IMPROVEMENTS IN MINERS SAFETY LAMPS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM TATE, of Ashton Moss, Colliery, Audenshaw in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MINERS SAFETY LAMPS to be as follows:-
"
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of miners safety
Lamps, the object of the invention being to enable the functions of such lamps
to be performed more effectively than heretofore.
The first part of my invention, is intended to prevent the miner opening the
lamp without first extinguishing the flame of the wick
The second part is the method of admitting a supply of air to feed the flame of
the wick.
The first object of my invention is accomplished by the action of unscrewing the
oil vessel which instantly shuts off the supply of air to the flame, and thus causes
it to die out before the parts can be separated. On the top of the oil vessel, and
round the wick holder I fix a ring provided with ratchet teeth upon its under side,
and one or more projecting studs upon its circumference-The ring can be easily
revolved in one direction only the contrary motion being prevented by the ratchet
teeth engaging with fixed catches on the oil vessel.
The Glass ring somewhat resembles that described in the specification of my
Patent N° 40, 1880 having an annular air chamber, the inlet openings formed in its
periphery or outer wall being protected by wire gauze, the opening or openings in
the inner wall having a sliding door operated by a projecting catch, so that the air
may be shut off or admitted to the interior of the lamp. The inner wall is not
concentric with the outer wall, being placed sufficiently out of the centre, to
accomplish the following result.
When the Glass ring is in its place and the sliding door is open to admit air, the
catch projects from that part of the wall nearest the true centre of the lamp and
the oil vessel, on being screwed up to its position close under the glass ring, during
the last one or two turns, brings the ratchet ring in contact with the catch of the
sliding door, causing the ratchet ring to revolve, by sliding over the fixed catches ;
if however it is now attempted to detach the oil vessel with the lighted wick by
rotating it in the opposite direction, and unscrewing it, one of the studs on the
ratchet ring engages with the catch on the opposite side, and not being able to
[Price 8d.1

page_text: revolve, it forces forward the catch and closes the sliding door shutting off the
supply of air, and causing the flame to die out before the parts can be separated.
On account of the eccentric position of the inner wall, the catch of the sliding
door recedes from the centre and eventually allows the stud of the ratchet ring to
pass over it so that the oil vessel may be unscrewed.
To admit air to the glass ring, from the top of the lamp, I use a gauze protected
chimney of ordinary construction, with a flat base closing the upper part of the
lamp. Round the chimney, and at a little distance from it, I place a tube or
draught divider, open at the base, and outside that (with a similar intervening
space) I fix an outer tube rather shorter than the draught divider, and having an
opening near its base into an air flue leading directly to the glass ring. The hot
air given off from the chimney escapes from the top of the inner tube which is the
higher of the two, and the pure air to supply enters over the top of the outer and
lower tube thus the inlet and outlet currents of air being at different levels do not
conflict.
The glasses are screwed up tightly against an elastic metallic ring preferably
made of thin elastic brass, having a single corrugation, and resembling the circular
ships thimble used in the eye of ropes, this modification of the corrugated ring
described in my former Patent possesses great yielding power, and will adapt itself
to an irregular glass.

page_text: Fig. 7, chimney with elastic glass ring.
In carrying out the first part of my invention, the object of which is to put out
the flame, when the oil vessel is being taken out of the lamp; I make the oil
vessel A, (which screws into the body of the lamp) with a circle of fixed catchies B.
round the wick holder C, which engage with the ratchet teeth or studs forined
upon a ring D, which has also one or more projections E, upon its circumference.
This ring is easily revolved, but in one direction only, contrary movement being
prevented by the engagement of the ratchet teeth, with the catches B. The duty
of this ring is to operate a sliding air port F in the glass ring G.
The glass ring nearly resembles that described in the specification of my Patent
N° 40, 1880. being provided with an annular air chamber H, the inlet openings in
its periphery being protected by wire gauze; the opening or openings in the inner
wall, having a sliding door, with a projecting catch K by which it is opened and
closed, thus admitting or preventing the admission of air to the wick. The inner
circular wall L, is not concentric with the outer wall, M, but is sufficiently out of
the centre to accomplish the following result.
When the glass ring G is in position and the sliding door open, the catch K
projects from that part of the wall nearest to the true centre of the lamp, as shown
fig 5 and when the oil vessel is screwed into its place for use, during the final turns
the catch K comes in contact with the projections E, and turns the ring round, by
sliding it over the fixed catches B. If it is now attempted to take out the oil
vessel by unscrewing it, the opposite action takes place, the ring is prevented
rotating by the catches B, and one of the projections E coming in contact with the
opposite side of the catch K, pushes it forward, and closes the sliding door, shutting
off the supply of air, and causing the flame to expire.
Oweing to the eccentricity of the inner wall L, the catch K, recedes from the
true centre as shown by dotted lines in Fig 5 and eventually allows the ring to
pass so that the oil vessel may be unscrewed and withdrawn.

page_text: The second part of my invention which relates to the admission of air to the
lamp through the glass ring G with other details appertaining thereto is as follows-
I use a chimney of ordinary construction in its upper part N, Fig. 7 protected by
a cap as in Fig. 6.-but I attach to its base, an elastic metallic glass ring P, which
is a more simple form than described in my former Patent, and posesses great
yielding power, readily adapting itself to irregular glasses.
The top edge of this ring closes the light Chamber of the lamp.
Encircling the chimney N, is a tube or draught divider Q, open at the base, aud
outside that I place a shorter one R, closed at the bottom, but provided on one side
only of the lamp with an opening into an air flue S, leading directly to an air
Chamber T, round the glass ring G; there may be more than one flue if desirable.
This arrangement causes the hot air or products of combustion to escape from
the top of the lamp, being urged forward by a current of hot air from the tube Q,
the pure or supply air entering over the edge of the outer tube R, a portion going
to feed the flame through the flue S, and the remainder passing up the tube Q.
This arrangement of tubes of different heights, prevents any conflict between the
inlet and outlet currents of cold and hot air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1st In miners safety Lamps, the method of extinguishing the flame of the lamp,
by mechanically closing the air supply ports, while unscrewing the oil vessel from
the lamp, as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
2nd In miners Lamps, the method of admitting a supply of air to the flame of the
lamp through one or more flues from the top of the lamp, and on one side only to
the glass ring as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
3 The use of a metallic elastic glass ring P, for the purpose, and as herein
described and illustrated, either attached to the chimney or separate.
4th In miners safety Lamps the arrangement and use of a draught dividing tube,
placed between the chimney and an outer tube, for the purpose of inducing a
current of air to the interior of the lamp as herein described.
Dated the 18th day of September 1884.
ROBT F. DRURY,
Agent for the Applicant.