IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIONTING THE FLOW OF GAS FOR PURPOSES OF ILLUMINATION
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Lawrence, of Newport, in the County of
Monmouth, Architect, and William Niblett, of the same Place, Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Lawrence and
William Niblett at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 25th February 1863.
We, BENJAMIN LAWRENCE, of Newport, in the County of Monmouth,
Architect, and WILLIAM NIBLETT, of the same Place, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF GAS FOR PURPOSES OF ILLUMINATION," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements consist in placing over and upon the ordinary gas burner
a tube or cylinder of any suitable metal or other material fitted at the top with
an adjustable cap piston or plug. The slits or apertures for the escape of the
gas being cut either in the cap piston or plug, or in the tube or cylinder.
Our object being in the first place to admit the gas from the ordinary burner
into a chamber for the purpose of allowing it to expand, thereby reducing its
pressure, and next by the proper adjustment of the cap piston or plug to allow
the gas to escape through the slits or apertures at that pressure which is most
desirable to produce complete combustion, and to develope the illuminating

page_text: powers of the gas to the greatest possible extent. The slits or apertures may
be disposed in various ways, and if required so as to produce the effect of an
argand or radial light, and we construct the cap plug or piston so that it
shall terminate beyond or above the slits or apertures in a flange or disc globe,
cone, or other suitable figure, against which the jets of gas impinge and are
caused to form a circle of the required diameter. We prefer to form the
cap piston or plug in such a manner that the adjustment of the same can be
effected upon the principle of the screw and nut. The cap piston or plug,
may however be made adjustable by means of a rack and pinion, and any
other suitable and well known mechanical contrivance, or it may be made
self-acting in the shape of a suitably weighted cylindrical valve cover thereon,
or therein. Instead of using the regulating apparatus in conjunction with the
ordinary burner as above described, we also propose in cases where we may
think fit to do so, to substitute the regulating apparatus itself, after having
modified it so as to suit the purpose required. In cases where a chimney is
to be used the tube or cylinder may be fitted with a gallery, and the admission
of the air regulated by a flange or disc screwed to the tube or cylinder under-
neath the gallery, or in such a manner that its distance from the gallery can
be increased or diminished at pleasure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Benjamin Lawrence and William Niblett in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 25th August 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, BENJAMIN
LAWRENCE, of Newport, in the County of Monmouth, Architect, and WILLIAM
NIBLETT, of the same Place, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Benjamin Lawrence and William Niblett, Her special licence,
that we, the said Benjamin Lawrence and William Niblett, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Benjamin Lawrence
and William Niblett, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

page_text: the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF GAS POR PURPOSES OF ILLUMINATION,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Benjamin Lawrence and
William Niblett, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Benjamin Lawrence and William
Niblett, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
Our improvements consist in placing over and upon the ordinary gas burner
a tube or cylinder of any suitable metal or other material fitted at the top
with an adjustable cap, piston, or plug. The slits or apertures for the escape
of the gas being cut either in the cap piston or plug, or in the tube or
cylinder.
Our object being in the first place to admit the gas from the ordinary
burner into a chamber for the purpose of allowing it to expand, thereby
reducing its pressure, and next by the proper adjustment of the cap piston or
plug to allow the gas to escape through the slits or apertures at that pressure,
which is most desirable to produce complete combustion, and to develope the
illuminating powers of the gas to the greatest possible extent. The slits or
aperturės may be disposed in various ways, and if required, so as to produce
the effect of an argand or radial light, and we construct the cap plug or piston
so that it shall terminate beyond or above the slits or apertures in a flange or
disc, globe, cone, or other suitable figure against which the jets of gas impinge
and are caused to form a circle of the required diameter. We prefer to form
the cap piston or plug in such a manner that the adjustment of the same
can be effected upon the principle of the screw and nut. The cap piston or
plug may however be made adjustable by means of a rack and pinion or any
other suitable and well known mechanical contrivance, or it may be made
self-acting in the shape of a suitably weighted cylindrical valve cover thereon
or therein.
.Instead of using the regulating apparatus in conjunction with the ordinary
burner as above described, we also propose in cases where we may think fit
to do so to substitute the regulating apparatus itself, after having modified it
so as to suit the purpose required. In cases where a chimney is to be used

page_text: the tube or cylinder may be fitted with a gallery, and the admission of the air
regulated by a flange or disc screwed to the tube or cylinder underneath the
gallery in such a manner that its distance from the gallery can be increased
or diminshed at pleasure. And in order that our said Invention may be more
readily understood and carried into effect, we will now proceed to describe
the same, reference being had to the annexed Sheet of Drawings and to
the letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a vertical section; Figure 2 a vertical elevation; Figure 3
a top view (the cap being removed) of one of our improved apparatus intended
to regulate the flow of gases for purposes of illumination as applied to an
ordinary bat-wing or fish-tail burner. In this case the chamber or cylinder a
is provided with six or any other suitable number of slots ×, the area of
which for the escape of the gas can be regulated by raising or lowering the
cap b, which acts as a nut on the cylindrical projection a', in which the
slots are cut. The chamber a may be simply fixed tightly upon the
nipple c, but in order to avoid an escape of gas, we prefer to screw the said
chamber upon the nipple. The gas on issuing from the ordinary burner
passes through the conical tube d, the principal object of which is to project
the gas against the cap b, it thence fills the chamber a, in which it expands
and finally issues through the slots × with more or less pressure, according
as their area is reduced or enlarged by the position of the cap b. When the
area of the slots × is reduced, the gas will through its increased pressure,
be forced out laterally, and the jets will form a comparatively large circle,
whereas in the opposite case the jets will rise almost perpendicularly and
assume a shape resembling that of an Argand burner. After a time the
cap b becomes red hot, and this circumstance not only materially contributes
to the efficiency of the combustion of the gas, but also promotes its purifica-
tion.
This application of our improved regulating apparatus is especially applicable
and to be recommended in cases where the pressure of the gas supplied is
nearly uniform, and the light required of the same intensity; Figure 4 is a
vertical section; Figure 5 a vertical elevation, and Figure 6 a view from
below of a modification of our regulating apparatus, showing its application
where a globe is used. The chamber a and cap 6 are substantially of the
same construction as those described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The
cap b, however, instead of being screwed upon the cylindrical projection a', is
a simple cylinder connected by means of the rod e, which is provided with an
adjusting screw e¹, with button es, so that by turning the latter either in one
or the other direction, the area of the slots X is increased or reduced, and

page_text: at the same time also the supply of gas by means of the valve f. But as a
variation in the consumption of gas necessitates in order that complete com-
bustion may be attained and a steady flame insured, a corresponding varia-
tion in the admission of air, a disc g is screwed externally upon the chamber a,
so that by placing this disc nearer to or further from the gallery h, which
supports the globe i, the influx of the air is checked or facilitated.
Figure 7 represents in vertical section, Figure 8 in vertical elevation, and
Figure 9 in horizontal section through the line A, B, the application of our
Invention as a self-regulating apparatus to street lamps, for instance, so as to
suit varying pressures of gas.
The expansion chamber or cylinder a is here fitted with a piston b, in which
the slots are cut, and this piston is connected with the rod e.
At the same
time the said rod e, is by means of the lever k, connected with the balance
weight valve f, so that as the piston 6 is, owing to the greater or less pressure
of the gas, raised or lowered, the area of the slots x is increased or decreased,
and the valve f becomes simultaneously depressed or raised, and by closing the
orifice 1, through which the gas obtains admittance, less or more regulates the
supply to the chamber a. The screw e¹ and button e³ simply serve to regulate
the position of the piston b, so as to suit the circumstances of the case.
b
Figure 10 shows the application of our Invention to a fish-tail or bat-wing
burner, in which the cavity a of the burner itself forms the expansion chamber
whilst the wedge-shaped plug 6 passes through the slot x. The orifice for the
escape of the gas being increased or decreased by raising or lowering the plug
b by means of the rod e and button e.
Having now described the nature of our several improvements, and the
manner in which the same may be carried into effect, we wish it to be under-
stood that we do not confine or restrict ourselves to the precise details and
arrangements herein set forth, as the same may be varied without departing
from the principle of our said Invention; but what we claim as the Invention
to be secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
Firstly, the use and application of the expansion chamber or cylinder, and
regulating cap piston or plug, marked respectively a and b in the several
Figures of the annexed Sheet of Drawings, in the manner and for the pur-
poses herein-before described.
Secondly, with reference to Figure 4 of Drawings, the use and applica-
tion of the rod marked e in connection with the cap piston or plug marked b,
and valve f, as also the regulating disc marked g, in the manner and for the
purposes herein-before described.
Thirdly, with reference to Figure 7 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the

page_text: supply regulating valve marked fin connection with the rod marked e, and
cap piston or plug marked 6, in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Lawrence, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
BENJN. LAWRENCE. (L.S.)