Improvements in and in the Manufacture of Clinical and other Thermometers, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1891
"omplete Specification Left, 29th Oct., 1892-Accepted. 3rd Dec., 1892
Improvements in and in the Manufacture of Clinical and other
Thermometers, and in Apparatus therefor.
I EDWARD SEBASTIAN ARRIGHT of 29 Elmira Street Lewisham in the County
f Kent Glass Blower do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
ollows:
-
My invention relates to improvements in and in the manufacture of clinical and
ther thermometers and in apparatus therefor.
It has been proposed to form the tubing from which clinical thermometers are
made but more especially that class of thermometers which are provided with a
ens or magnifying front with a strip of white enamel extending all round the back
or that part
and sides of the tubing but leaving only the narrow "lens front
through which the column of mercury is seen of clear glass in order to guide the
eye of the user to the correct line of sight.
"
In the manufacture of clinical thermometers by reason of the bore being so very
minute it is essential for the workman in order to produce good results to have a
clear view thereof and therefore in the manufacture of thermometers of the
character above referred to considerable difficulty is met with by the workmen in
consequence of the bore being practically hidden from his view.
Now the object of my present invention is to remove this difficulty by enabling
the workman to have a clear view of the hore during his manipulation of the tube.
For this purpose in lieu of continuing the enamel strip all round the back and
sides of the tube as hereinbefore described I draw the tube with the ordinary strip
of enamel behind the bore and which serves to reflect the column of mercury as is
well understood and in addition to such reflecting strip I form the tube with a
separate strip of enamel upon each side of the lens or other front or line of sight
and I mark upon one or both of these side strips the necessary graduations or
divisions.
By these means I greatly facilitate the manufacture of this class of thermometer
tube and by admitting light to the sides of the column of mercury 1 enable the
same to be more readily seen when the thermometer is in use.
employ
In the manufacture of thermometer tubing according to my invention
a V shaped trough or mould which is located above a chamber in which are
arranged several Bunsen burners which serve to keep the mould at a suitable
temperature for the purpose hereinafter described and I form perforations in the
sides of the mould to allow of the escape of the products of combustion from the
Bunsen burners.
Along the sides of the mould I lay strips of enamel which I support upon ledges
or supports fitted into the bottom of the mould or otherwise arranged and the strips
of enainel are retained in a heated state by the gas heat.
I now take a ball of ordinary thermometer glass provided with the usual strip
of enamel at the back of the bore and introduce it into the mould and work it
until the side strips of enamel have combined therewith and I then reheat and
draw it into a thermometer tube in the customary manner the side openings
between the side strips of enamel and the reflecting strip affording a clear view
of the bore during the whole of the subsequent operations.
By the employment of the apparatus hereinbefore described I am enabled to
keep the work at a suitable heat during the application of the side strips of

page_text: enamel, whilst at the same time I ensure greater accuracy in the work with less
labour.
°
Dated this 28th day of December 1891.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in the Manufacture of Clinical and other
Thermometers, and in Apparatus therefor.
1, EDWARD SEBASTIAN ARRIGHI of 29 Elmira Street Lewisham in the County
of Kent Glass Blower 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in and in the manufacture of clinical and
other thermometers and in apparatus therefor.
It has been proposed to form the tubing from which clinical thermometers are
made but more especially that class of thermometers which are provided with a
lens or magnifying front with a strip of white enamel extending all round the back
and sides of the tubing but leaving only the narrow lens front' or that part
through which the column of mercury is seen, of clear glass in order to guide the
eye of the user to the correct line of sight.
22
In the manufacture of clinical thermometers by reason of the bore being so very
minute it is essential for the workman in order to produce good results to have a
clear view thereof, and therefore in the manufacture of thermometers of the
character above referred to, considerable difficulty is met with by the workman in
consequence of the bore being practically hidden from his view.
Now the object of my present invention is to remove this difficulty by enabling
the workman to have a clear view of the bore during his manipulation of
the tube.
For this purpose in lieu of continuing the enamel strip all round the back and
sides of the tube as hereinbefore described, I draw the tube with the ordinary strip
of enamel behind the bore, and which serves to reflect the column of mercury as
is well understood, and in addition to such reflecting strip I form the tube with a
separate strip of enamel upon each side of the lens or other front or line of sight
and I mark upon one or both of these side strips the necessary graduations or
divisions.
By these means I greatly facilitate the manufacture of this class of thermometer
tube, and by admitting light to the sides of the column of mercury, I enable the
same to be more readily seen when the thermometer is in use.
In the manufacture of thermometer tubing according to my invention I employ
a V or other suitably shaped trough or mould which is located above one or
several Bunsen burners which serve to keep the mould at a suitable temperature
for the purpose hereinafter described and I form outlets at the sides of the mould
to allow of the escape of the products of combustion from the Bunsen burners.
Along the sides of the mould I lay strips of enamel which I support upon ledges
or supports fitted into the bottom of the mould or otherwise arranged and the
strips of enamel are retained in a heated state by the gas heat.
I now take a ball of ordinary thermometer glass provided with the usual strip
of enamel at the back of the bore, and introduce it into the mould and work it
until the side strips of enamel have combined therewith, and I then re-heat and
draw it into a thermometer tube in the customary manner, the side openings
between the side strips of enamel and the reflecting strip affording a clear view
of the bore during the whole of that and the subsequent operations.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and readily

page_text: o describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a transverse section of an ordinary round clinical thermometer tube.
aving my invention applied thereto.
Figure 1 is a face view of a portion of such tube.
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but representing a slight modification.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of a
aving my invention applied thereto.
"lens front" clinical thermometer tube.
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but representing a slight modification.
Figure 5 is a transverse section of another form of lens front" clinical
thermometer tube having my invention applied thereto.
Figure 6 is a face view of part of a clinical thermometer constructed of the section
of tube represented at Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a vertical transverse section of an apparatus suitable to produce the
sections of tub represented at Figures 1 to 4, and
Figure 8 is a similar view of an apparatus adapted to produce the section of tube
represented at Figure 5.
In the several figures in which like parts are indicated by similar letters of
reference all the figures with the exception of Figures 7 and 8 are drawn to an
enlarged scale for the sake of clearness, whilst the latter figures are drawn to a
reduced scale.
Referring to Figures 1, 14 and 3, a represents the body of the thermometer tube,
a represents the bore thereof, and represents the ordinary. strip of enamel
which is located behind the bore, and serves to reflect the column of mercury as is
well understood.
According to my present invention in addition to the reflecting strip of enamel b,
I form the tube a with a separate strip of enamel c upon each side of the lens or
other front or line of sight a, and so as to leave spaces of clear glass as between the
strips b and c, and I mark upon one of the side strips of enamel c the necessary
graduations or divisions as represented more particularly at Figure 1^; or I so
mark both of such side strips of enamel c.
By these means I greatly facilitate the manufacture of this class of clinical
thermometers, as I afford the workman through the spaces a³, a clear view of the
bore during his manipulation of the tube, and furthermore by admitting light to the
column of mercury through the spaces as I enable the same to be more readily seen
when the thermometer is in use.
In the manufacture of thermometer tubing according to my invention, and of
the section represented at Figure 3 for example, I employ an apparatus such as
that represented at Figure 7, and which consists of a V shaped trough or mould d
formed with descending sides or they might be feet which rest upon and are
secured to a frame within which I arrange a Bunsen burner or burners f, the
heat froin which serves to keep the mould dat a suitable temperature for the
purpose hereinafter described, and I provide outlets d in the descending sides d' of
the mould d to allow of the escape of the products of combustion from the Bunsen
burners.
The apparatus herein before described is employed in the following manner in the
production of a thermometer tube.
Along the sides of the mould d I lay strips of enainel c which are at their ends
supported upon studs ledges or supports d³ provided for that purpose and attached
to the mould or trough d in suitable positions, and the strips of enamel are
retained in a heated state by the gas heat of the Bunsen burners.
I now take a ball of ordinary thermometer glass a in which the bore a' has been
formed and which is provided with the usual strip of enamel b at the back of the
5 bore a' and I introduce this ball of glass into the mould d as represented at

page_text: Figure 7, and work it until the side strips of enamel c have combined therewith, and
I then re-heat the same and draw it into a thermometer tube in the customary
manner, the side openings a³ between the side strips of enamel c and the reflecting
strip baffording a clear view of the bore a¹ during the whole of the above and
subsequent operations.
In the examples given at Figures 2, 4, and 5, the whole of the enamel strips b
and care deeply embedded in the glass body a and in order to effect this operation,
a ball of glass is first, placed in the mould d and. the two enamel strips are applied
thereto in the manner hereinbefore described, whilst the third strip is applied
thereto, and the bore is formed therein in the ordinary manner; the ball is then
dipped into a pot of clear glass until the desired thickness is obtained, after which
the ball is drawn into tube.
In the example given at Figure 8, I have shown an apparatus suitable for the
production of thermometer tube of the peculiar section represented at Figure 5, and
which apparatus is substantially the same as that hereinbefore described with respect
to Figure 7, the only difference being in the form of the mould d.
This peculiar section of tube has the advantages that its lens front a² possesses
great magnifying power, that it is impossible for it to roll off a table or other
Surface and thus become broken, whilst at the same time the column of mercury and
the graduations are arranged practically in the same line of sight, and can both be
seen without the necessity for turning the thermometer in the hand.
It will be understood that the form of the mould d must necessarily be varied
according to the section required to be given to the thermometer tube.
By the employment of the apparatus herein before described I am enabled to
keep the side strips of enamel at a suitable heat during the application thereof
to the ball of glass, whilst at the same time I ensure greater accuracy in the work
with less labour.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. In the manufacture of thermometers, providing the ball of glass previous
to its being drawn into a thermometer tube with three strips of enamel arranged
in manner substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
2. A thermometer provided with three strips of enamel arranged in manner
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
3. In the manufacture of thermometers of the character hereinbefore described,
the method of applying the strips of enamel to the ball of glass consisting in
retaining such strips at a suitable heat during such application substantially as
herein described.
4. In the manufacture of thermometers of the character herein before described an
apparatus consisting of a mould having approximately the form required to be
given to the face of the ball of glass, suitable supports for the strips of enamel to be
applied thereto, and a heating device located beneath the mould substantially as
herein shown and described.
Dated this 28th day of October 1892.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.