Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 29th Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 1st Nov., 1887
We, HENRY WILLIAM COLE and ALBERT FREDERICK COLE both of Raven Street,
Stourport in the County of Worcester, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows :-
This invention is applicable to the taps or valves of gas apparatus especially those
controlling the supply to gas burners and we will describe it as applied to the tap of
an ordinary gas bracket.
In this case a rigid frame preferably of metal is disposed about the burner in such
manner that the frame or a portion of it becomes heated by the flame. The tap or
valve is provided with a spring or equivalent means of causing it to close the gas
passage when released and a detent is so placed as to engage with an arm handle or
equivalent of the tap and hold it open. In connection with the frame is a lever or
equivalent device and the action is as follows ;—
When the flame heats the frame the latter expands and moves the lever whose
fulcrum is by preference placed very near its junction with the frame the other arm being
much longer. The free end engages with the detent and moves it so that it no longer
holds the tap whose arm is now hold by the lever instead of the detent. If the flame
goes out, as by shutting off the gas at the meter, by a strong draught, or the like, the
frame cools and contracts, moving the lever on its fulcrum and releasing the tap
which at once closes automatically.
The lever as described is preferred as being particularly suitable and simple but we
do not bind ourselves to use it, as other means, such as a silk cord, or wire may be
used to connect the frame (whose construction may be varied as required) with the
tan or valve.

page_text: It will be understood that so long as the expansion of a portion of the apparatus
caused by the heat of the flame is employed to hold a tap or valve open, and permit
the flow of gas to the burner, and the contraction, upon the extinction of the flame,
closes or permits the closing of the tap or valve, the exact mechanism employed may
be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of this invention.
For instance a curved copper tube, such as is used in steam guages, arranged to be
heated by the flame, and open the valve when expanded, and close it when contracted
would answer the same purpose, or the expansion of mercury in a vessel or tube.
There is also this advantage, that the portion heated by the flame becoming red hot
will relight the flame if blown out by a sudden gust of wind.
Dated this 29th day of December 1886.

page_text: Improvements in Method and Means for Preventing Escape
of Gas.
We, HENRY WILLIAM COLE and ALBERT FREDERICK COLE both of Raven Street,
Stourport in the County of Worcester, Manufacturers, 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 :-
This invention is intended to apply to the taps or valves of gas apparatus especially
those controlling the supply to gas burners.
The method of carrying out the invention consists in disposing a rod wire or
tube of metal in such proximity to the burner that the said rod wire or tube shall
undergo an appreciable amount of expansion when the gas is lighted and a corre-
sponding amount of contraction on cooling when the flame is extinguished and in
causing the rod wire or tube to act during its contraction either directly or indirectly
upon a detent which keeps the tap open and causes the same to release the tap
which then closes under the influence of a weight spring or other device.
The means whereby the force exerted by the rod wire or tube in expanding and
contracting is brought to bear upon the tap retaining mechanism may be greatly
varied and will depend to a certain extent upon the formn and position of the
burner and we shall therefore content ourselves with illustrating a few methods of
applying our invention to burners in common use.
In figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings A represents an ordinary duplex
burner provided with a stop cock B to the spindle of which is fixed a weighted
lever B which when free hangs vertically or nearly so and closes the tap thereby
shutting off the gas. Instead of a weighted lever a spring might be used to close the
tap. To keep the tap open a detent 6 formed thereon is caused to engage with a
notched lever C which is fulcrummed at c to a frame or support D which branches
outwards and upwards on each side of the burner. To one branch of the support D is
fulcrummed at e a lever E the long arm of which bears against a short lever arm C¹
which is formed integral with the lever C. To the shorter arm of the lever E is
attached at one end a rod of metal F the other end of which is connected to the
opposite branch of the support D. The rod F is placed low between the nipples a so
that it may become heated when the gas is burning without altering the shape of the
flame or interfering with the illuminating properties thereof. Upon opening the tap
and lighting the gas, the bar or wire expands, allowing the lever E to move and
the notched lever which is weighted at C to fall on the detent b. When the light
is extinguished the bar or wire F contracts pulls the lever E and raises the notched
lover C out of contact of the detent b, the tap then closing by means of the weighted
lever B¹.
To light the gas (figure 1) the tap is held open until the heat from the flame has
expanded the bar F sufficiently to allow the lever C to hold up the detent b.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 represent the method of applying the apparatus to a simple
"

