IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING BY GAS, APPLICABLE IN PART FOR IGNITING FUEL TO PRODUCE COAL OR OTHER FIRES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Liddle, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING AND
HEATING BY GAS, APPLICABLE IN PART FOR IGNITING FUEL TO PRODUCE
COAL OR OTHER FIRES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Liddle at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th April 1880.
EDWIN LIDDLE, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster.
APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING BY GAS, APPLICABLE IN PART FOR
IGNITING FUEL TO PRODUCE COAL OR OTHER FIRES."
"
IMPROVEMENTS IN
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for lighting and
heating by gas, applicable in part for igniting fuel to produce coal or other fires
and relates first to a method of utilizing gas burners of the argand type, for the
twofold purpose of lighting and heating, by combining therewith a metallic support
and a tube composed partly of glass and partly of sheet metal, the whole so.
arranged that heat may be imparted to the contents of any suitable vessel and light
simultaneously diffused in the apartment or place containing the apparatus, without
breakage of glass or other injury or waste of gas; secondly, to an improved
construction of burner on the Bunsen principle designed to enable a flame to be
maintained with a smaller supply of gas than is usually required for that purpose.
The improved burner is constructed of two short tubes of metal joined in one
length by means of a T connection of which the lower projecting part is left open
for the admission of air. The gas is admitted at one end of the fitting, the gas tube
being contracted in diameter within the T, and the contracted tube being carried
across the opening in the T for the admission of air as above described. When
the gas is turned on at full, the current issuing from the end of the contracted tubo
will give motion in the same direction to the air within the T, thereby mixing
together the air and gas which are ignited upon reaching the outer end of the tube.
When however the gas is turned down low, the gas from the contracted tube will
issue so slowly as to give comparatively no motion to the surrounding air. Thus,
gas will arrive at the place of ignition with little or no air mixed with it, and
the

page_text: may therefore be easily kept alight. The apparatus as above described is employed
in a horizontal position, and by means of a flexible gas tubo is available for lighting
coal fires by arranging the apparatus at a suitable distance from the fire grate into
which coals have been previously placed.
Thirdly. My Invention consists in adapting mechanism to ordinary alarm or
other clocks for the purpose of regulating the supply of gas to burners constructed
as above described or otherwise. To this end I employ an ordinary gas or stop
tap, preferably placed within the interior of the clock case. The plug for the tap
is capable of being turned about one third of a revolution, a spring or weighted arm
or lever causing the tap to be closed whenever the weighted lever is free to return
to its normal position, as hereinafter described. That side of the plug nearest to
the clock mechanism is provided with an adjustable detent, which is so arranged in
conjunction with a notch or notches in the periphery of a drum rotated by the
shaft carrying the hour finger of the clock, as to cause the tap to remain slightly
open during a given time, after which the tap may be opened at full during a
desired interval, when the weighted arm or lever will be free to fall and close the
gas supply, as hereinbefore mentioned. The arrangements for regulating the
periods of time at or during which the gas supply is to be turned on or off, may be
of similar character to those employed for releasing the alarm spring finger in
ordinary alarm clocks, as will be well understood. Thus the alarm and the gas
lighting regulators may be so arranged with reference to cach other, that a clock
fitted with my improvements may be caused to sound an alarm in the usual manner,
whilst simultaneously, or at some time before or after, as may have been previously
arranged, an ordinary gas burner or burners constructed according to my improve-
ments, previously turned down low, may be supplied with a maximum amount of
gas to be automatically turned off at the expiration of any convenient period, thus
effecting heating and illuminating in a convenient manner available for a variety
of domestic purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edwin Liddle in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th October
1880.
EDWIN LIDDLE, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING BY GAS, APPLICABLE IN PART FOR
IGNITING FUEL TO PRODUCE COAL OR OTHER FIRES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for lighting and
heating by gas, applicable in part for igniting fuel to produce coal or other fires.
In my Provisional Specification I referred to improvements in the construction of
gas burners; firstly to those of the argand type, and secondly, to those of the
Bunsen type, but bave since discovered that these arrangements are of doubtful
novelty, and I therefore make no claim thereto.
According to my Invention, I adapt mechanism to ordinary alarm or other
clocks for the purpose of regulating the supply of gas to burners. To this end I
employ an ordinary gas or stop tap, preferably placed within the interior of the
clock case. The plug of the tap is capable of being turned about one third of a
revolution, a spring or weighted arın or lever causing the tap to be closed whenever
the weighted lever is free to return to its normal position, as hereinafter described.
