Improvements in Wick Tips and Extinguishers for Lamps.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wick Tips and Extinguishers for Lamps.
1, STEPHEN BURROWS MORSS, residing in Rahway, Union County, State of New
Jersey, United States of America, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide a lamp burner with a non-combustible
wick-tip that will act in conjunction with a fibrous wick in supplying oil to a flame,
whereby an even flame will be produced and trimming of the wick will be obviated,
said wick tip likewise serving as an extinguisher when the fibrous wick is turned
down, extinguishing the light and enclosing the hot vapours, and preventing a
smell.
The invention consists in the novel details of improvement and the combinations
of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the
claims.
Reference is to he had to the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, which is
a partly sectional side elevation of a lamp burner provided with my improvements.
In the accompanying drawing the numeral 1 indicates the main outer perforated
casing of a burner which may be of suitable construction to fit in or on any desired
lamp or fount 2 in well known manner. 3 is a central air or draft tube, and 4 is an
outer concentric tube, and in the space between said tubes the fibrous or cotton
tubular wick 5 fits and slides up and down. Any suitable or well known means may
be employed for raising and lowering the wick 5, not necessary to be shown in this
application.
6 is a tubular wick-tip, having an annular outer flange 7, which is made porous or
capillary, and preferably composed of hard baked clay. The tubular body portion of
this tip is smaller in diameter than the tube 3, and fits down in the latter as shown,
and the flange 7 overlies the tube 3 and rests upon the upper edge of the wick 5, as
shown. As the wick 5 is raised and lowered it correspondingly raises and lowers the
non-combustible wick-tip, and the wick 5 supplies oil to the flange 7 on the upper
surface of which the flame burns as the oil passes from the wick 5 through the pores
or capillary ducts of the flange 7. By this means the fibrous wicking 5 is protected
from the flame and as it does not consume, trimming of the wick is obviated. If the
wick 5 should be turned down below the tube 3 the flange 7 of the non-combustible
wick will rest upon said tube ready to be again raised by the wick 5, in which position
it will act as an extinguisher.
In order to supply the flame with an equal delivery of heated air at all times,
whether the flame be high or low, I provide a perforated thimble or air feeder 8, the
upper portion 9 of which is suitably perforated, the lower tubular portion 10 of
which thimble fits within the wick tip 6 as shown. The thimble 8 has a suitable
outer shoulder or flange 11 which rests upon the wick-tip 6, whereby the thimble
is supported upon said tip so that the wick will raise and lower the thimble equally
with it.
The perforations 9 in the thimble or air feeder 8 are above the top of the wick so as
to supply heated air to the flame. 12 is a cover or cap on the thimble 8 to cause air
to issue through the perforations 9. By this means whether the wick be raised or
lowered the positions of the air holes in the thimble will remain the same relatively
to the wick so as to supply the flame with an equal proportion of heated air at all

page_text: times, whereby perfect combustion is always assured so that if the wick should be
turned low odor will be prevented.
In order to doubly heat the air that issues from the thimble 8 to the flame I provide an
inner perforated wall 13 within the thimble 8 through which part or all of the air passes
and receives an initial heating before it issues from the perforations 9. I have shown
the wall 13 in the form of a cone depending from the cover 12. The air rising into
the tubular part of the thimble 8 passes into this cone and as it issues from the per-
forations therein it becomes heated and enters the space or chamber 14 between the
cone and the walls of the part 9 of the thimble and is again heated as it issues through
the perforations in the thimble. By this means improved combustion of the flame is
produced.
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. A combined wick tip and extinguisher comprising a rigid capillary or porous
incombustible block or piece adapted to rest upon the top of a fibrous wick and having
a greater horizontal cross-section than the wick so as to abut against the top of the
wick casing when the wick is lowered and substantially close the casing to act as an
extinguisher, said piece being provided with a guide to direct its vertical movement,
substantially as described.
2. The combination, with wick casing tubes, and a fibrous wick there between, of a
rigid capillary or porous incombustible wick tip resting upon said wick when the
latter is raised above the casing but arranged to rest upon the casing tubes and sub-
stantially close the casing when the wick is lowered below the same, to act as an
extinguisher, said wick tip being provided with a guide to direct its vertical move-
inent, substantially as described.
3. The combination, with inner and outer wick casing tubes, and a fibrous wick
therebetween, of a rigid capillary or porous incombustible wick tip resting upon
said wick when the latter is raised above the casing but arranged to rest upon the
casing when the wick is lowered below the same, and having nearer the centre than
the inner wick casing tube, an annular shoulder, and a perforated thimble resting upon
said shoulder, substantially as described.
4. The combination, with inner and outer wick casing tubes, and a fibrous wick
therebetween, of a rigid capillary or porous incombustible wick tip resting upon said
wick when the latter is raised above the casing but arranged to rest upon the casing
when the wick is lowered below the same, and having a cylindrical depending guide
within the wick casing, and a perforated thimble having a cylindrical portion within
the guide, an outwardly extending shoulder above the cylindrical portion supporting
the thimble upon the wick tip, and a perforated portion above the shoulder supplying
air to the flame above said tip, substantially as described.
Dated the 20th day of October 1896.
THEO.
MCKENNA,
17 & 18, Basinghall Street, London, Agent.