page_text: burner. In this case the rod or wire F may either pass through the burner A' as
shown in figures 3 and 4 or it may be formed with a yoke f surrounding the burner
as shown in figure 5, which permits the necessary amount of motion.
Figure 6 shows a modification of the apparatus in which the parts may be adjusted
as soon as the gas is lighted without waiting for the rod F to expand. In this case
the lever C is free from the control of the lever E previous to the rod F commencing
to expand and the catch Cat the end of the lever can be placed over the end of the
detent b as soon as the tap is opened. As the rod F commences to expand the long
arm of the lever E is thrown inwards and the end thereof coming in contact with the
catch removes the same from the detent b. The weight B' then causes the tap to
turn until the end of the detent b rests against the bottom of the lever E and in this
position, which is shown in figure 6, the parts remain until the light is extinguished
when the contraction of the rod F throws the bottom of the lever E outwards and
releases the detent 6 when the tap is at once completely closed by the fall of the
weight B¹.
The catch lever C might be weighted as indicated by dotted lines but we prefer to
dispense with the weight which, if the weighted lever B' were accidentally raised
would cause the lever C to hook itself on to the detent b and so hold the tap open
and allow the gas to escape. When not weighted the person that lights the gas
must either place the catch C¹ upon the detent or hold the tap open until the
bottom of the lever E has been thrown sufficiently inwards by the expansion of
the rod F so that no accidental retention of the tap in an open position can
happen.
'
A spiral spring F 2 may be used to assist in the movement produced by the
expansion of the rod F. If the spring be strong enough a thin wire may be used
instead of a rod as it will then only be required to exert force in contracting and
therefore will not be liable to become bent.
In figures 7 and 8 the rod or wire F is placed so as to pass either through or
over the flame. In either of these cases the rod or wire would be made preferably
of non-oxidizable metal such as platinum. If so situated as to become red hot the
bar or wire would serve to relight the gas if the flame were blown out by a sudden
gust of wind.
Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 show the manner in which our invention may be applied
to regenerative lamps.
In figure 9 A is the gas supply pipe the tap of which is provided with a weighted
lever B for closing it and also with a detent or projection as in the figures already
described. Around the supply pipe A is a tube & preferably of earthenware or other
very slightly expansible material and around the top of this tube is fixed a metal
ring G to which is pivotted at g the bent lever E the long vertical arm of which
when placed underneath the detent keeps the tap B open. To the short horizontal
arm of the lever E is attached the operating rod F the other end of this rod being
fixed at F to the interior of the tube G.
Figures 10, 11 and 12 show a modified form of apparatus in which the contraction
of an open ring J composed of two strips of metal having different degrees of expansion
is employed instead of a straight rod or wire to effect the release of the tap which can
be placed according to the construction of the lamp in the most convenient place
inside or outside the lamp. In the drawing one end of the ring is fixed to the interior
of the chimney or gallery G and the other end is connected with a lever K by means
of the link K. The lover K is fixed at the foot of a vertical spindle L which carries
at its upper end a rod or arm M capable of being placed opposite the projection 6 on
the stop cock or tap B and keeping the latter open. This position is only possible
when the ring J is heated; if the gas is extinguished the unequal contraction of the
ring in cooling causes an alteration in the shape thereof and a consequent change in
the position of the end, which is attached to the link K'. This movement causes the
spindle L to revolve slightly thereby removing the arm M from contact with the
projection band leaving the tap free to close under the influence of the weighted
lever B'

page_text: The numerous modifications of which our invention is susceptible enable us to apply
it without difficulty to burners and lamps of any kind even if situated at some
distance from the stop cock or valve. A catch lever or similar device such as C in
figure 6 either weighted or not weighted can be used in all forms should such be
necessary or desirable instead of holding the tap open until the apparatuses are heated.
By the arrangement shown in figure 1 wherein the bar or wire F is placed low down
between two burners a very small flame is required to produce the amount of expansion
in the rod F which suffices to keep the tap open.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
1. The method of preventing the escape of gas by fixing a rod wire or ring of metal
near enough to the gas burner to cause it to become heated and therefore to expand
when the gas is lighted and utilizing the force of contraction on the cooling of the
said rod or wire to set free a spring or weight capable of closing the stop cock or tap
substantially as herein described.
2. In apparatus for preventing the escape of gas the combination with the stop cock B
constantly tending to close under the influence of a weighted lever B₁ or its equivalent
but held open when the gas is lighted by a notched lever such as C which engages
with a detent b on the stop cock of a lover such as E and rod or wire F heated by the
flame and by its contraction on cooling operating the levers E and C in such manner
as to release the detent b and allow the stop cock to close substantially as described
and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In apparatus for preventing the escape of gas the combination of a weighted or
spring actuated stop cock and catch lever C to keep the cock open when the gas is
first lighted with an expanding rod or wire F acting by its expansion upon a lever E
to remove the catch from the projection b and by its contraction to remove the
lever E from the projection b and so allow the tap to close substantially as described
and illustrated in figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In apparatus for preventing the escape of gas in regenerative lamps the com-
bination of a tube or chimney such as G of earthenware or other material very slightly
expansible under the influence of heat with a metal rod attached at one end to the said
chimney and at the other to a lever pivotted thereon and controlling a stop cock or
tap substantially as described and illustrated in figure 9 of the accompanying
drawings.
5. In apparatus for preventing the escape of gas the combination with a weighted
or spring actuated stop cock of an open ring such as J composed of two metals having
different rates of expansion and operating by its contraction to remove a rod or lever
such as M from contact with the projection b on the stop cock substantially as described
and shown in figures 10, 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The complete apparatus for preventing the escape of gas substantially as described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of September 1887
HENRY WILLIAM COLE.
ALBERT FREDERICK COLE.