That side of the plug upon which the handle or thumb piece is usually formed
is provided with an adjustable detent which is so arranged in conjunction with a
notch or notches in the periphery of a drum or cam rotated by the hollow shaft or
arbor carrying the alarm disc and the hour finger of the clock, as to cause the tap to
remain slightly open during a given time, after which the tap may be opened at
full during a desired interval, when the weighted arm or lever will be free to fall
and close the gas supply, as herein before mentioned. The arrangements for
regulating the periods of time at or during which the gas supply is to be turned on
or off, may be of similar character to those employed for releasing the alarm
pallett finger or tail in ordinary alarm clocks, as will be well understood. Thus,
the alarm and the gas lighting cams or drums may be so arranged with reference to
each other, that a clock fitted with my improvements may be caused to sound an
alarm in the usual manner, whilst simultaneously or at some time before or after,
as may have been previously arranged, an ordinary gas burner for illuminating
purposes, a Bunsen burner for heating or fire-lighting purposes, or an argand burner
arranged for both illuminating and heating purposes, previously turned down low,
may be supplied with a maximum amount of gas to be automatically turned off at
the expiration of any convenient period, thus effecting illuminating or heating in a
convenient manner available for a variety of domestic purposes.
In the accompanying Drawings Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively front and side
views shewing the arrangement of my improved gas regulating mechanism as
applied to an ordinary thirty six hours alarm clock. A is the clock case; B, the
alarm disc; D, the inlet pipe for the gas; and E the outlet pipe, to which may be
connected a flexible or other tube communicating with the burners to which the
gas is to be supplied; F is an ordinary gas tap or cock, to the plug of which is
attached the weighted arm or lever G provided at its inner or lower end with a lip
or catch H (see Fig. 7) which catches on the pins or arms a, a², when pressing in an
upward direction, but which is capable of springing back so as to be free to pass
the pins or arms when moved in the opposite direction. In Fig. 1 the weighted
arm G is shown in the position which obtains when the gas cock is closed or
only partially open, and ready for being operated upon by the clock mechanism.
2 indicates the position of the arm when the gas cock F is open, and allowing the
maximum amount of gas to pass through, and 3 the position of the arm when the
gas cock is closed and the apparatus out of action. The pins or arms a, a', work
on a pin b, one end of the pins or arms resting against the inner edge of a notched
cam or drum c (see Figs. 2 and 5), whilst the other end engages with the catch or

page_text: lip H (see Fig. 7), thereby preventing the inner end of the weighted arın or lever G
from moving upwards until the opposite end of the pin a enters the notch a in
the cam or drum c, when the weighted arm or lever G will be set free, thus being
at liberty to move round until the lip H comes in contact with the arm a¹ (see
Fig. 7), thus opening the tap. The arm or lever G will remain in this position
until the notch & comes opposite the other end of the arm a', when tho weighted
lever G will fall, thus closing the tap. (o, see Fig. 8,) is a stop or guard to prevent
the pins or arms a, a, from working too far back. The notched drum or cam c is
held against the alarm disc B by the alarm cain e, a spiral spring or washer of
india-rubber being interposed between the alarm disc B and the alarm cam e so as
to hold the notched cam or drum c tight against the aların disc B, whilst at the
same time the cam c can be partially rotated when required. The notch f in the
alarm disc B permits of the partial rotation of the cam or drum c by means of
the pin g. The notch d in the cam or drum e is in such a position relatively to the
pin that if the alarm disc were set for action in the position shown in Fig. 3, the
alarm bell of the clock would be sounded, and the lever G released so as to put
on the maximum supply of gas simultaneously. By moving the pin G the interval
between the actuating of the gas cock F and the sounding of the alarm may be
determined.
In the arrangement shown in the Drawings the gas cock F is designed to be
entirely closed in the position indicated, and also in position 3. I prefer however
to employ an auxiliary pipe I and regulating tap J for supplying a small flame to
the burners, and to this end arrange the auxiliary pipe in the manner shewn. The
gas cock J may be adjusted to permit of any desirable quantity of gas passing
through it independently of the main gas cock F. Thus a full supply of gas may
be supplied to the burner or burners without disturbing the weighted arm or lever C
and the gas cock F. Various methods may be employed for adjusting the plug of
the auxiliary gas cock J so as to allow the desired amount of gas to pass through.
In Figs. 9 and 10 a screw is so arranged that accordingly as it is moved higher or
lower the diagonal thumb-piece i may be rotated to a less or greater extent. In
Fig. 11 an adjusting screw his arranged so that its point may come in contact with
a stop j, as will be readily understood. Fig. 12 shews an arrangement of plug for
gas cock, in which a very small hole is drilled through the plug in such a manner
that when the main hole or thoroughfare of the gas cock is closed, a small quantity
of gas may yet pass through the hole, and so permit a small light to be kept up
at the burner or point of ignition.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode in which
I prefer to carry it into practical effect, I would have it understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details described and shewn in the accompanying
Drawings; but that what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim
as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent
is as follows, that is to say, the general arrangement of mechanism for supplying
and shutting off gas to gas burners, substantially as described and shewn in the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Liddle, have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twelfth day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand