wire l' through a
suitable insulated stuffing box 1 to the wire 7, by means of which the
electric current after lighting the gas at one apparatus is conveyed to
the next burner in the series of lamps that are to be operated. The
wire is connected to the post q by means of the wire k¹, as shown in
Fig. 4.
A lever is hinged at w to the upper part of the frame b, as shown
in Fig. 1. w is a pin or screw projecting through a circular hole in the
lever v, and is screwed in or otherwise secured to the frame b, by which
The lever v
arrangement the lever o may rock around the fulcrum w.
is operated from the rod ƒ by means of a spring wire x, x, attached at
y
to the lever v, as shown in Fig. 1. The lower end of the spring wire x, x,
rests against a hook z on the rod f. The lower end of the rocking
lever is provided with a projecting tooth 1 that is made to fit and rest
in a catch or recess 2 on the end of the rocking frame 3 that rocks
slightly in the bearings 4, 4; the rear part of the frame 3 projects below
the electro-magnets o, p, as an armature 5.
The upper end of the lever is provided with a bent metallic snapping
wire 6, the extreme upper end of which lies in contact with the rod n
as soon as the tooth 1 on the lower part of the lever v is forced against
the recess 2 and the gas cock d opened. A spark is produced when the
current is broken between the upper ends of the wire 6 and pole n,
which is occasioned by the rocking motion of the lever von its
fulcrum w. The tooth 1 at the lower end of the lever is released from
the recess 2 as soon as the armature 5 is attracted to the electro-
magnets o, p, when the force of the spring wire x, x, moves the lever v
in the direction of the arrow, shown in Fig. 1, and in so doing places the.

page_text: insulated wedge 7 that is connected to the lower end of the lever v in
contact with the two bent springs and t, shown in Fig. 4, whereby the
electric current conveyed to the apparatus through the wires k, k¹, is
conducted to the next apparatus in the series through the wires 1, 2.
The operation of my Invention is as follows:- Before the gas is turned
on or ignited the different parts of the apparatus are in the respective
positions, as shown in Fig. 1.
When it is desired to open the gas cocks I force compressed air from
a suitable reservoir through the pipe i to the rear of the diaphragm g,
by which the latter is expanded and forces the rod f and the gas cock
lever e, as shown in Fig. 1, towards the left, thereby opening the gas
cocks on all the lamps simultaneously in the series.
The action of the spring wire x, x, forces the lower end 1 of the
lover against the recess 2 at the same time as the snapping wire 6
is laid in contact with the pole n. A current of electricity is then
conducted through the wire k to the electro-magnets o, p, and to
the pole n when the armature 5 is attracted to the under side of the
electro-magnets o, p, and the lower end of the lever is then imme-
diately released from the recess 2 and set in motion by the spring
wire x, x, at the same time as the current of electricity is broken between
the upper ends of the wire 6 and pole n, thereby producing a spark, by
which the gas is ignited at the burner. The electric current is conveyed
to the next lamp in succession as soon as the wedge 7 touches the
metallic springs t and r.
To extinguish the lights it is only necessary to connect the air pipe i
leading to each diaphragm 9 to a reservoir containing rarefied air or
vacuum when the atmospheric pressure forces the diaphragm g and
with it the various operating parts to their respective positions, as shown
in Fig. 1.
Having thus fully described the nature, construction, and operation a
of my Invention, I wish to secure by Letters Patent and claim,―
1st. An apparatus for the purpose of lighting and extinguishing gas,
in which compressed and rarefied air is used for opening and closing the

page_text: 2nd. In an apparatus for lighting lamps by electricity, a mechanism
for making and breaking the current of electricity in the jet, thereby
lighting the gas, as and for the purpose set forth and described.
3rd. In combination with an apparatus in which compressed and
rarefied air is used for the turning of the gas cocks of an electric
apparatus, so arranged that it will automatically transmit the current
of electricity to the next lamp in succession, for the purpose set
forth.
4th. In combination with the diaphragm g and rod f of the rocking
lever v, spring wire x, x, the metallic snapping wire 6, and the metallic
pole n, as and for the purpose herein shown and described.
5th. In combination with the electro-magnets o, p, and the armature 5,
of the catch or recess 2, lever v, insulated wedge 7, springs r, t, and
their insulated posts 7, 8, and the wires k, k¹, k¹¹, k¹¹¹, k¹¹¹¹, 1, 1', as and
for the purpose herein set forth and described.
Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States of America,
this 8th day of June, 1874, A.D.
Witnesses,
ALBAN ANDRÉN,
JOHN R. HEARD.
EDWIN E. BEAN.. (L.S.)